Asylum Refused: Your Options in the UK
A refusal is not always the end of the process. This guide sets out the published rules on appeal deadlines and fees, further submissions under paragraph 353, judicial review, what support remains, and the voluntary returns service.
- Section
- Asylum & Refugee
- Reading time
- 10 min
- Last checked
- 22 March 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- 14 days to appeal from inside the UK, 28 days from outside.
- The tribunal fee is £82 without a hearing and £144 with one; GOV.UK lists people who get asylum support or legal aid among those who may not have to pay.
- Paragraph 353 sets the test for further submissions after appeal rights are exhausted.
- Support after a refusal requires being homeless, having no money for food, and a reason you cannot leave the UK yet.
- The voluntary returns service publishes reintegration support of up to £3,000.
A refusal normally carries a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal, with 14 days to lodge it from inside the UK and 28 days from outside. After appeal rights are exhausted, paragraph 353 of the Immigration Rules governs further submissions, and judicial review challenges the lawfulness of a decision rather than the facts. Support after a refusal is narrower than section 95 support and comes with its own three conditions.
What the Refusal Letter Contains
A refusal of an asylum claim sets out the reasons for the decision and states what appeal right, if any, comes with it. The appeal clock runs from the date the decision letter was received, so the date matters as much as the reasons. A legal aid provider is the route to advice on what the letter means for a particular case.
Option 1: Appeal to the Tribunal
Where a right of appeal exists, it is to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), which is a court independent of the Home Office. The published deadlines are:
- In the UK: “You have 14 days from the date you received the decision letter to submit your appeal.”
- Outside the UK: 28 days from the date you received the decision letter.
- If you had to leave the UK before appealing: 28 days from the date you left.
The published fees are:
- £82 for an appeal decided without a hearing
- £144 for an appeal with a hearing
GOV.UK lists people who get asylum support, people receiving legal aid, and under-18s getting services from their local council among those who may not have to pay, and says help with the fee may also be available on grounds of low income, savings or benefits. The deadlines and fees are on the GOV.UK immigration and asylum tribunal pages.
Rowan does not publish appeal success rates. No current sourced figure was found, and a rate quoted without a source is worse than none.
For more on how appeals run, see our visa appeal process guide.
Option 2: Further Appeal
If your appeal to the First-tier Tribunal is dismissed, you may be able to appeal to the Upper Tribunal on a point of law. This means arguing that the judge made a legal error — for example, by misapplying the law or failing to consider important evidence.
An Upper Tribunal appeal requires permission, which is applied for within its own time limit. Permission is granted on a point of law, not on a disagreement with the findings of fact.
Option 3: Fresh Claim
If your appeal rights are exhausted, you may be able to make a further submission under paragraph 353 of the Immigration Rules. The test in that paragraph is that the submissions are significantly different from the material already considered: the content has not already been considered, and, taken together with the previously considered material, it creates a realistic prospect of success. Since March 2026 further submissions are made in person at a Service and Support Centre.
Option 4: Judicial Review
Judicial review is a legal challenge to the lawfulness of the Home Office's decision. It does not reconsider the facts of your case but checks whether the decision was made lawfully, rationally, and fairly.
The grounds it is brought on include:
- the Home Office not following its own published policy
- a decision that is irrational or unreasonable in law
- a procedural unfairness in how the decision was made
- a decision that further submissions do not amount to a fresh claim under paragraph 353
Support After Refusal
After your claim is refused and any appeal is dismissed:
- Section 95 support. Home Office guidance says a person “continues to be an asylum seeker for the purpose of asylum support for 21 days” after a refusal decision is served. Support for a household with a dependent child under 18 is not ceased at the end of that period while the child is under 18 and the other conditions are met.
- Short-term support after refusal. GOV.UK says this is for someone who is homeless, has no money to buy food, and where there is a reason why they cannot leave the UK yet. It provides somewhere to live, help with prescriptions, dental care, eyesight tests and glasses, and a payment card — but no cash, and no payment card without taking the accommodation. See our asylum support guide.
- Healthcare. A refused asylum seeker can register with a GP and get free primary care. Exemption from hospital charges continues while receiving support under section 4(2) or section 95, or local authority care support. Accident and emergency, communicable diseases and family planning are free to everyone. Maternity care must never be delayed or refused, but is chargeable unless an exemption applies. See our NHS access guide.
- Education. Department for Education guidance says “the outcome of their claim will not affect their entitlement to attend school”. Children keep their school place
Voluntary Return
The Home Office runs a Voluntary Returns Service for people who do not have permission to remain in the UK. GOV.UK says it can:
- “explain your options for returning home”
- “help you get travel documents, such as a passport”
- “pay for travel tickets, if you are unable to”
It adds: “You may also be eligible to apply for financial support of up to £3,000”, for things such as housing, work or starting a business in the country of return.
GOV.UK also warns that a re-entry ban may follow, for a period that depends on the immigration history and on the support the Home Office gave for the departure, and says to consult an immigration adviser about re-entry bans before applying.
Other Immigration Routes
In some cases, you may qualify for a different type of leave to remain:
- Humanitarian protection. If you do not meet the refugee definition but face serious harm.
- Private or family life. If you have strong ties to the UK (for example, a British partner or children). See our private life route guide.
- Modern slavery or trafficking. There is a separate identification system, the National Referral Mechanism. Referrals are made by designated first responder organisations, not by the person themselves.
Getting Legal Help
Immigration advice can only be given by a solicitor, a barrister, or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Our legal aid guide covers the means test and the adviser finder. Other routes to a provider include:
- Refugee Council
- Asylum Aid
- Local law centres
- advisers registered with the Immigration Advice Authority
Where the Official Text Is
The appeal deadlines and fees are on the immigration and asylum tribunal pages. The asylum process itself is on GOV.UK claim asylum, and the support rules on the asylum support pages.
Related guides:
Questions and answers
Can I appeal if my asylum claim is refused?
In most cases, yes. GOV.UK says: 'If you're in the UK: You have 14 days from the date you received the decision letter to submit your appeal.' If you are outside the UK it is 28 days, and if you had to leave the UK before appealing it is 28 days from the date you left.
Can I still get support if my asylum claim is refused?
GOV.UK says short-term support after a refusal is for someone who is homeless, has no money to buy food, and where there is a reason why they cannot leave the UK yet. All three have to apply. It gives somewhere to live, help with prescriptions, dental care, eyesight tests and glasses, and a payment card for food and toiletries, but no cash. Department for Education guidance says the outcome of an asylum claim does not affect a child's entitlement to attend school.
What is a fresh claim after asylum refusal?
Paragraph 353 of the Immigration Rules sets the test. Submissions are treated as a fresh claim if they are significantly different from the material already considered, meaning the content has not already been considered and, taken together with the previously considered material, creates a realistic prospect of success.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.