The asylum journey: what to do at each step
You may have been given the Home Office's "Asylum Process Guide" leaflet. Here it is set out step by step, with extra detail from the Home Office booklet on the process. Click any block to open a detailed page.
Urgent help
Claiming and screening
Screening and your ARC card
At your first appointment you will be photographed and fingerprinted — children from age 5 too. You will be asked your name, date of birth, address and how you arrived. Your ARC card is sent after registration, biometrics and your address are recorded, usually within a few working days. If you have nowhere to live and no money, this is also when you apply for support.
While you wait for your interview
Check the details on your ARC card
Check your details and your family members' details on the ARC card and in Home Office letters:
- first and last name
- date of birth
- place of birth
- nationality
- sex
- contact details: address, email, phone
Tell them if your contact details change
Send a new address, phone number or email to the Home Office straight away. Otherwise letters about your interview and decision will go to the wrong place. If you live in Home Office accommodation, ask Migrant Help before you move.
By post: UKVI, PO Box 7782, Village Way, Bilston, WV1 9QB
Letters from the Home Office sometimes spell this address slightly differently. It is the same mailbox.
Attend your reporting appointments and interview
Do not miss reporting appointments in Home Office or your interview. If you cannot attend, tell them before the interview and keep evidence, for example a letter from your GP. If you do miss one, the Home Office will write to you and give you 7 days to reply.
The decision
The decision will come by letter
From here there are two paths. Below is what to do in each case. How long you may wait, and what to do while you wait: waiting times.
Status granted
eVisa and your UKVI account
An eVisa is your immigration status online. If you have a passport or a BRP card, the Home Office will usually create your UKVI account for you and tell you how to sign in. If not, you will be asked to create the account yourself: your decision letter explains how. Sign in straight away and check your details. Report any error straight away.
Housing and money stop after 42 days
The clock starts from the date you were notified of the decision. Start planning your move from day one, not the last week.
Three things at once, not one after another
- Apply for benefits or find work: Universal Credit · Jobcentre · work
- Look for housing. Your local council may be able to help: nowhere to live after status
- Open a bank account: how to open an account
Refusal
14 days to appeal
If you have the right to appeal, the clock starts from the date you received the refusal letter. Do not wait: see a Legal Aid solicitor first (free state-funded help), then complete the form.
If the refusal is final
Without an appeal, or after losing one: no benefits, no council housing help, and you are not allowed to work. Home Office housing and money end 21 days after the final decision, and the Home Office expects you to leave the country in that time. While you make plans to leave, or if you cannot leave for practical or legal reasons, you may get Section 4 support: housing and money for food.
Return home with help
The Home Office helps with tickets and money for your return. You can call just to ask about the conditions: it does not commit you to anything.
Monday – Friday, 9:30am – 4pm
Frequently asked questions
What is this leaflet, and where do I get it?
The "Asylum Process Guide" is a printed Home Office leaflet for people seeking asylum. This page sets out the same steps in plain language, and each one links to a detailed page on this site. For the full official description of the process, see the Home Office Information booklet about your asylum application on gov.uk.
What should I check on my ARC card?
Your first and last name, date of birth, place of birth, nationality, sex and contact details: address, email, phone. The same applies for every family member on your application — each person has their own card. The card is sent after registration, biometrics and your address are recorded, usually within a few working days. Report an error on the card through the form on gov.uk.
Where do I report a new address, phone number or email?
To the Asylum Central Communications Hub: email <a href="mailto:ahrocentralcommunicationshub@contactus.homeoffice.gov.uk">ahrocentralcommunicationshub@contactus.homeoffice.gov.uk</a> or by post to UKVI, PO Box 7782, Village Way, Bilston, WV1 9QB. If you live in Home Office accommodation, ask Migrant Help before you move. How to write the email is explained on the Email to the Home Office page.
How many days do I have to appeal after a refusal?
14 days from the date you received the refusal letter, if you are in the UK. That is what the tribunal page says: gov.uk/immigration-asylum-tribunal. A Legal Aid solicitor for asylum cases is free — start looking on day one: appeal step by step.
When do housing and money stop after a decision?
After a grant of status: 42 days from the decision notification. The clock starts on day one, and there is a plan for those weeks on the after status page. After a final refusal: 21 days. People who cannot leave straight away may be able to get Section 4 support: housing and money for asylum seekers.
What happens if I miss an interview or a reporting appointment?
The Home Office will write to you and ask why you did not attend. You have 7 days to reply (24 hours if you are in detention). Without a reply, or without a good reason, your case can be treated as withdrawn, and your support then stops. If you cannot attend, tell them before the interview and keep evidence, for example a letter from your GP.