Substantive Asylum Interview

ⓘ Information card

The asylum, or substantive, interview is when a Home Office interviewer will ask you in detail about your reasons for claiming asylum. The interview may last several hours and you will be asked lots of questions. You may be asked the same questions several times in different ways.

Some people will have the interview in the same room with the interviewer and their interpreter, and some people will be invited to have the interview by video link. You can read more about video asylum substantive interviews here.

It can be a very long, difficult and traumatic interview, and could be the most important part of your asylum application.

It is very important that you explain your reasons for seeking asylum in as much detail as possible. For survivors of violence and persecution, this can be very difficult. 

You are going to be asked questions about things that may be very difficult to talk about. Be prepared for not being believed. It is common for the Home Office interviewer to explicitly say they do not believe you.

You are entitled to request breaks during the interview.

You need to be very clear, give as much detail as possible, and try to remember to include all the important information.

The interview will be audio-recorded, as well as being transcribed (written). It is your right to receive copies of the recordings following the interview. 

It is also your right to request an interpreter (in advance) for the interview. See the Asylum Interview section of the Right to Remain Toolkit for more information.

Now read the problem cards below. Discuss with a friend (or have a think if you’re doing this alone) what you might be able to do in this situation. When you have finished, click to reveal a suggested action.

⚠️ Problem card

You are worried about sharing the details of your story in front of a male interviewer and interpreter.

  • Click to show action…

    You can request an interpreter of whichever gender you prefer, ahead of time. It is a good idea to make this request as soon as you can.

⚠️ Problem card

You were tired and confused when you had your screening interview. You can’t remember what date you said you left your country.

  • Click to show action…

    Make sure you have a copy of your screening interview record, and read it carefully before your asylum substantive interview. If the date you mentioned was incorrect, you can submit a letter to the Home Office explaining why this mistake was made, and correcting the date.

    You can request a copy of your screening interview record from the Home Office if you were not given one or have lost it.

⚠️ Problem card

You are worried that there may be mistakes in interpretation or how your answers are written down during the interview, and that it will be your word against the Home Office’s.

  • Click to show action…

    If you have not yet had your substantive interview, it is important to remember that the interview is automatically audio recorded. This means that anything you say, including an observation or complaint about the interpreter, will be ‘on the record’. This can be very nerve wracking to do, but the earlier you raise a concern about the interpreter, the quicker this issue can be amended and the less risk there is of your credibility being questioned.

    You should be given a copy of the audio recording after the interview. Make sure to request this at the end of your interview, or ask your lawyer to do so on your behalf.

    If your substantive interview was conducted over a video call, it should automatically have been recorded. Make sure to request a copy of the audio recording at the end of your interview, or ask your lawyer to do so on your behalf.

    If the Home Office refuses your asylum claim on the basis of something that was misinterpreted or written down wrong, you (or your lawyer if you have one) can listen to the audio recording and write a statement about this (which may be used in an appeal).

    You can request a copy of your screening interview record from the Home Office if you were not given one or have lost it.

⚠️ Problem card

You have documentary evidence about your case but you don’t know if you should give it to the Home Office when you go for your interview.

  • Click to show action…

    Speak to your lawyer and show them the documents – they will advise whether to give the Home Office the evidence, and when is the best time to do it.

    If you do not have a lawyer, take a look at our Toolkit page on Evidence which discusses strong and not-so strong examples of evidence.

⚠️ Problem card

You are worried about explaining what has happened to you to a stranger in a position of authority who may be hostile and unfriendly.

  • Click to show action…

    Before the interview, practice explaining what you want to say with a friend. See the Right to Remain Toolkit section on the Substantive Interview for more information about the types of questions asked in the interview, and the different ways in which you can prepare.

⚠️ Problem card

You don’t know how to get to the location of your interview.

  • Click to show action…

    Before the interview, use the address on your interview appointment letter to find out where the interview will be, what transport you need to use to get there, and how long it takes. You don’t want to be late and lost on the day of your interview!

    It can also help to be able to visualise what the building looks like if you are feeling nervous about going on the day of your interview.

    Some towns/cities have transport schemes run by local support groups to get to asylum interviews – find out if there is one in your area.

    You can use the Right to Remain Directory to find support groups in your geographical area.

⚠️ Problem card

You are worried about getting dates wrong when you are asked questions about your story, because some of the events happened a long time ago and you were very distressed by what happened.

  • Click to show action…

    If you cannot remember a date in the interview, it is always best to say that you don’t know or cannot remember, instead of making up an answer which may then be used to doubt your story if you change it later.

    Alternatively, you may not be able to remember an event by a day or month but instead by the weather, the season or a family occurrence. You can explain these instead if you are sure of them. If there are ways of marking time that make more sense to you than an official calendar, such as an important church service or jobs you do as a farmer at a similar time every year, use these. For example, you may remember that something happened during Ramadan, or after the harvest. Or that it was winter, because the nights were cold.

NEXT STAGE: HOME OFFICE DECISION