Decisions and appeals
How long does an asylum appeal take?
72 weeksaverage time to clear an asylum appeal, April to June 2026
An asylum or protection appeal took an average of 72 weeks to clear at the First-tier Tribunal in April to June 2026. Across all immigration and asylum appeals the average was 65 weeks, up from 52 a year earlier, and 155,798 cases were waiting at 30 June 2026.
Open cases at the immigration and asylum tribunal
Quarter end, Q1 2015/16 to Q1 2026/27. All case types. Financial-year quarters.
Exact values
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| Q1 2015/16 | 52,991 |
| Q2 2015/16 | 52,628 |
| Q3 2015/16 | 57,951 |
| Q4 2015/16 | 61,901 |
| Q1 2016/17 | 64,821 |
| Q2 2016/17 | 62,903 |
| Q3 2016/17 | 57,954 |
| Q4 2016/17 | 52,365 |
| Q1 2017/18 | 43,416 |
| Q2 2017/18 | 36,138 |
| Q3 2017/18 | 35,106 |
| Q4 2017/18 | 36,267 |
| Q1 2018/19 | 34,638 |
| Q2 2018/19 | 31,547 |
| Q3 2018/19 | 27,862 |
| Q4 2018/19 | 24,805 |
| Q1 2019/20 | 23,233 |
| Q2 2019/20 | 20,363 |
| Q3 2019/20 | 19,622 |
| Q4 2019/20 | 19,845 |
| Q1 2020/21 | 20,105 |
| Q2 2020/21 | 22,033 |
| Q3 2020/21 | 23,526 |
| Q4 2020/21 | 24,560 |
| Q1 2021/22 | 31,798 |
| Q2 2021/22 | 33,111 |
| Q3 2021/22 | 31,750 |
| Q4 2021/22 | 28,413 |
| Q1 2022/23 | 25,084 |
| Q2 2022/23 | 25,586 |
| Q3 2022/23 | 29,017 |
| Q4 2022/23 | 30,548 |
| Q1 2023/24 | 30,047 |
| Q2 2023/24 | 30,874 |
| Q3 2023/24 | 41,484 |
| Q4 2023/24 | 50,332 |
| Q1 2024/25 | 58,418 |
| Q2 2024/25 | 63,016 |
| Q3 2024/25 | 74,969 |
| Q4 2024/25 | 90,389 |
| Q1 2025/26 | 105,522 |
| Q2 2025/26 | 121,015 |
| Q3 2025/26 | 139,407 |
| Q4 2025/26 | 151,767 |
| Q1 2026/27 | 155,798 |
What the figure counts
The time is the mean from an appeal being received to it being cleared, which includes appeals withdrawn or struck out as well as those heard. The Ministry of Justice has withdrawn its median and quartile measures pending a review, so only the mean is published.
MOJ publishes tribunal statistics on financial-year quarters, so Q1 2026/27 covers April to June 2026. The Home Office claims, decisions, backlog, support and returns series elsewhere on this site use calendar quarters. The two bases are not interchangeable and should not be plotted on a single axis.
Key figures
| Asylum and protection appeals | 72 weeksApril to June 2026 |
|---|---|
| All immigration and asylum appeals | 65 weeks52 a year earlier |
| Cases open | 155,79830 June 2026 |
| Asylum and protection cases open | 90,341 |
| Appeals received, Q1 2026/27 | 21,762 |
| Appeals cleared, Q1 2026/27 | 16,786 |
Why are asylum appeals taking longer?
The tribunal is receiving more than it clears. In Q1 2026/27 it received 21,762 appeals and cleared 16,786, and 155,798 cases were open against 105,522 a year earlier. The Ministry of Justice attributes the rise in asylum appeals to the Home Office clearing its backlog of older claims.
How many asylum appeals succeed?
38% of appeals decided at a hearing or on paper were allowed in April to June 2026, against 40% a year earlier. Appeals that are withdrawn or struck out are not in that rate.
Where does someone live while their appeal is heard?
A refused asylum seeker with a pending appeal generally stays on asylum support until the appeal is decided, so a longer tribunal wait means longer in Home Office accommodation, including hotels.