Okuzeka
Immigration & Visas vocabulary · Asylum & Refugees

Humanitarian protection

Meaning in immigration & visas, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In immigration & visas, humanitarian protection means: Permission to stay given to a person who does not qualify as a refugee but would face a real risk of serious harm, such as torture, if returned.

In Turkish: insani koruma, ikincil koruma

How it is used

A UK term; in the EU the similar status is called subsidiary protection. A decision letter may say that asylum is refused but humanitarian protection is granted. The rights it gives are often close to those of refugee status.

Example sentences

  1. Her asylum claim was refused, but she was granted humanitarian protection.

  2. The lawyer explained the difference between refugee status and humanitarian protection.

Common collocations

  • grant humanitarian protection
  • subsidiary protection
  • risk of serious harm
  • form of protection
  • 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.
  • asylumProtection that a country gives to a person who has left their own country because they fear serious harm or persecution there.
  • persecutionSerious harm or cruel, unfair treatment that a person suffers or fears because of who they are or what they believe.
  • asylum seekerA person who has asked for protection in another country and is waiting for the authorities to decide on the claim.

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.