Court warns increase in applications for urgent consideration is placing significant pressure on judicial and administrative resources
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The Court and Tribunals Judiciary on Tuesday published the updated 2026 edition of the Administrative Court Judicial Review Guide.
The 259-page guide can be downloaded here.
It was prepared under the supervision of Mr Justice Chamberlain and edited by Mr Justice Sheldon and Mr Justice Coppel, and is described as essential reading for everyone involved in judicial review proceedings before the Administrative Court.
The guide consolidates relevant statutory provisions, practice directions, and case law on procedural aspects of judicial review into a single reference document.
This year's updated edition places a strong emphasis on procedural efficiency and the proportionate use of court resources. In the preface, the editors note that the Administrative Court has historically faced operational disruptions due to poor litigation practices, such as unjustified claims of urgency, excessively long written arguments, and the late filing of documents or documents filed in the wrong format. The guide details the Court's expectations for strict adherence to the Civil Procedure Rules to address these ongoing challenges.
The publication also includes a clear warning that parties or their legal representatives may face sanctions if they fail to comply with the Court's established standards and procedural requirements.
Section 6.5 of the guide (page 38) covers judicial review of immigration decisions and decisions on claims for asylum, while Annex 8 (page 237) contains important information about Upper Tribunal judicial review cases, with a particular emphasis on immigration cases.
Separately, the Administrative Court yesterday issued a Practice Statement addressing a substantial increase in applications for urgent consideration, a trend that it says is currently placing significant pressure on judicial and administrative resources. The statement, issued by Mr Justice Chamberlain, introduces stricter enforcement of procedural rules for time-sensitive claims, an issue of particular relevance in immigration and asylum cases.
Effective October 19, 2026, court staff and judges will determine whether a case justifies urgent triage based solely on the information provided on the face of Form N463. Citing DVP v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] EWHC 606 (Admin), the Practice Statement reminds practitioners that it is unacceptable to leave sections of the form blank or to explain urgency by cross-referencing attached documents.
The Court stressed that Form N463 is a critical triage tool rather than a mere formality, noting that judges should not have to hunt through voluminous files for key information. If the reasons for urgency are not clearly and concisely stated directly on the form, the request for urgent consideration will be summarily refused, and incorrectly filed applications may not be forwarded to the duty judge.
A copy of the full Practice Statement is below:
Administrative Court
Practice Statement: Applications for Urgent Consideration
1. Applications requiring urgent consideration are an important part of the work of the Administrative Court. The Administrative Court has at least one judge available on every working day to deal with claims and applications accompanied by an application for urgent consideration ("the immediates judge").
2. However, the number of applications for urgent consideration has been increasing substantially. This is placing pressure on the court's limited administrative and judicial resources.
3. It is important that decisions can be made quickly and efficiently by court staff, lawyers and judges about which claims and applications should be considered urgently and in what order.
4. Parties seeking urgent consideration must comply strictly with Chapter 17 of the Administrative Court Judicial Review Guide ("the Guide").
5. As noted at para. 17.2.4 of the Guide, in cases where there is a genuine need for the application for be considered within 7 days of the date on which it is filed, Form N463 (Judicial Review: Application for Urgent Consideration) should be used.
6. As noted in para. 17.3.2 of the Guide, the information requested on Form N463 must be provided on the face of the form and without cross-reference to other documents. This is because Form N463 is used by court lawyers and judges to triage cases, i.e. to decide whether urgent consideration is justified and in what order papers should be considered. It defeats the object of a triage system if the reader has to read voluminous attached documents.
7. This section of the Guide reflects the observations of the Divisional Court in DVP v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] EWHC 606 (Admin), [2021] 4 WLR 75, at [16]:
"The completion of form N463 is an important discipline for those who wish to make urgent applications in the Administrative Court, and practitioners must follow the correct procedures. It is not acceptable for litigants or practitioners to leave any of these sections blank or to side step what the form requires them to do by cross-referring to other documents. If an application is genuinely urgent, it will be neither difficult nor onerous to identify the information required. The requirement to do this is no mere formality. It enables cases that are genuinely urgent to be identified by court staff and the judge to whom the application is referred, and ensures that each such case is managed with appropriate expedition. It is therefore critical to this important part of the work of the Administrative Court. Plainly, the judge should not have to hunt for the key information elsewhere or seek to understand the underlying reasons for the urgency from other documents provided, which may be extensive. Reasons for urgency should be capable of short and straightforward explanation so that they can be set out in the box provided in section 1."
8. Accordingly, with effect from 19 October 2026, decisions on whether urgent consideration is justified will be taken using the information on Form N463 alone and without reference to any other document. If the information contained on Form N463 does not justify urgency, urgent consideration will be refused.
9. Applications for urgent consideration should also be accompanied by the documents required by para. 17.4 of the Administrative Court Judicial Review Guide, including the Claim Form, supporting documents, relevant correspondence and a draft order, as applicable. Applications which are not made in the proper form or with the proper accompanying documents may not be forwarded to the immediates judge.
Mr Justice Chamberlain
Judge in Charge of the Administrative Court
30 September 2026