Key takeaways
- Rule 12(5)(b) of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber rules requires any document not written in English to be accompanied by an English translation.
- The tribunal's Practice Direction allows a witness statement in English that the witness cannot read, if the witness and interpreter sign attestations that it was read back.
- Appeals cost £82 without a hearing and £144 with a hearing, and must be lodged within 14 days of the decision in the UK or 28 days from outside the UK.
- Represented appellants' bundles must be digital, indexed, bookmarked and paginated, with every page A4.
This article is for immigration solicitors, caseworkers, charities and appellants preparing an appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) against a Home Office decision. It covers the tribunal's translation rule, how witness statements work for appellants who do not read English, the format of appeal bundles, and the deadlines that drive translation planning.
Translations for the original visa or asylum application follow Home Office rules instead, which we cover in Home Office translation requirements. For legal translation more broadly, see our legal translation guide.
Does the immigration tribunal require documents to be translated into English?
Yes. Rule 12(5) of the Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) Rules 2014 sets the language rule for everything filed:
"(a) any notice of appeal or application notice provided to the Tribunal must be completed in English; and (b) if a document provided to the Tribunal is not written in English, it must be accompanied by an English translation."
Rule 12(6) adds that, in proceedings in Wales or with a connection to Wales, a document or translation may be provided in Welsh. The rule does not prescribe a particular certification format, so follow any directions the tribunal gives in the appeal and make each translation's origin clear.
Which documents in an immigration appeal usually need translating?
Any foreign-language document you want the judge to read needs an English translation. In practice, the documents that most often need translating in immigration and asylum appeals are:
- identity and civil status documents, such as birth, marriage and divorce certificates;
- court documents, arrest warrants and police summonses from the country of origin;
- medical reports and hospital records from abroad;
- letters from family members, employers, churches or political parties;
- text messages, social media posts and chat screenshots relied on as evidence;
- news articles and local reports that are not available in English.
Translate the whole document, including stamps, handwritten notes and headers. A judge may give little weight to a partial translation if the untranslated parts could change its meaning.
Can a witness statement be in English if the appellant does not read English?
Yes, in the immigration tribunal, which differs from the civil courts on this point. Paragraph 8.5 of the tribunal's Practice Direction of 1 November 2024 says the statement "need not be in a language that the witness understands", but if it is drafted in English and the witness does not understand English, it needs signed and dated attestations that it was read back in a language the witness understands.
Paragraph 8.12 sets out the wording the witness and the interpreter must endorse:
"This statement has been read to me in [LANGUAGE], a language I understand, by [NAME OF INTERPRETER]." "I, [NAME OF INTERPRETER], read this statement to [NAME OF WITNESS] faithfully interpreting it into [LANGUAGE]."
This is different from civil proceedings, where Practice Direction 32 requires a statement in the witness's own language with a certified translation. Our article on translating witness statements for UK civil proceedings explains that regime.
How must an immigration appeal bundle be prepared?
An immigration appeal bundle prepared by a legal representative must be digital, indexed, bookmarked and paginated, with every page A4 unless there is a good reason for a larger size. Paragraph 7.2 of the Practice Direction also requires typed text to be machine-readable through optical character recognition (OCR), unless that garbles the text.
The Practice Direction, which replaced the Practice Direction of 13 May 2022, also sets page limits that affect how much translated material you can rely on:
| Document | Limit in the Practice Direction |
|---|---|
| Appeal skeleton argument (ASA) | No more than 12 pages, unless permission is given |
| Respondent's review | Not more than 6 pages, unless permission is given |
| Expert report | Not more than 20 pages, unless permission is given |
| Country information evidence schedule | Not more than 12 pages, unless permission is given |
Place each translation directly after its original in the bundle, and make sure both appear in the index and bookmarks. That way the judge can check the original stamp or signature against the English text.
What are the deadlines and fees for an immigration appeal?
Immigration appeal deadlines are short, so translation should start as soon as the decision arrives. According to GOV.UK, you have 14 days from receiving the decision letter to appeal if you are in the UK, and 28 days if you are outside the UK. The fee is £82 without a hearing and £144 with a hearing, with exemptions and help available in some cases.
Evidence deadlines then follow the tribunal's directions. Represented appellants must provide the appeal skeleton argument and bundle under rule 24A, and late translations can mean evidence is excluded or the hearing is adjourned.
How do you get an interpreter for the immigration tribunal hearing?
You ask the tribunal, not a private provider, for a hearing interpreter. GOV.UK says you can "use form IAFT-3 to ask for support at the hearing, for example, an interpreter or wheelchair access". Give the exact language and dialect. For more detail, see our article on court and tribunal interpreters in the UK.
Preparing translations for an appeal: a checklist
A short checklist keeps translations from becoming the reason an appeal is delayed. Work through these steps as soon as instructions are confirmed.
- List every foreign-language document and mark which disputed issue it supports.
- Send clear, complete scans, including the backs of pages with stamps.
- Give the translator the correct spelling of names as they appear on passports and Home Office papers.
- Agree how to render place names, ranks and party names consistently across documents.
- Ask for translations in an editable or OCR-readable format so they can be paginated into the bundle.
- Check that each translation identifies the original document it relates to.
- Build the bundle with each original followed by its translation, then index and bookmark it.
Common mistakes with translations in immigration appeals
Translation problems in immigration appeals usually come from rushing. These are the ones that most affect how the evidence is treated.
- Translations by relatives or friends. They may be accurate, but the judge may doubt their independence.
- Inconsistent spellings of names. Different transliterations can look like different people.
- Summaries instead of full translations. A summary can be challenged as selective.
- Screenshots without context. Include dates, sender details and the original-language text.
- Last-minute additions. Late evidence may need the judge's permission.
How TranslationWorks can help with immigration appeal translations
TranslationWorks is a UK-based translation agency that translates documents used in immigration matters, such as certificates, letters, reports and messages, through native-speaking professional linguists in more than 150 languages. TranslationWorks is registered to ISO 17100, the international standard for translation services. Our legal translation service can deliver translations in formats that drop easily into a paginated bundle. Hearing interpreters are arranged by the tribunal. When you request a free quote, tell us where the translation will be submitted and what format the tribunal requires, and we will confirm what we can provide within 24 hours.
