Yvette Cooper says Government will speed up decision-making appeal system to enable increase in returns
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has told The Sunday Times that the Government is planning to announce a "major overhaul" of the immigration and asylum appeals process in the autumn, including a new fast-track process for asylum seekers.
Image credit: WikipediaCooper was quoted as saying: "We need a major overhaul of the appeal [process] and that's what we are going to do in the autumn … If we speed up the decision-making appeal system and also then keep increasing returns, we hope to be able to make quite a big reduction in the overall numbers in the asylum system, because that is the best way to actually restore order and control."
The Sunday Times reported that a source familiar with the Government's plans said the new fast-track process would aim to dramatically accelerate the asylum decision-making process to enable claims to be decided and appealed "within weeks".
As the Sunday Times further noted, additional funding for the Ministry of Justice is likely to be required to expand judicial capacity, including the recruitment of more judges and an increase in the number of court sessions held.
The new approach is expected to resemble a fast-track system implemented under the previous Labour government, which was ultimately scrapped after it was deemed "structurally unfair" and unlawful by the courts.
As we reported on EIN in June, the Home Secretary told the Home Affairs Committee that it would be "really important" to make sure that any new fast-track system is fair. Appearing before the Committee for an evidence session on the work of the Home Office, Cooper indicated that the new fast-track system would be intended for asylum seekers from "predominantly safe countries" and it would run alongside the main asylum system.
According to The Sunday Times, the Government's autumn announcement will also include plans to tighten the rules around "exceptional circumstances" and the use of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in immigration cases. Individuals who seek to remain in the UK outside standard immigration rules often rely on Article 8, arguing that removal would interfere with their right to a private and family life.
In its Immigration White Paper published in May, the Government outlined its intention to introduce a new legal framework that would establish clearer, more restrictive guidelines for such cases, particularly for those who fall outside the existing family immigration routes.