About us
The Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber (UTIAC) is a superior court of record and forms part of the Tribunals Service, an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. The former Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) was superseded by the implementation of the UTIAC in Feb 2010.
Its purpose is to hear and decide appeals against decisions made by the First-tier Tribunal in matters of immigration, asylum and nationality.
Appeals are heard by one or more Senior or Designated Immigration Judges who are sometimes accompanied by non legal members of the Tribunal. Immigration Judges and non legal members are appointed by the Lord Chancellor and together they form an independent judicial body.
We hear appeals in a number of hearing centres across the United Kingdom. Appeals can be made by either the Home Office or the original appellant in the appeal. The Upper Tribunal will decide whether the decision of the First-tier Tribunal was correct in law. If the Upper Tribunal deems that an error of law has been made in the decision of the First-tier Tribunal, it can substitute its own decision in place of it, or order the First-tier Tribunal to rehear the initial appeal.
In certain circumstances, either party to the appeal may challenge the decision of the Upper Tribunal by way of appeal to the appropriate court. Further details on challenging an Upper Tribunal decision can be found on the UT Frequently asked questions page (see link below).
- Frequently asked questions
- Question 05 – What to do if you are unhappy with the decision of the UTIAC
