Because of the Coronavirus public health crisis, there have been some temporary changes to the asylum and immigration process.
This page was last updated on 3 August 2021 (Latest updates: Fresh Claims sections).
Contents of this page
Asylum information
- Asylum screening interviews
- Asylum substantive interviews
- Further submissions (fresh claims)
- Asylum support (housing, financial support)
See also sections below that apply to all asylum and immigration applicants: appeals, reporting, detention.
Asylum
Asylum screening interview
The Home Office are still registering asylum claims.
If people do not claim asylum at the port of entry, screening interviews usually take place at the Asylum Intake Unit in Croydon (south London).
In response to the Covid-19 crisis, the Home Office are now also doing some asylum screening interviews in Glasgow, Belfast (which was already a screening interview location if you arrived to the UK in Northern Ireland), Liverpool, Leeds, Solihull and Cardiff.
If you are in Belfast, the Home Office recommend contacting Migrant Help to arrange an appointment with Bryson Asylum Services.
In all other locations, the Home Office recommend first phoning the Asylum Intake Unit on 0300 123 4193 and you will be advised where you should attend your screening interview.
As before the crisis, it is possible to register your asylum claim without phoning for an appointment first, if you are street homeless (you have nowhere to stay and would otherwise have to sleep on the streets) or in some other circumstances of vulnerability. However, the Home Office strongly recommends calling the Asylum Intake Unit appointment line on 0300 123 4193 first to find out where you should travel to.
Substantive (big) asylum interview
The Home Office paused face-to-face substantive asylum interviews for three months during the Covid lockdown, but have now started interviews again. These are mostly being down by video call (which the Home Office used in some cases even before Covid0.
If you are told you have an interview, you will be told to attend a Home Office or partner organisation location in person, but then the interview itself will most likely be by video (you won’t be in the same room as the interviewer).
There are currently very long delays for many people waiting for their asylum substantive interview. Watch our video here to find out more.
Further submissions (fresh claims)
The Home Office had suspended the requirement to submit further submissions in person in Liverpool during the Covid pandemic. However, the Home Office have said that submissions have to be made IN PERSON only from 2 August 2021. This can be done in Liverpool, Glasgow and Belfast.
Find out about the procedure for further submissions in our Toolkit guide here.
If you want to know about the progress of a fresh claim/further submissions you have already submitted, you can email the Home Office at csupostteam@homeoffice.gov.uk
Asylum support
During the Covid lockdowns, the Home Office had paused evictions from asylum accommodation. The Home Office have now (since July 2021) resumed evictions for people who are no longer entitled to Section 95 support and Section 4 support. They will begin with England only at first.
People will be given 21 days notice of having to leave their accommodation. This can be extended if certain Covid circumstances apply: if someone is symptomatic with Covid and awaiting a test result they will not be required to leave their accommodation until they receive a negative test result; anyone who has received a positive test will be allowed to remain their accommodation for a further 10 days; anyone who has been contacted by the NHS track and trace system will be allowed to remain on their accommodation for a further 10 days.
Read more about asylum support in our guide to the asylum process here.
Visas
The Home Office position on visas was that if you had “a visa or leave that was due to expire between the 24 January 2020 and 31 August 2020, you’ll be able to stay within the UK to 31 August 2020.”
Now that time has passed, there is no general extension of visas, but it is possible to make an individual request to be able to stay for longer. See the Home Office guidance here.
If you are on a spouse visa with a minimum income requirement (read more about that here), and have experienced a loss of income due to coronavirus, the Home Office will “consider employment income for the period immediately before the loss of income, provided the minimum income requirement was met for at least 6 months immediately before the date the income was lost. The Home Office also announced that if your salary was reduced because you were furloughed, they will take account of your income as though you’re earning 100% of your salary. This applied to 31 May 2021. Read the Home Office guidance here.
For more information on more technical immigration matters such as visas, see the Free Movement blog post here.
Appeals
Face-to-face appeal hearings were suspended during the lockdown but most courts and tribunals buildings are now open in line with public health advice. Some hearings may still be held remotely (by video link).
If you had a hearing that was cancelled during the lockdown, the Tribunal should be in touch with you about what is happening (or you can contact them if you haven’t heard anything). You should only attend a Tribunal if you have had confirmation from them that you are having a face-to-face hearing. You should not go in person if you (or anyone accompanying you) has tested positive for Coronavirus or if you are showing symptoms. Contact the Tribunal in those circumstances to see if you are able to go ahead without attending in person.
You can find the current status and contact details of courts and tribunals using the court and tribunal finder service (type in, for example, the town/city where your hearing was due or is due to take place) here.
Reporting to the Home Office
Reporting to the Home Office was paused for several months during the first (March 2020) lockdown.
Some reporting centres have now re-opened and some people are being asked to report. This remains the Home Office position during the January 2021 lockdown.
You may wish to make sure the Home Office has the correct mobile number for you if you are worried about missing a message about reporting. You can also find email addresses for all the reporting centres on the Home Office website here.
Now that the lockdown measures are relaxing, the Home Office are likely to start to ask people to report again.
Migrants Organise have produced a checklist to help you see if your reporting requirements are appropriate to your situation. If the requirements aren’t appropriate, you may be able to challenge them. They have also produced a longer guide for advisers/caseworkers who are supporting people with reporting requirements. You can find the resources here.
Detention
Although less people are being detained the Covid crisis, some people are still being detained (and forced removals/deportations are continuing, although are being disrupted by border closures and travel bans).
Detention centres are closed to visitors, apart from in exceptional circumstances.
Thank you to everyone leaving questions and comments below. Please note we will only publish questions if we have a definite answer we can give. We can only provide general information about the asylum and immigration process, and actions that can generally help people – we cannot provide any legal advice. We will not publish comments/questions if they include any identifying details such as full name, date of birth, detailed case history.
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Hi , hope you are safe and fine,
last week i did my Substantive (big) asylum interview, so i am wondering the home office will keep opening and processing their work or they stop work.
Thanks
Hi Mohamed. Thanks for your message and we hope you are well too. The Home Office are still processing cases as far as we know, though they are likely to be very busy (there were already long delays at various points of the asylum process and the current situation will probably have made this worse).
We recommend that during this time of waiting, you read and learn as much as possible about what the next steps will be.
Here’s the information in the Right to Remain Tookit:
https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/asylumdecision/
Hello sir/Madam
I’ve got the same request as Mohammed’s one , you said as far as you know the home office is still working so my question is when and how you confirm that they are doing the work?
I’ve done my big interview last 25th of February and I would love to know how long time you think it can take to have an answer?
Thank you so much in advance and I hope you stay safe.
Hi Abu Sam. Yes, the Home Office is still working. Even in normal times, you often have to wait many weeks or months for a decision after the big interview. More info here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/asylumdecision/ Because of all the changes the Home Office are having to make due to Coronavirus, we can unfortunately expect the delays to get worse
Hello there! My screening was done last year on 24/9/2020 and still haven’t heard from the home office as its literally going to be a year in few months and i am waiting for my substantive interview! any idea how i can get an update from them and also ATM i am not allowed to work and what’s the procedure to ask them to allow me to work and another issue is that they have my passport with them and i need to apply driving license is there anyway that’s possible that i can apply for a license! Any help will be appreciated
Hi there. Unfortunately there is a big delay in waiting for asylum substantive interviews at the moment. See our video here (suggested actions are you/your lawyer contacting the Home Office to see what’s happening, or your MP if you don’t have a lawyer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=7s
You can apply for permission to work if you have been waiting for more than 12 months since you claimed asylum. If this permission is granted (once you’ve been waiting 12 months and have applied), you will only be able to get a job that is on the Shortage Occupation List. More information here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/contacting-the-home-office-about-permission-to-work/
Hi have you heard from them I had my interview the same day 25/02 and I am still waiting
Hi Meryem. The most recent statistics from the Home Office show that most people (60%) are waiting for more than six months from their substantive interview to get a decision. You may of course get a decision quicker than that, but it’s important to prepare yourself for the fact there may be quite a wait still.
Received notification that I had won my appeal and also received the fee which court instructed homeoffice to pay. I was asking after how many days will I be able to get a confirmation letter for my visa approval
Hi March. There is no fixed timescale for receiving your visa – if you have been waiting a long time, you should contact the Home Office and ask what is happening (through your lawyer if you have one, if you don’t have a lawyer you may be able to ask your local MP to help with contacting the Home Office https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP
Idid my first interview 3yrs ago am still waiting 2rd or what can I do
Hi there. Although people are waiting long times at the moment, three years is a particularly long time. Please take a look at our video about delays, and what you can do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=4s
Hi,
I had an asylum case but got rejected, now I want to voluntarily return but due to current corona circumstances currently difficult for me.Can I apply for temporary visa for short period of time until situation get better to return.Thanks
Hi Amid. The Home Office have resumed their assisted voluntary return scheme, so they may not accept that it is not possible for you to return at the moment. If you can, you should try and speak to a lawyer to get legal advice about your options at the present time. You can contact the Home Office to talk about voluntary return on 0300 0040 202 but it is always advisable to try and get legal advice first.
hi i have a question its been 2 years since my screening interview they haven’t even called me for substantive interview why they taking that long??
Hi Kafia. Unfortunately there are huge delays in the asylum system at the moment, and many people are waiting months/years for their interviews. We made a video about it, you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=124s
I went to interview 6th December 2019 but I didn’t recive amy answer in ghis situation home office when can give me my answer?
Hi Mohamed. There is no fixed time for the Home Office to make a decision after the asylum interview. In normal circumstances, it can take many months and at the moment decision-making is likely to be even slower as the Home Office adapt to the Covid-19 situation and with less staff because of sickness and caring responsibilities.
I have submitted an application for FLR FP but dont know how to submit documents as the visa centres are closed. Could you advise on this please?
Hi there. In some cases, people are being asked to email copies of supporting documents if the visa centres are closed. If you have any contact details for who is processing your application, you should use those to ask if they will accept an email, or if they are saying you will need to wait until the centres reopen (it may depend on the type of application, and the type of documents required).
I have done my futher submissions via email on 3rd February 2021 but I have not received any confirmation about my submission. How longs it takes to get a reply from them.
Hi there. People have been in contact before saying they haven’t had any confirmation. Have you tried emailing the same address and requesting confirmation of receipt? We will also ask on our Facebook group to see if people have experience of this.
I have been shown an automated email from the Further Submissions unit that says “Once we receive your Further Submissions, they will be recorded on our
system and you will then be sent a confirmation email”. You may want to try resending your submissions, saying in your email that you are just resending the submissions originally submitted on 3 February because you did not receive a confirmation email.
Dear Sir, i had my second substensive interview on October 2020 and no desission so far. I sent my health report to the HO three months back but no answer re my case. Please when would i receive desission in your opinion? Am unwell. Thank you
Unfortunately it’s impossible to tell how long the Home Office will take in making a decision – lots of people are waiting many months at the moment. If you have a lawyer, they can contact the Home Office to ask for an update. Or an MP can help with this too, if you don’t have a lawyer. Remember it’s important to prepare in case contacting the Home Office means you are speeding up a *negative decision*. You can read about what to do if the Home Office refuse your case here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/refusal/
Hey dear sir or madam
Hope everyone doing well
I got a question to ask
On the 22nd October I went Liverpool for further submission
And that time that they should reply back were 6 months now I got 6 days left to the time scale of the home office
And still have not heard back from the home office which really stresses me out sometime
I want to know what the next stage be
Hi Mohamed. Unfortunately, a lot of people have to wait more than six months for a decision on further submissions. That is in normal circumstances, and there are even more delays because the Home Office are having to adapt to the Covid-19 crisis and probably have staff shortages due to illness and caring responsibilities. It is important to prepare for a negative decision from the Home Office however.
If the Home Office reject your fresh claim, you may want to consider if finding more, stronger submissions is possible. Have a look at our Fresh Claims section in the Right to Remain Toolkit: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/freshclaim/
There is the possibility of challenging the Home Office rejection with a judicial review, but this won’t be possible for everyone. You can find out more in the Judicial Reviews section of our Toolkit: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/jr/
It is also important to prepare for the scary things that might happen after a Home Office rejection of further submissions. At that point, you may be at risk of detention. Make sure you know how to be prepared by reading our information here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/detention/
You should also be prepared for the Home Office saying they are going to remove you to the UK (it is more difficult for them at the moment because of the Covid-19 travel restrictions, but it’s important to prepare in case you get a refusal when things have returned to normal). There’s more information about that here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/removal/
Hello sir/mam
I send e-mail to further submissions because I didn’t got reply after my fresh submission which is already 9month
I got reply from further submission where they said
Having looked at the case we are unable to give a timescale as to when a decision will be made on the case. Once a decision has been made you will be notified by post to the address listed on our systems.
Is it possible to know what is next step
Will be really appreciate
Hi Nijen. In this situation, you generally have to wait until the Home Office make a decision. If you are waiting a very long time, you can ask your lawyer if you have one, to chase it up with the Home Office. If you don’t have a lawyer, often your local MP can help with following this up.
It is important to prepare for a negative decision from the Home Office however – and asking them to hurry up and make a decision may be hurrying up a negative decision.
If the Home Office reject your fresh claim, you may want to consider if finding more, stronger submissions is possible. Have a look at our Fresh Claims section in the Right to Remain Toolkit: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/freshclaim/
There is the possibility of challenging the Home Office rejection with a judicial review, but this won’t be possible for everyone. You can find out more in the Judicial Reviews section of our Toolkit: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/jr/
It is also important to prepare for the scary things that might happen after a Home Office rejection of further submissions. At that point, you may be at risk of detention. Make sure you know how to be prepared by reading our information here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/detention/
You should also be prepared for the Home Office saying they are going to remove you to the UK (it is more difficult for them at the moment because of the Covid-19 travel restrictions, but it’s important to prepare in case you get a refusal when things have returned to normal). There’s more information about that here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/removal/
Hi Nijen
I wanted to ask you did you recived ani decision from Home Oficce?
If you recived can you please tell me how long it takes., because few days ago they i recived the same answer like you.
Thank you
Same with me its been 1 year and 2 months since I had the last interview but no decision till now?
Hi Tesfa. If you have a lawyer, you can ask them to contact the Home Office and find out what is happening. If you don’t have a lawyer, you might be able to ask an MP to help with this. You can find out who your MP is here: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/
Remember you need to be prepared in case the Home Office decision is negative. You can read about that here in our Toolkit: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/refusal/
Hi ermi No, still waiting. It’s now almost 15 month but no decision.
Have u heard anything from home office?
Hi,
I have had my screening interview a year ago. Havent heard anything back. But i have changed jobs, phone numbers, and addresses. I keep all my info updated on HMRC portal, i am also paying my PAYE tax, council tax and NI but i am a bit worried since my contact info is different than the ones I had on my application.
1- Is there anything I need to do other than updating my info on the HMRC app.
2- Also, would a legal adviser be able to help me with tracking my application?
