# UK Home Office Uses AI in Immigration Processing

A 27 October 2026 Open Rights Group report alleges that the UK Home Office uses AI in immigration and border functions, including case prioritisation, asylum case support, age assessment, phone checks and surveillance, while providing limited public information about the systems. The Home Office says AI supports caseworkers and does not make asylum decisions. The signals identify no solicitation, contract award, supplier, funding value or procurement timetable, so this is a policy and market development rather than a current contracting opportunity.

- The report calls for tighter regulation, greater transparency and a public register of government AI tools; these proposals could shape future public-sector AI assurance and procurement expectations.
- Contractors offering AI evaluation, bias testing, auditing or governance capabilities may find these areas relevant if the Home Office develops related requirements, but no active procurement is identified.
- Suppliers serving immigration and border-control programs should be prepared to explain how their systems are evaluated and how AI supports, rather than replaces, human decision-making.

**Jurisdictions:** international
**Industries:** Information Technology, Public Safety
**Topics:** Artificial Intelligence, Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** October 27, 2026

### Government Entities
- UK Home Office
- UK Parliament

### Key Quotes
> In spite of questions and requests, the Home Office has been reluctant to publish the documents that would explain how AI is used in asylum processing, what the problems are and how they are being addressed.
> — Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Member of Parliament

> Migration is a human phenomenon and experience, not a technical problem that can be fixed by artificial intelligence.
> — Sara Alsherif, Programme Manager at Open Rights Group

### Sources
- [ORG says UK Home Office secretly uses AI — The Guardian | UA.NEWS](https://ua.news/en/world/org-zaiavila-pro-prikhovane-zastosuvannia-shi-u-mvs-britaniyi-the-guardian) - UA.NEWS
- [‘Digital hostile environment’: AI secretly being embedded across Home Office, report claims | Home Office | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/oct/27/digital-hostile-environment-ai-secretly-embedded-home-office-report) - The Guardian