The United Kingdom has extended its ‘Deport Now, Appeal Later’ policy to encompass India and 22 other countries. This policy modification allows the UK to deport foreign offenders immediately after sentencing, without waiting for their appeals to be heard in UK courts. According to the UK Home Office, the scheme now involves a significant expansion, nearly tripling its scope from the initial eight countries to 23. This move is part of a broader strategy to manage rising migration and streamline the removal of offenders. Under the new rules, foreign nationals from these countries will be deported promptly after sentencing. Appeals will be conducted remotely via video from overseas. This approach is aimed at easing the financial impact on British taxpayers by expediting the deportation process. Simultaneously, new regulations have been introduced, allowing for the deportation of most foreign prisoners after they have served just 30 percent of their sentence, a decrease from the previous 50 percent. Serious offenders, like terrorists and murderers, must still complete their full prison terms before deportation. Foreign nationals represent approximately 12 percent of the UK’s prison population, incurring a substantial average annual cost per prisoner. Expediting the deportation of Indian nationals is anticipated to lessen the financial burden on UK taxpayers. To facilitate this, the UK government has allocated resources for specialized staff within a large number of prisons across England and Wales. The list of impacted countries has expanded to include India, along with a number of other nations. The UK government is actively engaging in discussions with additional countries to expand the scheme further. The initiative aims to facilitate the swift return of foreign criminals to their home countries while providing a secure avenue for them to appeal remotely. The policy seeks to curb the exploitation of the UK immigration system by foreign criminals who have previously remained in the UK for prolonged periods during their appeals.
