Asylum interview in Greece.
WHAT IS THE ASYLUM INTERVIEW?
After your asylum claim has been registered in the so-called “full registration,” the authorities will look into the substance of your claim to see whether you qualify to get an asylum status and, if so, what that status will be. There are two different types of asylum statuses: Refugee status and subsidiary protection.
In your asylum interview, you have the chance to explain the reasons that forced you to leave your country of origin and why you can’t go back. It is the most important step of your asylum application, as the information you provide in your interview will determine whether or not you’re going to be granted asylum in Greece.
It is very important that you prepare yourself for the interview and that you don’t miss your appointment. In the interview you should answer all questions you are asked as truthfully as possible.
WHY SHOULD I PREPARE FOR MY INTERVIEW?
As the asylum interview is the main determinant of whether you will get asylum or not, you should be very well prepared for it. With great preparation, you can make sure that you will have a fair and just asylum decision. If you have a lawyer or a social worker, you should ask them to prepare you for your asylum interview. If you don’t have a lawyer or a social worker, please get in contact with a legal NGO or send us, Mobile Info Team, a message on Facebook or Whatsapp.
WHEN AND WHERE WILL MY INTERVIEW TAKE PLACE?
Your interview will normally take place at the date and place communicated to you by the asylum office or through the accommodation site.
HOW WILL I GO TO MY ASYLUM INTERVIEW?
If you live far away from the Regional Asylum Office, plan your trip in advance. Unfortunately, UNHCR is not providing transportation to appointments with the Asylum Service any more. If you need help with transportation, ask the administration of the camp or shelter where you stay if they can assist you with that. Personal interviews usually begin at 7:00 in the morning.
Make sure you’re on time: If you’re late, the officer might refuse to do the interview with you.
SHOULD I BRING MY MINOR CHILDREN WITH ME TO THE ASYLUM OFFICE?
Yes, you should. In theory, minors (children under 18 years old) do not have a separate asylum interview. However, the asylum officer can consider it necessary to ask them a few questions. If the interviewer does that, he will ask the questions in your presence. The interviewer will have to take into consideration their age, vulnerability, and psychological state.
WHAT KIND OF DOCUMENT SHOULD I BRING TO MY PERSONAL INTERVIEW?
Bring your personal documents (identity card, passport, birth certificate) and any documents and other proofs you have to confirm your story.
For example:
If you were assaulted and injured in your home country and that is the reason why you left, you should bring all the medical certificates you received at that time. If you suffered severe wounds, you can also bring pictures of them or pictures of the scars you have on your body.
Or if there are articles in the local newspaper or reports in the internet that confirm your story, you can also bring them.
In the end, it will be useful to bring everything that can substantiate your story about why you had to flee your country of origin (like for example: pictures, rental contracts, letters, employment contracts, etc...).
HOW LONG WILL MY INTERVIEW LAST?
There is no rule regarding the length of the personal interview. Some interviews are very short (approximately 1 hour), some interviews are very long (more than 6 hours). The length of the interview doesn’t determine whether or not it is successful. It is the content of the interview that is the most important. If, for example, your interview was very short and lasted only 1 hour, it doesn’t mean that you failed and will be rejected.
If your interview is lasting for a very long time or if you don’t feel well, ask the officer politely to take a break.
HOW SHOULD I BEHAVE DURING MY PERSONAL INTERVIEW?
The personal interview can be very stressful for the applicant. It is important that you sleep well the night before and that you manage your stress as much as possible. Bring something to eat and to drink for you and your family, as it is possible that you might be in the Asylum Office all day.
Useful tips:
Try to behave normally.
Be polite and courteous with both your interviewer and interpreter.
Try to keep calm during the entire interview and not lose your temper, even if the questions are making you feel uncomfortable.
If you don’t feel well, politely inform the officer and ask for a break. You always have the right to ask for a break if, for example, you need to go to the toilet or you need some fresh air.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I DON’T UNDERSTAND THE INTERPRETER OR IF I THINK THE INTERPRETER DOESN’T UNDERSTAND ME?
If you don’t speak English or Greek fluently, an interpreter will translate during your interview. As the personal interview is significant for the result of your asylum claim, it is very important that you make sure you can communicate with the interpreter correctly. Make sure your interpreter is translating everything that you say.
Useful tips:
Try to speak slowly when you answer the questions of the officer.
Use short sentences.
Take some short breaks between each sentence so that your interpreter can translate everything that you’re saying.
Try to avoid speaking for a very long time without interruption, otherwise your interpreter will not be able to translate everything that you’re saying.
If you think that your interpreter doesn’t understand you very well or if you don’t understand your interpreter very well, tell the interviewer and request a new interpreter. This might happen for instance if your interpreter doesn’t understand your accent or vice versa. Make sure the change is written down in your file.
If you think that your interpreter is not translating everything you’re saying, that he/she is either adding information or removing information from your sentences, ask your interpreter politely to translate again or repeat your sentence in a different way. If the problem persists, inform the officer and make sure this problem is stated in your file.
WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION will I be asked in the asylum interview?
Remember that you should answer the questions with absolute truthfulness. It is recommended not to lie during the personal interview.
