CNA Explains: What is asylum protection and how does one qualify?

SINGAPORE: The youngest son of Singapore’s late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on Tuesday (Oct 22) said he had sought asylum protection in the United Kingdom in 2022 and that he was now a political refugee.
Mr Lee Hsien Yang, also the younger brother of former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, left Singapore with his wife Lee Suet Fern that same year, after skipping a scheduled police interview over potential offences of giving false evidence in judicial proceedings regarding the will of his father.
Responding to queries from CNA, spokespersons from both the UK Home Office and British High Commission in Singapore said it was “longstanding” government policy to not comment on questions regarding individuals and asylum matters.
According to the United Nations’ refugee agency, as of mid-2024, there were almost 8 million asylum seekers worldwide, with over 128,000 looking for asylum in the UK.
UK government websites state that someone can apply for asylum protection in another country if they fear persecution or feel unsafe and that their life is in danger in their own country. 
The applicant will still remain a citizen in their home country. 
Asylum is not immediately granted, but an asylum seeker must apply for asylum to continue living in the country as a refugee, said the UK government.
It added that a person seeking asylum there is advised to apply immediately upon arrival, or once they feel it’s unsafe to return to their home country. An application can be rejected if an asylum seeker waits for too long. 
According to the UK government, the fear of persecution must be on grounds of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or other factors such as sexual orientation or their country’s political situation. 
An applicant must also have failed to get protection from the government in their own country.
Asylum seekers just stepping foot in the UK need to inform border officers that they intend to claim asylum. 
They must book a screening by calling an appointment line, where they’ll be asked simple questions about themselves and their families, and if they need help finding accommodation.
During the screening, they’ll be asked about their background and why they are seeking asylum.
They will have their fingerprints and photographs taken; and must provide the necessary medical information, the UK government said. 
Three scenarios can happen after the screening.
First, if an asylum seeker passes the screening, they’ll be invited to another interview to further explain what caused their persecution and why they’re afraid to return to their country. A lawyer or solicitor can be present here. 
A person granted refugee status will have to live in the UK for a minimum of five years. Dependants will be able to stay for the same period of time. 
After five years, refugees and their dependants will be allowed to apply for what’s called indefinite leave to remain. This essentially gives the refugee the right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as they like. Refugees will also be able to apply for British citizenship. 
Second, in some cases, an asylum seeker is granted protection status without undergoing an interview. This happens when there’s enough evidence from the screening and questionnaire, if one was filled up beforehand. 
Third, asylum seekers may also be kept at an immigration removal centre while they wait for a decision on their application. They would then either be released to continue living in the UK, or held and removed from the country. They may also be forced to leave the UK if another country offers asylum.  
Asylum seekers are allowed to bring their partners and children under 18 years old as dependants if they’re in the UK as well, and they can stay for the same amount of time as the main applicant. But they will not be granted refugee status unless they apply for asylum on their own.
Unless granted permission, asylum seekers will not be allowed to work when awaiting the outcome of their application, the UK government noted. 
To support them, accommodation will be provided but this is unlikely to be in areas like London. Each person in a household will receive £49.18 (US$64) per week, but only £8.86 (US$11.5) if the accommodation provides meals.
Asylum seekers will also come under the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) system and get medicine prescriptions, dental care and eyesight tests for free.
Children of asylum seekers aged five to 17 must attend school where they may also be able to get free meals. 
 
There are 322 Singaporean asylum seekers as of mid-2024, according to UN data.
Singapore Management University’s associate professor of law Eugene Tan told CNA there was “nothing” to prohibit Singaporeans from seeking asylum in other countries. “It is not an offence for a Singapore citizen to do so.”
Conversely, Singapore “generally does not offer asylum”, he said. “As a small country, Singapore is not in a position to accept any person seeking refugee or asylum status, regardless of background.”
Mr Lee Hsien Yang on Tuesday said he remains a Singapore citizen and hopes “some day it will become safe to return home”.  
Singapore’s Constitution states that “no citizen of Singapore shall be banished or excluded from Singapore”, Assoc Prof Tan noted.
Other Singaporeans who have sought asylum in recent years include lawyer and former opposition Reform Party chairman Charles Yeo, who said in 2022 that he was “seeking political asylum” in the UK as well after claiming that criminal charges against him were “politically motivated”. 
Then there’s former blogger and convicted sex offender Amos Yee, who sought asylum in the United States in 2016 and was granted it the next year. 
Going back decades, former student union leader Tan Wah Piow in 1976 also sought – and was eventually granted – asylum in the UK. He had fled Singapore after being convicted in a rioting case, and was later accused by Singapore authorities of masterminding a Marxist plot to overthrow the government in 1987. His citizenship was revoked that same year.
Mr Rajan Supramaniam, a senior criminal lawyer at Regent Law who has handled such cases, said a person’s Singapore citizenship would only be revoked in cases of criminal activities that prejudice the country’s public safety, peace and good order.
Even then, this is “sparingly exercised”, he said.