When we use the term “asylum seeker,” I believe it is important to remember the person behind the label. It is also important to stress the person before their experience of displacement. Hence I ask that you the African Rainbow Family to change the narrative to a person seeking asylum. Read more about African Rainbow Family’s We Are Human – Manchester Declaration Campaign, here.
A person seeking asylum is a person who is someone fleeing persecution and seeking protection. They are not simply an immigration case, a reference number or an application waiting for a decision. They are human beings with histories, families, emotions, skills, hopes, fears and dreams.
I want to share some reflections on mental health and well-being as a person seeking asylum in the UK, drawing partly from my own experience.
Although my current immigration circumstances are primarily connected with private life and human rights, I have also applied for asylum in the past. That experience gave me an understanding of how the uncertainty surrounding the asylum and immigration process can affect a person’s emotional, psychological and financial well-being.
The emotional impact of seeking asylum
Seeking asylum can be an emotionally exhausting experience.
Many people may arrive in the UK having left behind family, friends, careers, education, homes and familiar communities. Some may have experienced persecution, discrimination, violence or other difficult circumstances.
Reaching a place of safety does not necessarily mean that the emotional journey is over.
There can still be constant questions about the future:
- Will my application be successful?
- When will I receive a decision?
- Where will I live?
- How will I support myself?
- What happens if my application is refused?
- Will I ever be able to rebuild my life?
Living with these unanswered questions can create anxiety, stress, loneliness and a feeling that life has been put on hold.
For some people, this can affect sleep, concentration, motivation, relationships and overall mental health.
The difficulty of waiting
One of the most difficult aspects can be the waiting.
When your future depends on a decision that is outside your control, time can feel very different. Days can become weeks, and weeks can become months or longer.
You may want to work, study, build a career, support your family or simply live an ordinary life, but uncertainty can make it difficult to plan ahead with confidence.
This is why mental health should not be treated as an afterthought. Emotional well-being needs attention throughout the journey.
Financial difficulties and the fear of destitution
Another issue that deserves much more attention is financial insecurity.
Many people seeking asylum are not permitted to work while their claim is being considered, except in limited circumstances. This can make it extremely difficult to maintain financial independence and freedom.
Financial insecurity is not only an economic problem. It can directly affect mental health.
Imagine having professional experience, qualifications and the ability to work, but being unable to earn an income while waiting for an immigration decision.
You may worry about food, transport, clothing, communication and other essential expenses. You may also depend on friends, relatives or community members for accommodation and basic support.
The fear of losing that support can become overwhelming.
That is why I believe it is important to seek advice early rather than waiting until you become homeless or completely destitute.
If you are unable to support yourself, it is important to speak with your solicitor or immigration adviser and understand what support may be available in your circumstances. People who meet the relevant requirements may be able to access asylum support, including accommodation and financial support.
It is also important to seek help if your circumstances change. For example, if someone who has been providing you with accommodation can no longer do so, don’t simply wait until you have nowhere to go.
Speak to your solicitor, Migrant Help or another reputable organisation as early as possible. Explain your circumstances and ask what options are available.
Asking for help early is not weakness. It is taking responsibility for your own well-being.
Mental health and practical support are connected
We sometimes talk about mental health as though it exists separately from financial or immigration problems.
In reality, they are deeply connected.
If you don’t know where you will sleep next month, it is difficult to feel emotionally secure.
If you are worried about having enough money for basic necessities, it can be difficult to concentrate on your mental health.
If you are constantly thinking about an immigration decision, it can affect your sleep, relationships and confidence.
Therefore, supporting the mental health of people seeking asylum requires more than simply telling someone to “stay positive.”
Sometimes a person needs counselling.
Sometimes they need legal advice.
Sometimes they need help with asylum process support.
Sometimes they need accommodation.
And sometimes they simply need someone who will listen without judgement.
My experience with the African Rainbow Family
One organisation that has personally made a difference to me is African Rainbow Family (ARF).
ARF offers various forms of support, including immigration advice, advocacy, campaigns, practical psychotherapeutic support, employability, integration, talking therapy and free counselling services for people within its community.
I was personally a beneficiary of the free counselling arranged through ARF.
For me, counselling was not simply about discussing immigration.
It gave me a safe opportunity to explore some of the inner burdens I had been carrying, including feelings connected to family abandonment and experiences from my past.
Sometimes we carry these experiences silently.
We continue attending appointments, dealing with immigration matters and trying to appear strong, while internally we may be carrying pain that has never been properly expressed.
Through counselling, I was able to express myself and open up about my past.
Initially, I felt that I was doing most of the talking and wondered whether there should be more questions or directions. But gradually I began to understand the counselling process better. We were able to identify positive outcomes, and I came to appreciate the value of having a non judgemental and safe space where I could talk openly and reflect.
Most importantly, I learned that I don’t have to deal with everything alone.
I learned to recognise when I needed support and the importance of seeking help before financial difficulties or other challenges reached crisis point.
Community and human connection matter
Loneliness can be one of the most difficult experiences for someone seeking asylum.
You may be separated from family and friends and living in a country where you do not yet have a strong support network. Language barriers, cultural differences and financial difficulties can make social connection even harder.
This is why community organisations like the African Rainbow Family can be so important.
A conversation with someone who understands your circumstances, a counselling session, a support group, volunteering opportunity or simply being welcomed into a community can make a meaningful difference.
Sometimes, being heard and treated with dignity is itself a form of support.
You are more than your immigration status
My strongest message is this:
A person seeking asylum is a person first.
Your immigration status is only one part of your identity.
You may be a parent, a child, a professional, a student, a volunteer, a friend, an artist, a neighbour or someone with many skills and ambitions.
Don’t allow the immigration process to become your entire identity.
Where your circumstances allow, continue learning, building relationships, exercising, volunteering, developing your interests and looking after your physical and emotional health.
You may not be able to control when an immigration decision comes or what that decision will be.
But you can still take care of yourself today.
A message to anyone who is struggling
If you are a person seeking asylum in the UK and you are struggling, please don’t suffer in silence.
Talk to someone you trust.
Speak to your solicitor or immigration adviser.
Seek advice about the support that may be available to you.
If your accommodation or financial situation is becoming unsafe, seek help early.
And if you are carrying emotional or psychological burdens, consider speaking with an appropriate counselling or mental-health service.
You do not have to carry everything alone.
My own experience has taught me that seeking support is not a sign of weakness. Sometimes, asking for help is an act of strength.
Final reflection
Seeking asylum is not only an immigration experience. It can affect your mental health, finances, relationships, confidence, identity and sense of belonging. Including your future.
But difficult circumstances do not mean that you have to face everything alone.
There are people and organisations that can listen, advise and support you.
My experience with counselling through the African Rainbow Family helped me begin to release some of the emotional burdens I had carried for a long time and helped me understand the importance of seeking support.
So, my message is simple:
Don’t wait until you reach crisis point. Ask questions. Seek advice. Talk to someone. Look after your mental health.
And above all, remember that behind the term “a person seeking asylum” is a human being.
You are a person first. Your story matters. Your well-being matters. And you deserve to be treated with dignity, compassion and humanity.
Written by: African Rainbow Family Sibling, Syed Alvi Hussain and Edited by: African Rainbow Family Team
