Submit appeal

A new law called The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 has recently come into force. The Act has brought about significant changes to the UK asylum and immigration system. We are in the process of updating our Toolkit and other resources like the Asylum Navigation Board to reflect these developments. For now, please be aware that some of the information in the Navigation Board may be out-of-date. To read a summary of the changes coming into force under the Act, please have a read of our Legal Update.

ⓘ Information card

If you have the right to appeal, the First-tier Tribunal is the court where a judge will hear and decide on your asylum appeal, at which you say the Home Office was wrong to refuse your asylum claim. The judge is independent, so is not a representative of the Home Office.If you have a lawyer, they will prepare and submit the appeal form for you, and represent you at court.um claim. The judge is independent, so is not a representative of the Home Office.

If you have a lawyer, they will prepare and submit the appeal form for you, and represent you at court.

Your completed appeal form (and accompanying documents/evidence) must be received at the Tribunal no later than 14 calendar days after you are sent the notice of the decision by the Home Office on your case (for example, a refusal of your asylum claim).

If you miss this deadline, you may be able to apply for an “out-of-time” appeal but you would have to have good reasons for doing so, and explain these to the Tribunal. The Tribunal may refuse to consider your appeal.

Read more in the Appeals section of the Right to Remain Toolkit.

Now read the problem card below. Discuss with a friend (or have a think if you’re doing this on your own) what you might be able to do in this situation. When you have finished discussing/thinking, click to reveal a suggested action.

⚠️ Problem card

The Home Office refuse your asylum claim and your lawyer says they can no longer represent you, and you have just 14 days to submit your appeal application.

  • Click to show action…

    You could ask your lawyer what you would need to do for them to carry on representing you (e.g. do you need to be able to get evidence to show that your case is strong?).

    Or you could try and find another lawyer to take on your case – think about how to explain the ways in which your case is strong, and what you plan to do about the parts of your story that the Home Office didn’t believe, or are “weaker” parts of your case. You may find it helpful to talk this through with a friend, as it can be hard to think objectively about your own situation.

    If you can’t find another lawyer to take on your case, you can submit your appeal application yourself (read more about this in the Appeals section of the Right to Remain Toolkit).

    You may be waiting many months for the appeal hearing – you must try and find evidence to support your case during this time, and you may be able to persuade a lawyer to represent you in the hearing.

NEXT STAGE: APPEAL HEARING