The First-tier Tribunal is expected to hear new asylum and immigration appeals from non-detained foreign national offenders and people receiving asylum support within 24 weeks, for cases received from 12 August 2026.
Report: first published 14 August 2026.
The government announced the target on 14 August 2026. As of 12 August 2026, the First-tier Tribunal is expected to hear new asylum and immigration appeals from two groups within 24 weeks of the tribunal receiving them: non-detained foreign national offenders (FNOs), and individuals in receipt of asylum support and accommodation. The source says the target applies to in-scope cases submitted to the tribunal from 12 August. It gives the current average wait for a case to be decided by a judge as 67 weeks.
The source says appeals from FNOs who are detained are already prioritised by the judiciary.
The source says over 150,000 appeals are still waiting to be heard. To add capacity, sitting days in the First-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber are due to increase by 19% this year compared with 2024 to 2025.
The government also plans wider reform. The Immigration and Asylum Bill, which the source says passed its second reading "earlier this month", will create a new Independent Immigration Appeals Authority (IIAA). The IIAA will run alongside the First-tier Tribunal for several years and gradually take on new cases, so the tribunal can clear the existing backlog. The source says its independent adjudicators will be able to prioritise the most urgent cases and those in the public interest, such as high-harm FNOs and what the government calls dubious human rights claims.
The government gives these figures on the wider system:
- Asylum costs have fallen by £1 billion since the 2024 general election.
- Under 170 asylum hotels are in use, down from a peak of 400 in 2023.
- Nearly 10,000 FNOs have been removed, up 36% on the 21 months before the election.
- The government estimates taxpayer savings of £6.9 billion.
What this means for applicants
The 24-week target applies to in-scope cases submitted to the First-tier Tribunal from 12 August 2026. The source names non-detained FNOs and individuals in receipt of asylum support and accommodation as the groups whose appeals the tribunal is expected to hear within 24 weeks. Appeals submitted before 12 August 2026 are not covered by the target as the source describes it. The source does not set out any new steps, forms or deadlines for appellants.