Last updated: 17 August 2026

What is a fresh claim?

If the Home Office refuses your asylum claim, you may have a right to appeal.

When your appeal has finished and you have no further right of appeal, the Home Office may say that you are “appeal rights exhausted”.

You can read more about this on our “Appeal Rights Exhausted” page.

If you have new information or evidence after this, you may be able to send it to the Home Office and ask them to look at your case again and consider it as a fresh claim.

What are further submissions?

Further submissions are new information or evidence that you give to the Home Office after an asylum or human rights claim has been refused or withdrawn and any appeal has finished.

You are asking the Home Office to look at your case again.

People often use the terms “further submissions” and “fresh claim” to mean the same thing. There is a difference in law.

You make further submissions by giving the Home Office new information or evidence.

The Home Office then decides what to do with this information. If it does not give you permission to stay, it must also decide whether your further submissions should be treated as a fresh claim.

What can you include in your further submissions?

Further submissions can include different kinds of new information or evidence.

For example, you may have:

• new information about the reason you originally claimed asylum;
• something that has happened since your previous decision;
• a change in your personal situation;
• new information about the country you are from;
• an older document that was not considered before;
• a new report or other information that supports what you have said;
• information that helps explain something that was missing or misunderstood before; or
• a change in the law, Home Office policy or relevant case law.

New evidence does not have to be a document. It could also be something that you explain in a statement.

Sometimes the information may be about something that happened a long time ago, but you were not able to explain it or provide evidence about it before. There can be many reasons for this. For example, trauma, fear, shame, health problems or difficulties remembering what happened can affect what someone is able to explain and when.

You can read more about different types of evidence on our Evidence page.

How will the Home Office look at your further submissions?

The Home Office will look at your new information together with the information from your previous case.

It will first decide whether the new information means that you should be given permission to stay in the UK.

If the Home Office decides not to give you permission to stay, it must then decide whether your further submissions should be treated as a fresh claim.

When will further submissions be treated as a fresh claim?

The Home Office will look at two rules.

1. The information has not already been considered

This means that the Home Office or an immigration judge has not already looked at the information as part of your previous case.

The information does not have to be recent. For example, it could be an older document or information that you were not able to provide before.

2. The new information could lead to a different decision

The Home Office must look at the new information together with the information from your previous case.

It must decide whether there is a real possibility that an immigration judge could look at all of the information and reach a different decision.

The Immigration Rules call this a “realistic prospect of success”.

This does not mean that you have to show that your case will definitely succeed.

Why does your previous decision matter?

Your further submissions are not looked at separately from your previous asylum claim.

The Home Office will look at what happened in your previous case, including why your claim was refused and what the Home Office or a judge decided about your evidence.

This is why it is important to understand why your previous claim was refused.

For example, the Home Office or a judge may have decided that:

• they did not believe part or all of what you said;
• they accepted what happened to you but did not think you would be at risk if you returned;
• they thought the authorities in your country could protect you; or
• they thought you could live safely in another part of your country.

If the Home Office or a judge did not believe you before, this does not mean they must reject your new information. They still have to look at the new information and consider it with the rest of your case.

Your new information may help to challenge or change something that was decided before.

Preparing further submissions

Preparing further submissions means looking at your previous asylum claim, working out what is new, and explaining why the new information or evidence matters.

This can feel difficult, especially if you have already been through an asylum claim and an appeal.

You may be able to get help from a lawyer or regulated immigration adviser. If you do not have legal advice, there are still practical steps you can take to understand your case and organise your information.

Before sending further submissions, it is important to understand:

• why your asylum claim was refused;
• what the Home Office or judge did not accept;
• what is new about the information or evidence you now have; and
• how this new information may affect your case.

Why the reason for refusal matters

The information or evidence that may be helpful will depend on why your previous claim was refused.

For example:

If the Home Office accepted that LGBT people are at risk in your country, but did not believe that you are LGBT, general information about how LGBT people are treated may not answer the main reason for refusal. You may need new information or evidence that helps explain or support your own sexuality or identity.

If the Home Office accepted that you are LGBT, but said the police could protect you, information about whether LGBT people can actually get protection from the police may be more relevant.

If the Home Office accepted your ethnicity and the risk to your ethnic group, but said you could live safely somewhere else in your country, information about whether you would really be safe in that area may be important.

The important point is that new information or evidence should help you respond to the reasons given for refusing your previous claim.

How will the Home Office look at your new evidence?

The Home Office will look at your new evidence together with the information and decisions from your previous case.

What was decided in your previous case will be an important starting point when the Home Office looks at your new evidence. This is why the reasons your previous claim was refused still matter.

