Back in January 2019, we wrote about the Home Office introducing new forms into the asylum process called preliminary information questionnaires (PIQs). These are given to people at or after their asylum screening interview and before the asylum substantive (big) interview. People usually have 20 days within which to complete the form.
Now these forms have been in use for a while, there’s a little bit more information about how the Home Office views them.
See what the Preliminary Information Questionnaire looks like here.
What is the form for?
The Home Office say that the preliminary information questionnaires have benefits for people seeking asylum, including:
shorter, more focused interviews, better prepared interviewing officers, identification and support of vulnerabilities.
Before the introduction of this questionnaire (and since they stopped requiring people to fill out a Statement of Evidence form), the Home Office would often only have the information you provided in your screening interview on which to base their questions in your substantive interview.
Some people submit a statement to the Home Office prior to their substantive asylum interview, but there has long been mixed opinion as to whether this is helpful or not for the person claiming asylum. Some lawyers feel that this gave an opportunity for the Home Office to “test” you on what you said in your statement, without you being able to refer to it in the interview. They could then use any discrepancies to say you are not credible and refuse your asylum claim.
In some cases, however, people have found it useful to submit a statement in advance so they do not have to vocalise or go into detail about a traumatic incident in their past – the Home Office could refer to the statement in their decision-making, rather than having to ask you lots of questions about the incident, during the interview.
Concerns about the form, then and now
When the Home Office began issuing these forms, they used to state on the front that “if you do not complete and return this questionnaire and you have not provided an explanation before or immediately after the date noted above [the deadline to return the completed form], your asylum claim may be treated as withdrawn in accordance with paragraph 333C of the Immigration Rules”.
The forms no longer say this, and the Home Office recently said that if the form wasn’t completed then they will just go ahead and book an asylum substantive interview for the person (though I wouldn’t expect this anytime soon based on the huge delays in waiting for interviews that we are hearing about).
One of the original worries about the forms still exists though.
The questionnaire form asks for important information that the Home Office will use – combined with what you said in your screening interview, what you say in your substantive interview, any statements and documents you submit, and information they have about your country – to make a decision on your asylum claim.
If you put information in this form that is different from what you said in your screening interview, and what you go on to say in you substantive asylum interview, this may damage your asylum claim.
It’s therefore extremely important to ask your lawyer to fill in this form with you wherever possible. If a lawyer fills it in for you, you should check that what has been written is correct. Whether you fill the form in yourself, or a lawyer does it for you, make sure you keep a copy of the completed form for your own records.
Questions in the form
The form asks initially for basic details such as your Home Office reference, your name, date and place of birth, nationality and contact details.
You are then asked to list the National Insurance numbers for you and any dependents, if you have previously been given permission to work.
The form then asks you (without specifying a length of answer) to explain:
- why you fear returning to your home country and what you fear will happen to you if you return;
- any events that involved you personally and relate to your asylum claim and fear of a specific person, organisation or group;
- how you travelled to the UK and “if anything happened to you en route to the UK”;
- anything that has happened in the UK that has made you afraid to return home.
You are asked to list all of the places you have lived in your home country over the past 5 years, and how long for; how many years you have spent in education and the schools you studied at; and your last job/employer in your home country.
The next section is about medical conditions, treatment, medication or other support you are receiving from a doctor/clinician (including mental health care).
There is then a lengthy section on family members. You have to give information about your spouse/partner if you have one; provide details of all your children; and if you have children in the UK and in school, you have to give information about the school(s). You also need to give details of your local authority and key worker, if you have been in touch with Social Services. You are then asked about any health conditions, mental health conditions, treatment or support any of your family members have.
Finally, there is an opportunity to explain any documents you wish to submit in support of your claim – it is very important to check with your lawyer whether or not it is a good idea to submit documents to the Home Office at this point.
You and anyone who has helped you with the form needs to sign the declaration at the end of the form.
Download the Preliminary Information Questionnaire here.
You should receive information about how to submit the completed form (or ask for an extension of time to complete it) when you are issued with the form. There are also contact details here.
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Hi there,
In January 2020 I did my screening interview, but I haven’t received yet preliminary questions?
Hi Aref. It seems that not everybody is being given a preliminary questionnaire to fill out – if you have a lawyer you should ask them if you are worried about this. It may be a long wait until your asylum substantive interview, so if you are going to receive a questionnaire, it might be nearer to the time of the big interview.
Hello there, I have filled and submitted the PIQ form via royal mail , how can I ascertain this has been received? Done the first Interview and I want to confirm when the next one could be . Regards
Hi there
You can try emailing AsylumPIQReturns@homeoffice.gov.uk to check that it has been received
Hi there,
I claimed asylum in December 2019. Received the preliminary questionnaire in February 2020. My lawyer said we don’t need to answer all questions, so we filled in the basics ones but for the story part as to explain my story, my solicitor said we do not have to provide that information. So it was left blank and returned on time to the HO. In may 2020, HO sent a letter stating no decision can be made so far as there is not enough evidence to do so.
I have not had invite for substantive interview yet. Now I am concerned about leaving that story section blank, is it a problem?
