Asylum: frequently asked questions

Seek legal advice as soon as you can

The most important thing you can do if you want to claim asylum, is seek legal advice as soon as possible. Be aware that when making an asylum claim there is always a risk of being detained.

Learn more about what immigration detention means and how you can be prepared in case you are detained.

Find legal advice in Glasgow or legal advice in Edinburgh

Find an immigration solicitor in Scotland on the Law Society of Scotland adviser finder

Find a qualified immigration adviser on the OISC adviser finder

The Right to Remain Toolkit contains regularly updated information on the changes to the asylum rules and helpful information on the asylum process in the UK.

You should be able to get help with the legal costs related to your asylum claim through Legal Aid. When contacting immigration advisers check if the service is free or covered by Legal Aid. The legal representative must tell you if there is a charge involved. It may be difficult to find a legal representative in your local area. Some legal representatives offer advice via video or telephone.

Register your asylum claim

If you have not claimed asylum immediately after arriving in the UK, you have to call the Home Office to book an appointment to make your asylum claim.

Asylum Intake Unit appointments line

Telephone: 0300 123 4193

Monday-Thursday, 9am to 4:45pm

Friday, 9am to 4:30pm

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

If you have nowhere to live, it is important to inform the Home Office about this. You should call the appointment line to find out where you need to go to register your asylum claim. You may not be seen if you arrive at an asylum registration location unannounced.

If you have no money to support yourself and/or don’t have anywhere to live you can request accommodation and financial support from the Home Office when you call.

Check the Home Office website for additional information on how to claim asylum

Check the Right to Remain Toolkit for detailed information on the asylum process

If you are being asked to travel to register your claim you need to inform the appointment line if you are not able to travel for any of the following reasons:

• you are pregnant
• you are a lone parent or have small children
• you have a serious mental or physical health condition
• you have experienced domestic violence or have been trafficked. You may have been trafficked if you are being exploited by others for work or services. This could include you being forced to work, having very bad working conditions or being forced to have sex with people. Contact Modern Slavery Helpline if you think you may have been trafficked

Understand when your asylum claim may not be processed in the UK

If the Home Office thinks you have travelled through a ‘safe’ third country on your way to the UK where you could have claimed asylum, they can investigate whether another country is responsible for processing your asylum claim. This is called ‘inadmissibility’.

If your asylum claim was not processed because of ‘inadmissibility’ please note the Home Office are now processing all asylum claims. If you are invited to attend asylum interview, seek legal advice. Don't miss your appointment. 

 Find out details from Right to Remain on change to ‘inadmissibility’ and asylum processing: 

• A win: Home Office to consider all Rwanda 'inadmissible' asylum claims
• Illegal Migration Act ban on processing asylum claims to be lifted 

Right now, the most important thing you can do if you want to claim asylum, is seek legal advice as soon as possible.  

Where to find legal advice: 

Find legal advice in Glasgow or legal advice in Edinburgh

Find an immigration solicitor in Scotland on the Law Society of Scotland adviser finder

Find a qualified immigration adviser on the IAA Adviser Finder 

Where to find more information about the changing asylum rules:

The Right to Remain Toolkit contains regularly updated information on the changes to the asylum rules and helpful information on the asylum process in the UK.

Help with legal fees:

You should be able to get help with the legal costs related to your asylum claim through Legal Aid. When contacting immigration advisers check if the service is free or covered by Legal Aid. The legal representative must tell you if there is a charge involved. It may be difficult to find a legal representative in your local area. Some legal representatives offer advice via video or telephone.

If you have no money to support yourself and/or don’t have anywhere to live you may be entitled to accommodation and financial support from the Home Office once you have made a claim for asylum.

It is important you inform the Home Office about this when making your claim.

If you don’t need this support when making your asylum claim and your circumstances change you can apply for support at a later stage.

Check the Home Office website for information on accommodation and financial support

Contact Migrant Help to apply for emergency accommodation and support:

Free asylum helpline

Telephone: 0808 8010 503

24h/7 days a week

Bear in mind that asylum support accommodation will be provided on a no-choice basis and that you could be moved anywhere in the UK in order to access the support.

If you are under the age of 18 and in Scotland on your own, you should be looked after by the Local Council and you should be able to get support and advice from Guardianship Scotland.

If you are under the age of 18 but your age is not believed by the authorities and you are treated as an adult, you should seek urgent legal advice.

If you are unsure what to do you can also contact our free and confidential Helpline for one-off advice and signposting: 0808 1967 274 (Mon, Tues, Thurs 9am – 5pm, Wed 2pm – 5pm, Fri 9am – 3pm).

If you are a family in Scotland with children under the age of 18 and you recently claimed asylum, you might be able to get support from our Family Rights Service.

Please be aware the service has limited capacity and there may be a waiting list for taking on new referrals.

If you are unsure what to do you can also contact our free and confidential Helpline for one-off advice and signposting: 0808 1967 274 (Mon, Tues Thurs 9am – 5pm, Wed 2pm – 5pm, Fri 9am – 3pm).