You may see the word “credibility” in your refusal letter or court decision. Credibility means whether you are believed.

If the Home Office or a judge did not believe part of your story before, this may affect how they look at new evidence about the same part of your case.

This does not mean that you will never be believed. New information or evidence may help explain something that was misunderstood before, or support something that was not accepted.

Your previous claim may also have been refused even though the Home Office or judge believed what you said. For example, they may have decided that:

• you would not be at risk if you returned;
• the police or other authorities in your country could protect you; or
• you could live safely in another part of your country.

This means that the amount of evidence you provide is not the most important thing. The evidence needs to be relevant to your case and to the reasons your previous claim was refused.

For example, if part of your story was not believed, evidence that helps explain or support that part of your story may be more useful than general information about your country. This could include a statement, medical evidence, a supporting letter or another type of evidence.

The Home Office will also compare your new information with things you have said or provided before.

If something is different, this does not necessarily mean there is a problem. There may be a reason for the difference. For example, trauma, a health condition or difficulties remembering or talking about what happened may be relevant. It can be important to explain this.

Documents and other evidence should also be clearly explained. Evidence that does not relate to the reasons your claim was refused may not help your case. If new evidence does not match other information in your case, you may need to explain why.

Examples of new information or evidence

Every case is different. The examples below may help you think about what new information or evidence could be relevant to your case.

You do not need to have all of these types of evidence.

New evidence about your original asylum claim

You may have new documents from your country, for example an arrest warrant, birth certificate or membership card.

You may want to think about:

• who sent the document to you;
• how they got it;
• when and how they sent it to you;
• when you received it; and
• why you could not provide it before.

You may also have new information about something that has happened in your country, for example further threats against you or your family.

You may want to think about:

• who told you what happened;
• how they know;
• whether they saw it themselves or heard about it from someone else; and
• whether there are reports, articles or other information that supports what you have been told.

You may find a report, news article, photograph or other information that supports something you said in your previous claim.

Think about whether the source is reliable and whether the information actually relates to your own case.

New or continuing activities

You may have started or continued activities which could affect the risk you face if you return.

For example, you may:

• take part in political protests;
• be involved with an LGBT+ or community group;
• take part in political or religious activities; or
• post publicly online.

You may want to think about when the activity started, why you became involved, whether other people can confirm your involvement, and whether there is evidence that the activity is public or could be seen by people in your country.

Something was missed in your previous case

Sometimes information or evidence was given before but was not considered, or there may have been an important mistake or misunderstanding.

For example, you may discover that:

• evidence you sent was not considered; or
• something important in your asylum interview was recorded or understood incorrectly.

A change in the country you are from

There may have been an important change since your previous decision.

For example:

• a new government;
• a new conflict or increased violence;
• a change in the law; or
• a change affecting a particular group of people.

Think about how the change affects you personally. For example, is your particular group being targeted? Would you be at greater risk because of your own circumstances?

A change in the law or Home Office information

There may be new:

• case law;
• Home Office country information;
• Home Office policy; or
• UK law.

The important question is whether the change is relevant to your case and could affect how your situation should now be considered.

Something you could not explain before

You may have important information that you were not able to tell the Home Office or court before.

There can be many reasons for this. For example, you may have felt afraid, ashamed or uncertain, or you may have found it difficult to remember or talk about what happened.

You may want to explain what the information is, why it matters to your case and why you were not able to explain it earlier.

A change in your personal circumstances

Your situation may have changed since your previous claim.

For example, this could include:

• a religious conversion;
• new political activity;
• coming out or disclosing your sexuality;
• exploitation or abuse;
• a new health condition; or
• a new relationship or child.

The information or evidence that may be useful will depend on what has changed and why it matters to your case.

Getting help to prepare your further submissions

It can be difficult to find legal advice for a fresh claim. Many people prepare further submissions without a lawyer.

If you can get advice from a lawyer or regulated immigration adviser, they can help you understand your previous case, decide what new information may be important and prepare legal arguments to send with your evidence.

Even if you have a lawyer, it is important that you understand what is being sent to the Home Office and what is happening in your case.

Your lawyer should:

• explain what they plan to send to the Home Office;
• tell you if they need information or evidence from you;
• keep you informed about important changes or deadlines; and
• make sure you understand and agree with what is being submitted.

You can read more about working with a lawyer on our Your Legal Case page.

If you do not have a lawyer, a trusted person may still be able to help you with practical tasks. For example, they may be able to:

• read through your documents with you;
• help you organise your papers and evidence;
• help you request missing documents;
• look for reliable country information with you; or
• help you prepare for an appointment with the Home Office.

They should not give immigration advice unless they are authorised to do this.

