Over the last 25 years, the literature suggests that asylum policies in industrialized countries have become increasingly restrictive and selective. Although there is academic debate, particularly in connection with security studies, presently accepted definitions of ‘refugee’ and ‘asylum’ tend to be informed by the Convention and its creation in response to movement of people coming out of devastating conflict. This research examines six influential factors identified as affecting the implementation of asylum policy within four different historical cases of refugee influx stemming from international conflict: Canada and Turkey, 1988-1992 and 2001-2005. It uses a new method, ADVIAN classification, to analyze non-linear relationships amongst factors to understand which are the most active, passive, and critical, and how the factors interact as a system. This research uses data from the study of primary historical documents and information from elite interviews. By understanding the relationships and status of each factor within the system, this research contributes to understanding asylum policy as comparative systems and identifies common interactions amongst factors across diverse cases.