3- finally, i earn high income and i am on no benefits since i was on a work visa before i submitted my application, would i be able to help my mum to get a tourist visa to come see me? Or as long as i have as asylum seeker status and BRP, i still cant do that? When can i get my mum to visit me (is it once my application is successful and i am granted a refugee status?
4- i am in a relationship with an English man. We have been together for over a year and we are planning on getting engaged and married. But my asylum status is terrifying me. How is a relationship/marriage treated in this case? Do i even still need an application or i can withdraw it given that my work can go back to sponsoring my work visa? Will i have to leave the country to apply for a new work visa?
I know that is a lot to ask but i am almost giving up on this asylum case.
Hello, thank you for your message.
We can’t give specialised legal advice in response to your queries, but generally speaking: you should update your contact details directly with the Home Office in order to remain notified about the status of your asylum application. This can be done by using the contact details provided by the Home Office at the top of any correspondence letters / documents you have from them, and citing your application number. Obtaining a visitor’s visa for your mum need not necessarily be linked to your asylum application – typically tourist visas are obtained on an independent basis. Regarding your relationship and work status – if your partner is British, it might be a good idea to consult a lawyer about the nature of your relationship (with your partner, and your work) in order to explore whether other immigration application routes would be available to you.
Greetings.
I had given my initial interview in Oct 2019 in the airport. Since then have not heard anything regarding my substantial interview. Is there any point of contact for follow up ?
Regards
Abasin
Hi Abasin. Hopefully you have a lawyer representing you? If not, it’s really important to consider finding one. You can look for a lawyer using the directories here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/lawyers/
A lawyer could contact the Home Office on your behalf and find out what is happening regarding your substantive interview.
You can look yourself for any contact details on any letters/documents you may have received from the Home Office.
It’s also important to remember to prepare for the asylum substantive interview – you can use our guide to help with that: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/asylumiv/
Shall i go for reporting to home office if I did not get any sms, call letter or email from them
Only some people are being asked to report to the Home Office (especially during lockdown) so you should contact where you used to report to see if you are expected to. You can find the contact details for the reporting centre here: https://www.gov.uk/immigration-reporting-centres
If you do not think it is safe for you to report (because of health conditions or the health conditions of anyone you live with), and you are being asked to, you should seek legal advice about requesting that your reporting is paused.
Hi I done my main interview in Liverpool 1 month ago after a month I get a letter from home offices stating for me to go give my biometric fingerprints what does it mean? Is this a good sign
Hi Masud. This could be a good sign – some people who have been asked for this have then got confirmation the Home Office have accepted their application. It’s impossible to know for certain, though, until you get official confirmation from the Home Office. We very much hope it is good news for you!
Substantive interview done on 16th March and got the letter from the HO to book an appointment for Biometric next evening.
as per the experiences people had they suggesting that its a good sign they might have accepted the claim. But i am wondering why i didn’t get any decision yet if call for biometric is a sign of acceptance of claim.
And I am wondering whether HO has put on hold all the decisions due to the new policy that is yet to be approved or implemented.??? Right to remain team please share your views thanks.
Hi Malik. We haven’t received any information that the Home Office are putting decision making on hold (there’s not any new policies in place yet – apart from the inadmissibility rules but they affect people at the start of the asylum process – the New Plan for Immigration is just a proposal currently, not the law/policy). We are still hearing about lots of delays at the Home Office, however, so it could just be that. If you have a lawyer, or if you have contact details for the Home Office from the request to book an appointment, it may be worth asking for an update on the situation.
Hi I got the same ,I did my big interview in March and in April a got a letter to do my biometric finger…just cross finger .good luck
Hi, I am messaging on behalf of a friend. He has resided here for 1 year and 7 months awaiting a (big) interview. He is worried that he has been forgotten about because everyone else around him and new refugees arriving are receiving interviews and visas and moving on infront of him yet here was here long before. He would like to ask why could it be taking so long? Is there any maximum time to wait? What can he do in this situation ? His mental, emotional and physical wellbeing are suffering greatly as he feels extremely isolated, stuck in one place and trapped feeling hopeless.
Kind regards
Hi Nikita. Unfortunately many people are waiting a very very long time for interviews at the moment. It can seem frustrating and worrying if other people are getting interviews, but there are also lots of people waiting for more than a year at the moment.
We recently made a video about Home Office delays which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=11s
hi i recieved a letter to attend biometrics appointment, but i didn’t got any letter for big interview as i am waiting from 2 years. is this mean my case is going to approved or is this just normal process?
Hi Alisha. Unfortunately it is hard to say for certain. A biometrics appointment can be something that happens when the Home Office are about to approve a case but it can be for other reasons as well. Usually, you would not get a decision until you have your big interview but as there are so many delays in waiting for interviews, we are hearing of more people getting decisions without actually having an interview (though that is still not the usual process).
Pls when did you first put in your application
Hello,
I hope you are doing well. I got my asylum interview letter for 25th of May 2021 and after some days I got any email that my interview is cancelled due to some technical issues and they will send me the new date as soon as possible but since I didn’t receive any notification from the home office so can you please guide me what should I do. Thank you very much
Hi Ghaffar – how frustrating to have your interview cancelled and not rearranged! Unfortunately the advice is the same as for everyone else waiting for their interview – you can ask a lawyer (solicitor etc) to contact the Home Office to ask it is arranged as soon as possible; or you can ask your local MP for help doing this if you don’t have a lawyer.
First and foremost, thanks for all the great work you are doing. All your tools are very informative and easily to comprehend.
Would it be okay if you please clarify to me, can a new fresh application be made or submit? I am wondering because of the COVID-19.
The application is Leave to remain on parental route, thinking about social distancing and lock down in UK. Can you please advise how to go about it e.g Biometric enrollment and documents scanning to Home Office. Thanks so much .
Thank you for your very kind comments Joy.
The application for leave to remain as a parent is an online form anyway (more information in our Toolkit here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/children/)
We saw some caseworkers saying yesterday that some people had been told to still attend appointments to submit biometric information. But at the moment, information being given out is quite inconsistent and it may depend on where your appointment is (eg some appointment venues are in buildings that are currently closed, so people can’t attend). If you have any contact details on documentation about the appointment, you may need to contact them directly to ask.
The Home Office have now announced that all Service and Support Centres (SSCs) are closed and that “Your immigration status in the UK will not change as a result of you not being able to attend an appointment.” It’s still possible there may be some variation between the different companies that run different types of centres so still check when possible.
Hi,
Hope you are safe and fine. My baby have an appointment for photograph and finger print next week and I have not received any message saying that the appointment will be cancelled, so I am wondering that the Home Office is still open next week or is there any changes or cancelling about it.
Thanks
We saw some caseworkers saying yesterday that some people had been told to still attend appointments to submit biometric information. But at the moment, information being given out is quite inconsistent and it may depend on where your appointment is (eg some appointment venues are in buildings that are currently closed, so people can’t attend). If you have any contact details on documentation about the appointment, you may need to contact them directly to ask.
The Home Office have now announced that all Service and Support Centres (SSCs) are closed and that “Your immigration status in the UK will not change as a result of you not being able to attend an appointment.” It’s still possible there may be some variation between the different companies that run different types of centres so still check when possible.
I was told by a lawyer yesterday that Home Office are asking in most cases for fresh claims to be submitted by email rather than by post. But am wondering how people without access to internet, possibly not represented, are going to be able to do this.
Yes, this is an issue which we are keenly interested in (also because we want to interact with as many as people as possible online for the foreseeable future.) In our recent community research, many people in the asylum process were very aware of how to access free wifi but so many of these places are now not open/functioning. There are calls for wifi to be introduced into asylum accommodation but this hasn’t happened yet and wouldn’t benefit many people wanting to submit a fresh claim.
It seems that on the fresh claim matter, the Home Office will just have to deal with people without internet access sending submissions by post, but there is a bigger issue here as so many support and information services revert to online only.
Maybe there are exceptions to the email scenario…….
Hi sir home office now closed for tha big interview or open plz answer me
The Home Office has stopped doing the big interviews for now (they are still doing the first, small screening interview for some people).
I received a letter saying that I there is a “delay in asylum claim” and they will get back to me within 6 months and that I am required to go to the immigration reporting centre. I am confused as to what all this means, can someone clarify it for me please.
Hi Kelly. I’ve just replied to your email about this, but posting my reply here in case it’s useful to others reading this page:
There are always a lot of delays in the asylum process and the situation has got even worse because of the Coronavirus crisis – the Home Office are still making some decisions, but much less because of having to adapt to the situation and I think also because of staff sickness/caring responsibilities.
Even before the crisis, MOST people had to wait more than 6 months for a decision on their claim, and this will definitely have increased.
If the Home Office are wanting you to report, they will send you details of where/when this will be. This is a quite normal part of the asylum process – they don’t ask everyone to do it because they don’t have the staff to cope with it, but they do ask a lot/most of people to. It will be a regular appointment at your nearest Home Office branch, and usually only involves having to sign your name and not much else. You can read a bit about it in our guide to the asylum process here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/claimasylum/
However, at the moment, the Home Office have stopped reporting because of travel/lockdown restrictions, so you may not hear anything from them for some time. You should make sure they have a current phone number for you, as they appear to be informing people of when reporting will start again by text message. You can check the webpage above to find out if this has changed (we update it whenever there is a new announcement).
Hi i read on their side that at reporting center they check mobile phones to make sure of the sms is it right. If i do not get any message, letter or phone call then shall i call them or not
Hi Rizwana. Yes if you are worried about them having the correct number for you, you can call them and check what number they have on record
I had applied further submission on 15th April 2021 yet I haven’t received any response from home office.Would you please tell how long it is to get decision?
Hi there. There is no standard amount of time to wait for a decision on further submissions. Unfortunately, many many people are waiting months and often over a year for a decision.
Hello
thank you in advance for listening
I received the email regarding the cancellation of my husbands immigration appeal case. I could not afford representation so I am the representative (as this is an appeal from outside the UK).
I am very confused about what I should do.
I had a date for the 16th April. I have not submitted my bundle of documents or skeletal argument and not sure if sending it 15 days before the appointment still stands?
I also have read that without representation from a lawyer it would be unlikely I would have a Case management hearing or prehearing telephone call.
I am so confused as to what I should do. Please can anyone advise
Hi there – were there contact details on the notification of hearing (the document that said when the hearing date was)? If so, you could try and contact the Tribunal, because at the moment there is some different information being given about the procedure depending on which Tribunal is dealing with it.
Hi Sir, hope all is fine and thanks fro Right to Remain effort.
Do you have an idea if the Home Office has suspended DECISION MAKING on cases which have substantively been interviewed recently. Any announcement or measure will important to know
Many thanks
Hi Ibrahim. As far as we have heard, the Home Office have not suspended decision making. I think though, that all the changes there are having to make because of Covid-19 might slow this down (and there were already some delays in this).
Hi RTR, hope all is fine,
Could you please advise me in any way I could update my email address to the Home Office, in case, they make a decision on my asylum case? This is because I have no legal representative nor home address since I live in an emergency accommodation which just recently provide by HO.
I was interviewed 3 months ago after waiting 11 months and most cases interviewed after me have received their decisions via email to their lawyers. Therefore, please if you have any information, only advice me
Please stay safe and many thanks
Hi Ibrahim.
You can use this form on the Home Office website to inform them of your email address: https://visa-address-update.service.gov.uk/
Although a lot of the information is about home address, there is also a field that lets you enter your email address.
First time I read your newsletter service and it really amazed me. I appreciate your hard work to being helpful for people.
I just wonder whether the Home Office will proceed for an online substantive interview or they cancelled all interview. Since in my city, they only conducted online interviews via skype not face to face any time. It has been 8 months I am expecting an interview schedule and now I don’t even want to think that they are not going to proceed.
I am asking since the sound in your post like they may schedule online interviews. I just want to be clear. Thank you very much again.
Hi Bayrak. Thank you for your kind words. I have double checked the wording of the Home Office announcement, and it was that face-to-face interviews are paused. There may still be a problem in conducting online interviews as in the past this has required Home Office staff, interpreters and of course the interviewee to be present in an office somewhere. It sounds like they are trying to find a way of doing the interviews without requiring people to go the Home Office building itself. We will update the blog post if we hear any more about this.
Hello ! could you precise what happens to people freshly arrived in UK who want to claim asylum ? Is the situation different in London/Croydon compared to in other cities ? can they have a first screening interview and receive settlement and support ? thx
Hi Alex – do you mean in normal circumstances? In normal circumstances, everyone (adults) apart from people who arrive to the UK in Northern Ireland have to travel to Croydon to claim asylum/have the screening interview. Last week, there were still screening interviews taking place in Croydon (if the Home Office has accommodated someone when they claimed asylum, they are likely to be near Croydon anyway). We haven’t heard about any change to this. It is usually at your screening interview that you would say you need accommodation/financial support – the Home Office should still be providing this. If screening interviews are being cancelled, the person should contact Migrant Help to see what the current process is for telling the Home Office they need support.
thx – I was meaning under Corona circumstances… – take care !
thanks Alex – you too!
Hi, hope All you are fine and in safe place,
How can I know my asylum case status, already I did my big interview? is there any mail or other way to know?
Thanks
Hi Mazin. Usually if you wanted to contact the Home Office about this, you would do this via your lawyer. But you do also need to be careful – although it is difficult to be waiting a long time, asking the Home Office to make a decision more quickly could mean you get a *negative* decision more quickly. There’s more info here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/asylumdecision/
Hello hope u are fine. My main interview was conducted on 24th of December and 6 months have been passed for my asylum claim. I got letter from home office mention that 6 months have been passed and they are unable to make decision and I hear from them within eight to ten weeks. So this means they give me decision within this time frame or it take more time.
Hi Shahtaj. The Home Office often miss their timeframes for their decisions anyway, and now they are exceptionally busy due to the Coronavirus crisis, they may take even longer. It’s impossible to say for certain though – there’s a possibility they could decide within that time. If you are waiting many many months more, you may wish to ask your lawyer to contact them to find out what is happening. You must be prepared in case it’s a negative decision though – read more here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/refusal/
Hello,
I am just wondering my friend has submitted his further application and its been 8 months HO hasnt reponded,in this case what shall he do? He needs right to work in the country do u know where he can send his letter for asking the right to work and any update of his further submission date.Are they taking any postage?Any help would be really appreciated.He has 2 kids and really in bad situation.
Hi there. Unfortunately even in normal circumstances, many people wait many months (some even 1-2 years) for a decision on further submissions/fresh claim.
The Home Office rules only allow for permission to work after waiting for more than 12 months and even then it’s a very restricted category of job types. You can read the Home Office guidance on it here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/handling-applications-for-permission-to-take-employment-instruction
Hello,
I hope this will find you well and safe.
I applied for asylum over a year ago and I’m still waiting for my substansive interview. I’m not allowed to work, and I know that i can do an appeal to get work permit. However, I don’t know how. I’ve been looking on the internet, and all I found was that i need to contact the relevant asylum team dealing with my claim. I have no idea how to reach that team. Any help on that will be highly appreciated.