How to submit your further submissions

If your further submissions are about why you need asylum or humanitarian protection, you will usually need to submit them in person at a Service and Support Centre (SSC).

Check that you can make further submissions

Since 8 April 2026, the Immigration Rules include rules about when further submissions will be accepted as valid.

When you make your further submissions:

• you must be in the UK;
• your previous asylum claim must have been refused, withdrawn or treated as withdrawn; and
• you must not have another asylum or protection claim, or a relevant appeal, which is still ongoing.

If these requirements are not met, the Home Office may treat your further submissions as invalid and not consider the new information or evidence.

Make an appointment

You usually need to make an appointment before you can submit further submissions.

Appointments are available at Service and Support Centres in:

• Liverpool;
• Belfast;
• Cardiff; and
• Glasgow.

To make an appointment, call the Further Submissions Unit on 0300 123 7377.

The appointment line is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm.

What to take to your appointment

Take your completed Further Submissions form, the information and evidence you want the Home Office to consider, and any written explanation you have prepared.

The Home Office guidance says that evidence should be provided at the appointment so that the decision can be made using the information available.

If you have them, you should also take documents that can help confirm your identity, such as:

• a valid passport;
• an IS96 or Bail 201 with your photograph;
• previous immigration documents; or
• a driving licence, if you have already provided the Home Office with a photograph of yourself.

Keep a copy of everything you submit.

If you cannot attend an appointment in person

In some circumstances, the Home Office may agree that you can make further submissions without travelling to one of the Service and Support Centres.

You need to get permission from the Home Office first. If you send protection-based further submissions by email or post without permission, the Home Office may treat them as invalid without considering the evidence.

For example, different arrangements may be possible if:

• you cannot travel because of a disability, serious illness or other exceptional circumstances;
• you are an unaccompanied child under 18;
• you are in immigration detention or prison;
• you have an ongoing judicial review about removal or enforcement action;
• your case is being managed as part of deportation proceedings; or
• in some circumstances, your case is in the Family Returns Process.

You or your lawyer may need to explain why you cannot use the normal in-person process and provide evidence.

If your new information is only about human rights

The process can be different if your further submissions are only about human rights, for example your family or private life in the UK or a medical condition.

The Home Office says these claims should normally be made using the relevant immigration application form. If your further submissions include protection grounds as well as human rights grounds, the protection further submissions process above will normally apply.

What happens after you submit your further submissions?

After you make further submissions, the Home Office will consider the new information and evidence you have provided. 

The Home Office will first decide whether the new information means that you should be given permission to stay in the UK. If it does not grant permission, it will then decide whether your further submissions should be treated as a fresh claim.

Can you be removed while you are waiting for a decision?

You should not be removed from the UK before the Home Office has considered your further submissions. This is explicit in the Immigration Rules.

This does not necessarily mean that you cannot be detained while you are waiting. In some circumstances, the Home Office can detain someone who has outstanding further submissions. If removal is being considered, Home Office guidance says the further submissions should be considered quickly.

If you are given a letter or other confirmation that you have made further submissions, keep it somewhere safe. It may be important evidence that your further submissions are still waiting for a decision.

Asylum support while you are waiting for a decision

If you do not have somewhere to live or enough money for your basic needs, you may be able to get asylum support while your further submissions are being considered.

If you are a refused asylum seeker and have made further submissions on protection grounds, you may be able to apply for section 4 support if you would otherwise be destitute.

If you have a child under 18 and were already receiving section 95 asylum support, you will normally continue to receive this support while your further submissions are being considered.

When further submissions can be treated as withdrawn

While you are waiting for a decision, it is important to keep in contact with the Home Office.

Since 8 April 2026, the Home Office can treat further submissions as withdrawn in some circumstances. This means that it can stop considering them without making a decision.

It is important that you:

• keep your contact details up to date;
• attend any reporting events;
• attend an interview if the Home Office asks you to; and
• respond to requests for information or evidence.

Your further submissions may be treated as withdrawn if you:

• do not keep in contact with the Home Office or keep your contact details up to date;
• leave the UK before a decision is made;
• miss a reporting event;
• miss an interview; or
• do not respond to a request for information or evidence.

If you miss a reporting event or interview, or cannot provide information when asked, there may be circumstances outside your control.

For example, you may have been in hospital or unable to attend for another serious reason.

If this happens, explain what happened to the Home Office as soon as you can. Give them any evidence you have. The Home Office should consider whether the problem was outside your control before deciding to treat your further submissions as withdrawn.

If the Home Office has treated your further submissions as withdrawn and you think this was wrong, you can ask it to review the decision.

