What is a refugee and what is an asylum seeker?
- A refugee is a person who cannot or does not want to return to their home country because they are afraid of being persecuted (mistreated, victimised) due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group. There must be a real chance of persecution.
- An asylum seeker is someone who has arrived in Australia with or without a valid visa and is applying for Australian protection. If their genuine refugee status is established then the asylum seeker becomes classified as a refugee.
Read some more FAQS from our Refugee & Citizenship section