Over at The Conversation and the electronic immigration network MigrationWork Associate Jo Wilding discusses how the UK decides who gets asylum, outlines the criteria that the authorities use to assess asylum applications, and examines why rates of acceptance vary dramatically between national groups.

Addressing one of the most common misunderstandings of what asylum is, she concludes:

Far from a “prize”, asylum is a right. But even though it’s often a matter of life or death, the process is still obstructed by too many bureaucratic hurdles – and still relies on the ability to win over a Home Office apparently often disinclined to believe applicants.