The ICIBI has begun an inspection of the Home Office's management of fee waiver applications.
This inspection will examine the effectiveness, efficiency, and consistency of the Home Office's management of fee waiver applications.
There are currently three Home Office teams who manage these applications. One deals with in-country human rights-based applications, another with overseas human rights-based applications, and the third with citizenship applications from under 18s.
This inspection will look at the work of all three teams, with a particular focus on:
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resourcing, training, workflow, and the prioritisation of casework
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the quality, timeliness and consistency of decision-making
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quality assurance of decisions and the extent to which the fee waiver teams share best practice
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communication and engagement between fee waiver teams and applicants and other stakeholders
This call for evidence will remain open until 5 September 2024.
As Independent Chief Inspector, I am inviting anyone with knowledge of Home Office fee waiver applications, and especially those with first-hand experience, to submit evidence to inform this inspection and would be pleased to hear about both what is working well and what could be improved.
Please note that the ICIBI is unable to assist or intervene in individual cases. If you have a concern about an individual case, you should raise this with the Home Office directly.
Please also note that the information you submit may be quoted in the final inspection report. However, it is the ICIBI's practice not to name sources and to anonymise as much as possible any examples or case studies.
