Support & Assistance

Children 6 years and above can be enrolled in government schools situated close to their residence. All children 6-14 years have a right to education in India.

If you have problems in getting admission for your child in a government school, you can approach UNHCR partners for assistance, see their contacts here.

UNHCR advocates for improved access to higher education opportunities for young people. If they get conditional admission in a college/university in India and face problems in finalizing the same mainly because of lack of documentation, they can send an email to UNHCR or approach UNHCR outreach services/ partner services in Delhi. UNHCR may consider issuing a letter which may help in the process.

In Delhi, If you are unable to enroll/ pursue formal secondary or senior secondary education because you are overage and/or working, you can approach BOSCO to be facilitated to enroll in National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). NIOS imparts education through Open and Distance Learning with the help of specially designed Self Learning Materials (SLM). NIOS grants certificates up to pre degree level at par with other National Boards in India- Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) for Secondary Course-Equivalent to class X (ii) and Senior Secondary Course-Equivalent to class XII. You can also visit the NIOS website www.nios.ac.in or call EPABX: 120-4089800, Toll Free No. 1800-1809393

In Delhi, supportive classes including local language, bridge and tuition classes are available through BOSCO in some locations in Delhi (BOSCO’s Bhogal, Bodella and Malviya Nagar centers). All youth are encouraged to join youth clubs supported by BOSCO for recreational/sports/community development activities.

Anyone can approach the government’s public health facilities for treatment, including local dispensaries/ primary health centers and hospitals. If you face any problems accessing these facilities, please seek help from our relevant partners whose contact details can be found here.

No assistance can be provided for access to private medical facilities.

Pregnant women and children in age group 0-6 years can enrol with local Anganwadis for early learning, immunization, nutritional supplements etc.

All refugees and asylum seekers must request the government doctor to prescribe medicines which are free of cost (generic, non-branded) from the government’s pharmacy and prescribe medical exams/examinations/tests which are available in the government hospital for free.

Asylum seekers will have to bear their own cost for medicines, tests or any treatment cost even if it is in a government hospital.

Under Indian law, all births in India should be registered with Indian authorities. Birth notification documents should be collected for children born in hospitals which will help in registering the birth with the relevant local Indian offices and obtain a Birth Registration Certificate from the authorities like the registrar of Birth or Municipal Corporation which register births. Children born at home should be registered with the local health center through the Government Community Health Workers, through the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) or the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife within two days of the birth. This deadline is important since delays can lead to a number of difficulties. For mother and child’s safety all are encouraged to go for hospital delivery but whether the child is born in the hospital or at home, ensure that you register the birth and receive the Birth Registration Certificate. For support registering the birth of your child, please contact UNHCR partners. Their contact details are here.

In Delhi, birth certificates are issued by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and/or the Delhi Cantonment Board, within 7 days from the date of receipt of the application, if the birth has already been registered. The certificates are issued from the registration centers/ zonal offices of the local bodies.

To apply for government issued stay-visa/LTV, you must have the following documents:

• UNHCR Refugee Card
• Recent passport size photographs (size: 3.5 x 3.5 cm or 3.5 x 4.5 cm)
• A Passport copy (valid or expired). If you have lost your Passport, a copy of the police report will be helpful.
• In case you have never had a passport, you could still apply for the visa.
• Tenant police verification, rent agreement, recent electricity bill of the rented accommodation, telephone number, and a copy of landlord’s ID.

Once you have these documents you can request UNHCR to issue a recommendation letter addressed to the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO), via [email protected] or via phone, on our toll free number 1800-1035635 or at the following numbers/ days and time:

You will be informed about the date when the support letter can be collected from the UNHCR Registration Centre at C-543 A, Vikas Puri, New Delhi: 110018.

Once you have a support letter, please complete the visa application online at https://indianfrro.gov.in/frro/.

The necessary supporting documents mentioned above, including UNHCR’s recommendation letter, need to be uploaded along with the online application.

