Glossary
What all these words mean
A dictionary of the terms you'll come across in your first year. For each one: the English name, what it is and what to do about it. The definitions are in plain words, not legal ones; the exact wording is on GOV.UK and the NHS.
We don't give immigration advice: for your own case, ask an IAA-registered adviser or an SRA / BSB lawyer.
Asylum and support
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| Term | What it is | What to do about it |
|---|---|---|
| Screening interview | The first short meeting when you claim asylum | More in "Screening" |
| Substantive interview | The main interview about your case | More in "Interview" |
| ARC (Application Registration Card) | The asylum seeker's card. The Home Office says it's not an identity document | Always carry it to reporting appointments. Not needed for a GP. Some banks accept it |
| Asylum support | Housing and money from the Home Office while you wait for a decision | Apply through Migrant Help 0808 801 0503, 24/7 |
| Section 98 | Temporary housing straight after you claim, with no cash | Free prescriptions — with form HC1 |
| Section 95 | Housing plus money after the checks: £49.18 a week per person; £9.95 if your accommodation includes meals | The HC2 certificate arrives automatically (~21 days). If it doesn't — 0300 330 1343 |
| Section 4 | Support after a refusal, under certain conditions | Form ASF1 through Migrant Help. More in "Refusal" |
| ASPEN | The card your asylum support payments are paid onto | Not working or lost — Migrant Help 0808 801 0503 |
| Change of Circumstances | A written notice that your circumstances have changed, including a request to move to another city | Through Migrant Help. Grounds: safety, ongoing medical treatment, therapy at Freedom from Torture / Helen Bamber. Being close to your lawyer is not a ground |
| Legal aid | A free lawyer for your asylum case, paid for by the state | Search: find-legal-advice.justice.gov.uk, category Immigration or asylum. More in "Lawyer" |
| IAA (formerly OISC) / SRA / BSB | The registers of those allowed to give immigration advice: advisers (IAA) and lawyers (SRA, BSB) | Check any "lawyer" at gov.uk/find-an-immigration-adviser. Not on the register — not a lawyer |
| First-tier Tribunal | The court that hears an appeal against a refusal | 14 days to lodge it from the date of the decision, if you're in the UK |
| Appeal rights exhausted | All routes of appeal have been used up | While a request for permission to appeal is being considered, the case isn't finally decided — check with your lawyer |
| Immigration bail | Release from immigration detention, with conditions | BID 020 7456 9750 (Mon–Thu 10:00–12:00), Detention Action 0800 587 2096. In the centre — 30 minutes with a free lawyer (DDAS) through the welfare team |
| Move-on period | 42 days after a positive decision, while you still have Home Office housing and payments | Apply for Universal Credit in the first 3 days. More in "Positive decision" |
Documents and status
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| Term | What it is | What to do about it |
|---|---|---|
| BRP (Biometric Residence Permit) | A plastic card with your status. Replaced by the digital eVisa | If you have the card, keep it, but prove your status through the eVisa |
| eVisa | Your status in digital form, in your UKVI account. There won't be any more plastic cards | Create an account: gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status. Free |
| Share code | A temporary code you use to show your status to an employer, landlord or bank. Valid for 90 days | Generate it in your UKVI account before each check |
| Right to work | The right to work that comes with your status | The employer checks it with your share code |
| ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) | Permanent permission to stay, "settlement" | The conditions — only on GOV.UK, or from your lawyer |
| IHS (Immigration Health Surcharge) | A healthcare surcharge paid together with a visa; it opens access to the NHS | Asylum seekers don't pay it: the GP and treatment are free anyway |
| Refugee travel document | A refugee travel document instead of a passport | Around £102 for an adult, valid until the end of your leave. You can't travel to the country you fled |
| Integration loan | An interest-free loan for refugees: £100–£500 for one person, up to £780 for a couple | Once in a lifetime — decide when you need it most. For a deposit, rent, essentials, training |
Health and the NHS
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| Term | What it is | What to do about it |
|---|---|---|
| GP (General Practitioner) | Your family doctor, the entry point to the whole system | Registration is free, with no documents, address or status needed: NHS: how to register |
| GMS1 | The GP registration form | Fill it in at reception; they can't demand a passport or an address |
| NHS 111 | A 24/7 line for when you're not sure whether you need a doctor urgently | Call 111 |
| A&E (Accident and Emergency) | The hospital emergency department | Life in danger — 999 |
| Sexual health clinic (formerly GUM) | Sexual health clinic | Free for everyone, no referral or status needed: STI and HIV tests and treatment, PrEP. More in "STIs" |
| PrEP | Pills taken before sex so you don't get HIV | Free on the NHS through a sexual health clinic |
| PEP | An emergency course after a risk | Start within 72 hours: a sexual health clinic or A&E |
| U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) | With an undetectable viral load, a person with HIV can't pass the virus on through sex. Scientific fact | HIV treatment is free for everyone regardless of status |
