Colchester City of Sanctuary

The terms asylum seeker and refugee refer to people at different stages of their journeys to safety. All asylum seekers are ’potential’ refugees. They are people fleeing from dangerous circumstances in their country of origin and looking to claim international protection.

Refugee

Refugees are specifically defined and protected in international law.

Refugees are people outside their country of origin because of feared persecution, conflict, violence, or other circumstances that have seriously disturbed public order, and who, as a result, require ‘international protection’. Their situation is often so perilous and impossible, that they cross national borders to seek safety in nearby countries, becoming internationally recognized as ‘refugees’. This gives them access to assistance from states, UNHCR, and relevant organizations. They are recognised as refugees because it is too dangerous for them to return home, and they therefore need sanctuary elsewhere (UN Refugee Agency).

A refugee has permission from the government to stay in the UK. Usually, refugees in the UK are given five years’ leave to remain. They must then apply for further leave, although their status as a refugee is not limited to five years.

Person seeking asylum

A person seeking asylum is someone who has left their country of origin “from fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, social group, or political opinion and formally applied for asylum in another country and, is awaiting a decision on whether they will be granted refugee status

In the UK, a person becomes a refugee when government agrees that an individual who has applied for asylum meets the definition in the Refugee Convention. At this point they will ‘recognise’ that person as a refugee and issue them with refugee status documentation.

Migrant

Migrants may move across international borders to improve their lives by finding work, or in some cases for education, family reunion, or other reasons. People may also move to alleviate significant hardships that arise from natural disasters, famine, or extreme poverty. Those who leave their countries for these reasons would not usually be considered refugees under international law. The current global estimate is that there were around 281 million international migrants in the world in 2020, which equates to 3.6 per cent of the global population.