Chairperson’s Guideline No. 2026/3 on Adjournments and Postponements of Appeal Hearings

The Chairperson of the International Protection Appeals Tribunal has issued a new Guideline on Adjournments and Postponements of Appeal Hearings. This Guideline is intended to supplement the Act and Regulations and not to supplant them. In case of conflict, the provisions of the Act or relevant Regulation shall take precedence over this Guideline. This Guideline replaces the Chairperson’s Guideline No. 2018/2 on Adjournments and Postponements as issued on 26 March 2026. This Guideline is issued pursuant to S.63(2) of the Act.

The Guideline provides guidance inter alia for the basic principles on the granting of adjournments and postponements in the interests of justice, and in the context of pending judicial reviews of the underlying IPO recommendation.

This Guideline applies to all appeals determined by the Tribunal and is primarily informed by the UNHCR Handbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status and Guidelines on International Protection (February 2019), relevant domestic and international law and case law, academic commentary and international best practice