UK Asylum Application Solicitors
Claiming Asylum In The UK: Your Path To Safety Begins Here
At Kas & Co Solicitors, we help people across Scotland and the wider UK with asylum claims, interviews, evidence gathering, and appeals. For more than 15 years, we have supported clients through urgent and often overwhelming immigration situations with calm, strategic advice.
Welcome. If you are reading this because you are in danger, terrified to return to your home country, and seeking protection in the UK, please take a deep breath. You are not alone, and you do not have to walk this long, difficult road by yourself.
At Kas & Co Solicitors, we understand that fleeing your homeland is one of the most painful and frightening choices a human being can make. For over 15 years, our dedicated immigration team has stood beside people just like you. We have watched the political landscapes shift and the rules grow tighter, but our mission remains exactly the same: to give you a strong, clear voice when you need it most.
Recently, we have seen a significant increase in the number of individuals and families turning to us for help with their asylum matters here in Scotland and across the UK. Because of this, we are extending our reach to ensure that anyone in need can access premium, compassionate, and life-changing legal advice.
Whether you have just arrived at a UK port or have been living in the country for some time and now realise it is completely unsafe for you to return home, we are here to fight for your future.
Why You Must Never Claim Asylum Without Expert Legal Advice
It can be tempting to try and navigate the UK Home Office system on your own, or rely on advice from friends and community members. However, making an asylum claim without professional legal representation is highly risky. The Home Office operates on strict, specific legal frameworks. If you submit a claim based on what the law considers “non-conventional grounds”—such as personal family conflicts or local criminal disputes—without properly linking your experiences to international protection laws, the Home Office will likely refuse your application. A refusal can have immediate, devastating consequences, including the loss of your right to stay in the UK and the terrifying threat of deportation.
By instructing Kas & Co Solicitors from the very beginning, we ensure that your story is framed correctly according to UK and international refugee law, protecting you from the common traps that lead to automatic refusals.
How To Instruct Us
We believe that high-quality justice should be accessible to those who need it most. We can accept legal instructions from clients anywhere within the United Kingdom:
- If you are based in Scotland: We offer Legal Aid representation. If you have little or no income, your legal costs with us will usually be completely covered by the Scottish Legal Aid Board.
- If you are based outside of Scotland: You can instruct our expert team on a privately paying basis. We offer transparent, fixed-fee packages and flexible payment structures to assist you.
What Is Asylum?
In simple terms, asylum is international protection given by the UK government to someone who is unable to return to their home country because they have a well-founded fear of persecution.
If the Home Office accepts your claim, you will be formally recognised as a refugee under the 1951 Refugee Convention. This grants you the lawful right to stay in the UK, work, study, and rebuild your life in complete safety.
Grounds For Claiming Asylum
To successfully qualify for asylum, your fear of persecution must be directly linked to at least one of the five specific grounds set out in the Refugee Convention:
- Race: Persecution based on your skin colour, ethnic background, or tribal membership.
- Religion: Being targeted, arrested, or attacked for practicing your faith, or for choosing not to practice a religion.
- Nationality: Persecution due to your citizenship or because you belong to a specific national minority group.
- Political opinion: Being threatened or imprisoned because you oppose your country’s government, participated in protests, or spoke out for your rights.
- Membership of a particular social group: This applies to a distinct group in your society that shares a characteristic that cannot be changed. Common examples include being targeted because of your LGBTQI+ identity, or facing institutional persecution due to your gender.
The Danger Of “Non-Conventional Grounds” And Why Claims Are Refused
Many people face terrible, life-threatening dangers back home that do not easily fit into the traditional categories listed above. These are often referred to as non-conventional grounds.
Without an experienced solicitor to bridge the gap, the Home Office frequently refuses these claims, stating they are “private matters” that your local police should handle. Examples of these difficult situations include:
- Domestic abuse: Suffering severe violence from a partner or family member where the local authorities refuse to protect you.
- Family conflicts: Ongoing, violent blood feuds, land disputes, or honour-based threats from relatives.
- Threats from non-state actors: Being hunted, extorted, or marked for death by powerful criminal networks that control territory, such as drug cartels in South America, Al-Shabaab in Somalia, or the Houthi movement in Yemen.
How we protect you: If your danger stems from a non-state actor or a private conflict, we work tirelessly to build a case showing that your home country’s government is either entirely unwilling or completely unable to protect you, and that moving to another part of your country would not make you safe. We find the hidden legal pathways to turn a non-conventional problem into a successful protection claim.
Step-By-Step: The phases of claiming asylum
The UK asylum process is divided into key stages. We will be right beside you through every single step.
Arrival / Intake Call
Screening Interview
Substantive (Main) Interview
Home Office Decision
Step One: Registering your claim and the screening interview
Your claim officially starts when you notify the authorities. If you are already in the UK, this is done by calling the Home Office Asylum Intake Unit to book an appointment.
- What to expect: The screening is a brief, initial meeting. An immigration officer will take your fingerprints, take your photograph, and check your identity documents. They will ask you basic questions about your journey to the UK and a very brief summary of why you are afraid to return.
- Our support: We will advise you on what documents to bring, help you request an official interpreter, and review your screening record to make sure no errors were made by the interviewer.
Step Two: The substantive interview
This is the most critical part of your entire application. It is a long, highly detailed interview with a Home Office caseworker.
- What to expect: You will be asked to explain, in deep detail, exactly what happened to you in your country, why you fled, and what you believe will happen to you if you are forced to go back. The caseworker will test your story to see if it is credible and matches known facts about your country.
- Our support: We prepare you extensively before this interview so you know what questions to expect. We help you gather your thoughts so you can tell your story clearly and confidently. Following the interview, we can submit written legal arguments to the caseworker to address any points of confusion.
Gathering The Right Evidence
While your personal story is the central piece of evidence, backing it up with documentation makes your case significantly stronger. We will help you gather, translate, and organize various types of evidence, including:
- Government-issued evidence: Original arrest warrants, court summons, or official police notices from your home country.
- Personal testimonies: Signed letters or statements from friends, family members, or witnesses who can confirm the danger you faced.
- Public records: Local newspaper articles, television news clips, or media reports naming you or detailing the events you escaped.
- Human rights reports: Official country guidance and reports from trusted international bodies (like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, or the United Nations) that prove the dangerous conditions in your country.
The support an asylum seeker can get
The UK government recognises that asylum seekers are generally not permitted to work while their claims are being processed. If you do not have money or a place to live, you are entitled to Asylum Support:
- Accommodation: You will be provided with a place to live on a "no-choice" basis, meaning it could be anywhere in the UK (often in flats, houses, or initial accommodation centres).
- Financial support: You will receive a small weekly cash allowance (usually loaded onto an ASPEN debit card) to help you pay for essential everyday items like food, clothing, and toiletries.
The Outcome
After reviewing your interviews and the legal evidence we submit, the Home Office will issue its final decision.
- Refugee status or humanitarian protection: If successful, you will be granted formal permission to stay in the UK for a minimum of 30 months (or 5 years depending on when your claim was registered) giving you the immediate right to work, study, and access public funds.
- Refusal: If your claim is rejected, you will receive a refusal letter explaining why. Please note: If this happens, you often have the right to challenge the decision. The details of how to lodge an appeal can be found on our dedicated Asylum Appeals Page.
Take The First Step Safely: Let Us Stand With You
Your safety and your family’s future are too important to leave to chance or guesswork. Let our 15+ years of legal experience be your shield.
Contact Kas & Co Solicitors right now to schedule a confidential, compassionate consultation with an asylum specialist.
