Both refugee and asylum-seeking students are welcome to study at LSBU. We’ll be on-hand to offer support at every step of your university experience, helping you to settle in, focus on your studies and enjoy everything university has to offer.
A refugee student has been granted immigration permission in the UK whereas, an asylum seeker has applied to the Home Office to be recognised as a refugee but is yet to receive confirmation. For further information about how we can support your journey at university, please contact us via LSBU MyAccount or by using our Enquiry Form.
Our support package for refugee and asylum-seeking students includes:
- Financial support – Both refugee and asylum-seeking students can receive support managing their finances from the Student Advice Team and, with this team’s support, apply for hardship funds when available.
- Year-long accommodation - we’re pleased to be able to offer both refugee and asylum-seeking students up to 52-week contracts (standard fees apply) in our halls of residence, including over the Christmas and summer breaks.
- 24/7 accommodation support – in halls, our Operational Residence Management teams, Accommodation Office Team and Out of Hours Residential Wellbeing Managers are on hand 24-hours a day to provide welfare and wellbeing support.
- A team to help – at LSBU, we offer students support for all queries, concerns and support needs, please contact us via LSBU MyAccount or by using our Enquiry Form.
- STAR Student Group – Student Action for Refugees (STAR) is a national charity, comprised of 50 groups of 34,000 students, welcoming refugees to the UK. LSBU is one of the few universities in the country working in partnership with STAR to help refugee and asylum-seeking students to acclimatise to student life while campaigning and educating on their experiences.
- Ongoing support – throughout your time with us, we can offer regular 1:1 advice, guidance and coaching, as well as signposting you to access wider student support services around the university.
Beyond university life, we understand the obstacles that may arise while maintaining a balance of life and studying. We recommend some of the following services for a variety of common issues that may arise for refugees and asylum seekers:
General enquiries for refugees and asylum seekers
For general enquiries that may help you on your journey as both a student and as a resident of London, here are a range of organisations that contain several resources that may prove useful.
Legal advice
For general legal advice, you can pay a visit to the Legal Advice Clinic on campus, where our ambassadors will be happy to help.
For immigration advice and enquiries, there a range of solicitors across London that offer free legal advice through Legal Aid or public funding. Before visiting any of the following solicitors, please ensure your case will be eligible for Legal Aid.
East Croydon Office
4th Floor, Park House
22 Park Street
Croydon, CR0 1YE
Mobile: 07921 399 838
Mobile: 07921 399 839
West Croydon Office
76 London Road
Croydon, Surrey
CR0 2TB
Phone: 0208 681 5128
Fax: 0208 686 9776
Email: enquiries@bhdsolicitors.co.uk
Website: www.bhdsolicitors.co.uk
236 Gray’s Inn Road
London
WC1X 8HB
DX 37904 King’s Cross
Tel: 0207 833 4433
Fax: 0207 837 9792
Dedicated immigration enquiry line on: 0207 014 2090
Email: info@bindmans.com
Website: www.bindmans.com
New Cross Office
182 New Cross Road
New Cross Gate
London
SE14 5AA
Holborn Office
107-111 Fleet Street
London
EC4A 2AB
Hackney Office
1 Kingsland High Street
Dalston
Hackney
London
E8 2JS
Telephone: 033 3772 0409
Website: www.duncanlewis.co.uk
Balham Office
257- 259 Balham High Road
London
SW17 7BD
Tel: 020 8672 8779
Fax: 020 8675 5958
FREE ADVICE SESSION – ONLY IN BALHAM OFFICE
Every Saturday at 11:00am - 1:30pm
Stratford Office
39 Broadway
London, E15 4BQ
Tel: 020 8534 9429
Email: admin@fadiga.co.uk
Website: www.fadigaandco.com
1010 Great West Road
Brentford
TW8 9BA
DX 315004 Brentford 5
Telephone: 0208 840 4688
Fax: 0208 840 7209
Website: www.howe.co.uk
77/79 High Road
Wood Green
London
N22 6BB
DX 34715 Wood Green 2
Telephone: +44 20 8365 7800
Fax:+44 20 8826 0148
Website: www.luqmanithompson.com
271 High Street
Acton
London
W3 9BT
Telephone: 0208 993 5544
Fax: 0208 993 2555
Trauma Support and Counselling
In addition to the ongoing guidance and support on offer on campus, there a range of centres both in the area local to LSBU and across London that specialise in offering help to refugees and asylum seekers. These centres offer a range of services from counselling, therapy, discussion groups and health advice, to different kinds of wellbeing, education and support services. There are also trauma support services available under the NHS, although they may require a referral from your GP.