About the Home Office

The Home Office is one of the original great Departments of State and has one of the most challenging jobs in Government. Its mission is fundamentally important: to keep Britain’s streets safe and its borders secure. Each and every member of Home Office staff plays a part in making that happen.

With a budget of £10.7bn and a staffing profile of up to 32,000, the Home Office leads on immigration and passports, drugs policy, crime policy, counter-extremism and counter-terrorism and works to ensure visible, responsive and accountable policing in the UK. These issues are at the heart of the Government’s agenda. The challenges the Department faces are significant and can change rapidly in the global environment in which we operate. This makes it one of the most exciting and stimulating Departments to work in.

Home Office Structure

Further information on the key Directorates in the Home Office can be found below.

The Home Office’s primary mission is to keep our citizens safe and our borders secure.

The Home Office includes:

Crime, Policing and Fire Group works with police, fire and rescue services and other partners, to reduce crime, vulnerability and extremism, keep citizens safe and become more efficient.
Office for Security and Counter Terrorism works with other Departments and agencies to ensure an effective and coordinated response to the threat of terrorism;
Serious and Organised Crime Group works with the National Crime Agency, police, other Departments, agencies and partner organisations to tackle serious and organised crime.
Border, Immigration and Citizenship Policy and Strategy Group delivers our overall policy approach to tackling migration and border issues;
Border Force is responsible for securing the UK border and controlling migration at 138 ports and airports across the UK and overseas;
UK Visas and Immigration makes high-quality decisions about who comes here, with a culture of customer satisfaction for business people and visitors who want to come here legally;
Immigration Enforcement enforces the law against those who break our immigration laws;
Her Majesty’s Passport Office is responsible for issuing UK passports and for overseeing the system of civil registration in England and Wales;
Capabilities and Resources is responsible for ensuring that operational and policy teams in the Home Office have the support they need to achieve the Department’s priorities. The work is captured in a wide portfolio of enabling functions including human resources, estates, finance, investment management, performance management, governance and assurance, commercial, science and innovation and security;
A small strategic centre, which advises the Home Office board on strategy and direction, as well as the allocation of resources.
Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) is responsible for delivering the Home Office’s technology platforms. The function is made up of more than 3000 staff, augmented by a large number of supplier partners