Unauthorised arrival

An unauthorised arrival is a person who has arrived in a country when they are not a citizen of that country and does not have a valid visa or does not satisfy other required conditions for entry to that country.

A person may be described as an unauthorised arrival when they have crossed a national border with the intention of applying for refugee status, making them an asylum seeker. If a person enters a country without authorisation intending to live and work in that country, then they may be, or may become, an illegal immigrant.

Under the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a person has the right to cross national borders if they are seeking asylum from political repression or various other forms of persecution.

See also

• Illegal entry
• Asylum shopping
• Mandatory detention
• Refugee law
• Right of asylum