The period prior to and after asylum interview is one of the most stressful times of a person’s life.
The short conversation can have such a major impact on your life, wellbeing and happiness of you and your family. This is why asylum seekers put so much emphasis on preparing for this conversation; not one thing should be left to chance!


Luckily for you, the process is pretty streamlined for efficiency. You can basically predict what will happen next. Still, there will be certain differences from case to case which is why you will need to prepare no matter what.

Today, we invited the asylum experts from Ruby Powers Law and with their actionable tips, you will have much better chances of preparing yourself for that interview and getting the documents you need so much!

Don’t leave anything out
This might seem as a simple and straightforward thing but you would be surprised as how to how many people failed on this one. Most asylum seekers and refugees had to deal with some serious, uncomfortable and downright shameful situations. This is why they don’t like talking about their previous experience. Some people omit information because they’ve done something they might perceive as wrong. No matter what, you will have to mention all of this during the interview. Keep in mind that this stuff can easily be checked so if you omit anything, it can easily backfire against you!

Gather documents beforehand
As you can expect, your word alone is not enough to corroborate the story and given that, in most cases, you won’t be able to bring any witnesses, you have to rely on documents to make a case. But here is where things get tricky. When fleeing their country, most refugees and asylum seekers don’t have the chance to slowly gather all the documents prior to leaving. This will leave them with little to no options when they come to the States. It is good that you can use almost anything as a valid document. For example, besides documents issues by your previous government, you can rely on social media posts and images, photos, reports from private intuitions and so on. As long as these documents corroborate your story and there is an official body behind it, it can be regarded as legitimate.

Think about the language
There are several things you need to keep in mind when it comes to language. First and foremost, all your documents have to be translated in English by a certified translator. You can go with half-measures here. The second thing you need to keep in mind is that you will be asked difficult questions during the interview all of which will be in English. If you’re not fluent or if there is any doubt in your mind that you might make a mistake, it is much better to ask for an official translator. Keep in mind that the agency is obliged to provide one if asked but you cannot ask for a translator if the process has already begun. Alternatively, you can hire a translator by yourself prior to the interview. We would suggest against this as you will be given a good representative anyway.

Everything needs to be truth
We cannot emphasize this one enough. Most people who are looking for asylum have gone through some painful things. They might not want to share these memories. In some cases, people will lie in order to get documents. No matter what you need to be truthful during the interview. If you’re uncertain about something, it is much better to say “I don’t know” instead of giving false claims.