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You must apply for asylum if you want to stay in the UK as a refugee.

To be eligible, you must have left your country and be unable to go back because you fear persecution.

Find out more about who is eligible to claim asylum.

You should apply when you arrive in the UK or as soon as you think it would be unsafe for you to return to your own country. Your application is more likely to be refused if you wait.

When you apply you鈥檒l have a meeting with an immigration officer (known as a 鈥榮creening鈥�).

After your screening the Home Office will decide if your claim can be considered in the UK. If it can, you鈥檒l have an asylum interview with a caseworker.

You鈥檒l be told when there鈥檚 a decision on your application.

Waiting for your decision

You鈥檒l be told after your screening what you must do while you鈥檙e waiting for your asylum decision, for example report to a caseworker regularly (known as 鈥榬eporting events鈥�).

You must tell the authorities if your situation changes.

You will not usually be allowed to work while your asylum claim is being considered.

Help you can get

You can get help with:

• getting legal representation for your asylum claim
• living in the UK while you wait for your decision

Children applying on their own

You can apply as a child on your own if you do not have an adult relative who is also claiming asylum.

To stay in the UK as a refugee you must be unable to live safely in any part of your own country because you fear persecution there.

This persecution must be because of:

• your race
• your religion
• your nationality
• your political opinion
• anything else that puts you at risk because of the social, cultural, religious or political situation in your country, for example, your gender, gender identity or sexual orientation

You must have failed to get protection from authorities in your own country.

When your claim might not be considered

Your claim might not be considered if you:

• are from an EU country
• travelled to the UK through a 鈥榮afe third country鈥�
• have a connection to a safe third country where you could claim asylum

Generally, a safe third country is one that:

• you鈥檙e not a citizen of
• you would not be harmed in
• would not send you on to another country where you would be harmed

Family members

You can include your partner and your children under 18 as 鈥榙ependants鈥� in your application if they鈥檙e with you in the UK.

If your application is successful, any dependants named on it can usually stay for the same amount of time as you. They will not get refugee status unless they make their own claim for asylum.

Refugee status means someone is protected by the . They can, for example, apply for family reunion or apply for a refugee integration loan.

You鈥檒l need documents for yourself and your dependants (partner and children under 18) for your asylum screening.

Documents you should bring (if you have them) include:

• passports and travel documents
• identification documents, for example identity cards, birth and marriage certificates or school records
• anything you think will help your application

Documents to prove your UK address

If you鈥檙e already in the UK, you and your dependants must bring documents that prove your UK address.

You鈥檒l need different documents depending on whether you鈥檙e living in your own accommodation or staying with someone else.

Living in your own accommodation

You鈥檒l need to provide documents showing your full name and address. This could be a:

• bank statement
• housing benefit book
• council tax notice
• tenancy agreement
• household bill

Staying with someone else

You鈥檒l need to provide:

• a recent letter (less than 3 months old) from the person you鈥檙e staying with to confirm you have their permission to stay
• documents showing the full name and address of the person you鈥檙e staying with, like a council tax notice, tenancy agreement or household bill

You register your asylum claim at a 鈥榮creening鈥�. This is a meeting with an immigration officer where you tell them about your case.

You鈥檒l have your screening at the UK border if you claim asylum as soon as you arrive. You can also be screened once you鈥檙e in the UK if you become eligible for asylum.

At your screening you鈥檒l:

• be photographed
• have your fingerprints taken
• have an interview to check who you are and where you鈥檙e from

You鈥檒l be asked why you want asylum. You can bring written evidence to support your claim if you want, as well as any other documents you need.

You鈥檒l need to say if you or your dependants are taking any medication and give any relevant medical information. A dependant is your partner and any children under 18.

Screening at the UK border

You must tell a Border Force officer that you want to claim asylum.

Your application will be registered and you鈥檒l be screened - ask for an interpreter if you need one.

Screening in the UK

If you鈥檙e already in the UK, you must call the asylum registration appointment line to book your screening appointment.

They鈥檒l ask simple questions about you and your family. You鈥檒l also be asked if you need help with housing.

You will not be asked why you鈥檙e claiming asylum during this call.

