Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade, Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Our immigration solicitors provide clear legal advice and representation for individuals who wish to challenge an immigration or asylum decision. We can advise on appeal rights, preparing your appeal, reviewing Home Office decisions, gathering supporting evidence, preparing your case and representing you before the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal where appropriate.
Immigration and Asylum Appeal Advice
A refusal can leave you worried about your family, job or ability to remain in the UK, particularly when the decision gives you little time to respond. Our immigration solicitors help you understand what the Home Office has decided and which options are legally available. We examine the refusal alongside the application and evidence, identify the findings that matter and check the deadline. You receive a clear explanation of the next step rather than having to interpret the decision alone.
If an appeal is available, our legal team can prepare the grounds, witness evidence and documents needed for the tribunal. We address the reasons for refusal directly and explain any need for expert evidence or a barrister. Where administrative review or a fresh application is more appropriate, we explain that distinction and its consequences. Our advice includes prospects, costs and the timetable, helping you decide how to respond with a carefully prepared case.
The First-tier Tribunal considers the legal grounds, evidence and Home Office decision. The appellant may ask for a paper decision or an oral hearing. Appeal rights and deadlines depend on the decision and the person's location inside or outside the UK.
An appeal is not simply a repeat of the application. The tribunal needs a clear statement of the issues, relevant evidence, witness statements and legal submissions. The Home Office may review its position during the process, but the case must still be prepared for the listed hearing.
The refusal letter may contain several findings, but only some determine the outcome. A solicitor can identify those issues, preserve the deadline, obtain the missing evidence and decide which witnesses or experts are genuinely required.
Representation is especially useful where credibility, family life, a child's interests, medical evidence or country risk is disputed. The evidence and submissions must follow tribunal directions and be filed in the required form and timeframe.
An appeal is not a complete re-run of the original application. The tribunal decides the permitted legal grounds using the evidence before it. An appeal may be dismissed if it is brought under the wrong procedure, lodged late without an accepted explanation or supported by evidence that does not answer the reasons given in the refusal.
We prepare the case around the issues the judge must decide and test the evidence before the hearing. If an appeal is dismissed, any further challenge normally requires an arguable legal error rather than simple disagreement with the outcome.
An appeal can often include evidence that was not before the original decision-maker, subject to tribunal directions and the legal issues in the case. New material should address the refusal reasons rather than repeat documents that are not disputed.
Witness statements should explain the relevant events in the witness's own evidence. Medical, country or other expert evidence is commissioned only where it can assist with a genuine issue in the appeal.
We review the decision, original application and supporting material before advising on prospects and the best procedure. We can lodge the appeal, prepare the appeal skeleton and bundle, take witness statements, instruct suitable experts or counsel and represent the client through the hearing.
If an appeal is not available or is not the best response, we will explain alternatives such as a fresh application or administrative review. We handle appeals linked to asylum, human rights and family cases.
We reduce the refusal to the points the tribunal must decide and prepare the evidence around those issues. This makes the case easier to follow and avoids repeating material that does not answer the reasons for refusal.
The ordinary appeal period is usually 14 days after receipt of the decision for someone in the UK and 28 days for someone outside the UK. Specific decisions, service rules and circumstances can change the calculation. Send the full decision and evidence of when it arrived so the deadline can be checked.
A late appeal needs an explanation and acceptance by the tribunal; it should not be assumed available as a routine extension. Contacting a solicitor does not itself lodge an appeal or preserve time.
At 15 September 2026, the First-tier Tribunal fee is £82 for a decision without a hearing or £144 for an appeal with a hearing. Exemptions and help with fees can apply in specified circumstances. Further charges may arise for expert reports, medical evidence, translations, document retrieval and barrister representation.
Our legal fee depends on the issues, hearing length, number of witnesses, evidence volume and work already completed. We provide a written scope and explain expected third-party expenses before they are incurred.
Immigration Appeal FAQs
Answers about appeal rights, deadlines, hearings, evidence, fees and further appeals.
Protection and human-rights refusals commonly carry appeal rights. Other decisions may allow administrative review or need a different response. A refusal label alone is insufficient. We check the statutory right, any certification and the procedure stated in the decision, including if the challenge must be pursued from within or outside the UK.
The deadline depends on the decision and where the person is located. The exact date in the decision letter should be checked immediately. The usual deadline is 14 days after receipt for an in-country appeal and 28 days for an overseas appeal, but special circumstances and service rules can affect it. Send the decision promptly so the precise deadline can be checked.
An appeal is decided by a tribunal. Administrative review asks the Home Office to correct an eligible caseworking error. They have different grounds, evidence rules and deadlines. A disagreement with the outcome is not necessarily an eligible review error. We assess the refusal before choosing the procedure or submitting additional material.
The appellant can usually request an oral hearing or a paper decision. The tribunal can also direct how the appeal will be decided. An oral hearing can allow disputed evidence to be tested, but the appropriate approach depends on the issues. We explain witness preparation, interpretation needs and any request for adjustments connected with vulnerability.
Relevant new evidence can often be filed, subject to tribunal directions and legal limits. It should address the disputed issues and be served on time. A genuinely new matter may require Home Office consent before the tribunal can consider it. We distinguish additional proof of an existing issue from a new legal case and follow directions for filing and service.
The tribunal fee depends on a paper or oral appeal. Legal representation, counsel, translations and expert evidence are separate possible costs. At September 2026 rates, the tribunal fee is £82 without a hearing or £144 with one. We explain the separate stages of legal work and likely report, translation and counsel costs before they are commissioned.
Exemptions and help with fees can apply in specified cases, including some low-income or supported appellants. The applicable exemption or remission must be established with the required evidence. We check the position when lodging the appeal so a payment issue does not distract from preserving the substantive challenge.
The Home Office may revise or reconsider the decision. A successful appeal does not always produce an immediate grant if further decision-making is required. The Home Office may have a right to seek permission to appeal. We review the tribunal’s reasons and explain implementation and any further action; winning does not itself mean you can immediately travel or obtain a passport.
Permission can be sought to appeal to the Upper Tribunal where the First-tier Tribunal may have made a legal error. It is not a full rehearing simply because the result is disappointing. The decision and permission deadline need prompt examination. An arguable error could concern the legal test, treatment of evidence or procedural fairness, but a further challenge requires more than repeating the original case.
This depends on your previous permission, the application and decision history, and if the appeal attracts continuing leave or another protection against removal. An appeal does not automatically create work rights. We check the individual position before advising on employment, travel or the effect of missing a deadline.
Arrange a telephone call or visit our Cheltenham office by appointment. We will discuss your circumstances, any deadline and the legal work required, then explain the scope and fees before proceeding.
Call 0330 900 0377, email info@pembridgesolicitors.co.uk or request a consultation.
We assist clients in Cheltenham and the surrounding Gloucestershire area, including applications involving family members or applicants overseas.
Pembridge Solicitors
Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade
Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Office visits by appointment.