The Home Office has opened a formal call for evidence on plans to create a new independent body to handle asylum appeals, marking the next stage in the Government’s overhaul of the system.
Submissions will be accepted until 11.59pm on 22 April 2026, with responses sought from individuals and organisations who have direct experience of the immigration and asylum appeals process. Legal professionals, regulators, charities, public service bodies and researchers are all being invited to contribute.
The new body, which will be staffed by adjudicators rather than judges, is intended to replace the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). The plan was first announced last year, although progress has been the subject of recent scrutiny. The Lady Chief Justice said only last week that the judiciary was still waiting to be told “what the plan is, what the timeline is, and what the proposals are.”
According to the Home Office, the responses gathered through this consultation will help shape the detailed design of the new appeals body and define its role within a reformed asylum framework. The full call for evidence has been published on GOV.UK.
The consultation is built around seven main themes. These cover access to justice and procedural safeguards, the use of expert evidence, recruitment and training of adjudicators, case management, hearing methods and digital processes, compliance with timeframes, and arrangements for accountability and oversight.
On access to justice, the Government wants to hear views on how to ensure applicants can secure legal advice, representation and practical support such as interpreters. It is also seeking input on how procedural adjustments could be made to accommodate vulnerable claimants.
Questions on expert evidence focus on how medical and country-specific material should be commissioned, quality-assured and applied. Officials have specifically asked whether a shared pool of expert material could be developed to improve consistency across cases.
The recruitment of adjudicators is another central theme. The Government is canvassing opinion on the criteria, safeguards and training that should apply to adjudicators drawn from a broader range of professional backgrounds, as well as how they should be able to draw on legal expertise when needed.
Further questions explore whether certain types of case might require specialist processes or hearing formats, and how to strike the right balance between paper-based, remote and in-person hearings. The consultation also asks what technology and infrastructure would be needed to support these different approaches.
On efficiency, the Home Office is asking how compliance with timeframes can be improved, how delays might be reduced, and whether some cases should be fast-tracked. Finally, the consultation invites views on accountability, including whether the new body should be subject to external regulation or an ombudsman model.
