Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will propose a major overhaul of the asylum appeals system, replacing judges with trained members of the public to decide cases. The plans, detailed in the upcoming Immigration and Asylum Bill, aim to speed up the process and remove 45,000 failed claimants and foreign offenders.
New Independent Immigration Appeals Authority
The new body, called the Independent Immigration Appeals Authority (IIAA), will consist of 'professionally trained and independently appointed' adjudicators from a range of backgrounds, similar to magistrates. They will oversee appeals against rejected asylum claims, prioritising cases in the public interest and high-harm offenders. The system could start operating from late 2027.
Mahmood said the current appeals tribunal is 'overwhelmed' and that people are 'gaming the system, lodging vexatious appeals to frustrate their removal.' The IIAA will focus on cases 'clearly without merit' to prevent legal battles from being used as delay tactics.
Expansion of Removal Centres
Alongside the appeals reform, Mahmood plans to expand two immigration removal centres. Haslar in Gosport will increase from 130 to 600 beds, and Campsfield in Oxfordshire, which opened in December, will expand from 160 to 400 beds. These expansions aim to boost capacity for detaining failed claimants awaiting removal.
Reactions and Next Steps
The Home Secretary emphasised that those with legitimate claims will get a fair hearing, while those with no right to remain will be swiftly removed. The bill is expected to be introduced in Parliament later this year, with the IIAA potentially operational by late 2027.