We can only provide advice and assistance to refugees and people seeking asylum who are already in the UK.

If you are not in the UK and would like to claim asylum, you should seek advice from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) or the Red Cross or Red Crescent Society in the country where you are living.

Check the UK government information on claiming asylum in the UK.

How the Home Office will treat your asylum claim will depend on how and when you arrived in the UK:

I already claimed asylum:

If you already claimed asylum, you may still be waiting for the Substantive Interview. In this interview the Home Office asks you in detail about your reasons for claiming asylum. There are long delays with getting this interview and you may be waiting for months and years for an interview.

Instead of being invited for a Substantive Interview you may be sent a questionnaire by the Home Office to gather further information on your asylum claim. If you receive a letter and/or text message about this from the Home Office you should seek urgent legal advice to help you complete it.

Check the Home Office website for further information on the Asylum interview

Check the Right to Remain Toolkit for further information on Asylum Substantive Interview and Streamlined Asylum Process

Information about healthcare

If you are living in Scotland you have the right to free healthcare and prescriptions through the National Health Service (NHS). You can register with a doctor (General Practitioner) in your local area. Depending on where you are being accommodated health services might visit the accommodation facility.

If you or a family member is seriously ill or badly hurt you should attend Accident and Emergency (A&E) at your local hospital. If you need an ambulance to take you to A&E you should call 999. 999 is an official emergency telephone number which will allow you to contact emergency services for urgent assistance. 999 is only to be used in an emergency.

A&E at the hospital is open 24 hours for 7 days a week. No appointment is needed but there may be a lengthy wait until you get medical attention.

Information about education

If you are living in Scotland and have children of school age, they have free and full access to nursery, primary and secondary school. Adults have free and full access to English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) classes. There may be long delays in accessing English classes.

Positive decision

Moving on after a positive decision
If you have been granted asylum in the UK you will need to think about and plan for a number of changes to your life, including your housing arrangements and financial support. If you were previously in receipt of asylum support, you have a 28-day ‘move on’ period to transition to mainstream benefits and housing. You will now have full rights to work and education and full access to social security and benefits.

• Access our online guide: information for new refugees to find out step-by-step process on housing, benefits, bank account, healthcare & more.
• If you have recently received Leave to Remain you might be able to get advice and advocacy support from our Refugee Integration Advisers. Please be aware that the service is busy and there may be a waiting list for taking on new referrals.
• If you are unsure what to do you can also contact our free and confidential Helpline for one-off advice and signposting: 0808 1967 274 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 9am to 5pm and Wednesday, 1pm to 5pm).

Family Reunion

Depending on your immigration status, you may qualify for Family Reunion. To find out whether you and your family members qualify you should seek legal advice. Family Reunion is covered by Legal Aid in Scotland and lawyers can help you submitting a visa application. If granted a Family Reunion visa your partner and children may be able to join you in the UK. Please note once you become a British citizen you lose the right to Family Reunion.

Settling in the UK

Depending on your immigration status you may be able to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after a certain period of time in the UK and eventually apply for British citizenship. Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) is a type of immigration status that allows you to stay in the UK legally without a time limit.

If you have 5 years Leave to Remain (Refugee Status or Humanitarian Protection) and would like to carry on living in the UK, you must apply for ILR at the end of your 5 years. After you have had 12 months of Indefinite Leave to Remain you may be able to apply for British citizenship. You should seek legal advice to find out whether you are eligible and how to apply.

Negative decision

Appealing a negative asylum decision

If your asylum claim has been refused you should seek urgent legal advice. The Home Officer letter should tell you if you have a right to appeal the refusal decision. In that case you have 14 days from when the Home Office decision letter has been sent to submit an appeal.

Appeal rights exhausted

If you have exhausted all your rights to appeal you should seek urgent legal advice. You may be able to make further submissions to the Home Office.

If you have exhausted all your rights to appeal and/or have made further submissions to be considered as a fresh claim and you have no money to support yourself and/or don’t have anywhere to live you may be eligible for accommodation and financial support from the Home Office. This support is also known as Section 4 support.

Check the Home Office website for further information on Section 4 support

Check the Right to Remain Toolkit for further information on Section 4 support and fresh claims

There are currently lengthy delays in the provision of asylum support so you may have to wait several weeks or months to access accommodation and financial support from the Home Office. Bear in mind that asylum support accommodation will be provided on a no-choice basis and that you could be moved anywhere in the UK in order to access the support.

If you have exhausted all rights to appeal a negative asylum decision you may be able to get advice and advocacy support through our Destitution Service. Please be aware that the service is busy and there may be a waiting list for taking on new referrals.

If you need information on food and essential services in your local area you can contact our free and confidential Helpline: 0808 1967 274 (Mon, Tues Thurs 9am – 5pm, Wed 2pm – 5pm, Fri 9am – 3pm).