The right of seeking asylum is one of the fundamental international human rights law. To realize this right, governments are obliged to recognize and respect it. However, before being recognized as a refugee in the receiving country, a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality or membership of a particular social group or holding of a special political opinion should be verified. Since, such a person is deprived of his respective governments’ support during the period of his eligibility proof , he may not be considered as the citizen of his country of origin. On the other hand, since he has not been recognized as a refugee by the receiving country, he would not be entitled to the support of the latter either. Therefore the said individual qualifies a special status which is known as “asylum seeker”; a situation between “citizenship” and “refugee” circumstances.
This article, while reviewing the historical and evolving process of asylum seeker and refugee terminologies, and assessing the word “refugee” in accordance with the 1951 refugee convention , attempts to clarify the differences  between the words “refugee” and  “asylum seeker”.