This article delves into Refugee Status Determination (RSD) institutional arrangements and seeks to assess their effect on recognition of protection. We posit that RSD is affected by four distinct spheres. Three of these spheres relate to procedures: i) normal procedures whereby claims are assessed on the basis of the criteria established in the 1951 Geneva Convention; ii) access procedures through which claims deem unlikely founded are either fast-tracked or outright rejected; iii) detention procedures which may hamper would-be asylum seekers to lodge their claims effectively. The fourth sphere concerns the extent of rights granted to beneficiaries of protection, with the underlying assumption that more generous states may also seek to reduce the number of people enjoying those rights.