The UN Convention on Refugees 1951 defines a refugee as someone with a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.

As the world continues to be plagued with confict, the number of asylum seekers applying for refugee status around the globe is increasing. In the first quarter of this year, 16% more asylum applications were received in the UK. The Home Office granted 29% of initial decisions asylum. Appeals from those who were refused asylum also increased by 15%.

Find out what the current process entails, how decisions are made and debates from lobby groups, solicitors, immigration judges, ex-Home Office officials and asylum seekers and refugees themselves (What's the difference?), on whether those decisions are fair and humane in the Home Office and the legal services and judiciary.