Immigration Act 1971

Temporary admission or release of persons liable to detention U.K.

21 (1) A person liable to detention or detained under paragraph 16 above may, under the written authority of an immigration officer, be temporarily admitted to the United Kingdom without being detained or be released from detention; but this shall not prejudice a later exercise of the power to detain him.

(2) So long as a person is at large in the United Kingdom by virtue of this paragraph, he shall be subject to such restrictions as to residence [F1 , as to his employment or occupation] and as to reporting to the police or an immigration officer as may from time to time be notified to him in writing by an immigration officer.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words inserted by Immigration Act 1988 (c. 14, SIF 62), s. 10, Sch. para. 10(1)(4)

22 (1) A person detained under paragraph 16(1) above pending examination may, if seven days have elapsed since the date of his arrival in the United Kingdom, be released on bail by an adjudicator on his entering into a recognizance or, in Scotland, bail bond conditioned for his appearance before an immigration officer at a time and place named in the recognizance or bail bond or at such other time or place as may in the meantime be notified to him in writing by an immigration officer.

(2) The conditions of a recognizance or bail bond taken under this paragraph may include conditions appearing to the adjudicator to be likely to result in the appearance of the person bailed at the required time and place; and any recognizance shall be with or without sureties as the adjudicator may determine.

(3) In any case in which an adjudicator has power under this paragraph to release a person on bail, the adjudicator may, instead of taking the bail, fix the amount and conditions of the bail (including the amount in which any sureties are to be bound) with a view to its being taken subsequently by any such person as may be specified by the adjudicator; and on the recognizance or bail bond being so taken the person to be bailed shall be released.

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Sch. 2 para. 22 modified (retrospectively and temp.) by Immigration Act 2016 (c. 19), ss. 61(3)-(5), 94(3) (with s. 61(6))

23 (1) Where a recognizance entered into under paragraph 22 above appears to an adjudicator to be forfeited, the adjudicator may by order declare it to be forfeited and adjudge the persons bound thereby, whether as principal or sureties, or any of them, to pay the sum in which they are respectively bound or such part of it, if any, as the adjudicator thinks fit; and an order under this sub-paragraph shall specify a magistrates’ court or, in Northern Ireland, court of summary jurisdiction, and—

(a) the recognizance shall be treated for the purposes of collection, enforcement and remission of the sum forfeited as having been forfeited by the court so specified; and

(b) the adjudicator shall, as soon as practicable, give particulars of the recognizance to the clerk of that court.

(2) Where a person released on bail under paragraph 22 above as it applies in Scotland fails to comply with the terms of his bail bond, an adjudicator may declare the bail to be forfeited, and any bail so forfeited shall be transmitted by the adjudicator to the sheriff court having jurisdiction in the area where the proceedings took place, and shall be treated as having been forfeited by that court.

(3) Any sum the payment of which is enforceable by a magistrates’ court in England or Wales by virtue of this paragraph shall be treated for the purposes of the [F2 Justices of the M1 Peace Act 1979 and, in particular, section 61 thereof] as being due under a recognizance forfeited by such a court . . . F3

(4) Any sum the payment of which is enforceable by virtue of this paragraph by a court of summary jurisdiction in Northern Ireland shall, for the purposes of section 20(5) of the M2 Administration of Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 1954, be treated as a forfeited recognizance.

Textual Amendments

F2 Words substituted by Justices of the Peace Act 1979 (c. 55), s. 71, Sch. 2 para. 17

F3 Words repealed by Criminal Justice Act 1972 (c. 71), Sch. 6 Pt. II

Marginal Citations

M1 1979 c. 55.

M2 1954 c. 9 (N.I.)

24 (1) An immigration officer or constable may arrest without warrant a person who has been released by virtue of paragraph 22 above—

(a) if he has reasonable grounds for believing that that person is likely to break the condition of his recognizance or bail bond that he will appear at the time and place required or to break any other condition of it, or has reasonable ground to suspect that that person is breaking or has broken any such other condition; or

(b) if, a recognizance with sureties having been taken, he is notified in writing by any surety of the surety’s belief that that person is likely to break the first-mentioned condition, and of the surety’s wish for that reason to be relieved of his obligations as a surety;

and paragraph 17(2) above shall apply for the arrest of a person under this paragraph as it applies for the arrest of a person under paragraph 17.

(2) A person arrested under this paragraph—

(a) if not required by a condition on which he was released to appear before an immigration officer within twenty-four hours after the time of his arrest, shall as soon as practicable be brought before an adjudicator or, if that is not practicable within those twenty-four hours, before a justice of the peace acting for the petty sessions area in which he is arrested or, in Scotland, the sheriff; and

(b) if required by such a condition to appear within those twenty-four hours before an immigration officer, shall be brought before that officer.

(3) An adjudicator, justice of the peace or sheriff before whom a person is brought by virtue of sub-paragraph (2)(a) above—

(a) if of the opinion that that person has broken or is likely to break any condition on which he was released, may either—

(i) direct that he be detained under the authority of the person by whom he was arrested; or

(ii) release him, on his original recognizance or on a new recognizance, with or without sureties, or, in Scotland, on his original bail or on new bail; and

(b) if not of that opinion, shall release him on his original recognizance or bail.

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C2 Sch. 2 para. 24 modified (3.8.1998) by 1997 c. 68, s. 3, Sch. 3 para.3; S.I. 1998/1892, art.2

Sch. 2 para. 24 applied (2.10.2000) by 1999 c. 33, ss. 9(4), 10(7); S.I. 2000/2444, art. 2, Sch. 1 (subject to transitional provisions in art. 3, Sch. 2 para. 2)

Sch. 2 para. 24 applied (with modifications) (14.12.2001) by 2001 c. 24, ss. 24(2)(c), 127(2)

C3 Sch. 2 paras. 2-4, 7, 16-18, 21-24 applied (with modifications) (2.10.2000) by S.I. 2000/2326, reg. 24(2) (with regs. 9, 28)

Sch. 2 para. 24 applied (2.10.2000) by S.I. 2000/2326, reg. 25(3)(a) (with regs. 9, 28)

25 The power to make rules of procedure conferred by section 22 of this Act shall include power to make rules with respect to applications to an adjudicator under paragraphs 22 to 24 above and matters arising out of such applications.