The UK government has expanded its ‘Deport Now, Appeal Later’ policy to include India and 22 other nations. This policy enables the UK to deport foreign offenders immediately after sentencing, without having to wait for their appeals to be heard in UK courts. The UK Home Office has stated that the scheme has significantly expanded, growing from eight to 23 countries. This initiative is part of a wider plan to address rising migration and expedite the removal of offenders. Under the new framework, foreign nationals from these countries will be deported promptly after sentencing, with appeals handled remotely through video conferencing from their home countries. This will help to reduce the financial burden on British taxpayers by hastening deportations. Additionally, new regulations permit the deportation of most foreign prisoners after they have served only 30 percent of their sentence, a reduction from the prior 50 percent. However, those convicted of serious offenses like terrorism or murder are still required to complete their entire prison sentences before deportation. Foreign nationals make up approximately 12 percent of the UK’s prison population, with each prisoner costing a considerable sum annually. Expediting the deportation of Indian nationals is expected to alleviate this financial strain. The UK government has committed resources to deploy specialist staff across numerous prisons in England and Wales. The list of impacted countries has been extended to encompass India, along with other countries. Discussions are ongoing with additional countries to encourage them to join the scheme. The goal is to swiftly return foreign criminals to their home countries while enabling them to appeal safely from abroad. The rationale behind this policy change is to prevent foreign criminals from exploiting the UK’s immigration system by prolonging their stays during the appeal process.