Best,
Amer
Hi Amer. Do you have a lawyer? They should be able to contact the Home Office for you about this.
Hi , I’m an Asylum Seekers for Syria, I don’t have a lawyer and I was not entitled to the Sec 95 support as I have savings when applied to asylum 3 months ago, and I conducted my main substantive interview 2 months ago.
Can I contact by email the asylum team responsible for my case in order to get an update on the decision as I don’t have a lawyer, would they respond?
However, how the decision could be served in my case, could they use my email address as I don’t have a legal representative?
I’m very confused and under huge pressures as I have a wife and three kids came with me here in UK.
Many thanks..
Hi Wesam. Yes you can contact the asylum team yourself – the Home Office aren’t always good at replying, or replying quickly, but it’s definitely worth a try. Just to note, many people wait many months for a decision after their interview even in normal times, and things will be even more delayed now due to the coronavirus crisis.
The Home Office have started sending asylum decisions by email because of the current crisis – so if possible you need to check the Home Office have the correct contact details for you.
Thank you very much, how can I check that the Home Office have my email address, or just send to my asylum team my detalis?
I highly appreciate your valuable support..
Wesam..
Hi Wesam. It’s a good idea to send your details to the Asylum Team just in case – when you do so you can ask them to confirm they have these details for you on record, though there’s no guarantee they will reply (unfortunately).
Hi there
I had my screening interview over a year ago and i still haven’t been called for my substantive interview which is already worrying me. I have already submitted application to request permission to work and wanted to find out if Home Office has paused that too considering the big interviews have been paused. Roughly do you know how long it will take to receive a decision on permission to work. This might sound like a frivolous question but does the home office ever give asylum decision without having to attend the big interview and make decision based on evidence?
Hi Naomi. I’m not sure how long right to work decisions usually take (bear in mind that all decision-making is likely to be much slower at the moment as the Home Office adapt to the current situation and will presumably have a lot of staff off for sickness/caring leave). On the asylum decision – the Home Office do occasionally make a decision without a substantive interview but in normal times that is very unusual (it is usually only if they say the person “has not complied” by eg missing a scheduled asylum interview). If you have a lawyer you should ask them for help finding out what is happening.
Hello, I am under section 4 since early last year. My fresh claim was sent in around Mai last year by solicitor. Shouldn’t a decision be made within 6 months? What should I do? Thank you
Hi Clara. There is no set time for the Home Office making a decision on a fresh claim. In 2018, the average waiting time for a decision on further submissions was around two months but this is because some people receive a decision very quickly. Other people wait for a year or more. If you have a lawyer, you can ask them to contact the Home Office to find out what is happening. If you don’t have a lawyer, sometimes your local MP can help with this but MPs are likely to be very very busy with Covid-19 crisis work at the moment. Either way, if you contact the Home Office, you need to be aware that that could speed up a *negative* decision from the Home Office. After a negative decision, you are at risk of being detained and could face removal from the UK. Please see the detention and removal sections of the Right to Remain Toolkit to be prepared in case this happens: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/
Hi, just asking out of curiosity. I had my asylum substantive interview on February 11 and haven’t received a decision. A friend advised me to keep an eye on my email as the office could/might decide to send their decision in soft copy to my email. So it is possible that Home Office decisions can be mailed to asylum claimants?
Hi Fabby. In normal circumstances, the Home Office usually notify you of the decision by a letter, but in these times it is very possible (and perhaps sensible) for the Home Office to use email instead (as they sometimes do for other kinds of immigration decisions), so it would be worth checking your email yes. If you have a lawyer, you should also be contacting them as the Home Office may send the decision straight to them instead of/as well as you.
Many thanks for this. Appreciate
Hi my name is Ibrahim and I received letter in 17 of March 2020 fr home office it’s said grand of support under section 95 and it’s said I must wait to transfer to my new dispersal location but now in covid-19 I will get transferred or wait??
Hi Ibrahim. It seems like dispersal is still happening though there may be delays while accommodation is found. You can try and contact Migrant Help for more information on what is happening with your situation (I know it can be difficult to get through but it is worth trying). You can also contact a local asylum organisation if you need help.
Hi there, thanks for the info.
Is the Home Office still following up on positive decisions made by the first tier tribunal, by sending out a letter confirming status and then the biometric card? Many thanks
Hi John. We haven’t heard that this has stopped, though there have often been delays in them doing this even in normal times and as noted in other replies to comments, the Home Office will likely be much slower at actioning things at the moment as they adapt to Covid-19 working (with less staff).
Good day sir and hope you are safe!
Its been 5 months today i had my screening interview and i have not yet receive a card. I was informed that the home office is closed till further notice due to the on going pandemic. Can you please advise me what to do?
Hi there. The Home Office is still functioning, though many offices are closed to the public and most staff. There will be lots of extra delays because of the current circumstances, but you could try and contact Migrant Help about the situation with your card. The phone number is 0808 8010 503 but if you can’t get through to them via phone, you may be able to try their web chat, details here: https://www.migranthelpuk.org/contact
Goodmorning sir/madam
We are aware of the current pademic situation now in UK, which has caused a total lockdown. My problem is can someone make an asylum now at the moment between 20 April to May?
Hi Randy. The Home Office have said that they are still registering asylum claims. You can find the contact details for the Asylum Intake Unit here: https://www.gov.uk/asylum-intake-unit
This is normally so you can be booked in for a face-to-face appointment (your screening interview) but it may be that the Home Office change the process for this due to the current circumstances.
Hello sir can asylum seeker apply for work now I’m suffering a lot the £5 a day can’t help me at all during covid 19
Hi Saibou. The Home Office haven’t yet changed their policy on working if you are seeking asylum, unfortunately. The policy at the moment is that the Home Office may grant permission to work “to asylum seekers whose claim has been outstanding for more than 12 months through no fault of their own. Those who are allowed to work are restricted to jobs on the shortage occupation list published by the Home Office”. The Home Office guidance on this is here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/803596/permission-to-work-v8.0-ext.pdf
Hi , I have done my further submission 19 month ago and didn’t hear anything from home office then I have sent an email for complaint regarding then received response from home office on 9th of March 2020 which state they are aiming to make decision within six month. can I still expect this timeframe or will be affect it again because of covid 19 situation
Thank you
Hi Achala. Even in normal times, the Home Office often missed that deadline, but yes Home Office decisions are likely to be even more delayed because of the current situation. You could see if your MP could contact the Home Office and ask what is happening. You can find your MP contact details here: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/
It is important to prepare for a negative decision from the Home Office however.
If the Home Office reject your fresh claim, you may want to consider if finding more, stronger submissions is possible. Have a look at our Fresh Claims section in the Right to Remain Toolkit: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/freshclaim/
There is the possibility of challenging the Home Office rejection with a judicial review, but this won’t be possible for everyone. You can find out more in the Judicial Reviews section of our Toolkit: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/jr/
It is also important to prepare for the scary things that might happen after a Home Office rejection of further submissions. At that point, you may be at risk of detention. Make sure you know how to be prepared by reading our information here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/detention/
You should also be prepared for the Home Office saying they are going to remove you to the UK (it is more difficult for them at the moment because of the Covid-19 travel restrictions, but it’s important to prepare in case you get a refusal when things have returned to normal). There’s more information about that here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/removal/
Dear Right to Remain,
Firstly, thank you for all the amazing work you do.
My partner had an appeal hearing in the Upper Tribunal 5 weeks ago, and a judgement in his favour was promulgated by the judge 3.5 weeks ago. His lawyers have heard nothing indicating that the Home Office have applied for leave to appeal, and the deadline for that is normally 14 days. Do you know (a) whether deadlines of that kind are being adhered to in this period and (b) whether they are still working on processing leave to remain and cards? How long would you normally expect that process to take?
Many thanks,
Robin
Hi Robin. Thank you for your kind words. The Home Office do sometimes miss the 14 day appeal deadline even in normal circumstances, but it might be an idea to contact the Tribunal to find out if they have heard anything from the Home Office about intention to apply for permission to appeal the decision. Here are the contact details (I believe that there isn’t anyone handling the phone line at the moment so probably best to email: https://www.gov.uk/courts-tribunals/upper-tribunal-immigration-and-asylum-chamber)
Regarding issuing the leave to remain/cards, yes it does seem the Home Office are still doing this so I have heard of lots of delays (there are often delays to this in normal times, so we can expect there to even more at the moment). If you have been waiting a long time, you can either ask your lawyer to contact the Home Office about this, or if you don’t have a lawyer, this is an area when contacting your MP can be helpful (they can contact the Home Office on your behalf).
Hello.On February 18, I went to Homa Office and made a new claim. On March 10, 2020, a letter was sent to me guaranteeing your support. But I was not contacted. I understand that the current situation is very difficult due to the coronavirus. I can still live in this place with friends, but I have financial problems. Is it possible to get financial support from me?
Hi Yusef. You can try and contact Migrant Help about this. The phone number is 0808 8010 503 but if you can’t get through to them via phone, you may be able to try their web chat, details here: https://www.migranthelpuk.org/contact
Thank you to everyone who is commenting and asking questions. Please note we will not publish comments that contain personal information (for your own protection). We cannot give advice on individual circumstances.
We are receiving a lot of comments on this page, and so there may be some delay in us working through them. We are prioritising comments where we can give definite information.
Hello . On February 18, I went to Homa Office and made a new claim. On March 10, 2020, a letter was sent to me guaranteeing your support. But I was not contacted. I understand that the current situation is very difficult due to the coronavirus. I can still live in this place with friends, but I have financial problems. Is it possible to get financial support from me?
Hi Yusef. We suggest contacting Migrant Help with this, as they deal with asylum support on behalf of the Home Office. Their phone number is 0808 8010 503 but if you can’t get through to them via phone, you may be able to try their web chat, details here: https://www.migranthelpuk.org/contact
Dear Sir/ Madam
I have done my hearing court and my case has been allowed. I received the decision 1 month ago, shall i wait more or what i have to do?
Hi Ahmed. If the Home Office aren’t appealing the decision, they should be taking steps to issue you with the immigration status you applied for. You can ask your lawyer to contact them to find out what is happening (there is likely to be lots of delays at the moment). If you no longer have a lawyer and have been waiting a long time, you could ask your MP to help out. You can find your MP’s details here: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/
The Home Office have said that they are still registering asylum claims, how about the screeening procedure. How will i carryout the screening at the home office after the registering for asylum during this corona virus pandemic
Hi Randy. If you contact the Asylum Intake Unit (phone 0300 123 4193) they will advise you which location you will do your screening interview at.
Hi
I am wondering how to claim asylum. I am on Tier 4 visa and would like to claim asylum. Do I have to go in person or to call? if so can you give me the phone numbers? Thanks
To register an asylum claim, you can call the Asylum Intake Unit on 0300 123 4193, and they should book an appointment for an asylum screening interview for you.
Dear sir or madam. I submitted fresh claim on June 2019 on 11 March 2020 I get letter from home office ask me to fill preliminary questionnaire and sent them back from Liverpool team. I would like to know how long I have to wait for the interview appointment after I fill preliminary questions ? I would like to know if the home office start doing again asylum interview ? I hear someone that home office doing asylum interview by video link or Skype is that true ? Thank you
Many people do not have an interview after submitting a fresh claim – once the evidence is submitted, the Home Office often make a decision on the papers. This is the case normally, and would even more so now that they are trying to minimise face-to-face contact.
The Home Office had already been doing some asylum interviews by video link/Skype, but we have not heard about them doing this during the crisis because it still requires people to travel to a Home Office location, and staff to be there, which they are trying to minimise.
Hello, I want to know if i can summit a video evidence and pictures in my asylum claim.
Hi Ndu. Yes, it is possible to submit video and photo evidence as part of an asylum claim, but you should always speak to your lawyer first to check if they think the evidence is helpful, and how to submit it in the right format to the Home Office.
Dear sir or madam I would like to ask if the home office start doing asylum interview? I heard from my friend that the home office doing asylum interview by video link or Skype if that is true I would like to ask how they doing by video link or Skype? Going to the home office place or doing by home can you explain that more please how they doing video link orSkype? Thank you. Yusuf Hussain
Hi Yusuf. The Home Office had already been doing some asylum interviews by video link/Skype before the crisis, but we have not heard about them doing this during the crisis because it still requires people to travel to a Home Office location, and staff to be there, which they are trying to minimise.
Please i am waiting for first screening interview it,s taking time i month ago i call to home office and get registration number but they did,nt call me back now my health is going down i need immediate check up by doctor please i need help how to contact for screening interview so that i could get in touch with doctor i am.also.low on reserves please help needed i am a diabetic patience please home office how to make it possible to.check doctor in thus sotuation
Hi Waseem. You could try to contact the Home Office again as screening interviews are definitely taking place at the moment, and a month is a long time to wait since registering your claim. You could try phoning the Asylum Intake Unit and see if they have any information on your claim.
Hi, it would be great if you highlight updates because it’s very hard to understand what you’re actually updating on this specific page. Thanks
Hi Ste. Thanks for the comment – we’ve added in more date references now, and have also specified at top of the page where we give the date of the update, what has been updated.
when will the home office reope?
Hi Randy. The Home Office is still open, in the sense that it is still doing casework and making some decisions. As to when their offices will reopen, we do not have any information on this at the moment.
Hi dear I com to I’m 2008 I apply for asylum i get refused cace I 2014 I’m going out uk my self I com back 2020 so I apply agen to asylum my cousin is I haf to going to intervie agin or I haf to do fresh clam ?
Hi Karimi. If your asylum claim is considered as withdrawn, you would need to claim asylum again – it may depend if the Home Office are aware that you left the UK. You should seek legal advice on this – you can look for a lawyer here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/lawyers/
Dear Sir/Madam thanking you in advance.
I have 3 question.
1. When the home office sent SMS text message stated Reporting is now pause due to the current COVID-19 situation can home office still arrest and lock someone up?? a friend got the text message and 2 days after no way to be find
2. Do immigration enforcement still working?
3. Can I still submit application for EEA application?
Many thanks
Kelly
Hi Kelly.
Although the Home Office are detaining less people at the moment, they are detaining *some* people so it is still possible someone could be detained by immigration officials (even if not reporting at the moment). Immigration enforcement are still working, but should be detaining less people.
The EU Settled Status scheme is still open. See here: https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families/applying-for-settled-status
Hi,
We did our screening interview on 4th it may and till now we haven’t received our arc card can you please tell me how long it will take as I am pregnant and I want to register to go as soon as possible but due to not receiving card I am not able to register
Hi Shriya. You can contact the Home Office about ARC card issues (including if it hasn’t arrived within a few days of your screening interview) here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-registration-card-arc-enquiry
I’m Mathew. I had my big interview on 31-January-2019. However, I was contacted on 6th – March- 2020, someone with an anonymous phone contact ranged me asking me if my circumstance has changed apart from what I have said on my big interview and I said no. Then he said because he wanted to make his decision, that if he doesn’t receive any change in circumstance he will go ahead and make his decision based on what I said earlier on my big interview and the documents I have tendered. So I told nothing changes then he said goodbye after the call
Hi Mathew. We have heard quite a lot of people are receiving calls from an anonymous contact – this is likely to be the Home Office as their staff will be using their personal mobiles because they are working at home during the crisis, and it is a way of shielding their number. In which case, it sounds like you now need to wait for the person to make their decision.