Tell the asylum registration appointment line if:

• you need to bring any dependants to your screening
• you鈥檙e a child and need to be accompanied
• you need an interpreter at your screening

If you鈥檙e eligible for asylum, you will be offered a registration screening interview at your nearest asylum registration location.

Do not attend an asylum registration location without an appointment. If the asylum registration location does not know you鈥檙e coming, you may not be seen.

Attending your appointment

You can bring a legal representative and an interpreter to your appointment if you need them. You must bring any dependants who are claiming asylum with you.

If you鈥檙e helping a child register their own asylum claim, you can go with them to their appointment.听

You must also bring the documents you need for your application.听

You cannot get financial help for travel to or from the asylum registration location.

After your screening, the Home Office will review your case and decide whether it can be considered in the UK.

You鈥檒l be sent an asylum registration card (ARC) to your UK address, unless you鈥檝e been detained.

You might also be sent an asylum questionnaire. If you get one, fill it in and return it by the deadline - the address and deadline are written on the letter that comes with the questionnaire. If you cannot fill it in, call the Home Office asylum team. Their phone number is on the letter.

The Home Office will contact you about your asylum claim. If your contact details change, you must .

If your case can be considered in the UK, it will be given to a caseworker.

If your case cannot be considered in the UK

You may be sent to a safe country that will consider your asylum claim. This might happen if you鈥檝e travelled to the UK through a safe third country or you have a connection with another country that you could claim asylum in.

Generally, a safe country is one that:

• you鈥檙e not a citizen of
• you would not be harmed in
• would not send you on to another country where you would be harmed

If the Home Office cannot place you in another safe country, your case will be considered in the UK and given to a caseworker.

Caseworkers

You may have an asylum interview with your caseworker. They鈥檒l make a decision about your application. They鈥檒l also explain the asylum process and tell you what to do while you wait for an asylum decision.

You鈥檒l need to go to regular meetings with your caseworker. These are known as 鈥榬eporting events鈥�.

Tell your caseworker if you have any special needs, for example if you have a disability or need medication.

Your ARC

The ARC shows you鈥檝e applied for asylum. You can use it to:

• show who you are
• show whether you have permission to work
• get health or education services

You must take your ARC with you when you go to your reporting events.

If you do not have your ARC

Contact the Home Office using the online form if you have any problems - for example:

• you鈥檝e not got your ARC through the post
• you鈥檝e lost it
• it鈥檚 been stolen
• it鈥檚 expired

You鈥檒l be asked to give your Home Office or port reference number, and your ARC reference (if you know it).

Being detained

You may be detained at an immigration removal centre while you wait for a decision on your application.

You鈥檒l either be:

• released if you get permission to stay in the UK
• held until you鈥檙e removed from the UK if you do not get permission to stay

You can also be detained and removed if it鈥檚 decided that another country is responsible for offering you asylum.

You may be able to appeal against the decision.

When you will not be detained

You will not usually be detained if:

• you鈥檙e a child
• you鈥檙e elderly
• you鈥檙e a family with children
• you鈥檙e pregnant
• you鈥檙e accepted as being a victim of trafficking
• you鈥檙e able to provide independent evidence of torture
• you have a mental or physical condition that cannot be managed or would present a risk to others in an immigration removal centre

Cancel your asylum claim

Email the Home Office as soon as possible if you want to stop your asylum claim. For example, because you get another type of permission to stay.

Your asylum interview will usually take place soon after your screening.

You may be granted protection status without having to attend an interview. This will happen if there is enough evidence from your screening and your questionnaire, if you did one.

You can read about asylum claims where an interview may not be required.

You鈥檒l get a letter telling you when and where to attend your interview.

If your partner or children under 18 were included in your application as 鈥榙ependants鈥� they may also need to attend an interview. The letter will tell you if they do.

The interview

You鈥檒l usually be interviewed alone, without your family members. An interpreter will be provided, if you need one.

Use this interview to explain:

• how you were persecuted in your country
• why you鈥檙e afraid to go back to your country

You may be asked questions about difficult topics but it鈥檚 important that you explain what has happened to you and your family.

Your caseworker will make notes in a document called an 鈥榠nterview record鈥�. You鈥檒l get a copy of this at the end of the interview.

