Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has unveiled plans to train members of the public to decide asylum appeals, replacing immigration judges, as part of a broader initiative to accelerate case outcomes and remove 45,000 failed claimants and foreign offenders from the UK.
New Independent Appeals Body
The reforms, to be included in the Immigration and Asylum Bill this week, will establish the Independent Immigration Appeals Authority. This body will consist of “professionally trained and independently appointed” adjudicators drawn from a range of backgrounds, similar to magistrates. The government expects that widening eligibility criteria will significantly increase capacity and lead to faster decisions.
Under the current system, the appeals tribunal is “overwhelmed,” according to Mahmood. She stated: “Today, our appeals tribunal is overwhelmed. As a result, people are gaming the system, lodging vexatious appeals to frustrate their removal. Our new appeals body will ensure claims are heard swiftly and fairly.”
Single Route for Appeals
The bill will also introduce a “single route” to prevent migrants from appealing a rejected claim and then submitting further claims on new matters before removal. This measure aims to close loopholes that allow individuals to delay deportation.
Mahmood added: “Those with a legitimate claim will get their hearing. Those who have no right to remain in this country, and are abusing the system, will be swiftly removed.”
Expansion of Removal Centres
To support the removal of more than 45,000 individuals with no legal right to stay, the Home Office is expanding two immigration removal centres. The Campsfield site in Oxfordshire, refurbished and officially opened in December 2025, will increase capacity from 160 to 400 beds. The Haslar centre in Gosport, currently under development, will expand from 130 to 600 beds.
These expansions are expected to be operational from late 2027, with priority given to cases involving public interest and high-harm offenders.