Hello. I have a really complicated case so can i talk to someone to help me please please thank you all for all thet great work
Hi Ayman. Unfortunately we cannot give advice on individual cases. You can find information about finding a lawyer here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/lawyers/
Dear Sir / Madam ,
I have two things to know. first do you know when the biometric service open again ? second I have pending further submission currently ,could you tell me having a British child and child who lived in UK for nearly 8 years ( born UK ) will benefit for my case to get positive outcome. I have submitted all evidences regarding them recently.
Thank you.
Hi Achala. We don’t have any information yet on when the biometric service will reopen.
On the issue of your child, we cannot give advice on individual cases but you may find useful information about how children affect immigration cases in our Toolkit here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/children/
Hi I need some assurance I applied for ilr in January went to the biometric appointment in feb how long does it usually take for them to make a decision they don’t update you on the progress of your application so I’m stuck feeling anxious about what stage my application is at
Hi Char. There are lots of extra delays at the moment because of the Covid-19 crisis so the usual decision-making timescales won’t apply. If you have a lawyer, you should ask them to contact the Home Office to see what is happening. If you don’t have a lawyer, you can contact the Home Office yourself (you should have some contact details on correspondence with the Home Office).
Hello , I have question for you I would be appreciated if you answer me , I went poland from iran in 2015 and claimed asylum there and after three years in 2018 I was granted refugee status , as there it was not safe for me at all and I had lots of troubles and difficulties there after two years in 2020 means 4 month ago I came to the UK and I claimed asylum here , as my case is about poland and not my country of origin and I came to the UK directly from poland , am I under dublin or not ? Obviously I ran away from poland and the situation there , is there any chance that I get deported there ??
Hi there. We can’t give advice on individual situations, but you can find general information about the Dublin Regulations in our guide to the asylum process here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/dublin/
hi i want to apply for assylum in uk canyou please guide me the steps and how much time will it take for processing.
Hi Furqan. You can find information about how to apply for asylum here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/claimasylum/
We can’t give accurate information about how long it will take unfortunately, because for example face-to-face substantive asylum interviews are suspended.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I’m from Yemen. My screening was in September 2018, I had been waiting for the Interview till November 2019. Until now I haven’t received A decision on my case. Is this normal? Can it take a year more to receive a decision?
Hi Ali. Unfortunately some people are waiting a very long time for a decision. The most recent statistics from the Home Office show that most people (60%) are waiting for more than 6 months for an asylum decision – and this is six months from your substantive (big) interview.
Hi i really liked your page which gives ample of information.I had one question. i applied for appeal on firt tier on feb 2020 i havent heard from them except the have approved m appeal what is the procedure now and how long do i have to wait can you advice me please. thank you.
Hi Pradeep. After been told that your appeal has been allowed, you normally need to wait two weeks to find out if the Home Office intend to appeal that decision. If a long time has passed since you were informed of the judge’s/Tribunal’s decision, it’s likely that the Home Office aren’t appealing it and should be issuing you with immigration status (eg your documents to say you have refugee status or humanitarian protection, if this was an asylum case). If they are taking a long time doing this, you can ask your lawyer to contact the Home Office to find out what is happening. If you no longer have a lawyer, you may be able to ask your local MP to help with this (you can find out who your local MP is here: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/
Dear,
I hope you are fine, I am wondering that is the Home office start working normally and making decisions or not? I did my Substantive interview last February and I have not received any decision? and I heard that some people got their papers and ID.
and should I contact them?
Thanks
Hi Salim. The Home Office are still making decisions, but there are considerable delays because of the current crisis. Even in normal circumstances, most people (60%) are waiting for more than six months from the substantive interview for a decision. You are welcome to contact them (you could ask your lawyer to do this) but there is no guarantee that they will respond.
Hi I have applied asylum seeker application in 2014 and I have done interviews and they refused my application based I can go back to my country and live..(they didn’t believe me that going back Bangladesh is not safe for me )after that i have made another fresh application in 2017 and still home office haven’t contacted me back.i have no idea now what are they doing with my fresh application….any advice I can get from here would be appreciated
Hi Kamrul. That is a long time to be waiting to hear about a fresh claim. You do have the option of asking the Home Office what is happening – through your lawyer if you have one. If you don’t have a lawyer, often your local MP can help with following this up. It is important to prepare for a negative decision from the Home Office however – and asking them to hurry up and make a decision may be hurrying up a negative decision.
If the Home Office reject your fresh claim, you may want to consider if finding more, stronger submissions is possible. Have a look at our Fresh Claims section in the Right to Remain Toolkit: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/freshclaim/
There is the possibility of challenging the Home Office rejection with a judicial review, but this won’t be possible for everyone. You can find out more in the Judicial Reviews section of our Toolkit: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/jr/
It is also important to prepare for the scary things that might happen after a Home Office rejection of further submissions. At that point, you may be at risk of detention. Make sure you know how to be prepared by reading our information here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/detention/
You should also be prepared for the Home Office saying they are going to remove you to the UK (it is more difficult for them at the moment because of the Covid-19 travel restrictions, but it’s important to prepare in case you get a refusal when things have returned to normal). There’s more information about that here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/removal/
Hi
Just a quick question is there anyone out there waiting for a decision 8 years on asylum claim because I’ve been waiting?..
Hi Endurance. That is a very very long time to wait and I think you need to be careful that there hasn’t been a decision that your haven’t been informed of you. You can ask a lawyer (or your local MP) to contact the Home Office to find out what is the current status of your application. You need to be prepared, however, that this will be alerting the Home Office to your presence that they may say you have no right to be in the UK. It’s possible that, if you have had a refusal that you haven’t been informed of, you would have the option of an “out of time” appeal. Take a look at our guide to the asylum process for more information on this: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/refusal/
Hi Sir. Home office requested me for second big interview which i don’t know why, then it has been cancelled due to Covid19. Please when is Home Office back for interview? What does second big interview mean please with thanks
Hi Mona. The Home Office have now started invited people to big interviews BUT ONLY BY VIDEO CALL. They are still not doing face-to-face interviews. There are a lot of people now waiting for interviews, so there could be a long wait until you are contacted. Most people only have one big interview, but if the Home Office feel that they did not get all the information they needed, or want to clarify something, they can do further interviews. You should ask your lawyer to ask if there is a particular reason this is happening in your case.
Is it possible make a fresh asylum claim from 1st June 2020?
Hi Randy. You can submit further evidence to be considered as a fresh asylum claim at any time after you are “Appeal Rights Exhausted”. See the section on Fresh claims in the blog post above for the current procedure for submitting evidence.
For more detailed information about how to prepare a fresh claim, have a look at our guide here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/freshclaim/
Hello, I want to know information about substantive interview
Hi Ndu.
We have lots of information about the asylum substantive interview in our guide to the asylum and immigration system here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/asylumiv/
We also have a video about the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs4p0RiY1nY&t=41s
At the moment, the Home Office are not conducting face-to-face interviews (see section in the blog post above), but they are getting ready to start them again once more travel is allowed.
Hi, Can someone submit more evidence or medical report on the day of substantive interview
Hi Ndu. Yes, it is possible to submit evidence to the Home Office on the day of the interview. It’s really important, though, to check with your lawyer first and let them see the evidence first. Sometimes, evidence can be unhelpful to a case in ways that we do not realise.
You can read more about the substantive interview in our guide to the asylum process here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/asylumiv/
And here’s our recent video on evidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyBHFBeUQ5A
Hi my name is Sindie , i am living in London for 4 years now. Since my last big interview it has been 1 year that i am not getting a respond from the homeoffice for my case and still waiting very stressed cause i do not know what is going on and what is the next step i can do . My solicitor keeps writing email to them but we did not get any response to know cause i have a son and living with other people and is not easy nothing to take it in every aspect of life cause we are human we are here because we fear of something and we need help to be eligible and to work and study and do everything good for ourself and for the country we live aswell!
Hopefully i will get a respond.
Thank you
Hi Sindie. Sorry to hear about the long delay in your case – we are sadly hearing from many people who are having to wait far too long for a decision.
You may want to ask your lawyer if they are ok with you asking your local MP to contact the Home Office – sometimes the Home Office respond more quickly to MPs. You can find out who your local MP is here: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/
It is important, while you are waiting, that you prepare yourself in case you get a negative decision from the Home Office. Find out what you can do here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/refusal/
Hi
Thank you so much for your efforts
When asylum interview will be resumed ?
It’s mean now more than 3 months of delay, How it would be compensated ?
And what if there is another peak of this pandemic ?
Indeed, I hope if you can do something in regard of this matter.
Thank you
Hi there. We still don’t have information about when the asylum interviews will be resumed – the Home Office are getting ready for this, but haven’t said when this will take place.
Because the delay is not the fault of the Home Office, there won’t be a legal argument for compensation.
If there is another peak, it is likely another strict lockdown will be enforced – it may be that the Home Office is better set up to continue things in those circumstances, but this is another thing we do not know for sure.
Best wishes in these difficult times.
I have done my screening interview a few days ago and I have given work permit. In the letter which indicates the restrictions, there is a box which says you must report to immigration officials on “ to be advised”. There is not any time or date given. Do you think they will notify me later for this?
Hi Mahmood. The Home Office should be in touch with you a later point about when they want you to report (though not everyone is required to – they don’t have the staffing numbers to ask everyone to do this). But at the moment, reporting has been suspended because of the Coronavirus crisis so I don’t imagine you will hear anything for the moment.
Hi,
Thanks for your reply.
They gave me PIQ right after the interview. Is it usual? I have heard after submitting the PIQ, they will make an appointment after 3-4 weeks for the big interview. Is that true?
Hi Mahmood. The Home Office are still not doing face-to-face asylum substantive interviews, so that timescale is very unlikely to apply at the moment. If you have a lawyer, you should speak to them about completing the PIQ. We wrote about these questionnaires here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/preliminary-information-questionnaires/
Hello Mahmood have u been call for big interview since u summit the PIQ.
Dear sir or madam. I hope you are well. I would like to know did home office start doing asylum interview again? Thank you. Hussain
Hi Hussain. There has been no news yet about restarting the asylum interviews – we’ll update the website above as soon as the Home Office starts doing them again.
Hi,
Can I ask you please if the Home office has started sending PIQ to all asylum seeker who have claimed asylum already before, As It’s has been mandatory (since 27/May) on the home office website within 20 days from the date they claim of asylum.
Thank you
Regards
Hi Jad.
The Home Office don’t send the PIQs to everyone. Their website says: “You might also be sent a ‘preliminary information questionnaire’.” https://www.gov.uk/claim-asylum/after-your-screening
The Home Office are meant to be amending the forms to say they are not mandatory, however it seems most forms still say they are mandatory. Some lawyers have reported that the Home Office are saying in their emails with the forms that they are not attaching a deadline to complete them because of the Coronavirus situation, but again not all emails are saying this. A very confusing situation! But you shouldn’t necessarily worry if you haven’t received one.
Hello, Please i want to know if home office can decide someone Case and give decision without substantive interviews.
Thanks
Hi Ndu. It is possible for the Home Office to make a decision without a substantive interview, though before the Coronavirus crisis it was unusual for this to happen. We have heard of this happening more often recently (presumably because the interviews were suspended and the Home Office wanted to be able to carry on making some decisions). Lawyers have reported that this has tended to happen for people from countries that have a high recognition rate (a lot of people from that country are granted refugee status).
Hi. How are you? I hope you are all fine and safe.
I am really worrying about my case. I came here on February 2019 with my brother. I was given alot of letters with questions at my arrival. I answered all the questions and returned the letters to the home office by postal. Then I got no response till now. No one called me to interview. I have been here about a year and half. I don’t have the permission to work. I can’t do nothing. I can’t move. I am really worrying. So, please can you tell me what can I do?
Hi Omar. Although there are lots of delays in the asylum process, that is a long time to wait without hearing anything from the Home Office. If you have a lawyer, you should ask them to contact the Home Office to find out what is happening. If you don’t have a lawyer, your MP might be able to contact the MP on your behalf (the Home Office often respond more quickly when an MP is contacting them). You can find out who your local MP is here: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP
Does the home office process the applications faster and give a decision earlier for asylum seekers who come from countries that have ongoing war and conflicts?
Hi Ali. If the Home Office’s own guidance on a country says that that country is generally unsafe (perhaps because of war, or unsafe for particular groups of people who are being persecuted) that might lead to quicker decisions. However, that relies on the Home Office accepting the person is from that country (they often dispute that), and that there aren’t other complications in the case. There are lots of delays for lots of people in the asylum process at the moment.
Dear sir or madam. I hope you are well. I heard from refugee council that home office start resume substantive interview from the end of June 2020 using existing Video Conferencing facilities. I would to ask you if is true or you hear? Thank you. Ibrahim Hussain
Hi Hussain. This is correct – we’ve now updated the webpage with this new information. The Home Office will be starting by asking those who live closest to the Video Conferencing facilities. They will eventually resume face-to-face interviews but there is no date for this yet.
Hello dear sir/madam
Could I please kindly request to answer my questions that it’s been more than 16 th months that I haven’t received my big interview,how long does it take ?is the H.O working at the moment or not ?suffering very difficulties.
Hi Sania. That is a long time to wait for the big interview. The Home Office stopped doing face-to-face big interviews during the lockdown – they are starting to prepare to restart interviews using video calls but it’s very likely there will lots more delays. Because you have been waiting such a long time, it might be worth asking your lawyer to contact the Home Office to ask that your case is prioritised for an interview once they restart them.
Hi, how are you doing? Hope you keeping safe. I have a question for you please. I won my court appeal against the home office in February and up till now am still waiting to hear from the home office. Sent a letter to the home office but still haven’t heard anything from them yet. Please advise. Many thanks.
Hi King. If you have a lawyer, you can ask them to chase this up with the Home Office as well. You may be able to ask your local MP to help with contacting the Home Office (you can find out who your MP is here: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP ) because the Home Office are sometimes more responsive to MPs than members of the public
Its been more than two years I’m waiting for my substantive interview..
Hi, I claimed asylum on 01/07/2019 and it’s been exactly a year and for some reason I haven’t been called for my substantive interview. Do you think the home office will start calling people who like me haven’t got their interview or they will just carry on with people who have claimed just recently? This has really given me anxiety as I don’t really lnow what’s waiting for me. I don’t understand how their system works.
PS: I was pregnant when I claimed asylum and gave birth after 3 months so that might be the reason why but it’s really been a long time now. Any answers are appreciated.
Thanks!