Most asylum interviews happen over video calls. The audio will be recorded, and you鈥檒l receive a copy of the recording after the interview.

Evidence you鈥檒l need

You鈥檒l need to send the following documents to the Home Office by post, if you have them:

• birth certificate
• passport
• national ID card

These need to be the original versions and not copies. You should also send these identity documents for any dependants included in your application.

You also need to email any evidence you have of your persecution, and any other evidence you think will help your application, to the Home Office.

If you cannot send your identity documents and evidence before your interview, you鈥檒l need to send them after. You may be asked to send extra evidence to your caseworker after the interview if they think it might help your application.

Legal representative

You can bring a legal representative to this interview, for example a lawyer or solicitor. Find out if you can get help paying for legal advice about asylum.

Your interview will take place even if your legal representative is not there. You cannot ask for more time to get a legal representative.

Your application will be decided as soon as possible. It may take longer if it鈥檚 complicated, for example:

• your supporting documents need to be verified
• you need to attend more interviews
• your personal circumstances need to be checked, for example because you have a criminal conviction or you鈥檙e currently being prosecuted

You鈥檒l be given or refused permission to stay in one of the following ways.

Permission to stay if you have refugee status or humanitarian protection

Refugee status means you鈥檙e recognised as a refugee, as defined in the .

You may get humanitarian protection if you do not qualify for refugee status but cannot return to your own country.

You can read about how applications are decided.

What you鈥檒l get

If you鈥檙e granted refugee status or humanitarian protection you鈥檒l have permission to stay in the UK for a minimum of 5 years.

You can also apply for a refugee integration loan.

After 5 years, you can apply to settle in the UK.

Your partner and children under 18

If you included a partner or children under 18 in your application as 鈥榙ependants鈥�, they鈥檒l usually get permission to stay for 5 years.

Dependants can apply to settle in the UK as a family after 5 years.

Dependants are not given refugee status or humanitarian protection unless they make their own claim for asylum. However, they can apply for a refugee integration loan if you have refugee status or humanitarian protection.

Permission to stay for other reasons

You may get permission to stay for other reasons if you do not qualify for permission to stay as a refugee or for humanitarian reasons.

How long you can stay will depend on your situation.

You may be able to apply to extend your stay or settle in the UK towards the end of your stay.

No reason to stay

You鈥檒l be asked to leave the UK if you do not qualify for refugee status and your caseworker decides there鈥檚 no other reason for you to stay.

You may be able to appeal against the decision.

You鈥檒l have to leave if you do not appeal in the time allowed, or if your appeal is unsuccessful. You can:

• leave by yourself - you can get help with returning home
• be forced to leave - you鈥檒l get a letter before this happens, then you may be detained without warning at an immigration removal centre and then removed from the UK

You can get help from asylum helplines run by charities.

They can help with:

• explaining your asylum claim, for example getting a solicitor or lawyer to represent you
• living in the UK while your claim is being considered, for example getting asylum support, housing problems, dealing with agencies or finding English language classes and schools

Legal advice

You can get legal advice to help your asylum claim.

Housing and money

You may also be able to get housing and money (鈥榓sylum support鈥�) to support you and your family. If you qualify, this will only start on the day you register your asylum claim.

Help returning home

You may be able to get help with returning home.

This information is for children applying on their own.

You鈥檙e not in the care of social services

You should use the walk-in service at the asylum intake unit.

If you have an adult who is legally responsible for you

The adult who is taking responsibility for your care must attend the walk-in service at the asylum intake unit with you.

If you鈥檙e living with several relatives the closest blood relative willing to take responsibility for you must attend.

The adult must provide proof of address and photo ID (passport or driving licence).

If you do not have an adult who is legally responsible for you

You should go to the police or social services, or you can walk into the asylum intake unit.

You鈥檙e in the care of social services

You must book an appointment at the asylum intake unit by calling the appointment booking line.

You鈥檒l need the following information when you book your appointment:

• your name, date of birth and nationality
• the number on your passport or national identity document, if you have one - or the number on your birth certificate if you do not
• your foster carer鈥檚 name and contact details
• details of any medical conditions you have