PRESS RELEASE : Government increases hearing capacity to speed up immigration cases [December 2022]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 8 December 2022.
Thousands more immigration cases will be heard over the next few months, speeding up decisions on removing people with no right to be in the UK.
- increased capacity for immigration and asylum tribunals to hear up to 9,000 more cases
- appeals often follow decisions by Home Office on asylum and deportation
- investment will reduce waiting time for thousands of legal decisions
By increasing the number of days tribunals can operate, backed by £5 million of government investment, up to 9,000 more immigration and asylum cases will be heard before the end of March.
This will speed up the process for people waiting for their cases to be heard and reduce the waiting time for legal decisions. This includes appeals to the tribunal on cases from failed asylum seekers, for example those have made Channel crossings if the Home Office has denied their initial asylum claim as well as those claiming that being forced to leave the UK would breach their human rights.
Allowing judges in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber to hear more cases will help address the 25,000 cases currently in the system.
Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said:
This investment will allow judges to hear many more cases across our immigration and asylum tribunals over the next 3 months.
It means decisions can be made more quickly, helping us tackle the backlog, ensure justice is served, and remove those who are not eligible.
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick MP said:
Additional asylum and immigration cases being heard in the courts is hugely welcomed and is an important part of the government’s effort to tackle illegal immigration.
Faster decisions will enable us to speed up the removal of those with no right to be here, strengthen deterrence against those seeking to abuse our system and focus our efforts on those in genuine need.
The decision follows the nationwide rollout of asylum casework pilot by the Home Office which successfully cut the wait time for first interviews by 40 percent and increased decisions.
The increase on days the judges can operate also applies to Employment Tribunals, with a £2.85 million investment to allow up to 1,700 more cases to come before judges before by the end of March 2023.
In total, as many as 10,700 extra immigration and employment cases could be heard in the next 3 months, funded by the total £8 million of investment.
It comes after the Crown Court was also allowed to work at full capacity for the second year in a row – meaning more trials can take place and ensure victims have the swifter justice they deserve.
