When to apply
Asylum seekers can apply for UKBA asylum support at any time during the asylum process if they are unable to support themselves. Some people may not qualify immediately because they arrived in the UK with assets that they can use to support themselves and may want to make an application later. Detained asylum seekers can apply for UKBA asylum support while they are in detention for when they are released (if at all). However, there are technical difficulties with applying for UKBA asylum support in detention.
See Detention in the Asylum process section. Where just one member of a family is detained, all should be named on the same application form (the NASS1). Most asylum seekers will apply for UKBA asylum support immediately after being screened.
Screening
Screening either takes place at the port of entry or at the Asylum Screening Unit (ASU) in Croydon or Liverpool depending on where an application is made. The purpose of screening the applicant is to establish their identity, route of travel to the UK, how and when they entered the UK.
In-country applicants will undergo screening at an ASU. Information gathered at this stage (known as ‘screening interview’) is passed on to the applicant’s case owner to decide on eligibility for support under Section 55. Port applicants will usually be screened at their port of entry and will be issued with a document giving them temporary admission into the UK (IS96). The IS96 should be endorsed with ‘applied at port’. This confirms that they applied immediately on arrival.
Asylum applicants are then issued with immigration documentation, usually an application registration card (ARC) or a time-limited standard acknowledgement letter (SAL).
An endorsed IS96 or Section 55 letter should guarantee admission into UKBA accommodation for those with nowhere to stay. If the applicant’s entitlement to support under Section 55 is doubted, they will go on to another level of screening.
See Asylum process for more information on the screening process.
The NASS1 form
UKBA make their decision on an applicant’s eligibility for asylum support based on the application form: NASS1. The form is quite long and only printed in English, as are the explanatory notes. Asylum seekers can get the NASS1 at a one stop service (see below), at an induction centre, directly from UKBA or from the UKBA website. Most asylum seekers will need advice and help to complete the form, and they may need reassurance about confidentiality issues and why certain information is required from them. Distrustful of the authorities in their own country, many asylum seekers will be suspicious of the authorities here and the process of gathering information about them.
One stop services
Several organisations have contracts with the Home Office to assist asylum applicants with their support applications. These are collectively known as the Asylum Support Partnership. This assistance is provided at one stop services throughout the UK where most eligible applicants should be signposted after their screening interview. Staff at one stop services should be able to help with the following:
- Explain the UKBA asylum support system and help to fill in the NASS1 form
- Place people in initial accommodation
- Provide emergency clothing and help with special needs, including pressing medical needs (this is limited and not available everywhere)
- Help accessing appropriate legal advice
- Explain transport arrangements to the dispersal destination following the asylum support decision
- Assist with problems that may arise under the asylum support system
- Inform UKBA of any change in the applicant’s Circumstances
If an applicant needs accommodation, the one stop service can admit him/her into initial accommodation while they wait for a decision on the support application. The applicant will need a valid Application Registration Card (ARC), IS96 stamped and endorsed by an immigration officer or a letter from UKBA authorising admission into initial accommodation.
Induction
All non-detained asylum seekers should undergo an induction. The following functions are performed as part of the induction process:
- Information briefings on the asylum process, UKBA asylum support (if necessary) and rights and responsibilities in the UK
- Support application, if necessary
- Health check, TB screening (when available in the Induction Centre) referral to health service providers, NHS direct, how to use A & E services and special needs assessment
- Asylum interview appointment booked
Some destitute asylum applicants in need of UKBA support will be given their induction in a residential centre where they will be housed until a decision on their support application is received. This is expected to take between seven and ten working days. In addition to the functions performed at the induction, residents will also receive orientation and housekeeping briefings, and dispersal briefings explaining travel arrangements to their long-term accommodation.
Applicants applying for accommodation will also stay in or near the induction centre while they await a decision on their UKBA support application and details of travel arrangements to their dispersal address. Applicants should also be issued with an appointment for their substantive asylum interview before leaving the centre. This is normally carried out by the asylum case owner or their representative at the first reporting event (FRE).
At the time of writing, there were induction centres established in Ashford, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Dover, Croydon and Hounslow.
