Further Submissions & Fresh Claims

If an asylum or human rights claim has been refused and any appeal has ended, it may still be possible to ask the Home Office to look again, where there is genuinely new information. This is done by making further submissions. If the Home Office accepts that the new material amounts to a fresh claim, it is decided as a new claim, and a refusal will usually carry a right of appeal.

The legal test: paragraph 353

Further submissions are considered under paragraph 353 of the Immigration Rules, in Part 12. They amount to a fresh claim only if they are significantly different from the material previously considered. That means the new content:

• Has not already been considered.
• Taken together with the previous material, creates a realistic prospect of success, despite the earlier refusal.

Repeating the same account, or submitting material that could easily have been raised earlier without explanation, is unlikely to succeed. Examples of new material might include a change in country conditions, new documentary evidence, a change in personal circumstances such as a new relationship or child, or new medical evidence. Whether any of these is enough depends on the individual case.

How further submissions are made

New rules (paragraphs 353AA to 353AF) came into force on 8 April 2026. In general:

• Further submissions must be made in person at a Home Office Service and Support Centre. These are in Liverpool, Belfast, Cardiff and Glasgow.
• An appointment must be booked in advance by telephoning the Further Submissions Unit (details are on GOV.UK). Please do not travel to a centre without an appointment.
• You must bring the completed further submissions form and identity documents to the appointment.
• Submissions can only be made from within the UK, and only by someone whose previous claim was refused or withdrawn.
• There must be no outstanding claim or appeal on protection or human rights grounds with the Home Office, a tribunal or a court.
• Submissions by post are only allowed with the Home Office's permission in limited cases, for example where someone is too ill or disabled to travel, is in prison or detention, or is an unaccompanied child.

Submissions that do not meet these requirements may be rejected as invalid, without the new material being considered.

Keeping in contact

Further submissions may be treated as withdrawn in some circumstances, including where a person fails to keep in contact with the Home Office, misses reporting events or interviews, does not respond to requests for information, or leaves the UK. It is important to keep reporting and to update the Home Office with any change of address.

What happens next

A person should not be removed from the UK while their further submissions are being considered. The Home Office may then:

• Grant protection or permission to stay.
• Accept that the submissions are a fresh claim but refuse it, in which case there is usually a right of appeal.
• Decide that the submissions are not a fresh claim. There is no right of appeal against this decision, and the usual way to challenge it is by judicial review, which must be brought promptly and in any event within 3 months.

Where further submissions made on or after 2 March 2026 lead to a grant of protection, the permission is generally 30 months. See our refugee and humanitarian protection page.

Announced changes

The Immigration and Asylum Bill currently before Parliament includes proposals for late claims to be dealt with through an expedited process, with applicants required to explain why new matters were not raised earlier. These are proposals only and not yet law.

How Stonebridge can help

• Reviewing your previous decisions, appeal determinations and new evidence.
• Advising honestly on whether the material is likely to meet the paragraph 353 test.
• Obtaining supporting evidence, such as expert, country or medical reports.
• Preparing clear written representations for your appointment.
• Advising on appeal or judicial review if the submissions are refused.

If your circumstances have changed since a previous refusal, please book a confidential consultation before making any submission.