asylum seeker

American  

[uh-sahy-luhm see-ker] / əˈsaɪ ləm ˌsi kər /

noun

1. a person, especially a political fugitive, who applies for refuge or asylum in a foreign country or its embassy.

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asylum seeker British  

noun

1. a person who, from fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, social group, or political opinion, has crossed an international frontier into a country in which he or she hopes to be granted refugee status

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Etymology

Origin of asylum seeker

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

He was placed in asylum seeker accommodation in June 2021, asylum was refused in 2023, and his appeal against that decision was rejected by a judge on 31 December 2025.

From BBC

Conchita Cruz, co-executive director of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, said the regulation would be catastrophic for asylum seekers, their families and U.S. communities.

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps the loudest condemnation of administration behavior has come from Judge Fred Biery of San Antonio, who on Jan. 31 ordered the release of Liam Conejo Arias, the 5-year-old child who was detained by immigration agents in Minnesota and jailed in Texas along with his father, an asylum seeker, provoking a nationwide uproar.

From Los Angeles Times

In one case, an asylum seeker said he went on a 250-mile cab journey to a GP, costing the Home Office £600.

From BBC

Nina, a 25-year-old asylum seeker from Ecuador, told AFP, withholding her full name.

From Barron's