Duty
The tribunal, not the party
Under Ikarian Reefer and CPR Part 35, the expert’s paramount duty is to the tribunal, not the instructing party. Independence is the product, not a disclaimer.
We connect solicitors and Legal Aid practitioners with truly independent country expert witnesses, for CPR Part 35 reports that go beyond Home Office CPIN.
Country expert routing for immigration and asylum tribunal instructions, for solicitors and Legal Aid practitioners.
Why this hub exists
First-tier and Upper Tribunal proceedings need experts who can state sources, date them, separate assumed facts from opinion, and answer the profile before the court.
Duty
Under Ikarian Reefer and CPR Part 35, the expert’s paramount duty is to the tribunal, not the instructing party. Independence is the product, not a disclaimer.
Sources
Home Office CPIN documents are starting points. Profile-specific analysis uses dated primary sources, country guidance, and jurisdiction-specific expertise the generic summary cannot supply.
Form
Reports follow mandatory structure, independence standards, and exchange discipline. Adam Pipe 2025 guidance on assumed facts versus independent opinion is built into the brief.
The difference
A Country Policy and Information Note is the Home Office position. An independent report is evidence addressed to the tribunal about the person in front of it.
CPIN vs expert report guideWritten for
CPINHome Office decision makers
ReportThe tribunal deciding this appeal
Scope
CPINA general position on a country or category of claim
ReportThe appellant’s own profile, region, and circumstances
Sources
CPINSummarised material, current at publication
ReportDated primary sources, cited so they can be checked
Duty
CPINSets out the policy position
ReportParamount duty to the tribunal, not the instructing party
Testing
CPINNo author to question
ReportA named expert who can be cross-examined
A good report does not ignore the CPIN. It engages with it, and says where the appellant’s circumstances differ.
Country routing
This hub routes solicitors to dedicated country sites. Each overview page explains the fit for UK asylum and immigration work and links out to the specialist.
Proceedings
Independent country expert witness for First-tier Tribunal asylum appeals. CPR Part 35 compliant reports, Practice Direction 2024, state protection, and CPIN challenge.
OpenIndependent country expert witness for Upper Tribunal asylum appeals. Country guidance, departure cases, oral evidence, and highest evidential standards.
OpenIndependent country expert for country guidance challenges. Highest methodological rigour, oral evidence, and tribunal-wide precedent analysis.
OpenIndependent country expert for deportation and removal cases. Article 3 ECHR return risk, failed asylum seeker profiles, and destitution threshold analysis.
OpenIndependent country expert for Article 15(c) subsidiary protection claims. Conflict zones, indiscriminate violence, and Qualification Directive analysis.
OpenIndependent country expert for fresh claims and further submissions. Changed country conditions, new CPIN material, and post-decision security developments.
OpenIndependent country expert evidence for judicial review proceedings. Country conditions material to JR grounds, expedited instruction, and CPR Part 35 compliance.
OpenIndependent country expert for Single Joint Expert directions. Joint instructions, joint meetings, and independence under shared appointment.
OpenProcess
01
Name, firm, email, and what you need: country, proceedings, and deadline if known.
02
You receive a proposed expert, scope, and timeline, Legal Aid compatible.
03
Independent report structured for Practice Direction 2024, with sources you can test in cross-examination.
Send a short brief. We route to an independent country expert.
