A generic access control procedure is proposed. Every action that is subject to access control is associated with an access category, and each access category is in turn associated with a set of access control parameters. From the APP layer, a UE detects an action that is subject to access control. The UE obtains and stores access categorization rules. In NAS layer, the UE determines the access category for the action. The UE then determines the set of access control parameters for the action. In AS layer, the UE finally applies the set of access control parameters to the action and makes a barring decision for the action. By defining a generic access control procedure and separating access control functions into NAS layer and AS layer, the generic access control is simplified and extendible.