Definition: An immigrant is someone who leaves one country to settle permanently in another.
Definition: Refugee status may be granted to anyone fleeing persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.
Definition: A refugee becomes an asylum seeker as soon as he/she applies for asylum in another country. It is up to that person to prove that his/her claim is well-founded.
Asylum is protection given under the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.
Definition: Illegal immigrants have entered the country evading passport controls e.g. by hiding in lorries or trains, or they have stayed on after their visa or leave to stay has expired.
Click here for a simple interactive quiz to test what you know already and any misunderstandings about the meaning of key words – immigrant, refugee, asylum seeker, illegal immigrant.