Re the connotations of ‘applicant’ vs. ‘seeker’, the most striking difference is the lifelessness of ‘applicant’. ‘Seeker’ evokes a certain emotion more than any particular action - certainly more than welfare scrounging. In fact it evokes a cliche, one that may not apply to all the heterogeneous people who want asylum. So you’re right that most of the ethical content comes from what we think of ‘asylum applicants’ regardless of what we call them - but Sardar’s probably right that ‘applicant’ is more ‘neutral and accurate’, or at least neutral and unpresumptuous .... for what that’s worth.