Judges in Britain to be replaced in asylum appeals
In Britain, members of the public are to be trained to determine asylum appeals involving human rights and foreign offenders.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has confirmed the move under the Labour government's immigration-reform plans to remove people “gaming the system” from the country.
Migrants will no longer be able to appeal a rejected claim and bring further claims about new matters – they will have to lodge all their claims at the same time, the England and Wales Gazette reports.
Mahmood said that the appeals tribunal was overwhelmed.
“As a result, people are gaming the system, lodging vexatious appeals to frustrate their removal.
'Swiftly removed'
“Our new appeals body will ensure claims are heard swiftly and fairly. Those with a legitimate claim will get their hearing.
“Those who have no right to remain in this country, and are abusing the system, will be swiftly removed.’
The changes will be introduced in Britain's Immigration and Asylum Bill.
Last summer, Britain’s then Home Secretary Yvette Copper said that a new independent body of professional adjudicators – instead of judges – would be set up to hear asylum appeals more quickly.
Today (29 June), current home secretary Mahmood said that the new body would be called the Independent Immigration Appeals Authority (IIAA).
The Home Office said progress has been made to tackle the asylum backlog and judicial sitting days in the First-Tier Immigration and Asylum Chamber were being increased.
“But the scale of the current caseload cannot be sustainably managed within the existing system."
Fundamental reform
“Despite the dedicated work of the tribunal and the judiciary, fundamental reform is now needed to stop the appeals system becoming a barrier to removal,” the department said.
The IIAA will begin hearing appeals late next year and prioritise cases “in the public interest’, such as those involving human-rights claims and “high-harm” foreign offenders.
The Home Office said it would be staffed by “professionally trained and independently appointed adjudicators, much like magistrates, who will have a broad range of skills and backgrounds”.