The government has introduced a new target aimed at speeding up asylum and immigration appeals, saying the change will help remove people who have no right to remain in the UK more quickly and reduce the cost of taxpayer-funded accommodation.
According to the Home Office, a new 24-week target came into effect on 12 August for certain asylum and immigration appeals heard by the First-tier Tribunal. The target applies to new cases involving non-detained foreign national offenders and people receiving asylum support and accommodation.
The announcement, published by the Home Office on 14 August, said the reform is intended to reduce the time people wait for their cases to be decided. The current average waiting time for a judge to decide an in-scope case was given as 67 weeks.
The government said faster decisions could also accelerate the removal of unsuccessful applicants who have no legal right to remain in Britain. It argued that this would free up accommodation and reduce the cost of supporting people while they wait for their appeals to be heard.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum Anna Turley said the existing system had been affected by lengthy delays, with cases sometimes taking months or years to resolve. The government says the new target is intended to make the process more efficient while dealing with a substantial existing backlog.
According to the Home Office announcement, more than 150,000 appeals were still waiting to be heard when the new target was introduced. The government has therefore presented the 24-week target as one part of a wider attempt to reform the immigration appeals system rather than as a solution to the backlog on its own.
The announcement is closely linked to the Immigration and Asylum Bill, which is currently progressing through Parliament. According to UK Parliament’s records, the government bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons in July and has since moved towards committee stage.
The parliamentary debate over the bill highlighted many of the same pressures identified by the Home Office. During its second reading, MPs discussed the number of people in asylum accommodation, the cost of the system, delays in appeals and the government’s plans to create a faster route for determining cases.
Hansard, the official record of Parliament, records the government arguing that the proposed system would establish a single, faster appeal route. The debate also referred to the pressure created by repeated or late claims, particularly in cases involving people who might ultimately be removed from the UK.
The government has proposed establishing an Independent Immigration Appeals Authority as part of the wider reforms. According to the Home Office, the new authority would operate alongside the existing First-tier Tribunal for several years and would gradually take on new cases.
The proposed system would also allow independent adjudicators to prioritise urgent cases and those considered to be in the public interest, including cases involving high-harm foreign national offenders.
The government says the reforms are designed to complement measures already being taken to increase the capacity of the appeals system. The Home Office reported that sitting days in the First-tier Tribunal’s Immigration and Asylum Chamber are due to increase by 19% compared with 2024-25.
There is also a significant financial argument behind the changes. According to the Home Office, reducing delays could contribute to estimated taxpayer savings of £6.9 billion, partly by reducing the amount of time people without a right to remain spend in publicly funded accommodation.
The government also says asylum-related costs have fallen by £1 billion since the 2024 general election. It has pledged to close all asylum hotels by the end of the current Parliament, with fewer than 170 reportedly still in use compared with a peak of around 400 in 2023.
The parliamentary record shows that immigration and asylum policy remains a significant area of legislative activity. UK Parliament lists the Immigration and Asylum Bill as a government bill in the 2026-27 session, with committee stage its next parliamentary stage.
The bill and the new appeal target therefore form part of a broader government attempt to reshape the asylum system, rather than being isolated measures. The immediate focus is on reducing the time taken to decide appeals, while longer-term legislation is intended to change how those appeals are handled.
For applicants, the impact will depend on how effectively the new target can be delivered in practice. The government has acknowledged that the existing backlog remains substantial, meaning that speeding up new cases will not immediately resolve the thousands of appeals already waiting to be heard.
The Home Office says the new approach will ultimately allow cases to be resolved more quickly, reduce pressure on asylum accommodation and speed up the removal of people who are unsuccessful in their appeals.
Parliament will now play a central role in scrutinising the wider reforms as the Immigration and Asylum Bill progresses through its committee stage. According to UK Parliament, the legislation is intended to provide a new framework for handling immigration and asylum cases, while the Home Office’s 24-week target represents the government’s immediate attempt to reduce delays within the existing system.