Hi Nana. Unfortunately we are hearing from lots and lots of people who have been waiting a very long time for their substantive interviews, and the Coronavirus crisis has only delayed things further. The only information we have from the Home Office on who they will be prioritising for the restarted interviews (these are just video call interviews for the moment, they have still paused face-to-face interviews) is that they will be asking people who live close to the video call facilities they will be using. This is reduce travel/the use of public transport while the infection rate is still relatively high. If you have a lawyer, you could ask them to contact the Home Office to ask that your case is prioritised because you’ve been waiting such a long time.
FYI, regarding accommodation, I noticed this update on the Refugee Council’s information page:
“Following the review in June, the Home Office have confirmed their intention to resume evictions for people granted status, however, all evictions remain paused from 1st July, pending a decision from the Immigration Minister as to when evictions will resume.”
Thanks for this John – we’ve been waiting for clearer information from the Home Office about when evictions might start/who they may apply to (as their communications on this so far haven’t been clear) but have done an interim update for now.
hi,
i have applied asylum case in 2018 but unfortunately my asylum has been refused and after that i went through court still reject but in 5 march i submitted my further submission so how long i have to wait for that as i seen home office website its says 6 months but i seen lot of comments in which they mention that they are waiting for more then year is that true!!!!
Hi Mani. Unfortunately yes some people are waiting a very long time for a decision on their further submissions. In 2018, the average waiting time for a decision on further submissions was only two months but that is because some people receive a decision very quickly (eg if you have been told by the Home Office that they are going to remove you from the UK, and then give further submissions, the Home Office tends to reject these in a matter of days) – this therefore makes the average waiting time very different from what a lot of people experience. Some people will be waiting much longer – many months, maybe a year or more.
Hi, I have applied my asylum claim 22nd of june 2018 and I’m still waiting for my substantive interview it’s been 2 years and 1 month haven’t got any updates from HO will my long waiting period be taken into account or prioritised coz haven’t seen people waiting for 2 years and a month their substantive interviews please if you could tell me anything about this
Unfortunately a lot of people are waiting many many months for their substantive (big) interview at the moment, and this will have been delayed even further because the Home Office stopped doing interviews for nearly 4 months. However, you have been waiting for a very very long time and should ask your lawyer to contact the Home Office to find out what is happening, and to prioritise your case for an interview.
Hi,
I had my asylum screening interview on December 2019, and still have not received any information about my case worker and my actual interview. would be possible that i will receive it soon ? it’s been 8 months
Hi Vahid. Unfortunately a lot of people are waiting many many months for their substantive (big) interview at the moment, and this will have been delayed even further because the Home Office stopped doing interviews for nearly 4 months. However, you can ask your lawyer to contact the Home Office to find out what is happening, and if it possible to prioritise your case for an interview.
Hi,
I’ve had my screening interview already, now just waiting to be called for the next interview. I want to ask how they normally send invitation for the second interview (by post or phone). Also, I need to contact them to notify about my change of address. Do you know the best way to contact them now?
Thank you
Hi Fay. In the past, the Home Office usually contacted people with a letter (often they will write to your lawyer, if you have one) about their substantive interview by post. During the lockdown, they have been doing more communicating by email as well.
You can use this online form to notify about your change of address: https://visa-address-update.service.gov.uk/
Hello, please i want to know if home office has resumed substantive interview
Hi Ndu. Yes, the Home Office have restarted *some* substantive interviews – by video only. They are starting with people who live near their video call facilities (to reduce the need for travel). There will be quite a delay still for a lot of people.
Hello, I submitted my further submission since December 2018 now is about 19 months, and still I did not receive anything from the home office. I’m asking myself if they forget my case or not. I contacted my local mp in January this year and they said to my Mp that they will make a decision as soon as possible, but still nothing happens. Why do you think about that?
Unfortunately very long delays in decisions on further submissions are quite common – I am sorry to hear you are one of the people who has been waiting such a long time.
It’s really good that you got your MP involved to ask – as it’s been about six months since you last asked, you might want to try asking the MP to chase this once more with the Home Office.
Hi There,
Hope you are well,
Thanks for your valuable help
I have applied with my family for asylum last year in London and still waiting for the main (big) interview.
Now we have a newborn baby. My question is:
How can I inform the home office and adding my new baby to the claim? To let you know that I have no solicitor.
Can you please send me an address or email address so I can contact them and what should the post include apart from the baby birth certificate?
Regards,
Hi Ozil. It would definitely be advisable to speak to a solicitor if you can (you can search for a local lawyer using our directories here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/lawyers/ ) especially if you do not have current contact details for the Home Office. Make sure the Home Office are aware of your current address in case they try to contact you about the substantive (big) interview, although there are very long delays for many people at the moment. You can update your address with the Home Office here: https://visa-address-update.service.gov.uk
You can also use this form to update your dependants’ details (which would now include your baby), but we do recommend speaking to a lawyer first if you are able.
Thank you for these updates, they’re really helpful.
I noticed your latest update that “some local councils have been informed that the Home Office intends to start issuing “notice to quit” letters from the middle of August”. Do you know if Glasgow is one of these areas?
Thanks John. We haven’t heard either way about Glasgow – would be great if people could share if they hear any news!
Hi John. We’ve just heard from Refugee Council that: “Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will follow a similar process but will start at a later date”
Hi, I went for screening interview on February, received ARC card but until not receive reporting centre letter, how to get the info?
Hi Ashwin. Not every one is asked to report to the Home Office – the Home Office do not have the capacity for everyone who could report to do so. Some people never receive a reporting letter, many people do not receive the letter till later in the process. Also, the Home Office paused reporting during the lockdown and are only slowly restarting it, so there may be a delay in you getting a reporting appointment even if the Home Office are going to require it. You just need to make sure that the Home Office have the correct contact details for you and your lawyer and then wait to see if you are asked to report.
Hi. I have the same situation. How do I check to make sure the home office has the currect address. I haven’t heard from them since February after which I left accommodation to stay with a friend. I gave them the address beforehand I just wanna make sure they have it.
If you have any contact details for the Home Office on letters about your case, you could use those to check if they have the current address for you. Alternatively, you could use this online form (it’s for updating your address, but you could put your current address in even if that’s the one they have for you): https://visa-address-update.service.gov.uk/
Hi there,
Thanks for your help,
Is that true If I got Humanitarian Protection, I can use my passport to travel and I can even visit my own country?
If yes, Could you please send me the quote from the HP rules.
Regards,
Ozi
If you have Humanitarian Protection, you can use your own passport to travel. If you do not have a passport, it’s possible to apply for a Home Office travel document. More information on that here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-home-office-travel-document
Visiting your own country could have very serious negative implications for you, as your Humanitarian Protection has been granted on the basis you are unable to return to your country. The Home Office are able to revoke (take back) protection if they can argue it is no longer needed. You should speak to a lawyer for more information about your specific situation.
Hello , are you on pending asylum application?
Am still waiting for my second interview , would i be able to travel ?
I have ARC card , valid until 2022 , would i be able to travel ?
Hi Mohamed. It’s very important you speak to a lawyer about travelling – generally, if someone leaves the UK with a pending asylum application, the application is considered as withdrawn (closed).
Hi, hope you are well and fine.
I came in the Uk a year and half ago with a brother, we were minors, We joined our family. We are still asylum seekers and we are not minors anymore. So, my question is: can we be independent from our family and live alone as we are waiting our big interview? If yes. Please can you tell us who can help us with this.
Thank you
Hi Omar. It is possible to have a separate asylum claim from your family, but it’s important to speak to a lawyer about doing this. If you don’t currently have a lawyer, you can look for one here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/lawyers/
Hello, I know a person who came to the UK on a tier 4 visa on earlier this year. Due to personal circumstances his family have stopped supporting him financially and subsequently unable to pay the uni fees. He was diagnosed with a critical disease where he is still undergoing treatments and tests.
He is afraid to go back home due to the danger he now foresees and he very much believes his life is at risk.
Obviously I am not going into the full extend of the circumstances, however I would be grateful if it is possible to change his tier 4 visa to an asylum visa status?
Due to his family no longer supporting him, he has also been blocked out by the University and unable to enrol for the second academic year, they also threatened him with escalating the outstanding debt to the debt collectors agency. The university are showing no remorse regarding his medical conditions and also the fact that his family have stopped all funding.
Please advise!
It’s really important that this person gets legal advice. If their life would be in danger back home, they can claim asylum (see https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/claimasylum/ and https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/asylumintro/) but they should try and speak to a lawyer first. They could search for one using our directories here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/lawyers/
Hi I hop you all good my question is I have done my asylum interview on December 2019 I was waiting for my decision last week I have received this email from home office.
We require a further interview to be conducted so the interviewing officer can gather more information before a decision is reached and we are working to get interviews back up and running as soon as possible. You will be notified when we have further information in relation to this.
I’m confuse they gonna send me another
Interview?
Thank you
Hi Javid. Yes it sounds like the Home Office do want to have another interview with you. They do sometimes do this, and we have heard about this happening a few times recently. You should ask your lawyer about how you can prepare for it.
Hey, I hope you feel well. I’m in the uk since November 2018 and I didn’t get
my Asylum Substantive Interview yet. My Solicitor send to them 2 letters and nothing happened. I spoke to my local Mp and he send for them a letter and they didn’t respond. I don’t know what to do. Is there anyway I can get the interview soon or they are closing because of the COVID-19.
Hi Ahmed. Sorry to hear you have had such a long wait. It sounds like you are doing all the right things to try and speed the process up – your soicitor contacting the Home Office, and getting your MP involved. Unfortunately, the Home Office has a huge backlog of people who haven’t had their interview yet, or have had their interview and haven’t had a decision. The Home Office have restarted doing asylum interviews so some of that backlog will slowly clear, but currently they are only doing interviews by video call only (you travel to a Home Office branch where they have video call facilities).
Hi,
As you know, because of COVID-19 the HO is taking its time and there are some rumours that second lock down is going to happen soon. What do you think the HO will do for the asylums who have not been interviewed yet. I had my initial interview in June and its been 4 months now. Do you think I could contact the MP? My solicitor is not willing to communicate with the HO as he believes the HO doesnt like to be pushed.
Thanks for the information in advance
Hi Eyn. Unfortunately there are huge delays with cases at the Home Office at the moment, many people are waiting months for an interview and then months more for a decision. You can contact your MP, but if your solicitor is advising against contacting the Home Office at this stage, it’s important to think carefully about that advice. It might be that you want to wait, for example, till the 6 month point and ask your solicitor again? It is true that pushing the Home Office for a decision can simply speed up a negative decision.
So work permit team in Liverpool for asylum seeker have an email address please
Hi Ersen. The Home Office guidance https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/803596/permission-to-work-v8.0-ext.pdf on permission to work applications says “Asylum seekers awaiting an initial decision on their claim should submit any request for permission to work to the relevant asylum team dealing with their claim”. This information should be on any letters you have received from the Home Office (if there is not an email address, contact them by phone or letter and ask them for the correct place to send it).
Hello
Thanks for your help.
I have done my substantive (big) interview about last week could you please tell me how long does it take for their answer? it was about two years that I was waiting for it.
Hi Sania. There is no fixed time to get a decision from the Home Office, which can be frustrating. In some cases, it can be as quick as a few weeks, though this is very unusual at the moment because the Home Office are experiencing huge delays at all stages of the asylum process. It is common to take a few months, and we are being contacted by people who have been waiting for over a year. It can depend on how “straightforward” you case is (including if you come from a country which the Home Office recognises is unsafe) and also individual circumstances so it’s not possible to say for sure. If you’ve been waiting a long time, you can ask your lawyer to contact the Home Office to ask for an update (but remember that asking the Home Office to speed up can be asking them to speed up a negative decision – so you should be prepared in case that happens. Have a read of our guide to the asylum process:
https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/asylumdecision/
https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/refusal/
Hello everyone, I came here 5 october2019. I entered to interwiew march 2020. But still they didin’t me answer. Is this normal? I met a member of pm. She also saw with hom office. But they didin’t answer me. I have been waiting for 1 year 2 months. What can I do now? Thanks.
Hi Nikita. Unfortunately a lot of people are waiting more than a year for a Home Office decision. We made a video about this, and possible actions you can take, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=6s
I arrived to UK with my kids on September 2018. i was asked to attend the interview on March 21,2020 almost 1.5 year later of my arrival. My interview was canceled on just 2 days before the interview date. 6 month is passed from the cancellation of my interview in total i am waiting since 25 months for the interview.? what is your kind advise for me?
Hi there. I’m so sorry to hear about how long you’ve been waiting for your interview. Sadly there were already lots of delays in getting an interview and Coronavirus (the Home Office stopping all interviews for months) has made things even worse. You can ask your lawyer to contact the Home Office and ask you are prioritised for rescheduling because of how long you’ve waited – there is no guarantee this will result in getting an interview soon but it may help.
First of all, thank you very much for your time providing continuous updates on this topic. Thank you for giving an insight while we wait apprehensively. Thank you once more for replying to each and every comment. Your replies gave me hope knowing that somebody can hear us.
I have been waiting for 14 months now for my substantive interview with no glimmer of hope. I have tried all means to contact the asylum team to inquire and possibly prioritize my case without success: phone, emails, letters, even my MP has written twice inquiring about my case yet I haven’t received any reply whatsoever from the Home Office. I’m considering applying for work permit as I’m a qualified doctor who is ready and eligible to be employed immediately but much like my letters, I’m fearful there isn’t a person to consider my permit request. I’m lost, frustrated and depressed of my current situation. It saddens me that at times like these, people need doctors the most yet here I am locked inside the four walls of a room waiting indefinitely. I would be grateful if you can give advice from your position or help in any form.
Thank you for your very kind comments. I am sorry to hear that you have been waiting so long for your interview – it is unacceptable that so many people are in this situation. It sounds like you are doing the right things to try and speed it up as much as possible, however.
Regarding the work permit, it is possible to apply for this and anecdotally we are seeing quite a few of these being granted (because there are so many delays in the asylum process). The problem is usually that once granted permission to work, you can only work in one of the shortage occupation jobs (listed here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-k-shortage-occupation-list) As a qualified doctor this may not be an issue for you (though of course some retraining may be required). We are not able to help with asking for permission to work, but you can contact the Home Office directly to do this (if you have a lawyer, they may be able to do this for you).
The Home Office guidance https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/803596/permission-to-work-v8.0-ext.pdf on permission to work applications says “Asylum seekers awaiting an initial decision on their claim should submit any request for permission to work to the relevant asylum team dealing with their claim”. This information should be on any letters you have received from the Home Office.
Thank you to everyone leaving questions and comments.
Please note we will only publish questions if we have a definite answer we can give.
We can only provide general information about the asylum and immigration process, and actions that can generally help people – we cannot provide any legal advice.
We will not publish comments/questions if they include any identifying details such as full name, date of birth, detailed case history.
Hi. I think it’s better to close this enquiry because the only thing we can do is waiting and be patient as you say every time!
