African Immigrant Rights Council

FROM THE DESK OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SHARIFA KALOKOLA

May 13, 2025

How to prepare for your asylum interview 

One way to prepare for your asylum interview is to read, and consider, questions that asylum officers asked other applicants. Maybe you will be asked the same questions.

https://winyourasylumcase.blogspot.com is an online source of questions that were asked, of applicants from many countries. Here are some questions from a posting on September 1, 2024, of an activist from the Democratic Republic of Congo:

Did you suffer physical harm in your country? When was the first time? You say a man hit you? What was he wearing? Was it a police uniform? Why did you believe it was a policeman? Did other people believe it was a policeman?

What weapons did he have? where on your body, did he hit you?

What language did he speak? What words did he say?  Did he know what your ethnic group was? How could he know it?

Did he know what your religion was? how could he know it?

Did he know what your political opinion was?

Where were you at the moment of your arrest?

What thoughts went through your mind, at that time?

Why did the soldiers attack that village, and not another one?

COMMENTS OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:

A common reason why asylum applicants have difficulty is that they are unprepared to give clear, detailed, and consistent answers. Officers often ask very specific questions about past events—what happened, when, where, and why. Practice your story out loud, review your application, and be honest. If you don’t remember something, say so. Bring any evidence you can, and focus on how your experience relates to persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or social group. Most importantly, seek support—legal or emotional—you don’t have to go through this alone..