From 19 October, urgency decisions will be based on Form N463 alone.
The Administrative Court is changing how it decides whether judicial review claims and applications should receive urgent consideration, with a new requirement taking effect on 19 October 2026.
Under the new Practice Statement, decisions on whether urgent consideration is justified will be made using the information provided on Form N463 alone. If the information on the form does not establish that urgent consideration is justified, the request will be refused.
The Administrative Court said applications for urgent consideration are an important part of its work, with at least one judge available on every working day to deal with claims and applications accompanied by an urgent consideration request.
However, the court said the number of urgent applications has been increasing substantially, placing pressure on its administrative and judicial resources. The Practice Statement says the process needs to allow court staff, lawyers and judges to identify quickly which matters require urgent consideration and the order in which papers should be dealt with.
The court has reminded parties seeking urgent consideration applications that they must comply strictly with Chapter 17 of the Administrative Court Judicial Review Guide.
Where there is a genuine need for an application to be considered within seven days of filing, Form N463 — the Judicial Review: Application for Urgent Consideration form — should be used. The information requested on the form must be provided on the form itself, without cross-reference to other documents.
The requirement is intended to support the court’s triage process. Form N463 is used by court lawyers and judges to determine whether urgent consideration is justified and, where appropriate, the order in which papers should be considered.
The Practice Statement refers to the Divisional Court’s observations in DVP v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] EWHC 606 (Admin), [2021] 4 WLR 75, which stressed that practitioners must follow the correct procedure and clearly identify the information explaining why an application is urgent.
The court said the reasons for urgency should be capable of a short and straightforward explanation. Judges should not have to search through extensive supporting documents to identify the underlying reasons for urgency.
The new approach does not remove the requirement to provide the other documents required for an urgent application. The Practice Statement says applications should also be accompanied by the documents required under paragraph 17.4 of the Administrative Court Judicial Review Guide, including the Claim Form, supporting documents, relevant correspondence and a draft order, where applicable.
Applications that are not made in the proper form or do not include the required accompanying documents may not be forwarded to the judge dealing with immediate applications.
The Practice Statement was issued by Mr Justice Chamberlain, Judge in Charge of the Administrative Court, on 30 September 2026.