Country Conditions Materials

The information contained herein is for reference only and may not be up to date. It does not constitute legal advice. You should always consult an attorney regarding your matter.

Last updated: May 1, 2025

To win asylum, an applicant must demonstrate that they fear being seriously harmed in their country of origin. Often, applicants establish this by submitting documents such as reports from national and international human rights and governmental organizations and news articles describing the types of harm the applicant suffered or fears suffering in the future in their country of origin. This evidence is generally referred to as “country conditions.” Country conditions packets typically consist of an index (highlighting important quotations from specific reports and articles) followed by printouts of the full documents.

Sample country conditions packets, primarily for LGBTQ and/or HIV claims, from various countries are provided below. These materials are intended to provide a helpful starting point for research. However, you must always make sure that the country conditions are updated to cover the specific issues in the applicant’s case. Be sure to also check the Immigration Court Practice Manual before you file and submit your evidence to make sure the format conforms with current filing requirements.

Note that if you are an asylum applicant pursuing your claim defensively in Immigration Court, you must also attach a Certificate of Service to the end of your country conditions packet. Every time you file documents with the Immigration Court you must also give or “serve” a copy of the documents on the government’s attorney. The Certificate of Service provides proof to the Immigration Judge that you served a copy of your country conditions evidence on the government’s attorney. A sample Certificate of Service can be found, here. For more information on filing and serving supporting evidence please see our Self-Help Asylum Guides, available here.

To inquire about LGBTQ or HIV country conditions for a country not listed below, email us at the following address: countryconditions@immigrationequality.org.

Immigration Equality is happy to share these country conditions with you, which are researched and compiled on an ongoing basis. If you are a private attorney being paid for your service, please consider making a donation here to support our work.