Drop plans for new appeals body focus on Home Office decision making
22 Apr 2026
Less than 1 minute read
News:
UK government should focus on the true causes of the asylum backlog and delays rather than establishing a new appeals body, says the Law Society of England and Wales.
The Law Society has responded to the Home Office call for evidence on the proposed new Independent Appeals Body for immigration and asylum appeals.
“Asylum and immigration reforms should focus on the Home Office getting decisions right first time,” said Law Society president Mark Evans.
“By replacing the experienced professional First-Tier Tribunal with a lay appeals body, with no indication of how it will be independent, the government would damage people’s right to a fair hearing. This is particularly concerning as the proposal is being led by the Home Office, a party to the appeals with a vested interest.
“Previous appeals systems that relied on adjudicators without legal qualifications were ultimately abandoned because they were not fit for purpose.
“The government should drop these plans. Instead, they should tackle the true causes of delay. This can be done by stabilising asylum policy, raising the quality of Home Office initial decisions, improving efficiency in the current tribunal system and funding legal aid properly.”
Clear evidence points to the need to significantly improve Home Office initial decisions. The Home Office’s own data shows that only 52% of decisions met its quality standard in 2023/24*. The National Audit Office reported that for the year ending May 2025, 42% of sampled Home Office asylum decisions had significant errors.** And in the year ending March 2025, 45% of asylum refusals reviewed by the First-Tier Tribunal were overturned.***
“Such major reforms require proper consultation and engagement,” added Mark Evans.
“A four-week consultation, over Easter, is unacceptable, even if extended in the eleventh hour by two weeks. Rushed decisions risk repeating mistakes or creating new ones entirely of the government’s own making. We call for a meaningful opportunity to engage with the government and a reasoned response to our concerns.”
The Law Society is the independent professional body that works globally to support and represent solicitors, promoting the highest professional standards, the public interest and the rule of law.