Glossary of terms

  • Asylum seeker - a person who has applied for protection from persecution under the UN Convention and is awaiting a decision from the Home Office on this application.
  • HC1 – a HC1 application is the application form required to apply for a HC2 Certificate. Applications can be submitted online or by post.
  • HC2 – a HC2 Certificate is a certificate which enables some individuals to access some basic health services for free as part of the NHS Low Income Scheme. These include prescriptions costs, dental treatment and eye tests.
  • Initial Accommodation Centre (IAC) refers to hostel-type accommodation provided by the Home Office to asylum seekers normally as part of an offer of Section 98 support.
  • Migrant - any person who has moved from one place to another and which may be for a variety of different reasons such as work, study or family.
  • Negative decision refers when an asylum seeker has received a refusal of their asylum claim from the Home Office and has subsequently not been granted permission to stay in the UK.
  • NHS England provide national and regional support to the NHS to deliver improved care to patients.
  • No recourse to public funds (NRPF) is an immigration condition imposed by the Home Office to those in the UK with temporary immigration status, who are subject to immigration control and who do not have Indefinite Leave to Remain. This condition bars access to public funds such as welfare benefits and housing and homelessness assistance.
  • The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) focus on improving the nation's health so that everyone can expect to live more of life in good health, and on levelling up health disparities to break the link between background and prospects for a healthy life.
  • Positive decision – refers to when an asylum seeker has received either an acceptance of their asylum claim or some other grounds for remaining in the UK and has been granted permission to stay in the UK.
  • Section 4 support – a form of support available to refused asylum seekers who are destitute and meet certain criteria where they are unable to leave the country at present.
  • Section 95 support – a form of asylum support available to asylum seekers who are destitute and have an ongoing asylum claim.
  • Section 98 support - a type of interim support offered to asylum seekers who are destitute while they are in the process of applying for or are awaiting a decision on an application for Section 95. This is emergency support offered normally as cashless full-board support in hostel-type accommodation known as Initial Accommodation. 
  • Refugee - In the UK, a person becomes a refugee when the government agrees that an individual who has applied for asylum meets the definition in the Refugee Convention.
  • Undocumented migrant - A non-national who enters or stays in a country without the appropriate documentation. 
  • Contingency accommodation – temporary accommodation for destitute asylum seekers awaiting a decision on their application for asylum support utilised when no capacity in Initial Accommodation Centres; includes hotels.
  • Bridging accommodation – temporary accommodation for Afghan nationals arriving on the ARAP or ACRS resettlement schemes; includes hotels.
  • The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is responsible for protecting every member of every community from the impact of infectious diseases, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents and other health threats.
  • Integrated Care Boards commission most of the hospital and community NHS services in the local areas for which they are responsible, this includes health provision for asylum seekers.