Immigration Act 1971

1 General principles. U.K.

(1) All those who are in this Act expressed to have the right of abode in the United Kingdom shall be free to live in, and to come and go into and from, the United Kingdom without let or hindrance except such as may be required under and in accordance with this Act to enable their right to be established or as may be otherwise lawfully imposed on any person.

(2) Those not having that right may live, work and settle in the United Kingdom by permission and subject to such regulation and control of their entry into, stay in and departure from the United Kingdom as is imposed by this Act; and indefinite leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom shall, by virtue of this provision, be treated as having been given under this Act to those in the United Kingdom at its coming into force, if they are then settled there (and not exempt under this Act from the provisions relating to leave to enter or remain).

(3) Arrival in and departure from the United Kingdom on a local journey from or to any of the Islands (that is to say, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) or the Republic of Ireland shall not be subject to control under this Act, nor shall a person require leave to enter the United Kingdom on so arriving, except in so far as any of those places is for any purpose excluded from this subsection under the powers conferred by this Act; and in this Act the United Kingdom and those places, or such of them as are not so excluded, are collectively referred to as “the common travel area”.

(4) The rules laid down by the Secretary of State as to the practice to be followed in the administration of this Act for regulating the entry into and stay in the United Kingdom of persons not having the right of abode shall include provision for admitting (in such cases and subject to such restrictions as may be provided by the rules, and subject or not to conditions as to length of stay or otherwise) persons coming for the purpose of taking employment, or for purposes of study, or as visitors, or as dependants of persons lawfully in or entering the United Kingdom.

F1 (5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 1(5) repealed by Immigration Act 1988 (c. 14, SIF 62), s. 1

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Ss. 1-9, 11 extended (with modifications) (Guernsey) (1.8.1993) by The Immigration (Guernsey) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/1796), arts. 1, 3(1), Sch. 1 Pt. 1

C2 Ss. 1-9, 11 extended (with modifications) (Jersey) (1.8.1993) by The Immigration (Jersey) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/1797), arts. 1, 3(1), Sch. 1 Pt. 1 (as amended (17.10.2012) by S.I. 2012/2593, arts. 1, 2(2); and (coming into force in accordance with art. 1 of the amending S.I.) by S.I. 2017/981, Sch. Pt. 1 para. 1 (with art. 6))

C3 S. 1 excluded by Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 (c. 4) (SIF 39:2), s. 20(3)

C4 S. 1 excluded by S.I. 1972/1610, art. 3(2)

S. 1 restricted (19.2.2001) by 2000 c. 11, s. 53(3); S.I. 2001/421

C5 S. 1 excluded (12.2.2019 for specified purposes, 13.8.2020 in so far as not already in force) by Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 (c. 3), s. 27(1)(g), Sch. 3 para. 24 (with s. 25(9)); S.I. 2020/792, reg. 2(g)