How are claims for asylum assessed?
Decisions are made on asylum claims based on the details given at interview, and also sometimes in writing via a Statement of Evidence Form (SEF) which must be completed in English. Applicants may bring a legal representative to the interview if they wish. If legal representatives do not attend, the interview will proceed without them. An interpreter will be provided if necessary. A caseworker or an immigration officer trained to act under the 1951 Convention decides the claim, and each claim is assessed on its own merits, taking country information into account. We give people our decisions in writing.
