Population definitions52
| Refugee | Defined by the 1951 Refugee Convention as a person who ‘owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country…’53 |
| Asylum seeker | Person who has departed their country of origin and officially applied for asylum in another country but is awaiting a decision on their request for refugee status. |
| Unaccompanied asylum-seeking child (UASC) | Person under 18 years, or in the absence of proof-of-age documents is believed to be under 18 years, separated from both parents and without a guardian, nominal by law or custom, who is applying for asylum in their own right. |
| Undocumented migrant/irregular immigrant | Migrant that lacks documentation to prove regular migrant status. This includes persons who have entered the country illegally; refused asylum seekers who have remained beyond the legitimate time period; unrecognised victims of human trafficking; and children born in the host country to undocumented migrant parents. |