The primary difference is where the person is located when they apply refugees apply from outside the U.S., typically through a U.S. embassy or a refugee program, while asylum seekers apply from within the U.S. or at a U.S. port of entry.

Both asylum and refugee status offer protection to people fleeing persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group, but the process and point of entry into the U.S. differ.