Safe third country policies

Safe third country policies are rules that countries use to determine whether a refugee must seek asylum in another country first before applying locally. If a country considers its neighbor a “safe” place where refugees can find protection, they may require asylum seekers to apply there instead of their original country. The idea is to prevent people from applying in multiple countries and to manage migration more efficiently. However, these policies depend on agreements between countries about safety standards and protection levels. If a country is deemed unsafe, refugees can still apply directly for asylum there.