The immigration officer deciding your case may not know of the dangers in your home country. Country conditions evidence explains the dangers you faced or will face, if you return. It is documentation that proves the dangers in your home country and that your fear is reasonable. It helps the immigration officer understand why you fear returning to your home country. It can include news articles, human rights reports, and government publications. It is used in asylum, withholding of removal, and convention against torture cases. These cases provide protection for people who have been harmed or fear being harmed, if they return to their home country. The same application (Form I-589) and evidence is used in all three cases. 

What country conditions evidence should I include?

Provide recent reports and news articles, preferably published in the last 2 years. They should explain the violence against people similar to you. Show that people in your situation experienced the harm you did or that you fear. Share examples of people who are the same gender, age, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or profession as you. Explain that they were harmed by the groups of people you fear being harmed by. This helps show that you will face harm if you return. 

Include older reports with information describing what happened at the time you experienced harm. Include statistics about the number of people who have been harmed and patterns of violence. Use information from reputable organizations. A few examples include Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations. 

How do I organize and submit this?

Organize this information so it is easy to go through. Create a typed table of contents called an index. List each item you include. Separate each article or report with a cover sheet or tab. This makes it easy to find. Organize your materials with the most recent information first. Provide a brief summary of each item. You can highlight important information. This helps the decision-maker go through the material quickly. You want to make their job as easy as possible. Information that is not in English must be translated and include a certificate of translation. You must file a completed form I-589 application before or at the same time you submit the country conditions evidence.

Learn more about country conditions evidence in Center for Gender & Refugee Studies’ publication. 

Immigration law is very complex. If you need help, visit Get Legal Help.