These clauses will allow for faster progression of appeals. This will introduce greater efficiency into the system, by encouraging earlier disclosure, while maintaining fairness, independence and ensuring justice is done.

As set out in the published Impact Assessment accompanying the Immigration and Asylum Bill, detailed plans including costs for the new authority are currently being developed. Further information will be shared in due course

Clause 9 provides the Home Secretary with powers to set statutory timeframes for appeals and request expedition in certain cases, although the IIAA retains the final decision. The number and categories of cases subject to these statutory timeframes are yet to be determined. Compliance with timeframes will be monitored, with reporting obligations and escalation to the IIAA Chief Executive where delays occur.

There is currently no policy of requiring asylum seekers to register at a police station. Asylum seekers may be required to report to an immigration reporting centre or police station as a condition imposed under section 71 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (asylum seekers with leave to enter or remain) or under Schedule 10 to the Immigration Act 2016 (asylum seekers on immigration bail).

There are a number of factors that go into determining the location a person is required to report. The circumstances where a person may report to a police station rather than an immigration reporting centre are outlined in the Reporting and Offender Management guidance which can be found on GOV.UK.

We have published an impact assessment of the Immigration and Asylum Bill. Clause 20 clarifies Parliament’s view of how Article 8 ECHR rights should be balanced with the public interest in immigration control and deportations of foreign criminals. Foreign criminals who commit serious crimes in the UK will be removed more swiftly, with the law giving greater weight to public safety and less scope for weak claims to delay deportation.

We have published an impact assessment of the Immigration and Asylum Bill. We anticipate the measures within clause 20 will result in a reduction in the proportion of Article 8 decisions overturned following an appeal; a strengthened public interest test that operates compatibly with Article 8 ECHR and which places greater weight on the public interest in deportation; and greater consistency in deportation decision making by the courts.

Clause 19 strengthens the existing financial independence considerations that form part of the public interest test in Article 8 cases.

The provision will require decision makers to assess more rigorously an individual's ability to support and accommodate themselves and any dependants without reliance on State support. This includes consideration of whether that financial independence is sustainable in the foreseeable future.

The Bill sets the overall policy intent for the domestic application of Article 8. The finer details of the implementation of these provisions will be set out in the Immigration Rules and policy guidance.

The assessment of financial independence will continue to be considered alongside all other relevant factors as part of a balanced assessment on the individual facts of each case, and guidance will ensure appropriate consideration is given to circumstances where temporary reliance on support is unavoidable, such as periods of parental leave for example.

The Home Office has Grant Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMPs) across the 12 UK regions and nations. SMPs may also receive funding from other government departments, including MHCLG, MOD and DfE, to deliver additional workstreams.

The Home Office funds each Strategic Migration Partnership (SMP) to deliver outcomes set out in the Grant Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding, including Asylum, Resettlement, the National Transfer Scheme (NTS), ESOL, and Adult Mental Health Support.

The Home Office has Grant Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMPs) across the 12 UK regions and nations. SMPs provide regional leadership and coordination for asylum and resettlement activities on behalf of the Home Office, with each agreement tailored to the relevant region or nation and jointly held by the Home Office and the recipient SMP.

Each SMP receives funding to deliver the outcomes set out in its Grant Agreement and MoU. Funding allocations are agreed individually and are not shared between SMPs, as amounts vary by region and form part of bilateral agreements between the Home Office and the recipient. Due to the sensitive nature of the grant scheme, current funding allocations are not published. Information on previous years' funding is available through the Government Grants Data and Statistics publication.

The Home Office does not publish data on the number of people who leave asylum accommodation after being granted asylum. While statistics are published on grants of refugee permission at initial decision (Asy_D02) and on the number of people receiving asylum support (Asy_D09), these datasets are not linked and therefore cannot be used to identify how many individuals left asylum accommodation following a grant of asylum. Consequently, the information requested is not available through published statistics.

Obtaining the specific information requested would involve collating and verifying information from multiple systems owned by multiple teams across the Home Office and, therefore, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The safety and security of the United Kingdom is this government’s top priority. We work closely with the Irish government to stop illegal migrants and foreign national offenders exploiting the Common Travel Area.

No decision has been made in respect of the use of MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation. Suitability assessments are ongoing and will consider a range of factors including safety, security, operational deliverability, planning requirements, and the impact on local services and communities.

