An asylum seeker is a person who flees their country in search of international protection (or “asylum”) in another country. This person is officially applying to the country of asylum for recognition of his refugee status, but his application has not yet been definitively assessed.
The National asylum systems exist to determine whether asylum-seekers deserve and need international protection. In Belize, an asylum seeker begins the process through an application for asylum with the Refugees Department.
Through the asylum procedure, it is determined whether asylum seekers qualify to be recognized as refugees. Those who do not qualify (after an appeal procedure if desired) may be returned to their respective home countries if they have no other immigration option in the country.