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A handy information on the basic differences between refugee, migrant and asylum seeker. Definitions are blurry.


Writer: Stefanos A. Peppas


Who is an asylum seeker?

 Is a person who has fled from his/her country and seeks legal protection (asylum) as a refugee in another country. People who have fled from their homes but remain in their own country are called Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Asylum seekers can arrive by plane or boat. Some arrive as students or tourists with the appropriate documentation. Others come without documentation or with false papers. Some come with their families. Others come alone. All are seeking protection.


Who is a refugee?

 Is a person who has fled his/her country and cannot return because of war, persecution due to their race, religion, or nationality. Fear of persecution is the basis of refugee term. Refugee status is assessed by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

 Refugees are forced to flee their countries out of fear for their lives and liberty. They leave with minimal belongings, sometimes only the clothes they are wearing. The journey may be dangerous and family members may be lost or die en route.



Who is a migrant?

 Is a person who has left his/her country voluntarily to make a new life somewhere else. Migrants make a conscious choice to leave their countries to live abroad. They can still count on the protection of their own government. They can choose and pack the belongings they wish to take with them. Migrants can always go home if they choose and are usually able to contact family and friends in their country of origin for support.

 Who is an illegal immigrant?

 Is either a person who has arrived on a legal visa but overstays or someone who illegaly passes the borders of another country voluntarily. Asylum seekers become illegal immigrants only if their claim to refugee status fails.


The number of first time asylum applicants increased by more than 130 % in the fourth quarter of 2015 compared with the same quarter of 2014 and remained unchanged compared with the third quarter of 2015. Overall, the number of persons seeking asylum from non-EU countries in the EU-28during the fourth quarter of 2015 reached 426 000. This was 241 600 more than in the same quarter of 2014.
Bibliography:
  1. EUROSTAT
  2. The Centre for Refugee Research University of NSW
  3. The Migration Heritage Centre NSW, 2003
  4. British Columbia University
  5. Refuge Network International - A Graphical Representation Of The Situation
  6. UNHCR.GR
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