Examining of my application

Step 1 : The interview

Except in the situations provided for by law, the Office asks each applicant to attend an interview.

The aim of the interview

• to allow you to fully present the reasons for his or her application, complete or correct his or her written account of events and clarify any grey areas

Interview conditions

• The interview is individual: this means that you will be interviewed alone;
• Exchanges are strictly confidential: no information will be communicated to your relatives or in your country of origin;
• The interview is conducted by an Ofpra agent called a protection officer ;

• The protection officer 's questions you to obtain an overall picture of the events experienced by the applicant and the grounds for his or her fears.
• Where necessary, this interview will be conducted with an interpreter in the language you chose when registering your asylum application at GUDA . The interpreter is subject to the duty of confidentiality ;
• Your statements are recorded ;
• You have the right to be accompanied by a lawyer or a member of an association. You can find here which association can accompany you

If you are accompanied by your minor child(ren), you may also be interviewed about their fears during your interview. The invitation that will be sent to you specifies whether your minor children must also present themselves to the Ofpra during your interview.

Step 2 : the examination process

Examination is the stage in the procedure during which the protection officer :

• identifies the relevant facts making up your application ;
• rules on the internal and external credibility of your statements ;
• rules the implications of any documents placed on the file
• determine the legal characterisation of the facts submitted with a view to preparing a decision.

Step 3 : The decision

Once the examination of the application is finished, the protection officer who interviewed you will write a proposal for a decision, which will be signed by his superiors.
This decision is then notified on your personal digital space or by registered post.

Depending on your situation, you may :

• be granted refugee : are not provided with explanations ;
• considered eligible for subsidiary protection : contains a summary of the grounds making up the application and sets out the reasons why Ofpra has refused to grant refugee status ;
• receive a negative decision : the decision contains a summary of the grounds making up the application and sets out the reasons why Ofpra has refused it.

If you are accompanied by your minor child(ren), the decision concerning you will also mention the decision concerning them. It is also possible that minor children will be the subject of an individual decision. The other parent will also be kept informed of the meaning of the decision concerning minor children by post.

To know : You have the possibility of contesting the decision of the Ofpra and appealing to a court called the National Court of Asylum ( CNDA ) :

• If you are eligible for subsidiary protection and wish to be recognized as a refugee ;
• If you receive a negative decision.

Attention : you have one month to make this appeal , from the notification of the decision.

The date of notification by Ofpra is the date on which you receive the response from Ofpra by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt or the date on which the postman files a notice of passage if the mail has not been claimed or the date on which you consulted the decision in your Ofpra secure personal digital account.

To find out how to appeal, you can consult the CNDA website.