Asylum seekers to be deported faster under new UK rules
Key Points
- The First-tier Tribunal must decide asylum and immigration appeals from non-detained foreign national offenders and people on asylum support within 24 weeks, down from an average of 67 weeks.
- The target covers in-scope appeals lodged from 12 August 2026 and aims to speed up removals of people who lose at appeal.
- The government links the change to estimated taxpayer savings of £6.9 billion and says asylum costs have already fallen by £1 billion since the 2024 general election.
- A new Independent Immigration Appeals Authority will run alongside the tribunal and take on new cases while the existing backlog of more than 150,000 appeals clears.
- Sitting days in the tribunal's Immigration and Asylum Chamber rise by 19% this year to add hearing capacity.
The government has set a 24-week deadline for the First-tier Tribunal to decide asylum and immigration appeals from non-detained foreign national offenders and people receiving asylum support and accommodation.
The target applies to in-scope cases the tribunal receives from 12 August 2026. Judges currently take an average of 67 weeks to reach a decision.
The government expects the shorter timeframe to speed up the removal of people who lose their appeals and have no right to remain in the UK, free up accommodation and cut costs, contributing to estimated taxpayer savings of £6.9 billion.
“For too long, asylum and immigration appeals have been plagued by delays, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill while cases drag on for months and sometimes years,” said Anna Turley, Minister for Border Security and Asylum.
“This new 24-week target will see cases resolved faster, reduce reliance on taxpayer-funded accommodation and speed up the removal of those with no right to be in the UK,” she added.
More than 150,000 appeals are still waiting to be heard despite the work of the judiciary. The government said wider reform is needed so the system can deal with cases more quickly and does not become a barrier to removal.
A new appeals body
The Immigration and Asylum Bill, which passed its second reading earlier this month, will create an Independent Immigration Appeals Authority to provide a simpler, faster route for deciding appeals.
The IIAA will run alongside the First-tier Tribunal for several years and will gradually take on new cases, allowing the tribunal to clear the existing backlog as quickly as possible.
Independent adjudicators working for the authority will be able to prioritise the most urgent cases and those in the public interest, including high-harm foreign national offenders and dubious human rights claims.
Asylum costs have fallen by £1 billion since the 2024 general election. The government will close every asylum hotel by the end of this parliament, with fewer than 170 now in use, down from a peak of 400 in 2023.
The government said it has also removed nearly 10,000 foreign national offenders, up 36% on the 21 months before the election. The judiciary already prioritises appeals from foreign national offenders held in detention, and the new timeframe extends faster treatment to those who are not detained.
