To improve your chances of getting asylum, you should draft a written statement that explains your story and why you need protection. Using a sample written asylum statement as a basis, you can make sure you are including the right information to help with your claim.
The following questionnaire will prompt you and help you to remember what needs to be included when writing your statement.
These written statements are for the purpose of encouraging you to think about and write down the facts that are relevant to your claim. Not all of the sections will be relevant to you.
The questions will also prepare help to prepare you for the interview with officers who decide on your application, if such an interview is required in your asylum country.
Preparing your statement
There are three general remarks to make before you start to work with the questionnaire:
- Please keep the recommendation regarding truthful statements in your mind. It is extremely important to give a picture that is true, complete, detailed and consistent (without contradictions to former statements or evident facts). Be very precise when indicating time and place.
- In order to prepare your interview, always keep a copy of your written statement with you and read it from time to time to help you to remember all of the important details.
- In all cases where you have been persecuted or were threatened to be persecuted by a private person or organisation (not belonging to the state), you will need to explain how the state behaved in relation to this persecution. Did the state tolerate or even endorse it? Was the state indifferent? Or did the state try to protect you? Was the state also able to protect you efficiently? Theses questions are of some relevance in many asylum countries.
Questionnaire
1 |
General information |
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1.1
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Place and date of birth | |
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1.2
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Nationality | |
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1.3
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Religion | |
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1.4
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Profession | |
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1.5
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Education (school / college / university) | |
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1.6
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Where were you living in your home country before you left it? | |
2 |
Have you been persecuted because you belong to a religious group, trade union, political party, political movement or other organisation? If yes, please answer in your written statement the following questions! |
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2.1
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Name of the organisation (mention all names if there are various names) | |
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2.2
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What is the purpose of the organisation? | |
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2.3
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Is it legal or banned? | |
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2.4
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When and where did you join the organisation? | |
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2.5
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Have you been trained by the organisation? | |
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2.6
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What did you do for the organisation? How often? E.g. did you participate in any campaigns or other activities? |
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2.7
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Was the organisation watched / under observation by the police? | |
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2.8
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Were members of the organisation persecuted? If yes, in which way? |
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2.9
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Have they been physically attacked or tortured? | |
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2.10
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Have they been arrested or detained? If yes: by whom? With or without trial? What were they accused of? |
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2.11
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Were they released later? When? Where are they living now? Could they give testimony of what happened to you? |
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2.12
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Do you belong to another organisation? If yes, answer the questions 2.1. to 2.11. again for this second organisation please! |
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3 |
Have you been persecuted because you belong to a tribe or ethnical group? If yes, please answer in your written statement the following questions! |
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3.1
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Name of the tribe or ethnical group (mention all names if there are various names) | |
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3.2
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Where are the members of this tribe or ethnical group living? Are they in a minority position at the place where you were living? | |
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3.3
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Were members of the tribe or ethnical group persecuted? If yes, in which way? | |
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3.4
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Have they been physically attacked or tortured? | |
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3.5
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Have they been arrested or detained? If yes: by whom? With or without trial? What were they accused of? | |
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3.6
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Were they released later? When? Where are they living now? Could they give testimony of what happened to you? | |
4 |
Have you been persecuted because you have a certain religion? If yes, please answer in your written statement the following questions: |
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4.1
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Name of the religion (mention all names if there are various names) | |
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4.2
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Where do the members of this religion live? Are they a minority where you lived? | |
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4.3
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Were members of the religion persecuted? If yes, in which way? | |
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4.4
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Have they been physically attacked or tortured? | |
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4.5
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Have they been arrested or detained? If yes: by whom? With or without trial? What were they accused of? | |
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4.6
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Were they released later? When? Where do they live now? Could they give testimony of what happened to you? | |
5 |
Have you been arrested? If yes, please answer in your written statement the following questions! |
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5.1
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Who arrested you? The police, a secret service, the army? | |
| 5.2 | Where and when (day / hour)? | |
| 5.3 | For what reason? | |
| 5.4 | Where there witnesses of your arrest? | |
| 5.5 | How long were you arrested? And where? | |
| 5.6 | Have you been trialed by a court? What was the sentence? What was the crime you were accused of? | |
| 5.7 | Please describe in detail the prison and the conditions in the prison! (Building, cells, food, guards, other prisoners) | |
| 5.8 | Were other prisoners beaten, tortured or in other ways badly treated? In which way? | |
| 5.9 | Have you been interrogated? How often? When? By whom? What were you accused of? What did they expect you to say? | |
| 5.10 | Were you threatened or badly treated? | |
| 5.11 | How did you get out of the arrest / the imprisonment? Please give details if you escaped! | |
| 5.12 | Do you know former prisoners who are now living abroad? Could they give testimony of what happened to you? | |
| 5.13 | Have you been arrested a second or third time? If yes, please answer again the questions 5.1. to 5.12. for these arrests! | |
6 |
Have you been in other ways persecuted than by arrests? Or were you threatened to be persecuted? If yes, please give details answering the following questions! |
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| 6.1 | How often? | |
| 6.2 | When? Where? | |
| 6.3 | In which way? What might have happened to you? | |
| 6.4 | By whom? | |
| 6.5 | Why? | |
| 6.6 | Are there witnesses? Where are they living now? | |
7 |
Were members of your family or close friends persecuted? If yes, please answer the following questions! |
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| 7.1 | How were they persecuted? Were they arrested? | |
| 7.2 | When and where? | |
| 7.3 | Why? What were they accused of? | |
| 7.4 | Were they beaten, tortured or in other ways badly treated? | |
| 7.5 | Where are they living now? | |
| 7.6 | Were other members of your family or close friends persecuted? If yes, please answer again to the questions 7.1. to 7.5. for each of them! | |
8 |
How did you flee / travel from your home country into your asylum country? |
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| 8.1 | You might be asked a lot of details in the interview, if there is to be one in your asylum country. So you better prepare yourself by writing down step by step what happened to you when and where. However, no interview should be limited to these questions. Insist on telling about your persecution. | |
9 |
If you have lived in a third country before entering your asylum country, please describe why you had to leave from there. If you have been politically active in the third country, please give details. Have your activities been noticed by the authorities of your home country? If yes, how? |
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10 |
If you are politically active in your asylum country, please give details on your activity, your functions etc. Have your activities been noticed by the authorities of your home country? If yes, how? Can you prove your activities by witnesses or documents? |
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11 |
Have you any documents or photos referring to what you have written down until now? Could you get hold of such documents? |
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12 |
Do you wish to get medical or psychological treatment because of what happened to you? Have you already seen a doctor or psychologist for this reason? |
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Legal disclaimer
The matters contained in this article are intended to be for general information purposes only. This article does not constitute legal advice, nor is it a complete or authoritative statement of the law, and should not be treated as such. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information is correct, no warranty, express or implied, is given as to its accuracy and no liability is accepted for any error or omission. Before acting on any of the information contained herein, expert legal advice should be sought.
Author
Gill Laing is a qualified Legal Researcher & Analyst with niche specialisms in Law, Tax, Human Resources, Immigration & Employment Law.
Gill is a Multiple Business Owner and the Managing Director of Prof Services - a Marketing & Content Agency for the Professional Services Sector.
