Okuzeka
Immigration & Visas vocabulary · Asylum & Refugees

Asylum

Meaning in immigration & visas, with examples

/əˈsaɪləm/nounCore term

In immigration & visas, asylum means: Protection that a country gives to a person who has left their own country because they fear serious harm or persecution there.

In Turkish: iltica, sığınma, uluslararası koruma

How it is used

People claim, seek or apply for asylum; the government grants or refuses it. Claims are usually assessed under the 1951 Refugee Convention and national law. The word appears in asylum seeker, asylum claim, asylum interview and asylum system.

Example sentences

  1. He claimed asylum as soon as he arrived at the airport.

  2. Her asylum claim is still being considered by the Home Office.

Common collocations

  • claim asylum
  • seek asylum
  • grant asylum
  • asylum claim
  • asylum system
  • asylum seekerA person who has asked for protection in another country and is waiting for the authorities to decide on the claim.
  • refugeeA person who has left their country because of a well-founded fear of persecution and who needs international protection.
  • claim asylumTo formally ask a country's authorities for protection because you fear serious harm if you return to your own country.
  • refugee statusThe legal recognition, given by a country or by the UN refugee agency, that a person is a refugee and has the rights that come with it.
  • persecutionSerious harm or cruel, unfair treatment that a person suffers or fears because of who they are or what they believe.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Asylum & Refugees

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.