Decision

Refusal with a Right of Appeal means that you are allowed to make an appeal to have the decision in your case reconsidered. You will need evidence to support your appeal. 

• An Immigration Tribunal (a type of court) will review the evidence in your case. 

• If you do have the right of appeal, you must submit your online appeal form within 14 days of the date the letter was sent to you.  
• If you are receiving asylum support (financial support and/or accommodation), you will continue to receive this if you make an appeal within the required timeframe. 

Refusal with No Right of Appeal means that the Home Office will not permit you to appeal the decision in your case. 

• You may be able to apply for an administrative or judicial review. 

• In all cases, you should speak to your legal representative as soon as possible about your next steps.  

• If your claim is refused with no right of appeal, you will lose access to asylum support. If you need help with housing and essentials, you can contact the Scottish Refugee Council Helpline on 0808 196 7274. We will do our best to help or to connect you with other organisations that can support you. 

If you have no option to appeal the refusal of your asylum claim, you might be called appeal rights exhausted or ARE. Becoming ARE does not mean that you cannot apply again for asylum or other forms of protection. You should seek legal advice as soon as you can to explore your options. 

You may be able to gather further evidence and make another claim for asylum (a ‘fresh claim’). To be considered, your fresh claim must include new and relevant information. It can take a long time to gather evidence and unfortunately you will have to rely on friends or charities to support you until you can make another claim. 

To find out more about what’s next when you have become appeal rights exhausted, visit the ARE page on our website. 

Make sure to keep a record of the phone calls you make to the Asylum Intake Unit. 

The main intake unit in the UK is in Croydon (South London, England). There are also units in Glasgow (Scotland) and Belfast (Northern Ireland). Most people will need to travel to one of these units for their interview. If you are unable to travel, for example because you are pregnant, have a disability, or have young children, you will need to say this when you telephone the Asylum Intake Unit. The Home Office will decide whether you can be interviewed closer to where you live. 

After this phone call, the Home Office will send you a letter confirming the details of your screening interview. The interview might be weeks or months away. 

* If you have nowhere to live, you still need to call the asylum registration appointment line. They’ll call you back, and you may be told to attend a screening appointment or to present to a walk-in service. If you have contacted the asylum registration line and have not been accommodated, contact our helpline to speak with an adviser.