If you have difficulty organizing the required documents or completing the online visa application, you can approach the UNHCR Registration Centre in Vikas Puri for assistance and you will be helped in making the online application.

The outcome of your application will be shared with you by the concerned FRRO directly by phone or email.

Once you receive visa, please inform UNHCR by phone 1800-1035635, or email [email protected]

Note: Refugees and asylum seekers cannot and should not procure fraudulent documents, including those meant for Indian citizens such as Voter ID cards or Indian passports. Use the appropriate channels established by UNHCR or the Indian authorities to obtain correct documents. You can approach UNHCR or SLIC in case you require any clarifications.

• UNHCR advises you to approach the police in the event of any security threat. You can call the emergency number 100 for immediate support from the police or 1091 for the women’s helpline or 1098 for the child line.
• In case you wish to lodge a police complaint but are facing problems in doing so within Delhi NCR, you can contact SLIC for assistance at 011-24379855 or 011-24374501 or 011-45705649/ 011-45705654, or email at [email protected].
• You can also share your concern with UNHCR via email at [email protected], our toll free number 1800-1035635 or by calling the contact numbers below on the following days:

• In case of any emergency beyond office hours (09:00 to 17:30), please contact UNHCR at our toll free number: 1800-1035635
• Please note that SLIC can only facilitate access to information and linkages to appropriate legal authorities. It may not be able to directly intervene on legal issues.

• If you wish to bring your concerns to the attention of UNHCR outreach staff, you are required to leave your case and phone number in the register on any working day of the week from 9.30 a.m. – 5.00 p.m. at your nearest outreach centre.
• After you have registered for outreach session you will be contacted by UNHCR outreach staff only if you have not been counselled already over phone or have not had face to face session, exceptionally.
• Most counselling will be done over the phone. Only if it is assessed that you have some exceptional compelling reason (s) that a face to face session will be held but only with prior appointment. You will be given appointments for a face to face session for following days and venue during office hours:

Malviya Nagar – BOSCO Centre

147-A, Khirki Village,

Opposite Select City Walk,

New Delhi – 17

TUESDAY (for cases with appointment)

Bhogal – BOSCO Centre

Building No. 1-1/6A, 1st Floor,

Temple Road, Jangpura,

Bhogal, New Delhi – 14

FRIDAY (for cases with appointment)

UNHCR Registration Centre – Vikas Puri

C-543A, Ground Floor,

Vikaspuri, New Delhi – 18

MONDAY (for cases with appointments)

• Cash Based Assistance (CBA) is limited in amount and duration. It can only be given to a small number of recognized refugees on the basis of an assessment of their exceptionally compelling protection, health, disability and age related concerns. The assessment is carried out by UNHCR and its partners.
• UNHCR and its partners strongly encourage refugees to make sustained efforts to achieve self-reliance as UNHCR’s funds remain limited and are not sufficient to meet all needs.
• Refugees are encouraged to make use of the programs offered by UNHCR partners related to education, vocational and language training and self-reliance.

If you are a refugee and would like to get vocational training or access self-reliance opportunities, you are encouraged to seek support from your community. UNHCR’s partner organizations Fair Trade Forum-India (FTF-I) and Save the Children International (SCI) are able to support a small number of refugees with training and self-reliance related activities. FTF-I operates in Delhi, Mewat or Jaipur and SCI in Hyderabad. FTF-I and SCI meet refugees on referral basis from other partners or UNHCR. Locations and contact details of all our partners are listed here.

The office of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) in Delhi may be able to help you in tracing your family members and restore your contact with them. Their office in Delhi is located at C-6/ 6, Safdarjung Development Area, Hauz Khas Enclave, Hauz Khas, New Delhi -110016, Phone Number 42211000. You can also visit the ICRC Tracing Portal https://familylinks.icrc.org/en/Pages/home.aspx.