What are refugees and asylum seekers?

An asylum seeker is a person looking for protection because they fear persecution, or they have experienced violence or human rights violations. A refugee is a person who asked for protection and was given refugee status. They may have been resettled in another country or be waiting for resettlement.

What is an asylum seeker simple definition?

An asylum-seeker is someone whose request for sanctuary has yet to be processed. Every year, around one million people seek asylum. National asylum systems are in place to determine who qualifies for international protection.

What is the legal definition of asylum?

Asylum is a form of protection which allows an individual to remain in the United States instead of being removed (deported) to a country where he or she fears persecution or harm. Under U.S. law, people who flee their countries because they fear persecution can apply for asylum.

What is an example of an asylum-seeker?

Many of those crossing the U.S. border from Central American countries—El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras—are in fact asylum seekers, not migrants. They have a well-founded fear of persecution if they were to return home.

What is the legal definition of refugee?

The 1951 Refugee Convention is a key legal document and defines a refugee as: “someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.”

What are the three types of refugee?

DEFINITIONS

  • Refugees. A refugee is a person who has fled his or her own country and cannot return due to fear of persecution and has been given refugee status.
  • Migrants.
  • Asylum seekers.
  • Internally displaced persons (IDP)
  • Stateless persons.