New authority aims to speed up immigration appeals and accelerate removals from late 2027
The UK government has announced plans to establish a new independent immigration appeals body as part of wider reforms intended to speed up the removal of foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers.
The proposals, published on 30 June 2026, form part of the forthcoming Immigration and Asylum Bill confirmed in the King’s Speech. The legislation would replace the current process with a single appeal route designed to reduce delays and prevent repeated appeals from prolonging cases.
Under the plans, the new Independent Immigration Appeals Authority (IIAA) will hear immigration and asylum appeals. The government says the authority will be able to prioritise cases that are considered to be in the public interest, including those involving high-harm foreign offenders and human rights claims deemed to be clearly without merit. It says this approach will support faster decisions and removals.
According to the Home Office, the average time taken to clear immigration and asylum appeal cases currently stands at 61 weeks, with more than 150,000 appeals waiting to be heard. Ministers argue that allowing applicants to submit further claims after an initial appeal has contributed to delays. The proposed reforms would require all relevant claims to be considered together through a single appeal process.
The IIAA is expected to begin hearing appeals from late 2027, with implementation taking place in stages. It will be staffed by professionally trained and independently appointed adjudicators. The government says broader eligibility criteria for adjudicators will increase capacity, while the authority will be able to adjust the number of decision-makers according to demand. Although decisions will remain independent, the authority will operate within the immigration system to help ensure cases progress more quickly following unsuccessful appeals.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the existing appeals tribunal is overwhelmed, allowing some people to delay their removal through repeated appeals. She said the new body would ensure claims are heard “swiftly and fairly”, with those who have legitimate claims receiving a hearing while those with no right to remain are removed more quickly.
The government also said nearly 70,000 illegal migrants and foreign criminals have been returned or deported since it took office. It added that the Immigration and Asylum Bill will introduce a single decision on asylum and humanitarian protection claims, while increasing capacity within the existing tribunal system through a 19% rise in sitting days for the First-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber compared with 2024/25. Despite those measures, ministers say structural reform is needed to address the scale of the current caseload and improve the efficiency of the appeals system.