Hi Sandy. The Preliminary Information Questionnaire is meant to provide information to help with the main interview – if one is not returned, or not enough information is given in it, the Home Office should still proceed with your substantive interview which is your opportunity to give much more information.
https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/asylumiv/
Hi there,
I’ve been waiting for my asylum interviews for 2years and I’m getting worried. Please is this normal or I’m the only one?
Hi Aminata. This is a very long time to wait and unfortunately this is happening to quite a lot of people at the moment. We made a video with more information about it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4CPZasVbdw&t=10s
My big interview was July 9 and they tell me that to send my interview copy to the next 5 working days but it’s been 12 days now I still didn’t receive my interview copy.why is that?
Hi Samrawit. The Home Office can sometimes be slow or forget to do these things – so it is important to follow up with them and make sure you get a copy. If you have a lawyer (solicitor), they may have sent it to them so you should ask your lawyer if they have a copy. Your lawyer can also help you contact the Home Office to chase them to get the copy.
Hello sir my screen interview was 30 July and I received msg from TNT on 4 aug ur UK visa and immigration itam unable to deliver .unfortunately my number was off and I see msg after three months.so when I open msg there show tnt
reference no:
Post code:
I filled and show on TNT delivery website
Freight itam: biometric presidency permit (BRP)
And below show
Unable to deliver contact TNT
Then I contacted with TNT customer help.they told me mean TNT team ur BRP back to UK visa and immigration.so plz tell that real that is BRP? I m still confused.and how can I get my delivery?
Hi Imran. Unfortunately there are lots of problems with TNT deliveries of BRP so it sounds like this is what has happened to you. If you have a lawyer, they should contact the Home Office to try and get the BRP sent out again (and they request that it is sent to them, rather than to you, if that is better in your situation). If you don’t have a lawyer, you will need to try and contact the Home Office yourself using this web page: https://www.gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits/not-arrived
I received a preliminary questionnaire form through my lawyer. How can I identify the last date for submitting this form?
The Home Office should have filled in the box on the front page of the form with the date to return it by. If they have not done this, you should ask your lawyer to confirm with the Home Office when they want it returned by.
Hello RTR,
Thank you for all you do for Asylum Seekers. I am worried as I am close to the deadline on my PIQ form but I do not have legal support yet. What address do I use to request for an extension? Will I get a response confirming the extension?
Regards
Hi Sola. Did the Home Office fill out any contact details on the front page of the PIQ? If so, you can use those contact details. If not, you will need to contact the Asylum Team dealing with your case. If you do not know this, your lawyer should be able to tell you this information. If you do not have a lawyer, have a look at any letters or emails from the Home Office to see if there are contact details there.
Hi
What is the maximum time limit to return the PIQ? My screen registration is on the 11th of April and my lawyer is away till the 19th. So if its 20 days then I’m not left with much time. Can I ask at the home office to give me some more time if I needed and will they comply?
Thank you
Hi Farwah. Typically the deadline for returning a PIQ form is 20 days. You can ask the Home Office for more time. Your lawyer can do this on your behalf, or if they are already away, you can contact the Home Office yourself using the contact details that are provided at the top of your PIQ form or other correspondence from them.
Hello RTR,
Thank you for your help. Please am worried about the preliminary Interview Questionnaire, I have received the form along with my other documents a couple of weeks ago and it says it should be completed and returned to the home office by 20 working days and it was yesterday (the deadline, 20 working days) so am I still able to fill it and return it even after the deadline ? Because am still looking for a lawyer.
Hi Fiyona. It’s possible to ask for an extension – asking for extra time to find a legal advisor to fill in the PIQ. There should be (though there isn’t always) contact details on the front of the form to use. It is also not a big problem if you don’t send the PIQ back – the Home Office should just proceed as normal with your claim.
Hi,
I have two questions.
I have given my screening interview on 27th of Jan 2022. I haven’t received my ARC card and preliminary questions yet. I called home and they said I can apply for the ARC card on line.
1) Should I apply on line?
2) And when will I receive the preliminary questions? Should I call them?
I’m very much waiting to hearing from you soon. Thank you.
Hi Rahman.
1) You can apply online for an ARC card using this form: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-registration-card-arc-enquiry
You can also try and contact the organisation Migrant Help about this issue (it can be difficult to get through to them, however if you are able to access their webchat that can be easier https://www.migranthelpuk.org/contact
2) Not everyone receives a preliminary information questionnaire, though these days most people do. You can call them to ask about it if you wish, and if you have a lawyer, they can contact the Home Office for you.
What is the procedure for submitting the form? It’s written on my form that the form to be submit on the home office address but I want to how do we send to them? Do we need to go by ourself or do we need to send this form by post? Can we give this form ourself in hand in home office building?
Hi Mubs. In general, you should post the completed form to the Home Office (if you have been given a postal address). If you have a lawyer, they may also have an email address that can be used.
