Refugee Settlement

An overview
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.

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 denied if you wait.
After you apply you’ll have a meeting with an immigration officer (known as a ‘screening’) and then an asylum interview with a caseworker.

You will usually get a decision on your application within 6 months.
Waiting for your decision

You’ll be told after your screening what you must do while you’re waiting for your asylum decision, for example, report to a caseworker regularly (known as ‘reporting meetings’).
You must tell the authorities if your situation changes.
You will not usually be allowed to work while your asylum claim is being considered.

Eligibility
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.
If you’re stateless, your own country is the country you usually live in.
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.
Your claim might not be considered if you:
• are from an EU country
• have a connection with another country you can claim asylum in, for example, if you’ve claimed asylum in an EU country before arriving in the UK

Family members
You can include your partner and your children under 18 as ‘dependants’ in your application if they’re with you in the UK.
Your children under 18 and your partner can also make their own applications at the same time, but they will not be treated as your dependents.

Permission to stay as a refugee
You and your dependants may be given permission to stay in the UK for 5 years if you qualify for asylum. This is known as ‘leave to remain’. After 5 years, you can apply to settle in the UK.

Permission to stay for humanitarian reasons
You may get permission to stay for humanitarian reasons if you do not qualify for asylum. This means you need to stay in the UK for your protection.
You and your dependants may be given permission to stay in the UK for 5 years. This is known as ‘leave to enter’ or ‘leave to remain’.
After 5 years, you can apply to settle in the UK.

Our service
We can provide you with complete assistance and advice to you about your asylum claim. Our work includes representing and assisting you in the preparation of the claim, preparing you for the interview with the immigration officer, advise you on documents. If your asylum claim fails and you are given the right of appeal, we also provide representation and assistance in lodging and conducting the appeal.