British taxpayer-funded legal aid in immigration and deportation cases has reached record financial levels, according to official figures.
The number of immigration cases seeking aid to appeal Home Office decisions has increased from 234 in 2013/14 to 2,200 in 2024/25, an almost tenfold rise over a decade. The funding is provided through Exceptional Case Funding, introduced in 2012 after most immigration legal aid cases were removed from scope.
Migrants have been found to be invoking the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in order to access legal aid to support them in cases not considered “exceptional”, securing thousands of pounds in legal support to challenge Home Office decisions or block deportation orders.
Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy thundered
Parliament passed laws to crack down on legal aid for immigration cases. But ECHR loopholes and rights-based claims have allowed claimants and open borders activists to undermine the will of Parliament.
We must leave the ECHR. It is the only way we can scrap legal aid for immigration cases and stop these vexatious human rights claims for good.
The issue comes amid continued pressure on the immigration system, including illegal Channel crossings. Nearly 600 migrants crossed into the UK on Saturday, April 18th, thanks to a combination of weather conditions and smuggling networks modifying their routes.
Border Force sources estimate that around 250 people departed from Belgian coastal areas on the same day, contributing to approximately 585 arrivals in UK waters. The total number of small boat migrants recorded this year has now passed 6,000.
