A legal error may have allowed thousands of migrants to pursue immigration appeals that UK courts lacked the authority to hear. A judge ruled that, following changes introduced by the Immigration Act 2014, decisions by entry clearance officers were not decisions made by the Home Secretary and therefore did not create a right of appeal. The finding could have significant consequences for cases heard over the past 12 years.

The issue emerged in the case of Somali national Hinda Hassan Wasuge, whose application to join her British husband was refused. The Daily Mail identified 3,487 relevant cases in the upper immigration tribunal since 2014, while many more may have been dealt with privately in lower tribunals. Some appellants appear to have won, including people seeking to join refugee or British relatives, prompting warnings from Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp that the situation was “deeply alarming”.