about us

Our Work

Asylos is a UK-registered charity that conducts research for asylum claims worldwide. Our aim is to ensure that every refugee has the evidence they need to claim their right to asylum and live in safety. By leveraging the skills of nearly 100 volunteer researchers in over 25 countries around the world and our team of eight staff and consultants, we harness a broad range of skills to help asylum seekers like Aynoor from Pakistan or Lamiah from Afghanistan prove the persecution they have endured and claim their right to safety under international law.

Our work protects the right to asylum in refugee host countries, from the UK and the USA to Germany or Malaysia. We support asylum lawyers and NGOs to make sure refugee law is applied and justice is served for the most vulnerable displaced people in the world. Hear from lawyers who have used our services around the world.

"I can’t say enough how much I appreciate your project... it seems like you’re working with the best researchers and experts in the field. This information is invaluable." Nimrod Avigal, HIAS Israel

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Our Vision

Our vision is a world in which all asylum decisions are based on fair process and accurate information.

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Our Mission

At Asylos, we believe that every asylum seeker deserves a fair opportunity to claim their right to protection. Evidence to prove persecution or to support the credibility of individual testimony is a vital element in the decisions taken to grant or withhold asylum. But many refugees and their legal representatives cannot access necessary information. To redress this imbalance and protect the right to asylum, Asylos works towards the following mission:

	Access to information Country of Origin Information (COI) is accessible to all who need it. People seeking asylum and their legal counsel have access to relevant, timely and high-quality information to substantiate their claims.
	Use of information The asylum procedure is always evidence-based. Relevant, timely and high-quality Country of Origin Information is considered in every asylum decision.
	Absence of prejudice The asylum procedure is always unbiased. Processes involving people seeking asylum are conducted in a fair and impartial manner with no room for assumptions or preconceptions.
	Societal Awareness There is broad recognition within host societies of the importance of high-quality COI in the asylum procedure.

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Our Services

Asylos provides services free of charge to lawyers and caseworkers around the world assisting asylum seekers through their legal procedures. We produce case-based and broader country-of-origin information (COI) research reports which lawyers and caseworkers can use to support a variety of protection-based claims in court.

	Bespoke Research for your Client Quality COI research can make or break an asylum application. We help lawyers and NGOs in any country of arrival support their clients' case by producing individualised reports on specific human rights situations in refugee countries of origin. From political or religious persecution to access to medical care, if the information is out there, we will find it. You can access our 600+ case-specific research reports or request your own bespoke research report here.
	Thematic Research to Address Information Gaps Each year, we produce one extensive thematic research report for a group of vulnerable persons seeking asylum. We publish new interview excerpts alongside existing information to shed light on the circumstances that these individuals may be facing in their home countries. Lawyers, NGOs and decision-makers can use this research to better understand the context from which persons seeking asylum have fled. Our past thematic reports have covered topics such as the situation of Stateless Palestinians in Lebanon, Children and Young people with Disabilities in Nigeria and Trafficked Boys and Young Men from Albania. You can access all of our thematic research reports on this page.
	Spotlight Research We compile collections of relevant research about fast-changing situations of particular urgency and update these regularly when there is a need. For example, we have compiled and regularly updated research Repository about Afghanistan and a Repository about Stateless Individuals and those at risk of Statelessness from the Ukraine.
	Country of Origin Information (COI) research training Each year, we run a series of Country of Origin Information research training webinars, free of charge, for lawyers and NGO representatives. We have developed training handbooks and webinars about COI in the UK, child-specific COI research and on disability-specific COI research. Our training webinars usually take place in the first quarter of each calendar year. Information about past training webinars is available on our project page; any forthcoming training webinars will be announced on our news page and disseminated through our monthly newsletter. In addition, we recruit and train about a dozen new volunteer COI researchers each year. Our recruitment usually opens in the fourth quarter of each year. For more information on how to apply to become a volunteer researcher, please refer to this page.
	Commentaries on Government-Produced COI Research Each year, we publish a small selection of commentaries on research produced by governments and intergovernmental organisations. These commentaries highlight any methodological shortcomings and suggestions for further research. Past publications include a commentary on the UK Home Office's research about the Rwandan Asylum System. We encourage lawyers and NGOs to make use of our commentaries to inform their clients’ asylum appeal procedures. All of our commentaries are published on our project page.

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Our Impact

Asylos was established in 2010. Since then, our network of highly-skilled volunteer researchers has produced more than 600 Country of Origin Information research reports, assisting thousands of refugees claim their right to protection. Our research reports have been used in at least 20 countries and regularly help refugees to be granted asylum. Our research has been used by UNHCR to inform UN eligibility guidelines, has been submitted as evidence in the 2018 UK Country Guidance on Afghanistan and has been cited by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO, now EUAA), as well as several European government agencies and NGOs.

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Our Founding Story

The decision to launch Asylos was made in early 2010 over lunch in a small Parisian restaurant. One of our founders had come to befriend and witness the dramatic story of a Kurdish refugee from Iran who had made a long and life-threatening journey to Belgium. After years of legal battle to obtain asylum, the refugee faced expulsion. Our founder offered his support to the refugees’ lawyer and together they decided that he would help research information for the case. A few hours of searching the internet for recent developments in Iran was all it took. The information he produced for the lawyer was more detailed and up-to-date than what the representative of the Belgian government could present. In particular, it highlighted that the situation regarding human rights in Iran had worsened in essential respects. On appeal, the judge overturned the expulsion order and granted the Kurdish refugee full asylum. For him, years of fear and agonising uncertainty came to an end. A few hours of work in front of a computer helped transform a life. This is how easy, how effective, and how deeply rewarding this type of research can be. At said lunch in Paris, our founder, together with two of his colleagues, devised a plan to found Asylos. The idea: matching one asylum case with one volunteer who conducts Country of Origin Information research, helping overburdened asylum lawyers and contributing to a more just and fair asylum system.

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Our Partners

Cooperating with partners is an integral part of Asylos' work. We partner with a variety of different foundations, organisations, institutions and law firms to ensure the highest standards of quality and functionality in our work. Take a look at who these partners are.

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Join us in helping an asylum seeker claim refuge and reinforcing the rule of law in your country's immigration system