Who are asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants?
Immigration terms can be confusingIt is very easy to get confused by the terminology of asylum and immigration. The terms asylum seeker and refugee are frequently misused. In fact, when someone is living in a country other than their own there are a number of legal descriptions that might describe their situation. Asylum seeker In the UK an asylum seeker means someone who has made a formal application for asylum, and are awaiting a decision about their status. If their application is accepted, they become a refugee. There is no such thing as an ‘illegal asylum seeker’. By law, anyone has the right to apply for asylum and remain in the UK until a decision on their application has been made. The United Nations also defines an asylum seeker as someone who has applied for protection as a refugee and is awaiting a decision about their status. But they also use a more general definition of asylum seekers as people who move across borders in search of protection. Refugee A refugee is a person
