Shabana Mahmood plans to replace judges with the public for asylum appeals
Related: Mahmood rules out US-style ICE tactics for UK
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to unveil plans for a new independent body, the Independent Immigration Appeals Authority, to decide asylum appeals instead of immigration judges.
This new body will comprise professionally trained adjudicators from diverse backgrounds, similar to magistrates, with the aim of speeding up the appeals process and increasing capacity from late 2027.
The reforms, to be introduced in the Immigration and Asylum Bill, will also create a ‘single route’ to prevent migrants from lodging multiple appeals or new claims after an initial rejection.
The home secretary pledged the removal of 45,000 failed claimants and foreign offenders, stating the current appeals tribunal is overwhelmed by ‘vexatious appeals’.
To facilitate these removals, two immigration removal centres, Campsfield and Haslar, are being expanded to significantly increase bed spaces.
