Asylum Insights
ResourcesGuidance we would rather you had before instructing us.
Most of what makes expert evidence expensive is avoidable, and most of it is decided before an expert is appointed. These are the points that make the difference between a report that moves an appeal and one that adds cost.
- Audience
- Representatives & NGOs
- Format
- Practice notes
Where to start
How to scope an instruction so it costs less
The single biggest driver of expert fees is asking a broad question when a narrow one is in dispute. Start from the refusal, list the findings you need displaced, and instruct on those.
Reading a country policy note against its own sources
Where the analytical summary at the front is not supported by the annexed material behind it, that is demonstrable and citable. This is often cheaper than commissioning a competing report.
Why inconsistency is not the same as fabrication
Trauma, delayed disclosure, interpretation, and calendar conversion each generate discrepancies with a documented explanation. Each adverse point needs answering individually.
Internal relocation: safe is not the same as reasonable
Following Januzi and AH (Sudan), the enquiry is about this applicant’s actual circumstances in the specific area proposed — registration, housing, work, and sponsorship.
Report standards by forum
Expert duties and disclosure expectations differ between the Immigration and Asylum Chamber, EOIR, the IRB, the ART, and UNHCR RSD. Drafting to the wrong one is a live point for an opponent.
What to send with a first enquiry
The refusal letter or the respondent’s country evidence, the hearing date, the country and profile, and any directions. That is enough for us to tell you whether evidence would help.
If you are not sure whether expert evidence would help, ask before commissioning it.
A short answer at the enquiry stage costs nothing and frequently saves a great deal.
Every enquiry is confidential. Nothing is shared with immigration authorities or any government body.