You should usually ask for a review within 60 days of the date of the withdrawal notice. If you ask after 60 days, the Home Office says it is unlikely to review the decision unless there are very exceptional circumstances. There is no 60-day time limit if you are a victim of domestic abuse or modern slavery.

When you ask for a review, explain why you think your further submissions were withdrawn incorrectly and provide any evidence you have. If the Home Office agrees that the withdrawal was wrong, it can cancel the withdrawal and reinstate your further submissions.

You can also choose to withdraw your further submissions yourself by clearly telling the Home Office that you no longer want them to be considered.

The Home Office decision

After considering your further submissions, the Home Office may:

• decide that the new information means you should be given permission to stay in the UK;
• decide not to give you permission to stay, but accept that your further submissions are a fresh claim. You will normally have a right of appeal; or
• reject your further submissions and decide that they are not a fresh claim. You will not have a right of appeal against this decision, but you may be able to challenge it through judicial review.

If you are given permission to stay

The Home Office may decide that your new information or evidence, looked at together with your previous case, means that you should be given permission to stay in the UK.

For example, you may be granted:

• refugee status;
• humanitarian protection; or
• another type of permission to stay, including in some cases for human rights reasons.

Important: The date that you claimed asylum or made further submissions can affect how long you are given permission to stay if you are granted refugee status or humanitarian protection.

• If you claimed asylum or made further submissions on or before 1 March 2026, you should usually receive at least 5 years’ permission to stay.
• If you claimed asylum or made further submissions on or after 2 March 2026, you will usually receive at least 30 months’ permission to stay instead. 
• There are also transitional rules for some people who tried to claim asylum or make further submissions before 2 March 2026, but were given an appointment on or after that date.
• Different rules apply to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. If you are granted refugee status or humanitarian protection as an unaccompanied child, you should usually receive at least 5 years’ permission to stay. This can also apply if you turned 18 while waiting for a decision.

If you are given another type of permission to stay, how long you are allowed to stay will depend on the type of permission you are given.

If your further submissions are accepted as a fresh claim but refused

The Home Office may decide that your new information is not enough to give you permission to stay, but that your further submissions meet the rules for a fresh claim.

This means that the Home Office has decided there is a realistic possibility that an immigration judge could reach a different decision.

You will normally have a right of appeal against the refusal. An immigration judge can then consider your fresh claim.

If your further submissions are not accepted as a fresh claim

The Home Office may decide not to give you permission to stay and that your further submissions do not meet the rules for a fresh claim.

You will not have a right of appeal against this decision.

You may be able to challenge the decision through judicial review. Judicial review looks at whether the Home Office made its decision lawfully.

If you later have different or additional information or evidence, you may be able to make further submissions again.

If you claimed asylum before, left the UK and later returned

If you previously made an asylum claim in the UK, then left the UK and later returned, what happens will depend on what happened to your previous claim.

If your previous asylum claim was refused or withdrawn, and you no longer have a right of appeal, you will usually need to make further submissions if you want the Home Office to consider protection or human rights issues again. This applies even if you were outside the UK for a long time.

The Home Office will look at the new information together with the information and decisions from your previous case.

You may need to explain:

• why you left the UK;
• why you have returned;
• what has happened since your previous claim;
• why you are asking for protection again; and
• what new information or evidence you now have.

You may also need to get copies of documents from your previous claim or appeal if you no longer have them.

If you try to claim asylum again when you return to the UK, the Home Office should identify that you previously had an asylum claim and direct you to the further submissions process.

If your previous asylum claim was treated as inadmissible

A decision that your asylum claim is inadmissible is different from a refusal of your asylum claim.

If your claim is treated as inadmissible, the Home Office has decided not to consider the substance of your asylum claim in the UK. It has not decided whether you qualify for refugee status or humanitarian protection.

Because of this, the normal fresh claim rules in paragraph 353 do not apply to protection issues following an inadmissibility decision. The Home Office’s current guidance says that further information about protection should be dealt with differently.

If you are still in the UK

If you have received an inadmissibility decision but have not yet been removed from the UK, you can still give the Home Office new information or evidence about why you need protection.

The Home Office should consider this as further representations about the inadmissibility decision, rather than as further submissions under the fresh claim rules.

For example, you may have new information about:

• why you would not be safe in the country the Home Office plans to send you to;
• your own circumstances or vulnerabilities; or
• something that has changed since the inadmissibility decision.

If you also raise a separate human rights claim, different rules may apply to that part of your case.

If you left the UK and later returned

If you left or were removed from the UK after an inadmissibility decision and later return and ask for asylum again, this should be treated as a new asylum claim, rather than further submissions under paragraph 353.

The Home Office may then consider whether the new asylum claim should be treated as inadmissible again.