On Monday 12 May 2025, the Supreme Court handed down judgment in the case of U3 v Secretary of State for the Home Department. The appeal concerned the deprivation of citizenship of a woman who had travelled to ISIL-controlled Syria with her husband and children. The appeal was brought on the grounds that the appellant did not pose a threat to national security, and that the human rights of her children, who had since been repatriated to the UK to live with relatives, required that she be granted permission to return. The appeal was dismissed on all grounds. The judgment sets out the correct approach to be applied by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) to appeals of this nature and contains important guidance on the respect to be accorded to the Secretary of State’s assessment of national security. Neil Sheldon KC acted for the Home Secretary before SIAC, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
Read the full judgment here.
