The right of appeal
If the Home Office refuses your protection claim, either asylum or humanitarian protection, you have a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). The refusal letter sets out the Home Office’s reasons and states the deadline for appealing. Read it the day you receive it.
The deadline
You have 14 days from the date you received the decision letter if you are in the UK and 28 days if you are outside it. The time can be different if you are detained. Check the letter and tell us at once. Miss the deadline and you need the Tribunal’s permission to appeal late, which is not guaranteed.
The grounds
The appeal says why the refusal is wrong. The usual grounds are that removing you would breach the Refugee Convention, because you have a well-founded fear of persecution for a Convention reason, or that it would breach your rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, for example because of a real risk of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment. The Tribunal decides the facts for itself, and can consider evidence that was not before the Home Office.
The fee
The Tribunal’s fee is £82 for a decision on the papers and £144 for a hearing, but you do not have to pay if you receive asylum support from the Home Office or qualify for legal aid, and help with the fee is available on a low income. Appeals against revocation of protection status carry no fee.
Preparing the appeal
- Grounds. We answer each reason for refusal, point by point.
- Evidence. Your statement, the documents, medical and psychological reports on scarring and trauma, country information and expert evidence.
- The hearing. We prepare you to give evidence and attend with you. Most asylum appeals turn on whether the judge believes you. See what to expect at your appeal hearing.
If you win
The Home Office must grant you the protection the judge has found you need. For a claim made on or after 2 March 2026, refugee status or humanitarian protection is granted for a minimum of 30 months, and you must renew within 28 days of it ending if you still need protection. For earlier claims, and for unaccompanied children, it is a minimum of five years. Settlement takes longer under the core protection model than it used to. See claiming asylum.
If you lose
You may be able to ask for permission to appeal to the Upper Tribunal, on a point of law, within a short time. If your circumstances change later, or you have new evidence, you may be able to make further submissions. See immigration appeals and further submissions.
How we help
We prepare and file the Notice of Appeal with the First-tier Tribunal for you, prepare the evidence and represent you at the hearing. A consultation costs from £99.