Nobody can do anything in the face of Home Office even mp. Therefore this page won’t help at all because you don’t have any answer except for write to mp or solicitor and be patient that we all know, these things it doesn’t need any longer to say. Everyone who are new they can read all you said during these 7 months and understand nobody can help us!
Personally I and many other people (read the comments) find the page very useful. The questions are not only about delay and you also read other people’s stories that helps you to understand a situation better.
Hi thank you for your help, i did interview on 24 February and still i am waiting the decision to be made on my case. So is it normal to wait for about 8 months for decision.
Hi Abel. Yes unfortunately at the moment, most people are waiting for more than six months and lots of people are waiting a lot longer than that.
Hi,
Thanks for your time and the valuable information you share. Kindly note that I claimed for asylum on the 24th of September, I handed over my documents and did fingerprint on 28th September but I haven’t had a screening interview yet. I don’t know how long I should wait for the screening interview since I am nobody right now in this country, and I am not sure if I could apply for a work permit at this time since I had a job and my company is waiting for me to go back to my job. I appreciate it if you could help me with where I should contact for a screening interview follow up.
Regards,
Shadi
Hi Shadi. In the past, the Home Office were meant to arrange screening interviews within 7 days of claiming asylum, but there are many delays in the asylum process at the moment so it is likely to take quite a lot longer.
Unfortunately, the UK government does not in general allow people claiming asylum to work. If someone has been waiting for more than 12 months for a decision on their application, they can apply for permission to work. If it is granted, you are only allowed to work in a job that is on the “shortage occupation list”. These are very strict rules and although we and lots of other organisations are campaigning to change them, this is the situation at the moment.
Hello how you doing. I had interview last week but the letter came late to my house, and then I missed the interview, so is there any chance that, I can get another interview in short time or I have to wait for long. I told my Solicter and he already sent an email to the home office but we haven’t got any answer, so I really need your advice what I’m suppose to do while i missed interview without attending, does this have some influence for my case. Thanks for your advice!
Hi Daniel. The Home Office can be quite slow in responding to emails etc, hopefully you will get a response soon. If you have a reasonable reason for missing the interview, this shouldn’t affect your case but you do need to try and show it wasn’t your fault – do you have, for example, the envelope the letter came in that has a postmark to show the letter was posted late?
Hi, i just had a question. I have had my interview and on my interview i have given some names of people i knew i just want to know if home office will try to find them and contact them because I don’t want anyone to get involved in my case and the people to get angry because i used their name. Please let me know i am very anxious. Thank you
Hi Vahid. It’s important that if you have a lawyer, you ask them about this. In general, the Home Office make initial decisions based on “desk research” (looking at available documents about your country/situation, the documents in your case, and information available online) without contacting people for further information. If the Home Office refuse your claim and you are appealing the decision https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/appeals/ then it may be necessary for you to get statements from the people you mentioned to support your case.
hi,
I been waiting for substantive interview 15 months, I am nurse, so my lawyer send an email to the home office 2 months ago, and they didn’t reply to the email yet, I don’t know why they don’t reply to my email, should I send remind email to them? can you tell me what is the right way to get work permission, I need the address which I should send an request to, I don’t find it in home office guidance, because i think my lawyer send the enquiry to wrong email address, I told hem but he saying its delay because covid19.
Hi Miri. The Home Office do not provide a single email address for work permission. Their guidance says:
“Asylum seekers awaiting an initial decision on their claim should submit any request for permission to work to the relevant asylum team dealing with their claim”. This information should be on any letters you have received from the Home Office (if there is not an email address, contact them by phone or letter and ask them for the correct place to send it).
hi
My question is i had interview on 17 August 2020 and then after one month 15 September i received a letter from home regarding biometric and photographs in letter they says this is very important because if your claim is successful we will need to issue you with a brp card
Could you please tell is they accept my claim and how useful this letter for my claim
Thanks
Hi Khan. You won’t know for certain if the Home Office have accepted your claim until they send you a letter or email to say they are granting you refugee status or other immigration status. However, the Home Office do need biometrics and photographs in order to issue the documentation you get when your claim has been accepted, so this could be a positive sign – BUT to repeat, nothing is definite until you hear from the Home Office that they have accepted your claim.
Hey Khan, I’m in the same situation. Any updates ?
Hi kalkidan I am in the same situation was the outcome of your case positive please let me know
Hi,
Can I please know how can I contact the further submission unit to request my supporting documents back. my further submission been approved and received the approval letter and then BRP cards but non of supporting documents didn’t receive yet. I tried to make a request using online form but on there no option for asylum related application.
Please let me know how can I request documents back as many important documents been submitted.
Hi there.
The email address for the Further Submissions Unit is CSUEC@homeoffice.gov.uk so you could try emailing them to request the documents back?
Hi dear sir/madam
I have given screen interview last year on November 2019 but i m still waiting for big interview how much time it will take it almost took 1 year can u plzz till me thanks
Hi Ilham. Unfortunately a lot of people are waiting many months, some even 1 -2 years now for a substantive (big) interview. There were delays before Covid-19, and during the first lockdown the Home Office stopped doing interviews for three months, so now there’s even more delays.
You can have a look at our recent video on Home Office delays here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=1s
To right to remain,
I am writing on behalf a friend of mine,
They have been waiting for three years to get their trafficking decision and have finally received it and it is positive news. Their question is that now they are waiting for their Asylum decision will the Home Office know that they have been waiting three years already and try to push their case on or will they not know at all that they have been waiting this amount of time potentially making them wait even longer. If they have no knowledge is there a way to let the Home Office aware of the time on their case already? They have already done all interviews as was required for the trafficking case so the Home Office should already have this information. On top of this what is the usual wait time for all cases in which have had to go through the NRM first?
Hi Henry. The Home Office had a policy of waiting till the trafficking decision had been made before making a decision on the asylum claim. This was found to be unlawful, but only in December 2019 so this could be one reason why your friend has been waiting so long. The different departments of the Home Office are not always in good communication, so it can be good to make sure the team are informed – however I strongly recommend your friend talks with a lawyer first. If they have a lawyer, the lawyer will be able to contact the Home Office to advocate for a decision to be made more quickly (if the lawyer thinks this is a good idea).
Unfortunately there are huge delays in the asylum decision making process at the moment – we recently made a video about this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&feature=youtu.be
Hi dear sir/madam I did my substantive interview and my biometric fingerprinting a same day. when I finished my substantive interview after 4 hours I received email BRP courier and they are saying your biometric card on the way olso they give me UKVI ref number contains eight numbers. but 3days after I received my ARC card because my ARC card was expired first January 2020. So I want to understand is that positive decision. Or the ARC card is a biometric card. Or it means my BRP is on the way. Or the BRP courier are who producing the ARC card thanks.
Hi Abdullahi. We have been contacted by other people in this situation recently – it sounds likely that the notification about the “BRP delivery” is just a generic notification and that it’s actually about your ARC card. Receiving a renewal of an ARC card is not a decision on your case. If in doubt, you should ask your lawyer (if you have one) to contact the Home Office to check the status of your asylum claim.
Hello,
I applied in Liverpool for a asylum seeker in February 2019, haven’t heard anything about my application yet. Could anyone tell me if this is normal and how long it is taking during theses uncertain times? no letter for interviews either!
Hi Ali. Unfortunately people are waiting a very long time for the asylum interview – it is common to have to wait over one year, maybe even two. We made a video about this which you can watch to find out more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=1s
Good day,
After substantive interview with the home office, can they schedule one for another interview? if yes , what might be the reason for a third interview?
Hi there, yes the Home Office can schedule another interview if they need more information on certain points/need to clarify information given. It doesn’t happen in huge numbers of cases, but also isn’t particularly rare either. They also might do this if a long time has passed since the first substantive interview and they haven’t made their decision yet – this will be to find out if anything has changed since the first interview
Hello, does the European Court of Justice’s decision granting Syrian asylum seekers the right to asylum fleeing military service in Syria also apply in Britain?
Hi Adnan. The right to asylum for fleeing military service, where that military has been engaged in war crimes, is already established in the Refugee Convention (therefore UK law).
The European Court of Justice clarified some of the circumstances when fleeing military service may be grounds for asylum:
“in the context of armed conflict, particularly civil war, and where there is no legal possibility of avoiding military obligations, it is highly likely that the authorities will interpret the refusal to perform military service as an act of political opposition, irrespective of any more complex personal motives of the person concerned.” There’s more information here: https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/28655/fleeing-military-draft-can-be-grounds-for-asylum-finds-eu-s-highest-court
In terms of whether this specific case applies in the UK – it doesn’t have a *direct* application in the UK, but people seeking asylum on a similar basis (or their lawyers) could certainly use this to argue that they should be granted refugee status in the UK.
Please tell me if the documents to be sent to the Home Office have to be translated from Arabic to English by a certified translator.
An early reply would be appreciated.
Thank you very much.
Hi Omar. Yes documents submitted to the Home Office should have a certified translation. There’s useful information here (it’s from the University of Birmingham but is applicable to immigration situations in general): https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/international/students/visas/translation.aspx
Hello,
first of all, I want to thank you for your useful support.
I have been applying for asylum for more than ten months, I am currently in Scotland. I suffer from physical and mental discomfort and this situation of uncertainty and negative news has made my situation much worse. I saw a lot of people who claim on asylum after me that they got their interview and decision(even some people got the decision in total 3months after a claim, in Covid situation), But I did not receive the interview letter and I don’t know what is the reason !!! A few months ago I received a letter that the content of the letter was the Home Office couldn’t process my request within six months and I’ll hear from Home Office within the next six month.
Is it possible that my case will not be processed in the second six months?
Given my medical condition that I take various medications for my heart and anxiety, and this situation has a negative effect on me, is there a way that I can be interviewed sooner?
do you know about the holidays of the Home Office for the substantive interview on the holidays of Christmas and New Year?
Thank you very much for your sympathetic advice to the asylum seekers.
Hi Sori. We are being contacted by many people who are waiting many months for their interviews unfortunately. It can be frustrating when people you know are getting interviews much quicker, but unfortunately there a lot of people who are waiting more than 6 months for their claim to be processed (the last statistics showed that more than 70% of people waited more than 6 months).
It is possible to ask the Home Office to speed up the process because of your health condition, but it is not guaranteed to succeed (it is still worth trying though). There will be fewer interviews over Christmas and New Year as Home Office buildings will be closed for at least some of the holidays.
We have made a video about things you can do in this situation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=7s
Hello sir, I hope you’re all well during this hard time.
First of all, I want to thank you for providing us such detailed information, it really helps me get to know the asylum process better.
However, I have a few questions which I’m really concerned and couldn’t find an answer, could you please kindly help me with them?
1. I claimed for asylum in Dec last year in a detention centre, after that I was granted a bail and a screen interview was scheduled for me in January. However, I missed the interview because I cannot be there in time (I was in Bristol by the time), but I called them beforehand to inform them about this and they told me they will arrange for another one for me.
However, as I didn’t receive any news from them, so I called the asylum intake unit to book for another interview, but they told me my claim has been “approved for no screening interview”, which means I won’t have my screening interview but only the substantial one, and it has been transferred to a team in Liverpool.
I don’t know why they made this decision, and I don’t know it’s good or bad for my claim, is it because I missed my screening interview? I tried to ask my solicitor for advice, but she told me that she never seen something like this because, so she cannot give me advice on this.
Could you please let me know if you encounter anyone like this before? It seems to be very rare and I’m really worried, I don’t know why they make such decision.
2. It has been around an year since they told me they will contact me regarding my substantial interview, but I still haven’t received anything. I tried to contact them to see if there’s an update, but the only number I have is the asylum intake unit, and they told me they won’t be able to help as I have been approved for no screening interview.
I understand they’re quite busy at the moment especially during the pandemic, but I haven’t done any sort of interview yet since I claimed for asylum, not even the screening interview. I’m pretty worried that I could have missed their contact which I’m not aware of, because I have been moving around during the last few months.
Could you please let me know if they have a contact number or email address, which I can at least know my claim is still being processed, instead of dismissed because I missed something?
3. I’m trying to apply for an ARC because Home Office took all of the IDs I had, but I was told I need to have done my screening interview before I can apply for it. But now they told me I don’t have to do the screening interview, and it could be a lengthy process waiting for my substantial interview. Could you please give me some advice on this?
I hope you can help me with the questions sir, as I feel like I’m lost in the limbo and I’m pretty worried.
Thanks in advance!
Best wishes,
Chang
Hi Chang. Thanks for your comments – I am sorry you are experiencing delays and difficulties.
The situation you describe is quite complicated so I am glad you have been asking your solicitor for advice. It is unusual for the Home Office to decide not to do a screening interview, but it’s hard to say if it’s a positive or negative thing. The substantive interview is the much bigger interview, which is treated more seriously in terms of the decision by the Home Office. It might be worth reading our guide to the screening interview to check if there’s information that you would have supplied in the screening interview that otherwise needs to be communicated to the Home Office in writing or in the substantive interview. https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/screening/
In terms of the delay for the main interview, unfortunately many many people are now waiting a long time for this. There was already a long delay, then Covid made things worse. You can watch our video about this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=8s
It can be difficult to get contact details for the Home Office, but your solicitor should be able to get a contact for the Home Office asylum team in Liverpool.
On the ARC card, you could try contacting Migrant Help https://www.migranthelpuk.org/contact but they may just refer you back to the Home Office – this does sound like another issue your solicitor should be able to help with.
hello, thank you for your job you doing for all of us. i just wanted to ask you that i have received positive from NRM and on that time attached that letter homeoffice have asked me to go and give biometrics in the homeoffice. could you tell me please on that situatiln how long will take to get a decision now from homeoffice and the cards?
thank you again
Hi Sina. Thank you for your kind words. I’m afraid we aren’t able to say for certain how long the Home Office decision and the cards arriving will take. Timelines are very uncertain because of pre-existing Home Office delays and the Covid crisis. This is also something you should check with your lawyer, if you have one.
Hi There,
Thanks for your valuable help and support,
It has already been 14 months now since the first interview, I am asking if I can apply for a work permit myself or I need a solicitor to do that for me.
Also, I have checked the Shortage Occupation List and I found that Civil engineers can work and it says (Civil engineers- All works), my question is: Is civil engineering Lecturer one of these all jobs or not?
Kind regards,
Jo
Hi Jo.
You can apply for permission to work without the help of a solicitor.
We are not able to give any advice on the shortage occupation list unfortunately – this is something you could ask a solicitor, or even try asking the Home Office.
Hello,
I am currently on a 6 month visa in the UK (I have accommodations/financial support) and can take care of myself. I am currently looking for asylum as I am very sacred to return to my country of origin due to persecution.
My only fear is that I would be unnecessarily detained and not able to keep my accommodations. However, I do have 3 more months left before my visa expires. How likely would it be that I am detained?
Thank you,
Hi Mohammed.
