If you face persecution risks in your home country and can’t safely go back, you might qualify as a refugee in the UK. In such cases, it’s vital to apply for asylum.

This protection is based on the 1951 Refugee Convention, which is part of UK law. It ensures the UK must protect you from being forced back to any country where you might be persecuted.

Main Points for Asylum or Refugee Status
To be accepted as a refugee, you need to:

• Be outside your home country.
• Have a real fear of persecution due to reasons like race, religion, nationality, politics, or membership in a certain group. This fear must be linked to issues in your home country, including aspects like gender or sexual orientation.
• Be unable to get protection from your home country’s authorities.
• Not have a safe place in your home country to live.

The UK will first check if they should be the ones looking at your request. They might not handle your case if:

• Another country has already given you refugee status or protection.
• There’s another safe country where you can ask for protection, especially if you’ve tried there before or have family there.

More on Asylum or Refugee Protection
Even if you don’t fit the refugee rules, but there’s a real danger of serious harm or death in your home country, you might get humanitarian protection.

If you’re recognised as a refugee or given humanitarian protection, you’ll get a 5-year residence permit, which you can renew. Your family, like your partner or kids under 18, can get this too. After 5 years, you can renew or aim for a permanent stay.

Being recognised means you can work, study, use the NHS, and claim benefits like any settled person. You can also get a document for travelling abroad.

How Highwood Solicitors Can Help
Our experienced team at Highwood Solicitors are experts in creating top-notch asylum applications and giving the best legal advice for any rejections by the Home Office. We’ve helped people worldwide in their journey to find safety in the UK.

We’ll help you navigate the asylum application, advise on collecting evidence, do research tailored to your home country, and put forward strong legal reasons supporting your application. We know how emotional this process can be. At Highwood Solicitors, our priority is understanding and responding to your needs.