Asylum
Waiting for a decision: money, housing, doctor, work — what to do, step by step
Months pass between claiming and the decision, often longer. We don't run cases and we don't assess chances. But here's what you can do yourself right now: apply for support, register with a doctor, find a free lawyer and not break the rules while you wait.
Step 1. Work out where you are in the process
Screening interview
A short meeting with an immigration officer: biometrics, basic details and, in broad terms, why you're asking for protection. Afterwards you get an ARC card. In detail: «Screening interview».
Substantive interview
The main conversation with the caseworker who decides your case. They usually set aside around three hours, the conversation is recorded, and your representative can be present. In detail: «Substantive interview».
Decision by letter
GOV.UK doesn't publish timescales — the wait can be very long. What to do after a positive decision: «Status granted»; after a refusal: «Refusal» (14 days to appeal).
Step 2. Apply for support: money and housing (asylum support)
What you're entitled to
- Section 98 — temporary accommodation straight after you claim, no money.
- Section 95 — accommodation and money after a check: £49.18 a week for each person in the family on an ASPEN card; £9.95 a week if the accommodation includes meals.
- Extra payments: +£5.25 for pregnant women; +£9.50 for a child under one; +£5.25 for a child aged 1–3; a one-off £300 when a baby is born (form MAT B1).
- Section 4 — after a refusal, under certain conditions.
You can't choose the city; London or the South East are unlikely. Officially: gov.uk/asylum-support.
How to apply: call Migrant Help
The number is 0808 801 0503, 24 hours a day, free, with an interpreter available. Have the Home Office letter with your case number in front of you.
“Hello. I’m an asylum seeker and I need to apply for asylum support. I have no money and nowhere to live. Can I have a Russian interpreter, please?”
Instead of Russian, say Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik or Turkmen if that's your language.
HC2: free prescriptions, dental care, glasses
On section 95 the HC2 certificate arrives automatically, in about 21 days. If it hasn't come, call 0300 330 1343. On section 98 and section 4, fill in form HC1.
Moving to another city
Only in writing, through the Change of Circumstances form at Migrant Help (0808 801 0503). Grounds: safety (urgent), ongoing medical treatment, therapy at Freedom from Torture or Helen Bamber. Being close to your lawyer doesn't count as a ground.
Step 3. Register with a doctor — it doesn't affect your case
What's free for everyone
Registering with a GP needs no documents, no address and no status. HIV treatment, PrEP, STI tests and STI treatment are free for everyone. People on section 95 are also exempt from hospital treatment charges. Don't put off seeing a doctor until the decision: the wait can take years. Step by step: «A doctor without status».
At the GP reception
“Hello. I’d like to register as a new patient. I don’t have proof of address or ID — I understand that’s not required.”
If they refuse, call Doctors of the World on 0808 1647 686.
Step 4. Find a free lawyer and check their registration
Search by postcode
find-legal-advice.justice.gov.uk, category “Immigration or asylum”. It only shows those who work under legal aid.
Check the register
gov.uk/find-an-immigration-adviser — the IAA register and the list of those banned from giving advice. Not on the register means not a lawyer, even if they're from back home.
Help with the search
Refugee Council 0808 196 7272. For LGBTQ+ asylum seekers aged 18+: Rainbow Migration 020 3752 5801. Ready-made phrases for ringing round: «Free lawyer».
Step 5. Work, volunteering, study — what's allowed
You can scroll the table sideways.
| What | Rule |
|---|---|
| Work | Usually not. You can ask for permission to work if there's been no decision for more than 12 months and the delay isn't your fault. Even then, only jobs on the Immigration Salary List; for claims made from 26 March 2026, only at RQF level 6+ (bachelor's degree and above). Self-employment and running your own business are banned. Officially: GOV.UK |
| Volunteering | Allowed without permission to work. The line: a contract, a rota, penalties for not turning up — that's already "unpaid work", a breach |
| School for children | An unconditional right; they can't demand a passport |
| English (ESOL) | After 6 months of waiting; on section 4, no waiting. In detail: «English» |
| University | International fees, but 80+ universities offer Sanctuary Scholarships |
Plan your budget around the support, not around the hope of work.
Frequently asked questions
£49.18 a week isn't enough for me. Can I get more?
It isn't safe living among people from back home in my accommodation. What do I do?
Will HIV treatment or PrEP affect my case?
Can I go home for a week while I wait?
Official sources
Claim asylum in the UK
Official description of the claims process
Open →Information booklet about your asylum application
Home Office booklet for applicants
Open →Asylum support: what you'll get
Payment rates, the ASPEN card and accommodation
Open →Working whilst an asylum claim is considered
When and on what conditions you can ask for permission to work
Open →Find an immigration adviser
Register of regulated advisers and the list of those banned
Open →Find a legal aid adviser
Legal aid lawyer search, category immigration or asylum
Open →Sexual identity issues in asylum interviews
Home Office guidance on cases involving sexual orientation
Open →NHS entitlements: migrant health guide
What's free on the NHS regardless of status
Open →Qadam London
How we can help
- We'll give you contacts for legal aid lawyers and show you how to check their registration on the IAA / SRA register before you pay a penny.
- We'll explain what the Home Office letter means and what the next step in the procedure is.
- We'll give you contacts for Rainbow Migration and Micro Rainbow if you meet their criteria.
- We'll tell you how to register with a GP and where to get free tests and treatment — it doesn't depend on your case and doesn't affect it.
Phone numbers at this stage
Asylum and LGBTQI+
020 3752 5801Rainbow Migration. 18+, you're in the UK, you have your own lawyer.
Services are free
Can't get a doctor
0808 1647 686Doctors of the World. They help migrants register with a GP.
Helpline for migrants
HIV and sexual health
0808 802 1221THT Direct. Testing, treatment, PrEP, rights at work.
Mon–Fri 10:00–18:00
Nowhere to live
0808 800 4444Shelter. Free housing advice.
Mon–Fri 8:00–17:00
Struggling and no one to talk to
116 123Samaritans. You can call in any state.
24 hours, free
Violence, blackmail, threats
0800 999 5428Galop. A helpline for LGBT+ people.
Mon–Tue 9:15–20:00, Wed–Fri 9:15–16:30
Personal plan · free · 24 hours
Housing, money, a doctor — for your area
Addresses of GPs who register you without documents, how to apply for support, who to call if you're refused — all in one PDF made for you.