The Refugee Roulette

Country of origin information (COI) is an important part of the refugee status determination process. It assists decision makers to assess the credibility of accounts and the risk upon return against background evidence that details the conditions in the country of origin.

If legal representatives, advisors or decision-makers are unable properly to access, understand and utilise country information, they cannot provide quality advice and representation to asylum seekers or make proper decisions.

This report explores how individuals from four stakeholder groups use country information and what factors impact on their level of use, using data from 100 questionnaires, 20 interviews and 6 focus groups. Information was gathered from UK Borders Agency (UKBA) staff, legal representatives, immigration judges and experts.

Overall, insufficient usage of country of origin information is reported to be commonplace, particularly at the initial decision making phase, despite improvements under the New Asylum Model (NAM). The way country information is used was observed to be different within each of the stakeholder groups, due to differential levels of knowledge, application and analysis of the information.

Improvements in using country of origin information would result in better decision-making. However, what is also required is a shift in the culture within the refugee status determination process amongst all players and across adversarial boundaries. This entails a re-statement of commitment to asylum seekers and the humanitarian principles upon which the Refugee Convention was founded, as well as recognition of the deeper problems affecting the system. More time, resources, training and funding are essential for people to conduct effective country research and analysis upon which sound decisions can be made. This commitment should also be reflected in heightened transparency and accountability in both information production and usage. Thus, for real improvement to take place, political will from the government to commit resources to refugee status determination is fundamental.

This report shows the value of country of origin research in determining individual asylum claims and will assist in promoting a more rigorous asylum determination system. We are proud to be able to release this report, part of a long tradition of excellent research produced by the Research, Information and Policy Unit of the IAS. John Scampion CBE, Chair of the Trustees, Immigration Advisory Service

The Refugee Roulette : The role of country information in refugee status determination.

The Refugee Roulette - Executive Summary 

Background note:

This publication forms part of an 18-month project that was funded by the Big Lottery Fund and undertaken by Natasha Tsangarides of the Immigration Advisory Service (IAS). The project sought to improve the use of, access to, and understanding of country of origin information in the refugee status determination process.

Contact Details:

Research, Information and Policy Unit
Immigration Advisory Service,
190 Great Dover Street,
London SE1 4YB
Research@iasuk.org
Natasha.Tsangarides@iasuk.org
020 7967 6032