From today, there will be no right of appeal against the refusal of a family visit visa application, unless the appeal is on human rights or race discrimination grounds
The Home Office has published a statement noting that from today, there will be no right of appeal against the refusal of a family visit visa application, unless the appeal is on human rights or race discrimination grounds.
The changes were brought in as part of the Crime and Courts Act, which received royal assent in April.
The Home Office statement quoted Immigration Minister Mark Harper as saying: "Family visitor appeals make up more than a third of all immigration appeals going through the system, with many applicants using it as an opportunity to submit information that should have been included in the first place."
"Removing the right of appeal will save £107 million over the next decade, making the process faster and cheaper for applicants and allowing officials to focus on more complex cases, such as asylum claims and foreign criminal deportations."
Under the new system, anyone refused a visit visa can submit a fresh claim instead of appealing and they may reapply as many times as they like and can provide additional information in support of their application.
According to the Home Office, a decision will take typically 15 days under the new system, in comparison to the appeal route, which can take up to eight months.