Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has provided detailed plans for reforming the UK’s asylum and immigration appeals system in a letter to the Chair of the Commons Justice Committee, Andy Slaughter MP, dated 13 January 2026. The letter responds to questions following the government’s November 2025 policy statement, Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy.
Mahmood’s correspondence addresses concerns over rising asylum appeal backlogs and sets out the government’s intention to replace the Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal (FTT-IAC) with a new independent appeals body. She notes that the existing tribunal cannot cope with the scale of demand and that fundamental reform is required to improve speed, efficiency, and fairness while maintaining independence.
Rising asylum appeals and need for reform
The Home Secretary highlights that asylum appeals have risen dramatically, from 7,000 in early 2023 to over 51,000 by March 2025. Mahmood and the Deputy Prime Minister acknowledge the “vital work” of the FTT-IAC and the investments made to increase capacity through additional sitting days and judicial recruitment. Nevertheless, she states that the current statutory and structural limits of the FTT-IAC make it unsustainable to handle current and projected caseloads.
The proposed independent appeals body will offer increased and flexible capacity and enhanced ability to prioritise cases in the public interest. During a phased transition, the FTT-IAC will continue to hear existing appeals to ensure continuity for both appellants and the judiciary, while backlogs are addressed. Appellants will retain the full right of onward appeal to the Upper-tier Tribunal on points of law.
Adjudicators, staffing, and independence (Q2-5)
All members of the new body will possess the necessary training and expertise to make determinations on appeal cases. The recruitment pool will be broadened compared with the current system to ensure a greater number of adjudicators, allowing cases to be decided more swiftly. Strong safeguards will maintain high standards and ensure the new body remains entirely independent of the executive, providing robust scrutiny of Home Office decisions. Mahmood confirmed that Parliament will have a formal role in monitoring the effectiveness and productivity of the new body. Detailed eligibility criteria and recruitment processes will be shared in due course.
Funding (Q6-7)
The new independent appeals body will be funded from existing departmental budgets. Mahmood states that the long-term savings-including reduced asylum support, hotel costs, and the removal of high-harm offenders—are expected to outweigh setup costs. The FTT-IAC’s current capacity has already been increased to help manage rising caseloads.
Legislation and transitional arrangements (Q8-9)
The government is working at pace on the legislative and policy changes required to establish the new body. It will ultimately hear all case types, but a phased implementation is planned to ensure it can manage demand. During this transition, the FTT-IAC will continue to deal with cases not yet moved to the new body. Mahmood will provide further details on implementation in due course.
Access to legal representation (Q12-13)
The reforms will ensure asylum seekers continue to have access to justice. Legal advice will be embedded early in the process to ensure all relevant matters are considered efficiently. The government is working with the Ministry of Justice to determine arrangements for early legal advice before appeals are heard.
One claim, one appeal (Q14-16)
The independent appeals body will implement a single appeal route, ensuring that all relevant matters are raised and considered. Early legal advice will help appellants understand their rights, and late first-time claims will not suspend removal. The full right of onward appeal to the Upper-tier Tribunal on points of law will be retained.
Fast-track and prioritisation
Under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, statutory timeframes require appeals from supported accommodation or non-detained foreign national offenders to be decided within 24 weeks where practicable. The new body will be scalable, allowing prioritisation of cases in the public interest. Accelerated timeframes will allow late claims to be resolved swiftly, while complex protection claims will continue to receive thorough scrutiny. Fast-track procedures will apply to people from safe countries, preventing simple cases from being delayed by complex ones.
The Home Secretary concluded by expressing her willingness to continue engagement with the Justice Committee as the reforms progress.
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News Source: Electronic Immigration Network