1) What is a refugee?  What is the difference between refugees and asylum seekers? 

According to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is someone who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion” has left their own country in search of safety. Crucially, a refugee is someone who is unable to return to their own country due to fear of retaliation. 

An asylum seeker is someone who has yet to be told whether they have gained refugee status.

2) What is the difference between a refugee and an immigrant?

Refugees and asylum seekers are words used to describe those fleeing persecution. However, in traditional forms of media and social media, we often see different terms used to describe various types of immigrants. This can often be harmful as it leads to the numbers being conflated and over -exaggerated for effect.

Refugees are a subsection of a broader group of people called immigrants. Immigrants are those who travel across borders to settle in new countries for either a short or extended period of time. They might do this for a variety of reasons, to live with family, to pursue a work opportunity, to study,  or simply to retire abroad. For example the 1.25 million Brits living in the European Union would be described as immigrants in their chosen new country. 

3) Can everyone claim asylum?

No.

To claim asylum and gain refugee status in the United Kingdom you must prove that you have a genuine fear of persecution in your home country. Crucially you must have “failed to get support from the authorities” in your home country. 

A real example of someone who has successfully claimed asylum in the UK is Mohammed Nabi Wardak, a former interpreter for the British Army in Afghanistan. Granted asylum in 2021, Mohammed was under threat from those who wished to do him harm in his own country. The UK continues to receive many applications for asylum from Afghanistan, with 8,508 applications meaning it is the second largest country of origin for those seeking refuge in the UK.

4) What is the UK’s legal responsibility for refugees?

One phrase often thrown around by right-wing media and persons is “illegal immigrant”. In reality there is no such thing as an illegal asylum application. Under international law “any person has the right to apply for asylum in any country that has signed the 1951 Convention and to remain there until the authorities have assessed their claim”. The UK is a signatory of the 1951 Convention.

According to UK law, asylum seekers have the right to be treated fairly and lawfully, have “access to support and accommodation”, and access to the NHS. It is a crime for asylum seekers to lie to the UK immigration authorities. 

5) How many refugees come to the UK each year? 

Only 39,616 people were granted asylum in 2024. The majority of these asylum seekers  came from Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq. 

However, the largest group of refugees that have entered the UK in recent years have come from Ukraine as part of the Ukraine Family and Sponsorship Schemes, by July last year 210,000 people had fled the conflict in Ukraine to the UK.  

Notably, all of these countries are either at war (Ukraine), are subject to highly oppressive regimes (Iran, Afghanistan) or otherwise remain highly unstable after decades of conflict and turmoil (Iraq).   

6) How much do asylum seekers get each week? 

The UK is obliged to provide support and accommodation to asylum seekers. However, asylum seekers in the UK are only given £49.18 per week for all of their food, toiletries and clothes.

We asked members of the public if they could live on that amount of money, and not one of them thought they could.

Much is made of the cost of asylum hotels for those wishing to demonise refugees - with many implying that they are living comparative lives of luxury and taking up substantial portions of the budget. In reality, the UK spends just 0.22% of our annual budget on refugees - with a sizable portion of that money coming from the Foreign Aid budget.

For those are who in accommodation with food provided, their weekly allowance is dropped to only 9.95 per person - not enough for 2 return bus trips. 

7) Can asylum seekers work or claim benefits?

No - except if their application has still not been processed by the Home Office after a year.

Refugees (and immigrants in general) operate in a paradoxical place in the some of the public imagination.  They are simultaneously portrayed as idle, taking advantage of the system, and at the same time ‘stealing’ jobs of people born in the UK. Of course neither accusation is accurate, and they are entirely contradictory. 

Whilst many refugees would like to work subsidising the pitiful allowance afforded to them (and which would mean they are also paying taxes…),, they are not generally allowed to, though there are exceptions. As asylum applications can take a long time, the Home Office may allow some to work in a limited number of jobs if their case is taking over one year. 

8) What percent of the UK’s population are refugees?

There are over 37 million refugees worldwide as of the end of 2024 according to the UNHRC of that number around 448,000 live in the UK which is just 0.65% of the population. 

9) Which country takes the most refugees?

The reality is that the  majority (67%) of refugees live in countries neighbouring their country of origin. Refugees are by their very nature vulnerable and afraid, and they leave their homes, friends and whole lives behind in the worst circumstances. As such many settle in the first country they get to in hope of a quick return. 

Perhaps surprisingly, the country which takes the most refugees is Iran who have taken in 3.5 million refugees, Türkiye have taken 3.3 million, whilst Colombia have taken 2.8 million. Around seven in ten of all refugees are from five countries; Venezuela (6.2 million), Syria (6 million), Afghanistan (5.8 million), Ukraine (5.1 million), and South Sudan (2.3 million).

10) What about in the European Union?

In the European Union, Germany is the predominant destination for refugees, with over 150,000 seeing their application accepted in 2024. Across Europe in 2024 many countries take more refugees than the UK including; France (65,200+), Spain (50,900+), Greece (40,200+), and Italy (39,600+).

Rather than experiencing an atypical number of asylum applications, as is often purported in the media, the UK is below the average amongst our EU counterparts for asylum applications per head - coming in at 14th when compared to the EU27

Why are refugees demonised?

Political parties such as Reform UK and the Conservative Party have long demonised refugees. The description of those who come to this country seeking a better life as an invasion, the use of harmful tropes and stereotypes and the weaponisation of some of the most vulnerable in society must be called out for what it is. 

It is also worth noting the difference in treatment of refugees and immigrants dependent on where they come from. Look at the difference in the  treatment of refugees from Syria and those from Ukraine and the reality is painfully clear. 

Populist politicians will continue to attack refugees and the most vulnerable in society - they rely on making people angry, and the vulnerable are an easy target, as are those who cannot vote.  Attacks on refugees represent not just an abdication of moral duty but a more conceited attempt to distract people from the forces which truly worsen their lives and increase their inequality.

Populists are presenting public services for UK citizens and support for refugees as a choice, while offering little-to-nothing that would fix the welfare state. Those responsible for the crisis in our health and social care system tend to arrive by private jet, rather than by dinghy.

Order one of our "Hate Has No Home" posters today and show your support for all immigrants this Refugee Day.

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