Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the additional number of (a) judges and (b) sitting days for the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) required as a result of appeals from the Independent Immigration Appeals Authority.

The First-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber (FTT-IAC) and the Independent Immigration Appeals Authority (IIAA) will operate a considerable period of dual running, during which the FTT-IAC will continue to hear appeals in parallel to the IIAA. Levels of demand in the Upper Tribunal-Immigration and Asylum Chamber (UT-IAC) and potential sitting day requirements will be driven by the rate at which the IIAA is scaled up, which is yet to be determined. The Department is closely supporting the Home Office as it develops detailed implementation plans.

Our latest published data shows that 311 FTT-IAC judges were in post as of 1 April 2026, a net increase of 54 (21%) compared with 1 April 2025. We are now considering the future capacity requirements both in the FTT-IAC and the UT-IAC, as part of planning for the 2027/28 judicial recruitment programme.

In addition, this year, sitting days in the FTT-IAC are due to increase by 19% compared with 2024/25, so more cases can be heard and decisions made faster.