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UNHCR Asylum Registration and Refugee Status Procedure

IndiaHumanitarian protection

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Explore pathways in India Read the five questions ↓

What exactly is this: asylum, temporary protection, humanitarian admission, resettlement or another protection mechanism?

This is UNHCR asylum registration in India: the recording, verifying and updating of information on persons in need of international protection, carried out through a registration interview with persons seeking to apply for asylum. Refugee status determination (RSD) is a separate step: not all registered asylum seekers undergo RSD, and registration does not mean the person will be invited for an RSD interview.

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Which population, circumstances or geographic group does the mechanism cover?

UNHCR says a person physically present in India who cannot return to their home country because of fear of persecution and needs international protection may request registration. The process records information about the applicant and family, including the reasons for seeking protection.

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Where can protection be requested, and is this a direct application, border/in-country request, referral or other process?

The request is made from within India: the person can contact UNHCR India using the contact channel on its official registration page and provide the listed personal, family and arrival information. UNHCR says staff will contact the person about next steps and asks applicants to request appointments for services.

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What happens after the request: registration, family handling, major support and rights where officially stated?

At the registration interview UNHCR captures biodata, photographs and biometrics (iris and/or fingerprints); applicants show travel documents, identity papers, employment and education records and other documents if available, after which UNHCR issues a document confirming asylum-seeker status under UNHCR's mandate. All persons seeking asylum, including family members and dependants, should attend the registration interview. Registered asylum seekers receive asylum-seeker cards valid for two years, renewable until a final decision on refugee status. Registration enables identification of people with specific needs and their referral to a protection response, and being registered can protect against refoulement, arbitrary arrest and detention.

See recorded sources
  • https://help.unhcr.org/india/applying-for-asylum-india/
    During the registration interview, individual biodata, photographs and biometric information (iris and/or fingerprint scan) are captured. Applicants are required to show travel documents, identity papers, employment and education records, and other documentation if available. After a review of this information, UNHCR issues a document to applicants, confirming their status as asylum seekers under the mandate of UNHCR.
  • https://help.unhcr.org/india/applying-for-asylum-india/
    All persons seeking asylum (including family members and/or any other dependents) should be present on the day of your registration interview.
  • https://help.unhcr.org/india/applying-for-asylum-india/
    Asylum seekers registered with UNHCR will receive asylum seeker cards. These documents are valid for two years from the date of registration with UNHCR and will be subject to renewal until such time when the card holder receives a final decision on his/her application for refugee status.
  • https://help.unhcr.org/india/applying-for-asylum-india/
    The process of registration enables the early identification of individuals with specific needs within a population and their referral to an available protection response.
  • https://help.unhcr.org/india/applying-for-asylum-india/
    The very fact of being registered can protect against refoulement (forced return), arbitrary arrest and detention.

Which competent authority, UN body or official assistance channel should the person use?

Contact UNHCR India, the UNHCR Field Office Chennai or the listed Telangana contact (phone 8977999218) as given on the UNHCR India registration page. All UNHCR and partner services are free of charge and no one should be asked to pay for them; refugee community leaders and community structures have no role in facilitating or influencing access. Suspected fraud should be reported to UNHCR by email, and complaints can also be made to the Inspector General's Office.

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Limits of the record
  • The email addresses for UNHCR India, the Chennai field office, Telangana, fraud reports and the Inspector General's Office are masked as '[email protected]' in the captured text and cannot be given from this source.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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