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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What is the difference between a refugee and an asylum seeker?How is refugee status decided?Why do people seek asylum in the UK?What do asylum seekers get?How many people seek asylum in the UK?Where do I go if I have further questions?What is the difference between a refugee and an asylum seeker?Terminology is very important in the asylum and immigration debate: A refugee is someone who has had to leave their home country because they are no longer safe. When they arrive in another country they request permission to stay, or ask for asylum. While their case is being assessed, they are known as asylum seekers. Immigration is a broader category and includes anyone who moves from one country to another, on a temporary or permanent basis. International students and business people, backpackers, nurses and doctors from overseas, short-term migrant workers, and British citizens returning from living abroad, could all be described as immigrants. Click here for a report and recommendations on terminology from the Independent Race and Refugee News Network. How is refugee status decided?There is an internationally recognised definition for refugees, determined by a UN Convention in 1951: “A person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution.” A basic introduction, along with the full text of the 1951 Convention, is here Why do people seek asylum in the UK?Firstly, many asylum seekers do not choose to come to the UK . Some may have used agents to smuggle them to a safe country, and they may not get a choice. Others may flee to the nearest or easiest place to get to. Of those that do choose to come to the UK , factors include language, colonial ties, existing family in the UK , and perceptions of the UK as a tolerant society. Very few refugees are aware of the asylum process or the benefits system on arrival, and the asylum seeker as ‘scrounger’ is largely a media fiction. Home Office research from July 2002 found that ‘respondents were found not to be well informed about how they would be treated.’ You can read that report here. What do asylum seekers get?Asylum seekers are not allowed to work, and instead receive an allowance that works out at 30% less than usual income support. At the time of writing a single asylum seeker over 25 receives £38.96 a week. Those aged 18-25 receive £30.84 a week. Housing is available to those that need it, without choice in location. No contributions towards utilities or rent are paid to those who find their own accommodation. Certain benefits are available on written request, such as a maternity grant, free school meals for children, or a £50 grant every six months for clothes and shoes. Asylum seekers are excluded from pensioners’ benefits, disability benefits, the Welfare Food scheme, and Social Fund services. In 2003 an Oxfam report found that 85% of asylum seeker organisations report that their clients regularly complain of being hungry, and 95% say their clients cannot afford to buy clothes or shoes. How many people seek asylum in the UK?In the first quarter of 2007, there were 5,680 asylum applications received, 10% less than the same time last year. 22,750 applications were lodged in total in 2006. Numbers are currently falling after a peak in 2002. The National Statistics summary is here Where do I go if I have further questions?The Institute for Public Policy Research has a useful fact file which you can access here For an international perspective the UNHCR has an FAQ here The Refugee Council has an introductory FAQ here
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