Work of the Asylum Support Tribunal
The Asylum Support Tribunal (AST) is responsible for determining appeals against decisions of the Home Office to:
• Refuse a claim for asylum support; or
• Discontinue asylum support
AST Judiciary
The AST is led by Principal Judge Sehba Haroon Storey, who reports to the Chamber President. She is assisted by four salaried Tribunal Judges who primarily sit in AST and a further five salaried judges assigned to sit in AST for part of their working time. There are 12 fee-paid judges, many of whom also sit in other courts and tribunals.
The Tribunal hears appeals from individuals in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Appeals are normally heard at the Tribunal venue in London. With the permission of the Tribunal, a hearing can be conducted remotely (by video or telephone) or decided on evidence contained in the papers.
Making an Appeal
You may make an appeal by post or by email using the current notice of appeal form which can be found here: Notice of Appeal (Form EO9). You must complete all sections of the form, otherwise your appeal will not be accepted.
Section 4A – You must tell us here if you want your appeal decided on the papers or at an oral hearing.
Section 4B –You must tell us here which of the three types of oral hearings you can attend. You should tick “yes” to at least one option but it helps if you can select as many of the options as possible. You can also explain if there is a type of hearing you prefer e.g. a telephone hearing.
You may also attend your hearing by video with the help of your representative, if they allow you to use their equipment and office. Please discuss this with your representative before choosing a “video (CVP)” hearing on the notice of appeal form.
Section 6 – You MUST explain here why you disagree with the Home Office decision you are appealing. A detailed explanation is not necessary, but more detail will help the Tribunal to make decisions about how the appeal proceed. Do not leave it blank.
Please see the section of our website which deals with how to appeal.
Interpreters – If you want an interpreter to assist you in your oral hearing, the Tribunal will provide one for you. You cannot use your own interpreter. Please make sure that you tell us in section 4A of the notice of appeal form, the language and dialect you speak.
Communicating with the AST
Email is the quickest and most convenient way to send your notice of appeal form to the Tribunal, and to communicate with us throughout your appeal process. You can contact us on: asylumsupporttribunals@justice.gov.uk. You may also, if you prefer, contact us by post at the address provided on the notice of appeal form.
Mode of Hearings
A Tribunal judge will look at the notice of appeal form and decide which “mode” or type of hearing is best suited to your appeal. If you have asked for an oral hearing, you will usually be offered one. This may be a telephone, video or in person hearing. If you have asked for a decision on the papers, the judge may agree to your request, but they may decide an oral hearing is necessary for the appeal to be decided fairly. In such cases, the judge can list the appeal for an oral hearing without your permission.
Occasionally, a judge may decide that the appeal should not have a hearing even where you ask for one. This may be because your case is strong and highly likely to succeed, or because your case has no reasonable chance of success, even if you take part in an oral hearing. Whatever the reason, the judge will explain this, and you may be asked for your comments. You should always respond to such a request.
If you have a telephone or video hearing, the Tribunal will send you detailed instructions on how to join your hearing. Whether it is a telephone hearing or a video hearing, the call will be free. Please provide your telephone number on the notice of appeal form. You must ensure that any telephone, laptop or tablet you intend to use is fully charged before the hearing
“In person” hearings are where the judge and at least one party and/or their representative is physically present in the Tribunal premises at Import Buildings, in East London. You may be asked to attend in person, or you may be asked to take part by telephone or video. The Tribunal will choose the most appropriate type of hearing and where possible, will take your preference into account.
Listing an Appeal
The Tribunal will make every effort to list appeals as soon as possible. However, in some cases it may be necessary for the Tribunal to delay or “Stay” your appeal. We will provide you with an explanation for why we have taken this step.
We list appeals as quickly as possible, because we know that they concern important issues of accommodation and financial support. Because Asylum Support appeals are decided speedily, it is important you send as much information as possible with your notice of appeal form. You should also respond quickly (ideally by email) when the Tribunal asks for additional information or documents needed to decide your appeal.