In Australia, there is a process to determine whether or not someone is a refugee under the international definition. People who have applied for Australia's protection and are awaiting a determination of their status are referred to as asylum seekers. They are described as refugees when they have been granted protection. If a person is found to be a refugee, Australia is obliged under international law to offer support and to ensure that the person is not sent back unwillingly to their country of origin. Refugees and migrants Refugees are not in the same situation as migrants, although the two groups are often confused.
Migrants choose to leave their country to seek a better life.
They choose where they migrate to and they can return whenever they like. Refugees are forced to leave their country and cannot return unless the situation that forced them to leave improves. The concerns of refugees are human rights and safety, not migration. All people are entitled to have their basic human rights respected, including the right to be free from persecution on the basis of their ethnic group and their political or religious beliefs. When these rights are violated, many countries participate in a global humanitarian response, providing aid and helping to resettle people who cannot return to their countries.