Refugees and asylum-seekers are high up on many people's political agenda. Even so, there is a remarkable lack of information. Who are these asylum-seekers? Aren't they almost all "bogus"? How do western immigration authorities decide whether or not they are genuine? Is the UN convention on Refugees out of date and in need of renegotiation?

This book brings insider knowledge to the study of asylum in Britain today. It is based on visits to places where asylum seekers are detained, on working with lawyers representing asylum-seekers and on a close knowledge of many of the refugee organisations. It argues passionately that Britain shall not throw away, through ignorance and misunderstanding, a reputation for providing a place of safety for the persecuted, and the chance of welcoming people who have much to contribute to national life and culture.

Louise Pirouet (1928-2012) was Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at Homerton College, University of Cambridge and was involved with refugee concerns for many years both in Africa and Britain.

“An exceptionally lucid history of asylum issue in the United Kingdom since the mid-1980s.” • International Migration Review

“An unusual and highly successful book: a review of the changes which have taken place in asylum law in recent years, painted in their political context and described in accurate detail, but peppered with the personal experiences of asylum seekers which adds a poignant reality to what might otherwise appear a dry description.” • Nicky Padfield, Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge