Legal error may have let thousands of migrants enter Britain through invalid appeals

A senior judge in the First-tier Immigration Tribunal declared that the courts have lacked authority to hear appeals against entry clearance officers since the 2014 Immigration Act amendment, meaning thousands of cases may have been decided without legal standing. Analysis of Upper Tribunal records shows 3,487 appeals where entry clearance officers were respondents, and the number is likely far higher when lower-tier cases are considered.

The issue surfaced in the case of Somali national Hinda Hassan Wasuge, whose appeal was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. Other examples include Sudanese, Pakistani, Ethiopian, Uzbek, Vietnamese and Afghan applicants who secured family-reunification rights. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp described the findings as "deeply alarming" and called for the abolition of the immigration tribunal system. The Home Office responded that the decision is limited to a single First-tier case and does not alter existing law.