The UK Home Office will fold the screening interview and the substantive asylum interview into a single "merged registration" interview for some claimants from 3 August 2026, under Statement of Changes HC 259, published on 9 July 2026.

The change sits under the heading "Other Minor Changes" in the government's explanatory memorandum. Right to Remain, a UK charity that supports people through the asylum system, disputes that framing. "This is not a minor change," the organisation wrote. "It could mean some people are refused asylum without a separate substantive asylum interview."

The Home Office has not yet published full operational guidance. It says the detail will follow when the rules come into force, including which claims may be treated as "clearly unfounded" and which countries may be treated as "manifestly safe."

What is a merged registration interview?

At present, an asylum claimant usually sits a screening interview first, where the Home Office asks identity, journey and basic claim questions. Weeks, months or years later, they attend a longer substantive interview where decision-makers ask detailed questions about why they need protection.

Under the new rule, some claimants will not get a separate substantive interview. One merged interview will register the claim, ask screening questions and ask substantive questions about why the claimant needs protection and why they should not be removed from the UK.

After the merged interview, the Home Office may:

• continue the case through the usual asylum process with a substantive interview later;
• grant protection; or
• refuse the claim.

Who is affected?

The Home Office says merged registration will be used for claims it believes can be decided quickly. Two categories stand out in the explanatory memorandum:

1. Claims it considers "clearly unfounded" — claims the Home Office views as very weak and unlikely to succeed.
2. Claims from countries it considers "safe." The explanatory memorandum names Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and the United States as examples.

The UK already has a statutory "safe country" list at section 94 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. For claimants from those countries, the Home Office starts from the position that the claim is clearly unfounded, unless the claimant shows individual risk.

Can refused claimants appeal?

A refusal may carry the usual right of appeal. If the Home Office certifies the refusal as clearly unfounded, however, the claimant may lose the right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal.

The combination raises a specific risk: refusal after one merged interview, with no separate substantive interview and no onward appeal.

Why do advocates consider the change significant?

Right to Remain argues the change narrows the chance for claimants to explain their case before a decision. The Home Office states that claimants will still have access to legal advice, the chance to submit evidence and the opportunity to set out reasons they cannot be removed.

The charity counters that many claimants struggle to find legal advice early in the process and at later stages too. It also warns that a country labelled "safe" is not safe for every individual. "Every asylum claim should still be looked at individually," Right to Remain wrote.

Personal risk can still arise from sexuality, gender identity, religion, politics, ethnicity, family ties, community position, disability, trafficking history, domestic abuse or other circumstances.

What should claimants and advisers do now?

Full Home Office guidance is not yet published. Right to Remain recommends that claimants:

• organise identity and travel documents;
• build a chronology of relevant events;
• gather supporting evidence;
• read the Right to Remain Toolkit with a trusted person; and
• plan for possible detention.

Support organisations are urged to help claimants read official letters, sort documents, find legal advisers and prepare evidence ahead of any merged interview.

The Home Office is moving faster. Claimants and advisers will need to move earlier too.