| HC2 / HC1 | A certificate for free prescriptions, dental care and glasses (HC2) and the form to get it (HC1) | On section 95 the HC2 comes by itself (~21 days); on section 98 and section 4 — fill in HC1. If it doesn't arrive — 0300 330 1343 |
| NHS Talking Therapies | Free mental health support | You can self-refer, without a GP: NHS Talking Therapies |
Money, housing, work
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| Term | What it is | What to do about it |
|---|---|---|
| NI number (National Insurance number) | Your National Insurance number, needed to work legally | After you get status it's usually already been issued. If not — gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number |
| Universal Credit | The main state benefit after you get status | Apply in the first 3 days of the move-on period; the first payment takes ~5 weeks; phone 0800 328 5644 |
| Advance payment | An advance on your first Universal Credit payment | They must offer it to refugees — if they don't, ask for it yourself |
| Payslip | Your pay statement: how much you earned and what was deducted | Check it every month and keep it |
| National Minimum Wage | The legal minimum hourly pay | Rates: gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates. Paid less — Acas 0300 123 1100 |
| Council | Local council: housing and homelessness | Refugee status alone doesn't give you priority need; prove vulnerability with letters from your doctor |
| Priority need | A priority need that obliges the council to house you | Gather documents in advance: HIV and treatment, mental health, effects of torture. Shelter 0808 800 4444 |
| ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) | English courses for adults, often free | After 6 months of waiting (on section 4 — no waiting): gov.uk: improve your English. More in "English" |
People and community
Coming out / Outing
Coming out — telling people about yourself, on your own terms. Outing — when someone else tells people about you without your consent. They're not the same thing, and the second can be dangerous. Blackmail or threats to expose you — Galop 0800 999 5428.
Queer · Cis · Trans · Non-binary
Queer — an umbrella word for everyone who isn't straight and isn't cis; once an insult, now many use it with pride. Cis — your gender matches the sex you were assigned at birth. Trans — it doesn't. Non-binary — doesn't fit into "man" or "woman".
Pronouns · Consent
Pronouns — he/him, she/her, they/them. In Britain it's normal to ask and to respect them. Consent — agreement: both people have to want it, you can change your mind at any moment, and silence doesn't count as a yes.
Chosen family
People who become your family when your own family didn't accept you. For many people here that's not a metaphor. To talk it through — Switchboard 0800 0119 100.
Organisations that come up all the time
You can scroll the table sideways.
| Name | What it is | When to call |
|---|---|---|
| Migrant Help | Applying for asylum support, housing, ASPEN, complaints | 0808 801 0503, 24/7 |
| Refugee Council | Help for refugees, finding a lawyer, helpline in several languages | 0808 196 7272 |
| Rainbow Migration | Support for LGBTQI+ people going through the asylum process, 18+ | 020 3752 5801 |
| Galop | Helpline for LGBT+ people: abuse, blackmail, hate crime | 0800 999 5428 |
| Switchboard | LGBTQ+ helpline for any topic | 0800 0119 100, daily 10:00–22:00 |
| THT (Terrence Higgins Trust) | HIV and sexual health | THT Direct 0808 802 1221, Mon–Fri 10:00–18:00 |
| Shelter | Housing and homelessness | 0808 800 4444, Mon–Fri 8:00–17:00 |
| Micro Rainbow | Housing specifically for LGBTQI+ refugees | 0800 358 5851 |
| Doctors of the World | Help migrants get access to a doctor | If a GP refuses to register you |
| Acas | Advice on your rights at work | 0300 123 1100, Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00, interpreter available |
| Samaritans | 24/7 helpline for when things are hard | 116 123 |
Official sources
NHS: how to register with a GP
The official guide to registering with a doctor
Open →View and prove your immigration status
eVisa, UKVI account and share code
Open →Apply for a National Insurance number
How to get an NI number
Open →National Minimum Wage rates
Current minimum wage rates
Open →HIV prevention: PrEP
What PrEP is and where to get it
Open →NHS Talking Therapies
Mental health support without a referral from a doctor
Open →Improve your English, maths and IT skills
ESOL courses and how to sign up
Open →Discrimination: your rights
The Equality Act 2010 in plain language
Open →Qadam London
How we can help
- We'll explain any term in a language you understand.
- We'll tell you which of these words apply to your stage and which you can skip for now.
- We'll go through a confusing letter together, or something you were told at a clinic or an appointment.
Where to get help
Useful phone numbers at this stage
A medical question, not urgent
111NHS 111. They'll tell you where to go.
24 hours
HIV and sexual health
0808 802 1221THT Direct. Testing, treatment, PrEP, rights at work.
Mon–Fri 10:00–18:00
LGBTQ+ support line
0800 0119 100Switchboard. Talk about anything: coming out, loneliness, fear.
Daily 10:00–22:00
Rights at work
0300 123 1100Acas. Pay, hours, holiday, discrimination.
Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00, with an interpreter
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
Personal plan · free · 24 hours
The words make sense, but what to do doesn't?
Describe your situation in your own words — we'll turn it into concrete steps for your area and your status.