Refugee Status Determination (RSD) is the legal or administrative process by which governments or UNHCR determine whether a person seeking international protection is considered a refugee under international, regional or national law. RSD is often a vital process in helping refugees realize their rights under international law.
States have the primary responsibility to conduct RSD, however, UNHCR may conduct RSD under its mandate when a state is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and/or does not have a fair and efficient national asylum procedure in place.
This page contains a list of resources to support asylum seekers undergoing the RSD procedure.
Mental Health Reports in Legal Processes
This collection of standards, guidelines, articles, and other documents supports legal representatives to inform their representation of applicants with mental health needs, as well as psychologists and psychiatrists in their preparation of mental health assessments and reports.
This document builds on resources gathered by AMERA in collaboration with St. Andrew’s Refugee Services, Egypt. For more information visit our Therapeutic Legal Assistance Model and Mental Health Reports in Legal Processes pages.
Obtaining / Preparing Medico-Legal Assessments in RSD Adjudication
The provision of medical evidence in Refugee Status Determination (RSD) procedures is fraught with challenges.
Medical reports documenting asylum seekers’ physical and/or mental health are increasingly being used within RSD proceedings as objective evidence to support asylum claims. For more information, visit our dedicated page.
RSD Adjudication and Psychosocial Support
An approach for conducting RSD adjudication that supports wellbeing is through accompanying psychosocial support. Information and materials on the importance of psychosocial support before, during and after refugee status determination is provided here.
Psychological research relating to RSD procedures
Understanding and application of psychological science in the asylum process are important to ensure that adjudication is fair, lessening the risk of denying protection to refugees. On this page, we present a brief introduction to the psychological research that can be drawn on in representing people seeking international protection and adjudication of claims. You will also find links to further resources.
Guidelines on accompanying a client to an RSD interview
Asylum seekers have the right to legal representation at all stages of the RSD procedure and may have a legal representative accompany them to their interviews at UNHCR. This guide is intended to assist legal advocates to provide the best possible advocacy during the RSD interviews at UNHCR.
We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant resources, or you are aware of organisations and individuals to include in our directories, please get in touch.
