The government has fleshed out plans for the Independent Immigration Appeals Authority (IIAA) in a new factsheet published today. The IIAA will assume responsibility for all new immigration and asylum appeals, replacing the First-tier Tribunal. Drivers for change Appeal backlogs have ballooned to 156,000 cases with average wait-times of 65 weeks. Officials say the existing tribunal structure cannot scale to meet volatile demand. How the new body will work • A single-appeal process: claimants must raise all grounds at once, reducing serial litigation. • Professionally recruited adjudicators with powers to prioritise ‘high-harm’ cases, enabling swifter removal of foreign criminals. • Digital filing and remote hearings by default, supporting faster case-management. Business implications For employers, faster resolution of Skilled Worker refusals should offer certainty, but it also means limited time to rectify sponsorship errors before removal directions take effect. Legal teams may need to front-load evidence and prepare ‘all-grounds’ submissions. Transitional arrangements Existing appeals stay with the tribunal; the IIAA will take only new cases after commencement—targeted for Q4 2027 once staffing and IT systems are in place.
Source: Home Office – GOV.UK
