What is a refugee?

A refugee is someone who has had to leave their country of origin, usually due to war or persecution and has crossed international borders in order to find safety in another country.

Persecution happens for many reasons. It could be someone’s ethnicity, sexuality, religion or political beliefs, to name a few.

Refugees are protected by international law under the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, of which the UK is a signatory. 

The convention sets out the definition of a refugee as well as outlining a refugee’s right to claim asylum in another country. It also states that the person must not be returned to their country of origin if they are at risk.

The UK currently has around 448,600 refugees, which is less than 0.7% of our total population of 68 million. An estimated 1 in 3 people seeking safety in countries like the UK have experienced torture.  

Difference between refugee and asylum seeker

To be an asylum seeker is to be in search of safety in another country. This means that you are claiming asylum in your new country and have not yet been successful in your claim. 

As an asylum seeker, you do not have access to the same rights as a citizen or refugee.

When someone attains their refugee status, their asylum claim has been successful. By default, in the UK, refugee status is granted for 5 years, after which they can apply for indefinite leave to remain. 

When someone is granted refugee status, they are given 28 days to leave their asylum accommodation and their asylum support ends, meaning that many people with refugee status often become homeless before they are able to find work and a place to live.

Where do refugees come from?

In 2019, more than two-thirds of the global refugee population came from just five countries: Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar

In the same year, only 0.5 per cent of the world’s refugees had successfully resettled somewhere
85% of all refugees are hosted in developing countries

Some of the top host countries for refugees include: Turkey, Iran, Germany, Lebanon, Sudan, Columbia, Uganda and Pakistan.

As of March 2025, there were 85,112 asylum applications in the UK – a 15% increase from the previous 12 months.

In 2021, the government recognised that almost three-quarters of the asylum claims that it considered were made by people in legitimate need of protection.

Can refugees work in the UK?

Yes. When someone is granted refugee status, they have the right to work.

If someone is unable to work, as a refugee, you are able to claim welfare benefits.

As an asylum seeker, however, you are unable to work while you are making your asylum claim and you are entitled to just £38 a week.

Can refugees vote in the UK?

No. Obtaining refugee status alone does not entitle you to have the right to vote in the UK, however long you have been in the UK for.

In order to vote and participate in the democratic process, you must be a British citizen, unless you have come from a commonwealth country.

Asylum seekers are not able to participate in the democratic process at all. Some people are stuck in the system trying to claim asylum for years. 

How does refugee resettlement work?

Refugee resettlement is an agreed plan between countries to take in and help with the permanent resettlement of refugees. 

For example, the UK has pledged to offer resettlement to 20,000 of Syria’s 6.6 million refugees by 2020 via the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. By June 2019, 17,051 Syrian refugees had come to the UK through this scheme.

What is refugee status?

Refugee status is when the government officially recognises that someone is a refugee (someone who has had to leave their country of origin, usually due to war or persecution and has crossed international borders to find safety in another country) and gives them that legal classification.

Receiving refugee status means that they are allowed to stay in the UK and work. This is vital. Without it, torture survivors cannot have the safety and stability they need to rebuild their lives.

Getting refugee status can often take years and be extremely detrimental to the mental health of torture survivors, as while they are waiting, they’re left in limbo, and usually not allowed to work or claim benefits like Universal Credit. 

What are the rights of refugees in the UK?

People fleeing torture and war deserve our safety and protection, and they must have access to a fair and compassionate asylum system. Despite this, the UK is experiencing unprecedented political attacks on the principle of refugee protection and on the system that is in place to process asylum claims.

In the UK, refugees have rights that include the:

• Right to asylum - a fundamental human right where individuals fleeing persecution have the right to seek asylum in the UK
• Right to protection from refoulement - under the 1951 Refugee Convention and the Human Rights Act 1998 (which the UK is a part of), refugees are protected from being returned to countries where they face torture or inhumane treatment. This is also known as non-refoulement.
• Right to work - refugees who claim asylum status can work, though this process can take years. 

In September 2025, the UK chose to suspend the Right to Family Reunion, which previously allowed for refugees to bring close family members to the UK.  

Right now, we are campaigning on three key rights for refugees – the right to asylum, the right to a fair, efficient and compassionate decision-making process and the retention of safeguards that prevent harm to survivors of torture in the UK asylum system.

Which countries help refugees?

Some 149 countries have committed themselves to protecting refugees by signing the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. The biggest hosts of refugees are::

• Iran - 3.8 million refugees
• Turkey - 3.3 million refugees
• Colombia - 2.9 million refugees
• Germany - 2.6 million refugees

In the UK, this number is far lower, with the latest figures suggesting there are just 448,600 refugees, meaning they make up less than 0.7% of the total population. 

Four out of five refugees stay within the same region, seeking sanctuary in neighbouring countries.

What is life like for refugees?

For refugees in the UK, life can be exceptionally difficult. As well as coping with the physical and psychological scars of the torture they have escaped, many refugees in the UK go on to develop devastating mental health problems as a result of being stuck in limbo in the legal system, as they await their asylum claim, which can take years. This prevents survivors of torture from finding any safety or stability and makes it impossible to recover from trauma. 

Poverty is also common among survivors of torture in the UK, because while they wait for their asylum claim, survivors are not allowed to work or claim benefits, and can only apply for an asylum allowance of less than £5.40 a day. Housing is also often unsafe or crowded, which can make isolation and loneliness much worse. 

Some survivors of torture will be sent to immigration detention. This is incredibly harmful to the mental and physical health of a survivor and can cause huge damage as it brings back traumatic memories of the torture they fled. Survivors may spend their days living in fear of being returned to the torturers they’ve only just escaped.

Who is an asylum seeker?

An asylum seeker is someone who has been forced to flee their home country because of war or persecution, and has crossed international borders seeking safety in another country.

When they arrive in the country where they're seeking safety, asylum seekers apply for asylum, which is the process by which a country grants protection to individuals who meet the criteria set out in international law. 

While awaiting a decision on their application, they do not have the same rights as a citizen or refugee. If their claim is successful, then they are granted refugee status.

How Freedom from Torture supports refugees and torture survivors

For the last 40 years, we’ve supported refugees and torture survivors to rebuild and recover their mental and physical health, offering life-changing therapy, medical help and support services that include free legal advice and our therapeutic community groups. 

We also carry out critical policy work, campaigning for the rights of all refugees and torture survivors in the UK, while fighting for justice on a global scale by exposing torturing governments and holding them to account.

People who have survived torture can be referred for an expert Medico-Legal report which examines physical and psychological evidence of torture, to help support their claim for asylum. We also offer a variety of therapies to help survivors of torture recover from their trauma. Find out more about our work. 

How to help refugees

Join more than 170,000 people fighting for tolerance and justice around the world today.

Even the smallest donation could help us strengthen our clinical services, give ongoing immigration advice and provide vital therapy for somebody who has survived unimaginable trauma.

Banner image credit: Matt Cardy / Stringer