The interviewer will ask you questions including :
Information about your identity,
How you came to Greece,
The reasons why you left your country of origin,
The country in which you used to live in the case you are a stateless person,
The reasons for which you may not or do not wish to return to that country.
Be prepared to be asked detailed questions.
For example: If you were a car mechanic, you might be asked the names of specific car pieces in your mother tongue, the name of the neighbourhood where your shop was located, etc.
Remember that it is your responsibility to explain your story to the officer and that lying about your personal story might affect your credibility and your case. If they get the impression that you are not cooperative towards them, they might reject your claim based on a lack of cooperation.
The coherence of your story is very important. Remember that your story will be verified with family members and other available information including the database of the Greek police, international news and information you gave in previous interviews. If your story is not consistent with any of these sources, your claim will be deemed unreliable and will probably be rejected.
Make sure you explain in detail your reasons for leaving your country. If you feel like your claim deserves the asylum status, then explain clearly why you personally fear persecution on the basis of your race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group. If you have any proof of this, show it at the interview. If not, explain in detail the persecution you have faced.
Useful tip: Writing down your story before the interview, including all its details, can help you to memorize everything that is important for your case.
Important things to mention are:
Dates and Times: When things happened that made you leave your country,
Places: Where things happened,
People: If you remember the names of people involved, it makes it easy for the Asylum Service to check on your claims.
Remember again, that it is not abstract answers that they ask for, but very detailed statements. If you are asked why you left your home country, try not to use general phrases like “I want to have a better future”. Try to be very specific and tell your individual story: Why did YOU not have a future? Where did your life take place and what threats were you facing?
For example: On the 22nd of September I was with my cousins Abdulla Azil and Mohemmed Azil in the central square of our town Tadif when members of ISIS showed up and arrested us on the suspicion that we were Kurds. We were taken to the central administrative office where we were beaten up by a commander called Khaled who tried to make us confess that we are Kurdish.
Remember: Preparing for your asylum interview is crucial! Get in contact with your lawyer and social worker if you have one, or if not get in touch with a legal NGO or with Mobile Info Team.
WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE INFORMATION I PROVIDE DURING THE INTERVIEW?
Everything you say during the interview is confidential. This means that it will not be disclosed to the authorities of your country or your alleged persecutors. You should know that your personal interview may be audio recorded. A written transcript of the interview will also be drafted. This document will include all the questions and answers of your personal interview. At the end of your interview, the interpreter will read the content of the transcript to you, and you’ll be able to ask for corrections if the content is not accurate. Then, you’ll be requested to sign it.
If some information you provided is not in the transcript, or if there are some mistakes, politely refuse to sign it and explain why to the officer. You can request a copy of the transcript and of the audio record.
WHAT IF I CAN’T GO TO MY PERSONAL INTERVIEW?
You have the obligation to attend your personal interview in person. You can only be excused in case of serious illness or serious physical disability. If that is the case, you will have to justify your absence with a medical certificate or a statement by a public authority.
For example: You had an accident and are hospitalized. You should contact the Asylum Office to let them know that you can’t leave the hospital and send them a note from the Hospital proving it.
If you miss your personal interview and fail to justify your absence with a valid certificate, the Asylum Office will consider that you implicitly withdrew your asylum request. This means that your asylum request will be stopped officially. The only way to continue your case would be to officially request to re-open your asylum case within 9 months. However, you should know that this is a very serious situation and that it will affect your case.
WHEN AND HOW WILL I RECEIVE THE DECISION ON MY ASYLUM REQUEST?
It is impossible to predict in advance how long you’ll have to wait for your final decision. That being said, waiting for a long period of time doesn’t necessarily mean that your application will be rejected. It depends on a lot of factors how long you will have to wait for your decision: The workload of the Asylum Office responsible for your case, the complexity of your asylum case, your nationality, etc.
As soon as a decision on your application will be issued, the competent Asylum Office will contact you to inform you. They will contact you using the information you provided them (by telephone, letter, email) or will send the decision to the camp in which you are officially registered.
Make sure to inform the Asylum Office if you change your phone number or your personal address. If you changed your phone number and forgot to inform the Asylum Office, they will not be able to call you to let you know that a decision has been made. In that case, you will not know about it until you come in person to the Asylum Office, for example to renew your asylum seeker card.
WHAT CAN I DO IF MY ASYLUM REQUEST IS REJECTED?
If you receive a negative decision, you have the right to contest this decision in front of the Appeal Committee. To do so, you’ll have to lodge an appeal. Pending on the reasons for your rejection and the procedure you were in, the deadline to appeal will be between 5 to 30 days after the notification of the rejection. This time limit is strict: if you fail to lodge an appeal within this period, you will normally lose your possibility to lodge a successful appeal and you will be asked to leave Greece. Please note that there is a free legal aid system for the appeal. Make sure to ask the Asylum office directly after you received the rejection to be provided with a free lawyer for your appeal.
WHAT CAN I DO IF I RECEIVE A POSITIVE DECISION?
If your decision is positive, it means that you’ve been granted refugee status or subsidiary protection in Greece. You’ll receive a residence permit and you might be able to request a travel document or apply for family reunification for family members that are still in your country of origin.