Can You Apply for Asylum on a Tourist Visa In The UK?

Step 1: Register Your Asylum Claim in the UK

There is no official application form to claim asylum in the UK. Instead, you must register your claim with an immigration officer.

Depending on your circumstances, you can do this either at the UK border or when you are already in the UK. However, you should register as soon as you become aware that it would be unsafe for you or your dependents to return to the country where you normally reside. Any delay may increase the chance that your asylum claim is refused.

To register at the UK border, you should tell a Border Force officer that you wish to seek asylum.

Alternatively, to register your asylum claim when you’re already in the UK, you should call the asylum intake unit in Croydon on 0300 123 4193. An immigration official will call you back to discuss your needs and either arrange an appointment for your asylum screening or tell you which registration location to go to.

You should tell the immigration official if you wish to include any dependents, such as your partner or children under 18 years old, that are with you in your application. Please note that, while they will be able to remain in the UK for the same duration as you, they will not be granted refugee status unless they register their own claim for asylum.

Step 2: Asylum Screening 

Your meeting with an immigration officer is known as a screening or screening interview. If any of your dependents also wish to seek asylum, they should attend your screening too.

During your initial screening interview, you will be asked questions about you, your dependents and your claim.

You will also be photographed and have your fingerprints taken.

You can request to have an interpreter if needed and ask if a male or female interviewer is available.

You will need to bring any documents you have that support your claim for asylum in the UK to your asylum screening interview. This includes any dependents, such as your partner or children under 18 years old.

Supporting documents you should provide at your screening interview include:

• Your passport or other official travel documents
• Proof of identification such as birth certificates, identity cards, and marriage certificates
• Proof of your UK address
  • Where you are the named tenant or homeowner, your documents must include your full name and address, such as a bank statement, tenancy agreement, or household bill.
  • Where you are staying with someone else and are not the named tenant or homeowner, you should bring:
    • A letter from the named tenant or homeowner, dated within the last 3 months, permitting you to stay in their property.
    • Any documents that show the full name and address of the named tenant or homeowner, such as a bank statement, tenancy agreement, or household bill.

You should also bring any medication you or your dependents are currently taking.

The majority of asylum seekers are registered within 4 hours, but it may take longer during busy periods.

Step 3: Wait to See If Your Claim Will Be Considered

Based on the information you have provided during your screening, the UK Home Office will consider your claim for asylum in the UK.

You will be told during your screening about what you are allowed to do and any conditions you must follow until a decision has been made about your claim.

You must update the UK Home Office if your contact details change during this time.

When a decision has been made, you will be notified at the UK address you have provided.

If your claim will be considered:

• You will receive an asylum registration card (ARC) or an appointment explaining what you should do next. Your ARC acts as proof of your claim and allows you to access health and education services.
• You might receive a preliminary interview questionnaire (PIQ) to complete, which you should return to the address stated before the deadline on the letter.
• You will be assigned a caseworker.

If your claim will not be considered, you may be sent to another country where you will be safe, and can claim asylum. If this is not possible, you will remain in the UK, be assigned a caseworker, and your claim will be considered.

Step 4: Attend Reporting Events

When you have been assigned a caseworker, you may be asked to attend an interview with them where you can discuss your claim and they can explain the next steps in seeking asylum.

They will also arrange regular meetings, known as reporting events. You should bring your ARC to these meetings.

It is important that you attend your reporting events with your caseworker. Failure to attend may result in your claim being withdrawn and you being detained at an immigration removal centre.

You may also be detained until you receive your application decision.

Step 5: Send Your Documents and Evidence to the Home Office

Before your interview, you will be asked to provide various documents to the Home Office.

You will be asked to send any original identity documents you have to the Home Office for you and, if relevant, your dependents. This includes your passport, birth certificate, and any official ID cards issued by your country of residence or where you are a national.

You should send these documents by post to:

UK Visas and Immigration
PO Box 7782
Village Way
Bilston
WV1 9QB

In addition, you should send any documents supporting your claim, including evidence of your persecution, by e-mail to asylumcentralcommunicationshub@homeoffice.gov.uk.

You may be asked to send further evidence after your asylum interview.

Step 6: Attend Your Asylum Interview

An asylum substantive interview may be arranged soon after your screening to allow you to explain your case for asylum in more detail. This may take place over a video call.

If you have included dependents in your application, they may also be required to attend an interview.

If you have provided enough evidence during your asylum screening and questionnaire, an interview may not be needed.

You will be interviewed alone, although you will be allowed an interpreter and legal representative. However, it is your responsibility to find legal representation, and your interview will not be delayed if they are not available.

Where an interview is required, you may be asked questions that you find difficult or upsetting. You will be asked to explain what has caused you to seek asylum, how you were persecuted in your usual country of residence and why you would be unsafe if you returned. You should tell the interviewer everything you wish to be considered in your claim. This information will be kept confidential and will not be shared with anyone in your usual country of residence.

The interviewer will write all of the information you provide in an interview record. You will receive a copy of this when the interview has finished.

Where the interview has taken place over a video call, you will receive a copy of the audio recording.

It is important that you attend your asylum interview. Failure to attend may result in your application being withdrawn, and you will have to reapply if you wish to remain in the UK.

Step 7: Wait for a Claim Decision

You will be notified as soon as a decision has been made about your claim for asylum in the UK. This may take more than 6 months during busy periods.

Your decision letter will explain the next steps you should take and any conditions you must follow.