Now Reading: UK sets 24-week target to clear 1.5 lakh asylum appeals
-
01
UK sets 24-week target to clear 1.5 lakh asylum appeals
The UK has set a 24-week target for deciding certain asylum and immigration appeals to speed up removals of rejected claimants. The First-tier Tribunal must hear new appeals within this period for…
The Story in Brief
The UK has set a 24-week target for deciding certain asylum and immigration appeals to speed up removals of rejected claimants. The First-tier Tribunal must hear new appeals within this period for non-detained foreign national offenders and people receiving asylum support. The rule applies to cases from August 12. Over 1.5 lakh appeals are pending; the average wait is 67 weeks.
The Times of India reports Indian nationals had the lowest asylum grant rate at 1% over the past year. The government expects the reform, including a new Immigration and Asylum Bill, to save £6.9 billion and cut reliance on taxpayer-funded accommodation. Tribunal sitting days will rise 19% over 2024-25 to tackle the backlog.
The Indian Opinion
Indian readers see the UK tightening the screws: a 1% grant rate for Indians makes the target less about fairness than speed of deportation. The loudest narrative abroad frames this as only about deterrence, but the savings figure of £6.9 billion reveals the real driver for the British taxpayer. The test to watch is whether the new Independent Immigration Appeals Authority delivers faster hearings or just faster rejections without addressing root flaws in the asylum system.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
