Identify the current stage
The asylum certificate, interview notice, OFPRA letter or decision shows where the procedure stands. The first urgent step is to read the complete document, its date and the method of action it specifies.
An initial claim, a border procedure, an application made in detention and a subsequent application do not necessarily follow the same timetable. General rules from one route should not be applied automatically to another.
The OFPRA file and interview
The form and statement set out identity, personal history, persecution or threats and why return is not possible. Consistency does not mean a memorised account; it means a truthful, precise chronology connected to available evidence.
At the personal interview, the protection officer asks questions and the applicant can explain difficult points. Language, interpreting, vulnerabilities and attendance by a lawyer or authorised association should be considered in advance.
After an OFPRA decision
A refusal should be read reason by reason. A CNDA appeal is not simply the same account sent again: it addresses OFPRA’s assessment and adds any useful explanations or new evidence.
The deadline depends on the procedure and notification. Keep the date on which the decision was made available or received, the envelope and the online-account record.
Evidence and context
Identity papers, complaints, medical certificates, messages, photographs, witness statements and country information are useful only when placed in the person’s history. Their origin, date and how they were obtained should be explainable.
A lack of documents does not prevent an asylum claim, but the applicant should explain carefully what cannot be produced and why. Evidence or an account must never be invented or embellished.
Counsel’s role
Counsel secures the timetable, reviews procedural documents, prepares the interview or appeal and helps separate central facts from secondary details. She may attend under the conditions laid down by law.
Protection cannot be promised. OFPRA and the CNDA assess the individual circumstances, explanations, evidence and available country material.
Discuss your situation
You can send the firm the essential facts, relevant dates and any known deadline.
Frequently asked questions
What should I send first?
Send the latest document received, such as the certificate, interview notice or decision, together with evidence of the notification date. It identifies the stage and deadline.
Do I need written proof to claim asylum?
No. A claim can be examined without direct documentary evidence, but the facts, steps taken and reasons documents are unavailable should be explained precisely.
Does a CNDA appeal start everything again?
The Court reassesses the protection claim, but the appeal should answer OFPRA’s decision and account for statements already made.