It is very difficult to say how likely it is that someone will be detained. It is possible that you will be detained because you have been in the UK a while, on another visa, without claiming asylum (the Home Office may view your claim as “clearly unfounded” – you can read more about that here https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/screening/
You should speak to a lawyer before claiming asylum if possible. Please also read our information about detention, and how you can be prepared in case it happens: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/detention/
Hello, thank you very much for answering all the questions. i just wanted to ask am i still able to apply for work permission if my case is refused and i have submitted my appeal form and it has been more than 12 months that i have been waiting. Thanks in advance for answering
Hi Shayan
The Home Office guidance on permission to work says it is only when there has been a 12 month delay on Home Office decisions:
“To consider any permission to work application there must be an asylum claim or further submission on protection grounds that has not been decided by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and has been outstanding for at least 12 months from the date the claim was lodged. This only applies to UKVI decisions.”
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/803596/permission-to-work-v8.0-ext.pdf
Hi I have done my big interview even before the crisis but still I dont no what going , i just feel depress people around me are getting. And they keep saying my astanding claim they will make decisions soon still now nothing from the home office, i just feel bad all the time , feeling less of myself .
Hi Funke. I’m very sorry to hear about your situation. Unfortunately many people are waiting a long time for interviews and decisions at the moment. You can find out more about this in our video on delays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=14s
Hello there,
In January 2021, my second year will end in the asylum process. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the first court responded negatively. However, my objection was examined and it was said that it was a legal error. (The statement says there is unobserved evidence / subject. Also the first court tells me that we can live in a different city in my country by hiding.)
In January 2021, the Supreme Court will meet due to legal error.
I find it difficult to find new / additional evidence as the incident that led to my asylum took place outside of my country.
The main topics I want to ask are;
– What is the probability of reversal of the first court decision in such legal error evaluations?
– My country is a democratic state of law that has a signature in international agreements. But in real life; A country where you can do whatever you want if you have someone you know to protect you and you will not be held responsible for it. (TR)
– If the upper court gives a negative answer, I will have to make a fresh claim. I’m afraid I won’t find any evidence for this. I need information about the way I should follow for a fresh claim.
During this process, my mental state got very bad. While I was here, my partner’s mother suffered from cancer and passed away. My partner could not see his mother and I am responsible for it. I cannot bring my partner back because my life is still in danger, and he doesn’t want to leave me here and return. .. I feel like I’m stuck in the trap in every sense.
Hi Ahmet. We are not able to give advice on the probability of the court reversing the decision – this will depend on your individual case, and how your court hearing goes.
You can find out more about fresh claims from our information here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/freshclaim/
Hi
My fiancée had first asylum interview in June 2019, waiting for next stage. We are getting married soon (no objections by Home office yet, 70 day notice period passed). I am a doctor in NHS and British citizen (not by birth)
I was told she will have to return to her home country if she has to apply for spouse visa due to previous overstaying etc.
What if we stayed on the asylum route? Will they accept her argument that she did not want to return and apply as it is dangerous for her.
What happens if her asylum application gets rejected? Will they deport her without giving any warning?
Thanks for advice
Hi Harish. If your fiancées asylum application is refused, she may have the right to appeal. If she does have the right to appeal, she should not be deported while this process is happening. You can read more about it here in our guide: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/refusal/
I landed in UK with my family on 11th Dec. 2019. Screening was done on the same day. Main / detailed interview was done on 27th Feb 2020. Our biometric & Photo was done in June 2020. Later they told us that my wife’s fingerprint is not accepted by the system so she has to come again. For that purpose HO called my wife in Sept 2020 and now called her again on 4th Jan 2021. My query is ;
1) Is the biometric a pre-requisite for deciding our asylum ? If not ,
2) It’s been more then a year now since we landed in UK and claimed asylum . How long we have to wait for the decision ?
3) Is there any website where we can check the progress of our case or any contact number ? or do we need a lawyer for the correspondence with HO ?
Hi Amir.
The Home Office do usually require biometrics before issuing documents that come with a positive decision. Because of the Covid crisis, they may be more flexible about some things, and how to submit biometrics.
For more information on waiting times for a decision, please see our recent video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=14s
A website to check the progress of your case would be a very good idea! Unfortunately, the Home Office do not have this for asylum cases.
You do not have to have a lawyer to correspond to the Home Office, but the Home Office can be very difficult to contact. We always recommend getting legal representation whenever possible: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/yourlegalcase/
Good luck with your claim.
I did claimed asylum in February 2019 and I had my screening in March 2019. It is almost 2 years now and I haven’t been called for my substantive interview. Should I be worried? I was given permission to work but I am very worried about whether I will ever be called to have my substantive interview or not. Is it normal for Home Office to take this long?
Hi Taku. Unfortunately a lot of people are waiting a very long time for their substantive interviews at the moment. Waiting one or two years is sadly not unusual. We have more information about Home Office delays in our video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=15s
Dear sir/Madam
Thanks for helping us,I have some questions hopefully You will gave me the answers.
I have been waited for 18 months for my big interview and then I received it now I have been waiting about 4 months for my answer I haven’t received it yet?
My ARC card has been expired on 18th of dec 2020 still I haven’t received any other card what shall I do ?
Hi San
Unfortunately people are waiting a long time for decisions as well as the interviews. We speak about this in our video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=17s
You can send a query to the Home Office about your ARC card here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-registration-card-arc-enquiry
could you please provide us with an explanation of the new asylum laws, and is the safe third country applicable to the Gulf states?
Best Regards,,
Hi Haifaa. We’ve written about the new asylum laws here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/the-new-asylum-inadmissibility-rules/
The guidelines suggest the safe third country are most likely to be identified in asylum claims will be the UK’s near neighbours in the EU. Other EU Member States, the wider EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and Switzerland may also be identified, as may countries such as the United Stated of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
It’s possible that other states, especially if someone has eg lived there, may be identified but they’d have to be generally considered to be “safe” for the person.
Hi I did asylum oct 2019. I entered to interwiew march 2020. But hom office didn’t answer me yet. I’m waiting for 11 months. How long will I wait? What can I do now?
Hi Muko. Unfortunately a lot of people are waiting a long time for a decision from the Home Office. We have made a video about this here, which suggests some things you can do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=41s
Hi, I have claimed asylum at the airport during the last week of Dec /2020, I have been given an additional ground form which I mailed back a week later and BAIL 201 form
However, I have not received anything until now including the ARC card, even I have requested the same on the gov website almost 3 weeks back
is it normal or I have to contact anyone, or maybe I’m missing a further step that I have to do
Hi Basel. I think there are big delays with ARC cards at the moment – it may be worth seeing if Migrant Help can assist you in the meantime https://www.migranthelpuk.org/contact
Hi
is changing my address from England to Scotland will have any impact on the processing time of my file
I am planning to move to Scotland to save some money as the rent is cheaper there but I am afraid that will delay the process of my file
It’s very difficult to say – there are huge delays at all stages of the process at the moment anyway. Although changing address should just mean a simple transfer of your case between asylum teams, sometimes this can lead to complications/delays. You should try to speak to a lawyer about your situation in any case.
i did my assylum on sep 2016 with screeninterview
after a year i got a disicion to retun me back to italy
i went to MP to apeal that disicion and htey reply back to me with no respond fm HO
after all H.O didnt no thing about my return
and after 3 years on october 2020 i did my video interview during covid crisis
since that time till now no thing
on sep 2021 i will finish the fifth year here in uk with no thing but sick,thinking,stress,iam afraid something will happen to my brain
i got a loyer but she did nothing to me but worring me
is my case going true or there something wrong with my case
Hi Mohamed. I am very sorry to hear about your situation, and the long time you have been waiting. Unfortunately, there are big delays in the asylum process at the moment and many people are waiting a long long time for interviews, and for decisions after interviews. You are not alone in this very frustrating situation. So many people have been contacting us about this. We made a short video on this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=42s
Hi I done my big interview on 11 January 2021! On 26 February I get a letter from HO stating to me to make an appointment for my biometric and fingerprints! Is this a good sign? Because I already gave them when I made the asylum application! Can you please help me if anyone has had a good outcome from this thank you so much god bless
Hi Selim. This could be a good sign (you’re right that some people who have been asked for this have then got confirmation the Home Office have accepted their application) – but it’s impossible to know for certain until you get official confirmation from the Home Office. We very much hope it is good news for you!
Hi Selim,
Could you please keep this thread updated?
I also got that letter 3 weeks ago but nothing happened yet. Thanks.
Sure I will keep you updated! Does your letter have any codes? Or is just a invitation letter plain with no codes? And what’s your asylum for! Mine is modern slavery and human trafficking! I also have 2 independents under 18 years old in my claim! Hopping for the best god willing
Hello . I did seek asylum in the 5 of January and . I have 2 little kids as well and they are born in the UK . I have been with them 4 weeks in the hotel and from there I was send to a temporary accommodation. Just today I was told by phone that my asylum case has been refused and i have to leave the house in the 9 of March . It shocked me as I haven’t done a interview yet . I just moved to the accommodation. Can this happen?
Hi Juliana. It is technically possible for the Home Office to decide an asylum case on just the papers (without an interview) but this only usually happens when someone is from a recognised unsafe country and they are going to make a positive decision; or if the person did not attend the asylum interview that was scheduled for them (even if this was because they were not correctly informed about it). The Home Office had also paused evictions from asylum accommodation because of Covid-19 – we haven’t yet had an official announcement that they are restarting evictions. Do you have a lawyer? It’s very important to find out what is happening with your asylum case, and your asylum support, as this letter may be a mistake (and if it isn’t , it could be challenged)
Claimed asylum on 14/02/2018 making it 3 years to date, and had a child with a naturalised British national in August the same year. I eventually got married in January 2019 making it 2years of marriage to the same British national. I have lived in two different constituents and in both had my MP follow-up my case, at least twice for each MP. Still no response… It`s a joke. I have researched and read everything available and just concluded it is all a lottery and God intervening in his time. All i can do is pray. If you have any though, would really appreciate it.
Hello there,
I would like to ask you about my case. I had my substantive interview in 2016. Since that time I had no answer. Now they arraigned a new substantive interview for me. I was wondering if they are going to start my case from the start or is it normal to have a substantive interview for the second time?
Thank you
Hi Lulu. We’ve heard about this happening to quite a few people recently – it seems to be because there’s been such long waiting times between the substantive interview and the Home Office decision. It seems the Home Office want to check if anything has changed since your last interview – but they may also ask additional questions (to get more information to make a decision) and may check about what they asked before (so it’s important to remind yourself of the interview record from last time).
Hello there,
I would like to ask you a question. I had a substantive interview in 2016. I have not had a response from the Home Office until last month when I got a letter saying that I have another substantive interview next week.
I would like to know whether this will be the same interview I had five years ago or they require some additional questions to be answered?
Thank you
Hi Lulu. We’ve heard about this happening to quite a few people recently – it seems to be because there’s been such long waiting times between the substantive interview and the Home Office decision. It seems the Home Office want to check if anything has changed since your last interview – but they may also ask additional questions (to get more information to make a decision) and may check about what they asked before (so it’s important to remind yourself of the interview record from last time).
I got an interview end of the month , I applied in March 2020 , so what I’m saying is be patient end of the day you will get there too don’t be depressed keep it calm , wish me good lucks ✌ –
Thanks for sharing!
I came in September 2018
Substantive interview November 2019
Refusal and appeal August 2020
Waiting for tribunal?
Know 8 month will I wait more and more
Hi Monica. There are long delays for appeal hearings at the moment, because of Covid so unfortunately it’s very difficult to say how long you may have to wait. We recently made a video about delays; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw
Hi I had my asylum interview on 8 feb 2021 and on 1 of March they had called me and told me u had to come for interview now immediately after I finish my interview they had send me letter for work permitted allowed so I m waiting for my final decision when it will come
Hi Sajid. It’s very hard to say when the decision will come, unfortunately. Some people get a decision quite quickly, some people are waiting for months for a decision. We made a video about Home Office delays you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=1s
I got my further submission interview on 17th April 2020( last year) I couldn’t post my application yet because I couldn’t contact my solicitor because of the COVID situation. I decided to submit by myself without any legal representative. So is it okay to post the application now? I’m worrying because my appointment date passed almost a year now.
Hi Disna. It’s probably best to contact the Further Submissions unit to check what they want you to do in this situation. You can try using the contact details in the Fresh Claims section of this blog post.
Hello, if I want to apply for permission to work, who should I contact? I emailed the reporting center but they said they don’t take care of this. I only had my screening interview and have been waiting a year for my big interview. Could you help me? Thank you!
Hi Fay. The Home Office guidance just says: Asylum Casework Teams Asylum seekers awaiting an initial decision on their claim should submit any request for permission to work to the relevant asylum team dealing with their claim.
If you have any paperwork from the Home Office, this may say which Asylum Team is in charge of your case. If you have a lawyer, they can ask the Home Office for you.
Hi Fay. The Home Office’s new policy document on right to work applications has contact details you can use: https://righttoremain.org.uk/contacting-the-home-office-about-permission-to-work/
Hey I applied for asylum in 2018 and I am still waiting for my decision . And my arc card is now been expired as well . I contact home office via letter 3 times as well as I told them my card is expired still I am not getting any response??
Hi Hamza
There is a specific online form you should use to inform the Home Office about expiry on an ARC card. You can find it here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-registration-card-arc-enquiry
Hello. I applied for travel document. I sent my resident permit document (original) and photos.. But i didn’t put checklist in letter. Do you think is there any problem??
Hi Carl. If this is just the checklist to remind you what items you need to include, that shouldn’t be a problem. You just need to have included all the relevant documents.
Hi I greet you I want to ask you I did my big interview November 2020 since that after 7 months in june 2020 home office report centre sent me appointment to sign every week and to come report centre. and before my sign report centre was every 6 months. So what is that change is there something wrong to me. Thanks for your helping
Hi Hassan. The frequency that people are asked to report may be more about Home Office capacity (staff numbers, how much the building is open during Covid etc) rather than you. You should have a look at this checklist about reporting conditions to see if you could challenge the frequency with which you’ve been asked to report: https://righttoremain.org.uk/challenging-reporting-conditions/
A big shoutout to Right to remain team!!!
I just want to appreciate the work that you do to help us; the helpless, devoid of any communication regarding our case. It pains me the HO showing this much indifference to our suffering and frustration. But you’re are giving the most you can with the often limited resource at your disposal.
Thank you for this, you are a true representation of the British people!
Thank you!!!
Hi My name is Hamam.
I have claimed asylum on the 30/09/2018 and I had my interview cancelled because of the pandemic. I tried to contact my MP and the home office but I couldn’t get help from anyone. I have finished my level three diploma and I’m 20 right with no clue on anything. My mental health went downhill since then and I really need help.
Hi Hamam. I’m sorry to hear about your situation. Do you have a lawyer? They can contact the Home Office for you. There’s information about lawyers on our website here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/yourlegalcase/
It may also be worth trying again to get your MP to help you
Alternatively, a local asylum support group may be able to help you. If you google the name of the place you are living plus “asylum support group” you should find some local groups to contact.
hi Right to remain, I am waiting 26 months for my substantial interview, I had contact MP and my lawyer several times and no glimmer of hope, I saw they contact none vulnerable people for big interview just within months after they claimed asylum, I think this is unfair, and such delays caused huge impact on my mental health.
