Asylum applicants' rights and responsibilities
Published 21 February 2014
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1. Your rights
As an asylum applicant in the United Kingdom, you have the right to:
- be treated fairly and lawfully regardless of your race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation or any disability
- practise your own religion, and you are expected to show respect for people of other faiths
- have your application considered fairly and accurately
- have access to support and accommodation if you meet the requirements for it
- have access to free health care from the National Health Service (NHS)
- have legal representation. Free legal help may be available, depending on your income and your case. Your caseworker can tell you more about this.
Various types of support may be available to you, depending on your circumstances. For more information, see Asylum support and Help and advice.
You will not normally be allowed to work while we are considering your asylum application. For more information, see Employment.
2. Your responsibilities
As an asylum applicant in the United Kingdom, it is your responsibility to:
- co-operate with the Home Office and tell us the truth. It is a crime to make an asylum application that involves trying to deceive us. If you do this and are found guilty of it in a court, you may be put in prison, after which you may be deported
- stay in regular contact with your caseworker, including keeping all your appointments
- obey the law
- care for your children (for example, an adult must always supervise children under the age of 16, and if they are aged between 5 and 16 they must have full-time education, usually at school)
- leave the United Kingdom if we refuse your application for asylum and any appeal you make is unsuccessful - but until we have made a decision on your application, we will not take any action to remove you or your dependants from the United Kingdom.