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Immigration Controls

Asked by Rupert LoweRestore BritainHome OfficeTabled Answered 22 May 2026UIN 839

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department provides to officials on the meaning of the term “not conducive to the public good” in decisions to refuse leave to enter or remain in the UK.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Home Secretary has the power to exclude a person who is not a British citizen if their presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good. The Immigration Rules also provide for the refusal of Electronic Travel Authorisations, entry clearance or permission at the border if a person’s character, conduct or associations mean it is undesirable to grant them entry to the UK.

Decisions to exclude a person or refuse or cancel Electronic Travel Authorisations, permission on the grounds that their presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good are made in accordance with published policy, which can be accessed via the following links:

Exclusion from the UK – decisions and orders: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK,

Electronic Travel Authorisation Guidance,

Grounds for refusal or cancellation of entry clearance: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK.

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