International Students Applying For Asylum In UK

The asylum-seeking process begins with registering your case with an immigration officer. If you seek asylum upon entering the UK, then this should be done immediately upon arrival. However, if you are seeking asylum while you are in the UK on a visa for study, then this should be done as soon as you become eligible for asylum.

Once the claim has been registered, there will be a screening interview. At this interview, your name and nationality will be verified by the immigration officer, and you will be asked for the reasoning behind your asylum claim.

At the asylum screening interview, applicants should try to provide all of the following documentation to support their claim:

• A valid passport.
• Travel documents.
• ID documents, including birth certificates, marriage certificates, school records, and any other appropriate documents.
• Any additional documents that could support your asylum claim.

Those who are already living in the UK on a student visa will be required to provide proof of their UK address. Those who are living in university accommodation can provide a copy of their tenancy agreement or a bank statement that contains the address of the university housing they reside in.

Once the screening interview has been conducted, the UK Home Office will review the case. At this point, the applicant will also receive an asylum registration card, or ARC. This will be used to show ID and obtain access to education and health services.

The applicant may be called for a follow-up interview. This is usually only the case when the Home Office needs to obtain further information on the case to be able to make a decision.

If this does occur, it can serve as an opportunity for the applicant to provide any additional information on the well-founded fear of persecution that they would face if they were to return to their home country.

Should the Home Office request an applicant to attend further interviews, the applicant will need to send the Home Office their passport, birth certificate, and national ID card (if they have one) before the interview takes place. In this case, the applicant will need to make sure that they send original copies of these documents to the Home Office.

After this point, the applicant will need to wait for a decision to be made on their claim. This can take quite some time. In some cases, it can take over a year. While the applicant is waiting for a decision to be made on their asylum claim, they can continue to reside in the UK unless stated otherwise by UKVI.

It is important to remember that not all people who claim asylum in the UK will do so as soon as they arrive, and this can be for valid reasons, such as having previously entered the country to study.

However, the Home Office can use this against applicants in their claim and may argue that this is not evidence that the individual is in genuine danger.

It could result in the argument that the application for the visa was dishonest or that the applicant only seeks asylum due to their visa expiring. This is simply a part of the laws put in place to discourage illegal migration by the UK government.

While this can be difficult, there are high asylum grant rates for genuine asylum claimants. Having a lawyer assist in the process can also aid the asylum process and is especially helpful for asylum-seeking students.

Students applying for asylum while actively studying can continue their studies while their case is ongoing, and those who are successful asylum applicants may continue to study and can work in the UK as well.

Successful applicants who are granted refugee status or humanitarian protection will be informed of their rights upon being notified of their application success.

Those who are awaiting a decision on their application and wish to study can seek out university scholarships for the asylum seekers programme.

The application will be decided upon as soon as possible. If the case is complex, it can take longer. Things that may make a decision take longer can include:

• Supporting documents need verification.
• More interviews are required.
• Personal circumstances need to be checked.

If the application is denied, the applicant can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal. The applicant can appeal themselves or obtain legal assistance and have a legal professional appeal on their behalf.

Those who appeal without a legal advisor can do so from within the UK or outside of the UK.

From inside the UK, this can be done by appealing the asylum decision online on the UK government website. This can be done by submitting an appeal, adding documents to support the application, asking for a hearing, and obtaining a decision.

Those applying from outside of the UK, if they had to leave the UK, can do so within 28 days of receiving the decision on their claim after leaving the country. They will also use the online service on the UK government website.

It is possible to remain in the UK as an international student via a student visa. In some circumstances, those who have studied in the UK and find work in their specialist field may be able to switch to a work visa if possible.

Those wishing to remain in the UK without refugee status should consider the types of visas available.