This is the second blog in our series going through the process of applying for asylum on the basis of your sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics. You can also read our first blog, and read or watch our full guide in 11 languages.
Screening interview
The screening interview is the first of two interviews you will have with the Home Office. It is much shorter and used to gather basic information and officially register your asylum claim. You don’t need to prepare or have a lawyer at this stage.
At your screening interview, the Home Office will ask questions to establish who you are and how you arrived in the UK. They will also ask you to briefly state the reason or reasons why you are claiming asylum.
They will take your fingerprints and photo. They will then issue you with other papers confirming your personal details and that you have claimed asylum. You will be issued with an ARC card within the next few weeks. The Home Office should give you a copy of your screening interview transcript. The Home Office will check their records to see if you have previously stayed in the UK.
The Home Office will offer you an interpreter, normally on a telephone, which is free. It is important that you are happy that you and the interpreter understand each other well.
You can be at the Screening Unit for several hours. The Home Office will then decide whether to detain you or release you while processing your claim. It is unlikely that you will be detained at the Screening Unit. During your screening interview, the Home Office should also ask if you would prefer your asylum, or ‘substantive’, interview to be conducted by a man or woman and if you will need an interpreter. Please consider whether you will find it easier to discuss your story in front of a man or woman, and ensure that you tell the Home Office your preference, if you have one.
You should take your passport or any other ID cards you may have to the Screening Interview.
Substantive interview
Your substantive interview is the second interview you will have with the Home Office when you will speak about your asylum claim in detail. It is highly advisable to have a lawyer to help you prepare for this, and we also have detailed advice to help you prepare. Some people do not wait long to get a date for their asylum interview and some wait for several months. These interviews can last several hours. If you need an interpreter, make sure you tell the Home Office in advance and they will arrange one for free.
At the start of the substantive interview, the Home Office will ask if you are feeling well enough to be interviewed, if you have any medical conditions and if you and the interpreter understand each other. If you have difficulty understanding the Home Office interpreter, you must say so at beginning of the interview.
The Home Office will also ask if you want to hand in any evidence. You must translate any evidence in other languages into English before you give it to the Home Office. You should show your evidence to your lawyer before giving it to the Home Office. Your lawyer may advise to send your evidence shortly after your interview. Remember to keep a copy of any evidence you provide.
The Home Office interviewer will ask about your family and social background. The interviewer will also ask you to confirm the basis for your claim, for example that it is based on sexual orientation or gender identity or sex characteristics (e.g. being intersex). More than one reason may apply, for example you may be at risk due to your sexual orientation or gender identity as well as being intersex, if both are relevant to the reasons you had to leave your home country. The interviewer should ask how you want to be addressed, for example what name you want to use, and what words you want them to use to describe your sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics. They will ask you what you fear in your country of origin. They will ask you questions about how you came to realise your sexual orientation or gender identity, or that you were born with a variation of sex characteristics. If you claimed asylum because you are intersex, you may be asked questions about how and when you became aware that your sex characteristics varied from those typically expected of men and women. These are questions about your personal history. They may ask how you think and feel about yourself. They will ask you to describe anything that might have happened to you in your country of origin or if relevant, about previous or current partners. The Home Office must not ask you to describe sexual acts. The questions will vary depending on the circumstances of your case.
At the end of the interview, you will have the opportunity to give additional information. You will also be asked if you have any other reasons to remain in the UK apart from those discussed in the interview.
If you need a break during your interview, you can ask. If you do not understand a question, you should say so. If you do not remember a date or other details, it is better to say so rather than guessing, to avoid the risk of making mistakes that may make the Home Office think you are not telling the truth (known as ‘damaging your credibility’). Throughout the interview you must maintain consistency when giving answers.
The Home Office normally records the audio (just the sound) of the interviews. A written record of the interview and a recording on a memory stick is usually given to you before you leave the interview room if you have been interviewed in person. Otherwise it may either be posted to you or provided to your lawyer electronically.
At your interview, you may be asked to complete a form in which you give permission, or “consent”, to the Home Office to request your medical records from your doctors. You do not have to give your consent for this if you do not want to. Refusing to consent should not affect the decision on your application. It is best to ask your lawyer’s advice before signing the consent form.
Read more about how to start your asylum application as an LGBTQI+ person, and read or watch our full guide in 11 languages.