I’m sorry to hear you’ve been waiting so long for your interview – it is very unfair. You are doing the correct things with your lawyer and MP contacting the Home Office. I hope you get your interview very soon.
Hi, im an asylum seeker with 3 dependant (husband and 2 young sons). Been here for 2 years without big interview yet. Received a biometric letter last week. Why are we being called for another biometric please? We had one in screening interview 2 years back. Is there anything to be worried? Please explain. Im so nervous and stressed.
Hi Poppy. We can’t give any definite answers (do you have a lawyer/solicitor? If so, they could ask the Home Office the reason for the extra appointment). The Home Office may want updated biometric information, or they may have lost the original biometrics. It would be very unusual to get a refusal on an asylum claim without a big (substantive) interview – if this were to happen, you should get legal advice as this definitely could be challenged.
Hi… I want to ask a question that is always in my mind… I have been in UK for about 8 months and l have done my first screening interview and waiting for the substantive one… I’ve heard alot about delaying in processing then l become frustrated…my first question is if i pass my exams to equal my certificate.. can i start work although i am waiting for my big interview… I asked this question because i am a doctor and I’ve heard that after doing specific test i can start work…thanks in advance
Hi Mohammad. You are only able to request permission to work from the Home Office if you have been waiting for 12 months. We have more information about permission to work here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/contacting-the-home-office-about-permission-to-work/
Hello, Firstly thank you for your great effort to answer all of our questions.
Secondly, I did my screening interview in February 2020 and until now I didn’t get a substantive interview, I have got a work permit and I found an unpaid internship in London. If I asked Migrant Help to move to London, this will affect my case file; I mean this will delay my substantive interview (the big interview) ?
Hi Maria. We don’t have enough information about how the Home Office are allocating cases/waiting lists to know whether moving will affect how long you are waiting (there may be some regions getting through the backlog quicker than others, though I haven’t heard any suggestions about that). A change in location shouldn’t cause delays in your case – but unfortunately it is always hard to predict these things with the Home Office. It may be more difficult, however, to get the move agreed, as it has to be for fairly exceptional reasons.
Hello, I want to know if it’s possible to send the Home Office more evidence after the substantive interview when waiting for a decision close to 6 months.
Hi Abu. It is possible (and indeed, common) to submit evidence to the Home Office after the substantive interview – take a look at our guide to the interview, and the bottom of the page there’s a section on After the Interview https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/asylumiv/
If you’ve been waiting a long time since your interview, however, it’s probably best to contact the Home Office and check it’s ok to submit further evidence to them (if you have a lawyer, they can do this for you). If you have a lawyer, make sure you’ve shown them the evidence first.
If you aren’t able to submit your evidence to the Home Office at this stage, and the Home Office refuse your claim, you will be able to submit the evidence as part of your appeal.
What is the current waiting time to get a decision for further submission?
Hi there. The Home Office don’t publish regular statistics on decision times for further submissions. The most recent figures we have are from 2018, when the average waiting time was 2 months – but this is quite a misleading number, because it’s an average and some people will get a decision within days whereas lots of other people wait months/even years.
Hello I receive a email that my biometric card is to be delivered does this means I have gotten my right to remain
Please let me know
Hi Abigail. This is usually a good sign but unfortunately the Home Office do make a lot of mistakes so it always best to contact them (through your lawyer if you have one) for confirmation of what is happening.
What’s the current wait time to get brp after asylum decision has been made?
The website says it should arrive within 10 days of receiving the decision letter, but I believe there are big delays at the moment. There are also problems with delivery (the delivery company saying they’ve tried to deliver when they haven’t; or trying to deliver to wrong address because the Home Office have given them the wrong information) so it is worth checking with the company TNT too. There’s information about that on the government website here: https://www.gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits/not-arrived
Hello, we just received an appointment to do the Biometric and I still didn’t do any substantial interview( the main interview), so my question is it a good sign?
Hi Maria. It can be a good sign (this is something the Home Office do if they are going to grant status/papers) but the Home Office can also make appointments for other reasons or even do it in error so it’s not possible to be sure unless and until you hear they have accepted your application.
The Home Office are deciding some cases without the big substantive interview at the moment.
Thank you for this avenue to reach out.
I have done biometrics, done first screening/interview and have been in section 98 with migrant help since September 6.
I am yet to receive my ARC card and i have sent my PIQ form to the HO.
How do i confirm the receipt of my PIQ by HO? and how can i get the ARC card.
Lastly, When do we move to section 95?
Hi Bunmi.
The Home Office say here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-registration-card-arc/application-registration-card-arc that if you have not yet received your ARC card you should contact the Home Office team that initially screened you, and you should be able to find the telephone number for them on your Bail 201 form.
For checking that your PIQ has been received, you can try emailing AsylumPIQReturns@homeoffice.gov.uk
In terms of moving from Section 95 to Section 98, there do seem to be delays with this. You should try contacting Migrant Help again, but also you can try asking a support group or solicitor to challenge the delay if it’s been a very long time
Hello hope you are fine did you get any update after biometric enrolment?
Last week i recive the same letter for biometric before main interview.
Hi,
I had my screening on October 26th, 2020, sent all of the documents and received my ARC 2-3 weeks afterwards. Now passing one year, I haven’t anything else. Could you please let me know what I should do next, how I can chase it or how I get the latest updates?
P.S. I have a work permit bail.
Hi Delsa. Unfortunately there are huge delays in asylum claims at the moment. We have a few tips of what to do in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=12s
Hi there,
I applied on asylum on 14th September 2020, sent my PIQ on 21st October 2020 and got my substantive interview on 30th October 2021 (two days ago).
during the interview (after two thirds of the time, the officer has asked me to go do biometrics and come back to continue. After coming back he only asked couple of questions and ended it afterwards.
He said its for the BRP, but didn’t state any thing else.
Does it mean I’m granted an refugee status?
Regards,
Hi Tarek. The Home Office do ask for biometrics in advance of granting refugee status, but it’s not possible to be certain that is what is happening until you get formal notification from them of a positive decision. I hope you do get good news.
Hi hope you are well.
I was apply for asylum in june 2019 after long time 15 November 2021 I recive PIQ form i fill that form and send to HO 16 November 2021 with all my evidences after 2 days 18 November 2021 i was recive letter from home office for biometric enrolment they said if your case successful we will use this for BRP.
I just want to ask is this a good sign?
It can be a good sign (this is something the Home Office do if they are going to grant status/papers) but the Home Office can also ask for other reasons or even do it in error so it’s not possible to be sure unless and until you hear they have accepted your application.
I made all your calls, I’ve been waiting for an answer for 1.5 years, is there anything I can do? My lawyer sent an e-mail to find out how our document is, but we are interested, we received the answer, we are still waiting.
Hi Ogulcan. The lawyer can continue to contact the Home Office regularly to get updates. It might also be worth asking your local MP to see if they can contact the Home Office, as that sometimes has more effect. You can find out who your local MP is here: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP
Hi Sir
my name is Ange and I would like to ask why since my screening interview in August i didn’t recieve my ARC card I have applied the ARC card int the gov website without any anwer can you help me to reach them?
Hi Ange. There are big delays with ARC cards at the moment, but there is an online form you can use to contact the Home Office about it: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-registration-card-arc-enquiry
Hello sir/ma’am
My name is jasdeep I had my screening on 14 September 2021 and I asked over there to them when I will get my ARC card they said that you will get in 3 days but today is 22 November 2021. I didn’t heard and didn’t received my ARC card. Please tell me how to contact them.
Hi Jasdeep. There are big delays with ARC cards at the moment, but there is an online form you can use to contact the Home Office about it: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-registration-card-arc-enquiry
Hi
I had my substantive interview this month.
I want to ask can I settle my solicitor and represent myself to HO without any legal advisor. Or is it compulsory to go through legal advisor.
Thank you
Hi Sima. There is no requirement to have a legal advisor for the asylum interview, however we strongly recommend that you do. The asylum process can be extremely difficult to navigate – it’s complicated, there are big delays, and the Home Office can make mistakes or unfair decisions. You can read a bit more about legal representatives here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/yourlegalcase/
Hi great Right to Remain Team
After waiting for 11 months for the substantive interview, and sending a Preaction Protocol, the HO replied that I will be invited to the second interview within 3 months as of the dated of their reply 13 October 2021). The deadline is 13 January 2022.
Yesterday I received a letter from the HO, it is BRP enrolment letter, saying that no need to book an appiontment as the fingerprint will be captured in the date of the second interview ( they asked me to take the BRP enrolment letter with me)
The HO did not let me know when the second interview will be, just said it will be in due course.
My question, what dose this procedure mean? Is it a good sign that the second interview will be soon?
It is good news that your second interview will be soon, as you have already waited a very long time. However, the second interview is just the standard procedure, this is not any indication of what decision the Home Office will make.
It is very important to be prepared for the substantive interview as it’s one of the most important parts of the asylum process. Please read more about it here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/asylumiv/
Hi RTR,
I and my family has been granted section 95, but its almost a month now and we have not been disperse to a house yet after several plea concerning my wife pregnant state and our current emergency accommodation.
Please advise and guide concerning this.
Regards
Hi Bunmi. Sadly there are lots of delays in dispersal at the moment. You will need to try and speak to Migrant Help (it can be difficult to get through on the telephone but you can also try the webchat): https://www.migranthelpuk.org/contact
You can also try and ask a local asylum organisation to try and help you with speaking to Migrant Help (if you google “asylum organisation” and your local town or city you should be able to find ones).
Hi
I apply for asylum case 1st December, but
Home office don’t any call for screening interview,what I can do ?
My visa viled within month
Hi Ahmed. Unfortunately there are delays of around screening interviews (there already were for the longer, bigger interview but there now are for screening interviews too). People are told to expect a wait of 6 weeks for the Home Office to call them (after registering an asylum claim); and some people are waiting months for the actual interview to happen.
I applied for asylum more than 2 years ago and did the substantive interview 4 months ago, I have not received a decision yet. Is there an email I can contact Home Office ? Thank you
Hello, thank you for your query. Unfortunately, most people are facing immense delays (at least 6 months, or often over a year) in receiving their asylum decision following a substantive interview because the Home Office is dealing with a backlog of cases. Sometimes it is a good idea to contact the Home Office, but sometimes it is better to wait – it depends on your specific case. If you would like to contact the Home Office, you can do so by using the contact details that will be at the top of any letters or documents you have received from them.
But before you do that, for more information, we suggest that you first watch our video on Delays here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=13s and read our Toolkit page on receiving an Asylum Decision too https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/asylumdecision/
Hello sir i had my screening last year on dec 22 still i am waiting for my substansive interview you have any idea how long they take…
2nd question in agust someone stole my college bag and my ARC card in that bag now i don’t know how to contact homeoffice some One stole my card i report to police as well
Waiting for your good responce thanks alot
Hi Awon. Unfortunately there are huge delays for substantive interviews at the moment – people are waiting months, even years at the moment. Please take a look at our video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=12s
You can use this online form to report to the Home Office about your Aspen card: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-registration-card-arc-enquiry
Hi RTR wonderful team
On behalf of a friend, she has her substantive interview recently. She is s syrian asylum seeker. How long is the average waiting time for her decision.
Thanks a lot
Hi Rafah. Although some people will receive a decision fairly quickly (maybe a month or so) many people are currently waiting many months, or over a year for a decision.
Hi RTR team
I have called the Asylum intake unit appointments line on 14/12/2021. And they gave a ref.number. But, I haven’t received anything after that.
Can I call them again and ask for update and confirm the home address?
Thanks
Hi Mahmoud. There are really long delays with getting a screening appointment at the moment (3 months seems to be quite a common wait at the moment) but what you suggest is a good idea – it is worth trying to confirm they have the correct contact details for you, and to try and find out what is happening with your situation.
I had waited for 14 months for the big interview and then I have been waiting for over a year to get a decision. I feel tired… Any ideas on what I can do and I’ll wait more?
Thank you.
Hi Sekine. I’m sorry to hear you have been waiting so long. Unfortunately, many people are having to wait over a year for their big asylum interview. There are some tips on things you can do in our video on delays here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=91s
Hi this is Arash i called home office on phone on 22 nov 2021 asking asylum and until now 21 feb 2022 there is no called back just i would like to know is it normal i am still waiting for screening interview
Hi Arash. Yes unfortunately this is now very normal for people who have claimed asylum. We have heard recently that people are waiting around 3-4 months to hear back from the Home Office.
I have done my screening interview almost a year ago but didn’t get any update of my subtantive interview. Now I think to write a chase latter. Do you yhink after is it works? I mean if I give them this latter they will give my interview date or any Update?
If the don’t give interview’s date what will be my next step?
Hi Robin. Unfortunately, many people are currently facing significant delays to their substantive interview. Writing a letter to the Home Office might be a good a idea, but it’s uncertain whether it would change anything given the delays across the board. You might like to watch our ‘Delays’ video to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=13s
Hi RTR team,
I’ve done my substantive interview on 30th Oct 2021. I sent a pre-action protocol few weeks afterwards but the home office stated they can’t give a timeframe for a decision, then after couple of months i sent the second pre-action protocol, this time they replied and gave me a specific date (4 July) to make a decision on my claim.
Do you think they stick to the dates given by them in such a case? because some people were told 3 months or 6 months but for me they specified a date.
Do you think they will issue the decision by that date?
Hi Tarek, thank you for your query. If the Home office have specified a date then they should meet it. If they fail to meet the date, then your lawyer can take further action to complain of the delay.
Hello! I applied through the phone for asylum on 13 of June 2022 and Home Office called me about the screening interview that would be on 14 of July 2022, i received teh ARC a couple days after and then received an email on 17 August 2022 that my substantive interview was gonna be on 1 September 2022. After 8 days i got requested by email some documents and also some proofs which i sent within 4 days. And i received after 3 days an email that they received all the documents, so now i am jist waiting for a decision. I want to know if it is good or bad that they are proceeding my case that fast and the 6 months period about decision is counted since when and with the course of my case what are the chances about the decision and also when i might get a decision? Thank you!
Hello Jonathan, thank you for your query. Unfortunately, many people are facing significant delays in receiving a decision from the Home Office on their asylum claims (we hope you will not be amongst them). I’d suggest reading our latest Legal Update on Delays (and work permission) to find out more: https://righttoremain.org.uk/what-is-causing-the-huge-home-office-delay-in-processing-asylum-claims/. Best of luck.
Hi RtR
I summited my asylum claim at Heathrow airport on April 2022, do you know when can I do my substantive interview according to the current efficiency of the Home Office?
Hello Janjin, welcome to the UK.
Unfortunately, it is very common for people to wait a long time for their substantive interview because of Home Office delays. You can learn more about this here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/what-is-causing-the-huge-home-office-delay-in-processing-asylum-claims/