Hi,
My PIQ deadline is over. This was because I could not find free legal adviser to help me filling this form due to current asylum issues / situation in uk and some of my documentation required to be translated which requires additional fees. The most solicitors near me are either busy or not working free. Now I decided to fill it myself. Would it be problem because PIQ deadline is over?
Thanks in advance
Hi Tunjay. It is not unusual that you have had trouble finding a legal advisor, but it is still advisable to wait and see if you can find out to help you fill out the form rather than doing it yourself. Missing the PIQ deadline will not typically negatively impact your case. You might like to write to the Home Office (using the contact details provided at the top of any letters you have from them) stating that you have had difficulty finding a legal advisor and it is for this reason that you have not been able to fill out your PIQ form, and you can ask for an extension so that you may continue to look for a legal advisor to help you with this task.
Hello. Thank you for this important information, I arrived a few days ago and since I left the airport the PIQ was there. It has a deadline.
How can I get a legal advisor to request information on how to fill out my form? I am afraid of filling it out wrong and that it may affect my process.
Hi Kevin, thank you for your query.
You can try to find a lawyer or legal adviser here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/resources/lawyers or here: http://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/
Please do note that there is a very large backlog of cases, so many lawyers are unable to take on new clients at this stage.
If you are unable to find one to help with your case or your PIQ form, you can ask a member of a refugee support group to help you. To find one, you can Google ‘Refugee Support Groups’ along with the name of the neighbourhood or area you are living in. To fill out a PIQ form, you do not necessarily need a legal advisor, but it is important to understand the questions that are being asked of you if you do decide to fill it out. If you submit it late, or if you decide not to submit it at all, this should not negatively impact your case. The PIQ form is just an extra step which is meant to make your substantive (big) interview process clearer.
Hi,
I would like to know please if not submitting the questionnaire cause delay of the main interview or not? And if they need justifications for not submitting it (will they ask in the interview why I didn’t submit it)
Hello Aese, thank you for your query. Typically, not submitting the personal information questionnaire will not delay your interview or negatively affect your asylum claim. You can be honest about why you did not submit the form if you are asked, depending on what your reasons are. For some people, it is because they could not find a lawyer to help fill it out and they did not want to fill it out incorrectly without a lawyer.
can you please tell what happens to a family with children involved when they claim asylum?
Hello Tehzeeb. Typically, if an adult with children claims asylum, they will be the main claimant and the children will become dependents of their claim. It will usually be considered as a ‘family asylum claim’. You can read more about family asylum claims in the Home Office guidance here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1019394/Family_asylum_claims.pdf
when anybody claims a family asylum in the UK, are they given any means of accommodation immediately or they are taken to the manston asylum center?
Hello Umar, thank you for your comment. People who are in Manston have typically just arrived in the UK and have not yet claimed asylum.
If you have claimed asylum and require financial support or accommodation, you can read out Asylum Support Toolkit page for more information about the types of support available. You can access it here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/asylum-support/
I received the interview questionnaire form I filled it with my lawyer in 8 march. Who long can take the decision to make. Thank you
Hello Khalid, thank you for your query and welcome to the UK.
If you filled out the Preliminary Information Questionnaire (PIQ) form with your lawyer, unfortunately it may take a long time for the Home Office to get back to you as they are very delayed in providing decisions. You can learn more about the delays and what is causing them by reading our update here: https://righttoremain.org.uk/what-is-causing-the-huge-home-office-delay-in-processing-asylum-claims/
I arrived into the Uk 6 months ago but some how due to a lot of reason out of my control I missed the deadline PIQ deadline
Will this affect how quickly I will be interviewed!?
I also like to know if somebody sen PIQ back on time will they get big interview or Home Office will grant them permission to stay without big interview.
I also heard if someone missed the dead line their claim will be withdrawn is this correct could you please answer all these questions as I’m very worried thanks
Hello Ataback, thank you for your message. In answer to your questions:
– Typically, missing a PIQ deadline does not affect how quickly you are invited to interview – this is because many people don’t even receive a PIQ form in the first place. You will likely still be invited to interview, the PIQ will not speed things up.
– The Home Office never grants asylum status without conducting at least two interviews: the Screening Interview and the Substantive Interview. Completing the PIQ form does not let someone skip one of these steps.
– We have also heard rumours of people being told that if they miss the deadline their claim will be withdrawn, but I have never heard of this happening. Typically, because the PIQ is not compulsory, people’s interviews are scheduled as normal.
– If you would like, you are able to email the Home Office to notify them of your situation and reasons for missing the deadline and you can ask for an extension of the deadline if you would like more time to find a legal representative to help you fill out the form.
Best of luck to you.
Khalid can you please tell me did you also submit supporting documents and evidences with the form or you just sent the PIQ form. Also can you please tell me to what address you send all the forms ? Thank You
Hi there, I had my PIQ and substantive interview both. But the date of entry is different both interviews, they did not ask me and I did not clarify it and I’m waiting results now 1.5 months, should I send email to HO and clarify it or just wait the decision? I have also mental illness that caused this error
Hi Eiman, thank you for your comment. It’s always best to clarify any confusion (and explain why it has happened) to the Home Office before you receive a decision. Best of luck to you.