The first step in any asylum claim is to let the Home Office know that you believe that, due to the circumstances you would face in your country of origin, that you would be at risk of serious harm should you be returned.

To claim asylum, you will need to be able to show:

• You fall into a category of person who might be at risk owing to their race, religion, political opinion or membership of a social group - such as owing to your gender identity or sexual orientation
• You face a risk of harm on return
• You could not rely on state protection i.e. the police or government could not assist you or they might be the people you fear
• You could not safely relocate anywhere else in your country to avoid this risk

If you didn’t claim asylum immediately on arrival in the UK, it is important that you alert the Home Office to your concerns as soon as possible. This will mean attending an initial screening interview to lodge your claim and so that you can be assessed for asylum support and housing, if you require this.

Following this, there will be a substantive interview shortly after closer to where you are living in the UK. We can help prepare you for this interview and to respond to any concerns that might follow it. We will also assist you in putting together supporting evidence to assist your claim.

After this, you will need to await a decision from the Home Office. If you succeed then you can expect to be given 5 years of refugee status, after which you can ask to settle in the UK. You may be granted a different form of leave if the Home Office don’t accept your claim but still consider there are serious reasons you should be allowed to remain in the UK.

In virtually all cases, if you are refused you will have the right to appeal the decision to an independent Judge in the Immigration Tribunal.