Section 18: Asylum-seeker: definition

Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 · 2002 c. 41View on legislation.gov.uk

Part 2: Accommodation Centres

For the purposes of this Part a person is an "asylum-seeker" if—

he is at least 18 years old,
he is in the United Kingdom,
a claim for asylum has been made by him at a place designated by the Secretary of State,
the Secretary of State has recorded the claim, and
the claim has not been determined.

For the purposes of subsection (1), the circumstances in which a claim is determined include where the claim is declared inadmissible under section 80A or 80B.

But if a claim is—

declared inadmissible under section 80B, and
nevertheless considered by the Secretary of State in accordance subsection (7) of that section,

the claim ceases to be treated as determined from the time of the decision to consider the claim.

A person shall continue to be treated as an asylum-seeker despite subsection (1)(e) while—

his household includes a dependent child who is under 18, and
he does not have leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom.

A claim for asylum is a claim by a person that to remove him from or require him to leave the United Kingdom would be contrary to the United Kingdom's obligations under—

the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees done at Geneva on 28th July 1951 and its Protocol, or
Article 3 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms agreed by the Council of Europe at Rome on 4th November 1950.

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