The Home Office is engaging with local authorities, emergency services, health partners and other stakeholders as proposals develop and will continue to engage with relevant local partners should plans be progressed.

The Government is considering the use of MoD Barnham for asylum accommodation. No final decision has been made.

Asylum seekers at the site would not be detained, however the site would be designed to be as self-sufficient as possible with essential services provided on site to reduce the need for asylum seekers to leave the site.

Anyone entering or leaving site would be required to sign in and out. This process would be managed by the on-site security team.

The Government is considering the use of MoD Barnham for asylum accommodation. No final decision has been made.

Due diligence and assurance work for all proposed large sites including MoD Barnham is still ongoing. Once complete, approvals will be sought in the normal way and details published as appropriate for Government Major Programmes.

The Government is considering the use of MoD Barnham for asylum accommodation. No final decision has been made.

Suffolk Constabulary and Norfolk Constabulary were notified of Home Office interest in MoD Barnham on 18 June 2026. Members of Parliament and Local Authority senior officials were notified on 24 June 2026. Local Authority Leaders were briefed on 25 June 2026. The Home Office has since engaged with stakeholders, including NHS bodies, regarding the proposed use of MoD Barnham.

The Home Office recognises the mental health challenges faced by people seeking asylum and has a strategic team focussing on asylum seeker mental health. This team works closely with accommodation providers, NGOs, health partners and lived experience groups to formulate a preventative approach.

We work carefully to ensure that the needs and vulnerabilities of those residing in asylum accommodation are identified and considered, including those related to mental health and trauma. We also work closely with UK health authorities to ensure asylum seekers have access to health care and that mental health matters are assessed and treated.

The Home Office has submitted an application for Urgent Crown Development for the proposed large site at Bicester.

It is important to note that although the Home Office has submitted a planning application to obtain suitable planning permission, no final decision has been made or will be made until all relevant due diligence, including planning, has been completed and considered.

The Home Office has published an indicative estimate of £18,700 for the average cost of an asylum claim as part of the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026 Impact Assessment. This is a forward-looking estimate for economic appraisal, based on recent data from asylum claims and captures the support and accommodation, processing, and appeals costs during a claim.

Support and accommodation costs have been averaged across the different accommodation types used by the Home Office given the wide variation in their costs. The estimate covers the time to initial decision, appeals and move-on period, and is adjusted for proportions of asylum claims that are granted protection, that go on to appeal and that are likely to require support. It averages across asylum claims that cover different numbers of people. The estimate is in 2026/27 prices.

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/59-02/0105/ImpactAssessment.pdf

The costs of each asylum claim will vary depending on factors such as length of time to decision and whether asylum seekers require accommodation and support. The Home Office has publicly stated that it can cost the Department up to £158,000 to house a family of three in an asylum hotel for a year.

Home Secretary's speech on immigration: 5 March 2026 - GOV.UK

For asylum seekers whose application is refused there will be further costs to remove individuals from the country (where they do not leave of their own accord). The average cost of an enforced return is estimated to be £48,800 and a voluntary return is £4,300 in 2024/25 prices.

Average cost of an Immigration Enforcement return FY 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK

We do not have an estimate of the non-asylum related costs to other departments throughout the duration of an asylum seeker’s claim.

No final decision has been made regarding the use of Site A at MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation. The site remains subject to ongoing feasibility, planning, design, assurance and governance processes. The Home Office routinely undertakes due diligence when considering potential asylum accommodation sites, including assessments of suitability, deliverability, safety, security, planning considerations and impacts on local services and communities.

As part of this work, a range of surveys, inspections and technical assessments are undertaken as appropriate to inform decision-making. Feasibility work and initial surveys have been progressing as part of the assessment of the site. The Home Office first informed MOD of a proposal to potentially use MOD Bicester for Asylum Accommodation in November 2025.

The Home Office engages with relevant Government departments, local authorities, emergency services, health partners and other statutory stakeholders where appropriate as proposals develop. Operational Working Groups and stakeholder engagement activity have already taken place with local partners to support consideration of the proposal.

Throughout the development of potential accommodation sites, information is managed in accordance with normal Government requirements, including obligations relating to security, commercial sensitivity, policy development and procurement activity where applicable.

The Home Office keeps its asylum accommodation estate under regular review and works across Government to identify potential accommodation options. Consideration of individual sites forms part of that ongoing process.