The number of decisions overturned on appeal is testament to on-going problems with the asylum decision-making process in the UK, Amnesty International said upon the release of a new report yesterday.
The joint Amnesty International and the Still Human Still Here coalition report A question of credibility: Why so many initial asylum decisions are overturned on appeal in the UK examines why so many initial decisions to refuse asylum are being overturned by Immigration Judges.
Jan Shaw, Refugee Affairs Programme Director at Amnesty International UK, said:
"We need an asylum system that gets the decision right first time. Getting the decision wrong in the first instance causes a great deal of anxiety for asylum seekers and prolongs the period in which they are left in limbo. It is also wasting tax-payers' money by refusing people on patently spurious grounds, leading to costly and unnecessary appeals."
"In disbanding the UK Border Agency, Theresa May has acknowledged defects in the process as it stands, and she must now ensure that this is a watershed moment where a break with flawed practices is made once and for all."
In the report, Amnesty and Still Human make a number of recommendations as to how the process could be improved.
You can read the report here.