Form IAFT-2 is the document you send to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) to explain why a Home Office immigration decision is wrong. It is not the form that starts your appeal. That job belongs to Form IAFT-1. You complete IAFT-2 only after the tribunal has received your initial notice of appeal and written to you asking for your reasons.1GOV.UK. IAFT-2 Reasons for Appealing a Home Office Decision The form has three parts: your personal details and appeal reference, a written explanation of why the decision was wrong, and a table listing the evidence you are relying on.
When You Receive IAFT-2
IAFT-2 arrives in the middle of the appeal sequence, not at the start. You file Form IAFT-1 first; that is the official notice of appeal telling the tribunal you want to challenge a Home Office decision. The tribunal checks it, assigns an appeal reference number, and contacts you about the fee. It then sends you a notification asking you to complete IAFT-2 and setting a deadline for it to come back.2GOV.UK. Appeal Against a Visa or Immigration Decision
If you have not yet lodged IAFT-1, do that first. The deadline is 14 days from the decision notice if you are inside the UK and 28 days if you are outside it.3GOV.UK. Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) Rules 2014 – Consolidated IAFT-2 cannot be used to start an appeal, and sending it in without an existing appeal reference will not work.
Download the current version from GOV.UK before you start.4GOV.UK. Reasons for Appealing a Home Office Decision – Form IAFT-2 Have the Home Office decision letter, any documents the Home Office provided with it, and the tribunal notification that asked you to complete this form in front of you when you fill it in.
Section 1: Your Appeal
Section 1 asks for your given names, family name, and date of birth. Enter these exactly as they appear on your passport or travel document. Below that, enter the appeal reference number assigned by the tribunal. It follows a format like PA/12345/2023 and appears on the notification you received.1GOV.UK. IAFT-2 Reasons for Appealing a Home Office Decision
Get the reference number right. It is how the tribunal links your reasons to the file it has already opened for you. If you cannot find it, contact the tribunal before you send the form in.
Section 2: Reasons for Your Appeal
Section 2 is the part of the form that decides your case. It poses a single question: why do you think the Home Office decision is wrong? The tribunal instructs you to provide as much information as you can, because the judge will rely on what you write here and on the evidence you attach.1GOV.UK. IAFT-2 Reasons for Appealing a Home Office Decision
Complaints about how long the application took or how you were treated during the process will not win an appeal. Your answer needs to identify what the Home Office got wrong factually or legally. Work through the refusal letter paragraph by paragraph and respond to each finding you dispute.
If the refusal says your relationship is not genuine, point to the specific evidence that proves otherwise and name any evidence the decision-maker overlooked or misread. If the refusal relies on an incorrect reading of the immigration rules or of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, say so and explain the correct reading. Reference the specific paragraphs of the refusal letter you are challenging.
If the box on the form does not give you enough room, attach a separate document with your full grounds of appeal, label it clearly, and refer to it in Section 2.
Section 3: Supporting Evidence
Section 3 is an evidence table. For each piece of evidence you are submitting, you describe what it is (for example, a doctor’s letter, or bank statements), explain why it matters to your appeal, and confirm whether the Home Office already has a copy. If the Home Office does not already have it, attach it to the form.1GOV.UK. IAFT-2 Reasons for Appealing a Home Office Decision
The table also asks whether there is evidence you do not yet have but are trying to obtain. If there is, describe each missing document, explain why it is important, and say when you expect to have it. This tells the tribunal your case is still developing and the judge may take it into account when scheduling.
Any document that is not in English must come with a certified English translation. Send the original-language version alongside the translation. Without both, the tribunal may disregard the evidence.
How to Submit the Form
You can send the completed form by email or by post. The postal address is:
First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber)
PO Box 11205
Loughborough
LE11 9PS
United Kingdom1GOV.UK. IAFT-2 Reasons for Appealing a Home Office Decision
If you are posting from abroad, use a tracked delivery service. International mail is unpredictable and a missed deadline can end your appeal.
The deadline for IAFT-2 is the date given in the tribunal notification that asked you to complete it. It is not a fixed number of days from any other event. If you cannot find the notification or are unsure of the date, contact the tribunal straight away.
If You Need More Time
If you cannot meet the deadline, you can ask for an extension using the “Make an application” form included with the tribunal’s notification. Apply before your time runs out and explain why you need longer. If you do not have the application form, contact the tribunal and ask for one. Missing the deadline without applying first puts the appeal at risk.
After You Send IAFT-2
Once the tribunal has your completed form, your case moves into the active appeals process. The First-tier Tribunal handles appeals against Home Office decisions on permission to stay, deportation, entry clearance, and human rights applications.5GOV.UK. First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) The tribunal reviews your reasons and evidence, and the Home Office is given the chance to respond.
If you have a legal representative, they will prepare a formal evidence bundle and an appeal skeleton argument before the hearing, following the tribunal’s Practice Direction on formatting, indexing, and pagination.6Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Practice Direction of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal You can represent yourself, but anyone acting for you must be properly authorized: a solicitor regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, a barrister regulated by the Bar Standards Board, or an immigration adviser holding Level 3 authorization from the Immigration Advice Authority, which covers advocacy at tribunal hearings.7GOV.UK. Guidance on Competence Level 3 – Advocacy and Representation
Wait times vary. Average processing across all appeal categories has been reported at around 40 weeks, though individual cases run faster or slower depending on complexity and current caseload. Keep an eye on your post and on any email address you gave the tribunal. Hearing dates, directions, and requests for further evidence come through those channels, and a missed communication can lead to your appeal being decided without your input.