Appeal against a visa or immigration decision
Appeal a decision by post or email
You can only appeal to the tribunal if you have the legal right to appeal - you’ll usually be told if you do in your decision letter.
Your decision letter will usually tell you if you can apply for an administrative review and if you do not have the right to appeal.
Talk to a solicitor or an immigration adviser if you’re unsure whether you can appeal.
Read the guide on representing yourself if you’re not going to have a legal representative.
How long you have to appeal
The time you have to submit your appeal depends on where you’re applying from. If you submit your appeal after the time limit, you must explain why. The tribunal will then decide if it can still hear your appeal.
You can appeal later if your administrative review was unsuccessful for an EU Settlement Scheme, frontier worker or S2 healthcare visitor application. Your administrative review decision will tell you how to appeal.
Apply online if you can - online appeals are quicker than post or email appeals.
If you’re in the UK
You have 14 days from the date you received the decision letter to submit your appeal.
If you’re outside the UK
You have 28 days from the date you received the decision letter to submit your appeal.
If your decision letter says you must leave the UK before you can appeal, you have 28 days from the date you left the UK to submit your appeal.
How to appeal by post or email
Use form IAFT-1 to submit your appeal.
There are instructions for submitting your appeal on the form.
If you’re a solicitor or an immigration adviser, you must only appeal using a paper form if your client is in detention.
If you’re appealing a decision where you’ve been detained in an immigration detention centre and your decision letter was sent by the Home Office, apply by post or fax with form IAFT-DIA.
What happens next
The tribunal will check your appeal and tell you what to do next. They may ask you to pay a fee or provide more information about your appeal.
Use form IAFT-2 if you’ve been asked to provide more information.
Ask for an oral hearing
You can ask on your appeal form for a decision to be made either:
- just on the information in your appeal form and any documents supplied to the tribunal
- at a hearing that your representatives can attend
The tribunal can decide to have a hearing even if you do not ask for one. You’ll be told if this is the case.
If the tribunal does not hold a hearing, a judge will decide your case based on your appeal form and documents.
Hearings are carried out in public. You can ask for it to be held in private or to attend by video link, but you must have a reason, for example a public hearing would put you in danger.
You can ask for a male or female judge if you think there are issues in your appeal that make it appropriate. The tribunal will decide if it can do this.
Special requirements
Use form IAFT-3 to ask for support at the hearing, for example, an interpreter or wheelchair access.
You can also request extra time to complete a task or change something about your appeal, such as your hearing date or personal details. This is called making an application.
Fees
It costs:
- £80 without a hearing
- £140 with a hearing
You may not have to pay if you:
- get asylum support
- get legal aid
- get services from your local council and you’re under 18
You can also get help with court fees if any of the following apply:
- you have little or no savings
- you’re on certain benefits
- you have a low income
Read the tribunal fees guidance for more information.
Contact the tribunal if you’re unsure if you have to pay a fee.
First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber)
contactia@justice.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 123 1711
Find out about call charges
How to pay
The tribunal will contact you after you send the IAFT-1 form to tell you how to pay.