Legal News

Judges at the Court of Appeal have ruled that fast-track asylum appeals which can be heard within three weeks should be suspended because the system contains “structural unfairness”.

The fast-track system was introduced in 2003, with migrants being held in detention while their asylum appeal is considered. Migrants whose appeals fail are deported from the UK.

The suspension of the fast-track system means asylum appeals will in the future be considered as part of a longer appeals process – and applicants will been entitled to apply for bail, rather than being held in detention.

There have been fears raised that some migrants may simply disappear while their appeals are being heard – and that those who have been held under the fast-track appeals system may now be eligible to claim compensation.

The longer appeals process is also more costly to the taxpayer than the fast-track system – and it is likely the government will appeal against the ruling.

MigrationWatch has also raised concerns over how this will affect immigration in the UK, as record numbers of migrants gather at Calais waiting to cross illegally to the UK.

Chairman of MigrationWatch Lord Green said that the UK’s asylum system “already leaks like a sieve”.

“No wonder they are queuing up in Calais,” he added.

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