The UK government has introduced a 24-week target for deciding certain asylum and immigration appeals as it seeks to reduce a growing backlog and speed up the removal of people without a legal right to remain in the country.

The target, which took effect on August 12, applies to new appeals before the First-tier Tribunal involving non-detained foreign national offenders and people receiving asylum support and accommodation.

The Home Office said the average waiting time for a case to be heard by a judge is currently 67 weeks, while more than 150,000 appeals remain pending.

Under the new target, the First-tier Tribunal is expected to hear eligible cases within 24 weeks of receiving them. The government said faster decisions would enable unsuccessful applicants with no right to remain to be removed sooner and help free up asylum accommodation.

Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Anna Turley, said prolonged delays had placed pressure on taxpayers and the asylum system.

“For too long, asylum and immigration appeals have been plagued by delays,” Turley said, adding that the new target would help resolve cases faster and reduce reliance on taxpayer-funded accommodation.

The government is also proposing the creation of an Independent Immigration Appeals Authority under the Immigration and Asylum Bill, which passed its second reading earlier this month. The body is expected to provide a faster appeals process while working alongside the existing tribunal.

The government said the new authority would eventually take on new cases and allow the First-tier Tribunal to reduce its existing backlog. Independent adjudicators would also be able to prioritise cases based on urgency and public interest.

The measures form part of wider efforts to reduce asylum costs and end the use of asylum hotels. The government said fewer than 170 hotels are now being used, compared with about 400 at the peak in 2023, and pledged to close all asylum hotels by the end of the current parliamentary term.

The government also said nearly 10,000 foreign national offenders had been removed from the UK, while sitting days at the First-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber are expected to increase by 19 per cent this year compared with 2024/25.

It estimates that faster appeals, removals and reduced reliance on asylum accommodation could generate about £6.9 billion in taxpayer savings.