If the Claim is Refused
If a claim is refused, the Home Office will issue the asylum seeker with a letter setting out its reasons for refusal in numbered paragraphs. Appeal forms should be issued along with the refusal letter, telling the applicant how to appeal, where to send the notice of appeal, what the notice should contain and what papers should be sent with it. It is extremely important to get expert legal advice on completing the appeal forms as soon as possible. An interpreter should be arranged to go over the reasons for refusal letter. The time limit for submitting most in-country appeals is ten working days from receiving the refusal letter. In the third quarter of 2003, the Home Office decided in 88% of the cases it considered that it would be safe for the asylum seeker to return home. But the standard of initial decision-making is poor and between a fifth and a quarter of Home Office decisions are overturned on appeal. There are no special arrangements for dealing with appeals from children, or for assisting them with appeals. Sometimes the Home Office choose not to cross-examine minors or ask very few questions.
The following Home Office link provides overview of appeals in asylum cases: http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/
asylumprocessguidance/theappealsprocess/

