Asylum and Humanitarian Protection

If you fear return to your home country you can make an application for asylum. A claim for asylum will only succeed if you can show that you fear persecution (ill treatment) due to a specific reason such as race, religion, political believes or if you belong to a particular social group.  You must also show that you can not seek protection from the government and you can not relocate within your country to avoid persecution.

If you fear serious harm but not for one of the specific reasons listed for asylum, you may be eligible for Humanitarian Protection. this can include for example fear of indiscriminate violence from a war zone.

both grants of leave are similar, they will both give you 5 years leave to remain, after which you can apply for settlement. you can also apply for family reunion

Asylum and Humanitarian Protection

For a fixed fee we can help you throughout the asylum process with would include the following:

• helping you complete the personal Information Questionnaire (PIQ)
• Draft a detailed statement explaining the reasons you fear return to your country
• we can accompany you at the Home Office interview ( for an additional cost)
• we will read back through your asylum interview to make sure there are no mistakes and will make any corrections to the Home Office
• we will compile and submit your supporting documents with detailed submissions (if required)

Family Reunion 

When you are granted asylum or humanitarian protection you can apply for your family to join you in the United Kingdom, this is called family reunion. The Immigration rules state that family members include your spouse and children. If you wish to bring other family members such as adult children, parents and siblings they would not fall within the rules and therefore the application would be more complex and may be refused, if it is refused we can help you challenge the decision in the First Tier (Immigration and Asylum) Tribunal.

Whether your case falls within the rules or is more complex Seren Legal will make sure your application is fully compliant with the rules, guidance, and policy and that you have the best possible chance of success.

Travel Documents

If you are granted asylum we can help you apply for a travel document. this will usually be valid for 5 years unless you have settled status whereby it can be valid up to 10 years. You can not use the travel document to travel to your home country or from the country you sort asylum from. The Home Office fee is currently £75 for adults

If you have been granted humanitarian protection or another form of leave and your home country has refused to issue you a passport we can help you apply for a certificate of travel.  You may have to prove that you have an important reason to travel and that your country will not issue you a passport or travel document. The certificate of travel is usually valid for 5 years or for the length of time left on your leave.  The Home Office fee is currently £280 for adults

Replacement Biometric Card (BRP) or vignette 

If your biometric residence card or passport with your grant of leave endorsed in it (Vignette) has been lost or stolen we can help you obtain a replacement from the Home Office. It is important that you report the loss to the police as soon as possible and keep a note of the crime reference number.