ABSTRACT
The Home Office made a point of never appearing to influence the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA), the relationship between the judiciary and the administration became professionally cordial and cooperative, acquiring the same degree of unity of purpose enjoyed. The introduction of DNA testing, which enabled blood relationships to be established in most cases with reasonable accuracy, should have reduced refusals of entry clearance to children; it did not do so because the 'poverty line' rule was applied by the Home Office with greater strictness. In the New Law Journal, Sharon Wallach described Thanet House as the 'Home of Immigration Appeals'. The Permanent Secretary at the Home Office just before the adjudicators were transferred to the responsibility of the LCD was Sir Hayden Phillips and it was he who became Permanent Secretary in the LCD when Lord Irvine became Lord Chancellor, to the surprise and disappointment of many adjudicators, hoped the deputy in the LCD Michael Huebner would take over.
