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Asylum
Expert WitnessInstruct

Jurisdictions

10 regions

Coverage by forum, and the rules each one applies.

Reports are prepared to the procedural rules of the forum that will read them, including CPR Part 35 (England & Wales), FRCP Rule 26 (United States), and equivalent standards elsewhere.

Coverage

  • United Kingdom

    First-tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal, Administrative Court, and related appellate routes across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

    Report practice aligned to CPR Part 35 principles and tribunal procedural expectations.

  • United States

    Immigration Court, Board of Immigration Appeals, and federal court review contexts.

    Report preparation aligned with FRCP Rule 26 and immigration evidentiary practice.

  • European Union

    National asylum authorities and courts applying EU qualification and procedures framework.

    Analysis structured around country evidence quality, consistency, and procedural fairness.

  • Australia & New Zealand

    Administrative and court-level asylum and protection review proceedings.

    Reports structured for tribunal and judicial scrutiny with clear source referencing.

  • Canada

    Immigration and Refugee Board proceedings, Federal Court review, and related appeals.

    Evidence designed for credibility-sensitive decision-making and country risk analysis.

  • Middle East & North Africa

    Country condition and risk analysis for claimants from and proceedings involving MENA states.

    Current, source-referenced analysis adapted to the procedural forum instructing the expert.

  • South Asia

    Expert evidence on political, religious, gender-based, and minority persecution across South Asian countries.

    Reports tailored to tribunal or court requirements with transparent methodology.

  • Sub-Saharan Africa

    Country and regional analysis for asylum and international protection claims across African jurisdictions.

    Evidence grounded in primary sources and structured for cross-examination resilience.

  • Latin America & Caribbean

    Expert input on gang violence, state protection, gender-based violence, and political persecution in the region.

    Forum-appropriate report format with clear risk assessment and relocation analysis where required.

  • International & UNHCR

    Regional protection bodies, UNHCR RSD, and cross-border proceedings requiring independent expert country evidence.

    Adaptable report format with transparent methodology and source traceability.

Report standards

What a report must contain, forum by forum.

Instructing teams need jurisdiction-specific clarity on report content, declarations, and procedural compliance. This is the working summary we hold our own reports to.

United Kingdom

CPR Part 35 & Practice Direction 35

Expert reports in England & Wales asylum and immigration proceedings must comply with CPR Part 35 and the expert's overriding duty to the tribunal.

I understand that my duty is to the court (or tribunal), not to the party who instructed me, and I have complied with that duty.

Core requirements

  • Statement of truth and expert declaration confirming duty to the tribunal
  • Expert qualifications, experience, and instructions received
  • Summary of material facts and documents relied upon
  • Substance of all material instructions, including those not followed
  • Range of opinion where appropriate, with reasons for the opinion reached
  • Summary of conclusions, clearly linked to the evidence base
  • Practice Direction 35 compliance, including proportionate methodology and source referencing

Reports for the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration & Asylum Chamber) and Upper Tribunal should be structured for cross-examination and aligned with tribunal case management directions.

United States

FRCP Rule 26(a)(2) (Immigration Court context)

Expert disclosure in US immigration proceedings must meet the disclosure requirements of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a)(2), adapted to Immigration Court and BIA practice.

Core requirements

  • Complete statement of all opinions and the basis and reasons for each opinion
  • Facts or data considered in forming the opinions
  • List of exhibits to be used as a summary or support for opinions
  • Expert qualifications, including publications in the preceding 10 years
  • Cases in which the expert has testified as an expert at trial or by deposition
  • Statement of compensation for study and testimony in the case
  • Disclosure deadlines and supplementation obligations observed

Immigration Court expert evidence should be prepared for adversarial scrutiny and rebuttal by the opposing party.

Australia

Federal Court Rules / AAT Expert Evidence Guidelines

Australian asylum and protection proceedings require expert evidence that complies with court and Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) expert witness obligations.

Core requirements

  • Compliance with applicable expert witness code of conduct
  • Expert declaration equivalent (duty to the court/tribunal, not the instructing party)
  • Clear identification of instructions, assumptions, and methodology
  • Referenced country condition analysis with primary sources
  • AAT-specific formatting where proceedings are before the tribunal

Federal Court and AAT contexts may differ in procedural emphasis, instructing teams should confirm the forum at the outset.

Canada

IRB Rules 44-48 & Notice to Expert Witnesses

Expert reports before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada must comply with IRB Rules and the Board's Notice to Expert Witnesses.

Core requirements

  • Compliance with Notice to Expert Witnesses obligations
  • Report format and content per IRB Rules 44-48
  • Disclosure of the expert report to the other party within prescribed timelines
  • Expert qualifications and scope of opinion clearly stated
  • Neutral, referenced analysis of country conditions and risk factors

Federal Court review may impose additional procedural requirements, confirm whether proceedings are at IRB first instance or on judicial review.

European Union (Member States)

National procedural rules & EU qualification framework

EU member state asylum proceedings apply national procedural rules within the EU asylum acquis framework, with emphasis on quality and consistency of country evidence.

Core requirements

  • Clear linkage between country sources and expert conclusions
  • Consistency analysis where credibility is in issue
  • Transparent methodology and dated source material
  • Compliance with national tribunal or court expert evidence rules

For formal written evidence prepared to these standards, see expert witness reports.

Questions

Forums, standards, and timelines.

A country condition report is an expert document providing detailed, current, and referenced analysis of conditions in a claimant's country of origin, including political situation, human rights record, treatment of specific groups, availability of state protection, and internal relocation viability where relevant.

Under CPR Part 35, an expert witness report must include a statement of qualifications, a summary of instructions received, the substance of the facts relied on, the expert's opinion, and a declaration of duty to the court. The report must be addressed to the court, not to the instructing party alone.

Standard reports are typically delivered within 10 to 15 working days from agreed scope and receipt of instructions. Express (5 to 7 working days) and urgent (2 to 3 working days) timelines are available subject to expert availability and case complexity.

We provide expert witness and advisory services worldwide. Our panel covers country and regional specialisms across the UK, US, EU, Australia, Canada, the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and international protection forums including UNHCR contexts.

Yes. Experts can give oral evidence in person or remotely, with preparation tailored to the procedural context of the tribunal, court, or arbitral forum. Oral testimony is often instructed alongside a written report or where the opposing party challenges expert analysis.

Full FAQ