Supporting someone in my church through the asylum system

What guidance is available for clergy on supporting asylum seekers?

The Church of England has updated its Guidance Document for Clergy on Supporting Asylum Seekers (January 2025). The document can be accessed here.

The document includes information on ministering to people who are in the asylum process, as well as how to respond to requests for assistance (such as writing letters of support).

The first part of this handy guide from Praxis might also be useful in learning about how best to support people (and is written with people who have experience of the immigration system).

Welcoming refugees and asylum seekers to church

We want all of our churches to be safe spaces and welcoming communities for refugees and asylum seekers. Here are a few great places to start:

• Consider becoming a Welcome Church
• Read Theos’ guide for Church Leaders on helping refugees integrate (this resource was created out of their 2025 research, ‘From Strangers to Neighbours: The Church and the Integration of Refugees’, by George Lapshynov) 
• Read this CUF blog, with some great suggestions on ‘how to welcome refugees well’
• Explore this advice from our friends at The Methodist Church

Where can I find information about the asylum system in the UK?

The toolkit on The Right to Remain Website is a recommended resource for non-legal professionals who are supporting people through the UK asylum and immigration system. It is a very helpful resource to understand the process of claiming asylum.

The Refugee Council website also provides information and guidance for refugees and those supporting them.

This infographic, produced by the Compassionate Communities team for Refugee Week 2022 helps us understand current UK resettlement pathways, and how our church communities are supporting refugees, migrants and asylum seekers within this system.

In what different ways are churches supporting those in the asylum system?

The Dioceses of London and Southwark, and Caritas Westminster worked together to collect and tell the stories of our church communities welcoming asylum seekers.

Find below our Stories of Welcome told through film, and in a pdf brochure.

Where can I find information about what asylum support a person is entitled to?

The Asylum Support Appeals Project (ASAP) has a number of helpful factsheets on the different types of support available to those in the asylum system.

• Section 95: the support available to people whose claims for asylum are ongoing.
• Section 98: Temporary support while waiting for Section 95 support.
• Asylum support for dependants.
• Section 4: the support for refused asylum-seekers – those who have come to the end of the asylum process, been refused asylum and exhausted their appeal rights.

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