Immigration Newsletter (December 24)
19 Dec 2024
New guidance on the appointment of litigation friends in the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum
Chamber) and First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum
Chamber)
Joint presidential guidance on the appointment of litigation friends in the Upper Tribunal
(Immigration and Asylum Chamber) (“UTIAC”) and First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber)
(“FtTIAC”) (“the Guidance”) was issued on 2 December 2024.
The Guidance provides welcome clarification as to the reasoning and process for appointing a
litigation friend in the FtTIAC and UTIAC. The Guidance is helpfully divided into three parts;
Section A addresses the circumstances when a litigation friend is required; Section B covers the
roles and duties of a litigation friend; Section C addresses the practicalities of se- lection and
appointment. This article will outline the key points of the Guidance, but all prac- titioners are
encouraged to read the Guidance in full for further details. Numbers in square
brackets relate to paragraphs within the Guidance.