Refugees, Asylum Seekers & Non EEA Nationals
Fife has a long and proud history of welcoming and supporting refugees and recognises it is a human right to be able to seek asylum in another country.
A refugee is 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.
A refugee is entitled to the same social and economic rights as any UK citizen. Refugees have full access to medical treatment, education, housing and employment.
An Asylum Seeker is a person who:
Has asked a Government for refugee status and is waiting to hear the outcome of their application.
The kind of support that is available to you will depend upon when you made your claim for asylum and the details of your case.
If you have nowhere to stay while we assess your housing situation, or if we cannot interview you right away, we can offer you temporary accommodation. The type of accommodation can vary from Bed and Breakfast to Furnished/Part Furnished Flats and can be located anywhere in Fife.
Claiming asylum in the UK can be a complicated and confusing business. If you’re still not sure what your rights are, or if you need more support, you should contact Migrant Help using the freephone number 0808 800 630.
For information about Visas and Immigration Status, contact the UK Visas and Immigration Agency
You may also find this Translation & Interpretation website useful.
Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Non EEA Nationals
Council housing is regarded as a form of public assistance therefore, if you are not eligible for public assistance, Fife Council will be limited in terms of the housing assistance they can offer you.
These restrictions do not apply in the same way to housing associations therefore your application will be registered and assessed on your individual circumstances. All information in your application is held securely and will only be used to assess your application for housing.
Further information about refugees, asylum seekers and people with discretionary leave is available here.
If you are not from the UK, please visit our FAQs
In this section
Service Update
2nd August 2024 - FHR Application Processing Issue
Due to an IT issue we are unable to provide customers with an update on their Application for Housing. New applications can be submitted during this time, however there may be a delay in them being assessed.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, however the team are working to resolve this issue and will provide a further update when available.
November 2023 - Customer Survey
We want to hear from you! Fife Housing Register are running a customer survey from November 2023 to January 2024. We want to hear from applicants who have either completed their housing journey with us or are currently on our waiting list. Your answers could help us improve our service in the future. Please see the below link to the survey;
June 2023 - The Fife Housing Register Team have moved base from New City House, Dunfermline to Brunton House, Cowdenbeath. Any Post being sent to the FHR Team should be sent to the following;
Fife Housing Register Team, Cowdenbeath Customer Service Centre, Brunton House, High Street, Cowdenbeath, KY4 9QU.
Alternatively you can;-
- Call 03451 55 00 33
- Or email FHR.Team@Fife.gov.uk