What Information Can Help a Country Expert Assess State Protection and Internal Relocation

State protection and internal relocation can involve questions about how conditions in a particular country may affect an individual with a particular profile. Where these issues are relevant to an immigration or asylum case, a country expert may be asked to provide specialist evidence about country conditions, institutions, regional differences and practical circumstances.

The information required will depend on the circumstances of the case and the questions within the expert's instructions. A country expert does not determine the legal outcome of a case. Their role is to address questions within their specialist knowledge and explain the country information and analysis on which their opinion is based.

For solicitors, understanding what information may assist a country expert can help make instructions more focused and case-specific.

What Is State Protection in the Context of Country Expert Evidence?

State protection can raise questions about the availability and practical operation of protection mechanisms within a particular country.

Depending on the case, relevant issues may include:

• Police structures and practices
• Access to courts or other authorities
• Availability of protective mechanisms
• Regional differences in access to state institutions
• Treatment of people with a particular profile
• Barriers to reporting incidents
• The practical operation of laws and policies
• The relationship between formal protections and their implementation

A country expert may provide evidence about these matters where they fall within the expert's specialist knowledge.

The applicable legal assessment of state protection is a matter for the relevant tribunal or court. An expert may instead be asked to provide country-specific evidence that assists the decision-maker in considering the factual background.

What Information May Help an Expert Assess State Protection?

The information required will depend on the circumstances and instructions. Useful material may include information about the individual's profile, location, previous experiences and the specific form of protection being considered.

The Individual's Relevant Profile

The expert may need to understand characteristics that are relevant to the country-specific question.

Depending on the case, this could include:

• Ethnic or community background
• Religion
• Political or perceived political profile
• Gender
• Sexual orientation or gender identity
• Family or social connections
• Occupation or public role
• Previous association with particular organisations
• Other characteristics relevant to the country conditions

The expert should be given enough factual information to understand the question without being asked to determine matters outside their expertise.

The Relevant Location

Country conditions can vary between regions, cities and communities.

The expert may therefore need to know:

• Where the individual lived
• Where relevant incidents occurred
• Where the individual may potentially seek protection
• Whether particular institutions are available in those locations
• Whether conditions differ between urban and rural areas
• Whether regional or local factors affect access to protection

A country expert may then consider whether available country information indicates meaningful differences between the locations relevant to the instructions.

Assessing Formal and Practical Protection

A country may have laws or institutions that formally provide protection while the practical operation of those mechanisms may vary.

A country expert may therefore be asked to distinguish between:

1. The formal legal or institutional framework
2. How relevant institutions operate in practice
3. Any known regional or group-specific differences
4. The accessibility of those mechanisms to people with the relevant profile

This distinction can be relevant because the existence of legislation or an official institution does not necessarily answer every country-condition question about how protection operates in practice.

At the same time, evidence about difficulties within a particular institution does not necessarily establish that effective protection is unavailable in every location or circumstance.

The expert can explain the available country information and any limitations in applying it to the specific circumstances.

What Information May Help When Considering Internal Relocation?

Internal relocation concerns whether a person could potentially live in another part of the same country.

The relevant country questions can differ significantly from one case to another. A country expert may be asked to consider matters such as:

• Conditions in the proposed location
• Regional security conditions
• Treatment of people with the relevant profile
• Access to accommodation
• Employment or livelihood conditions
• Access to essential services
• Language requirements
• Social or community connections
• Documentation requirements
• Travel arrangements
• Regional differences in state protection

The legal assessment of internal relocation remains a matter for the relevant decision-maker. Expert evidence may instead address country-specific factual questions that arise from the proposed relocation scenario.

For an overview of the specialist areas covered by Independent Country Expert, see the expertise areas.

Information About the Proposed Location

A country expert may need specific information about the location being considered.

Where possible, instructions may identify:

• City or region
• Urban or rural setting
• Known family or community connections
• Relevant language or cultural considerations
• The individual's previous connection to the area
• Any specific concern said to arise in that location

Without a defined location, country conditions may be difficult to assess at the level required for an individual case.

Regional and Local Differences

National-level country information may not describe conditions equally across an entire country.

Differences may arise because of:

• Local administration
• Security conditions
• Ethnic or community composition
• Political control
• Infrastructure
• Availability of public institutions
• Urban and rural conditions
• Language or cultural differences

A country expert may therefore consider whether national information adequately reflects the proposed location or whether regional material is also relevant.

Access to Services and Livelihood

Where internal relocation is being considered, the expert may be asked to address practical country conditions affecting daily life.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

Accommodation

The availability and accessibility of accommodation may vary according to location, income and social connections.

Employment

Employment opportunities may differ between regions and may also depend on language, qualifications, documentation, social networks and the individual's profile.

Essential Services

Relevant services can include healthcare, education, transportation and administrative services, depending on the circumstances of the case.

Documentation

Some individuals may face particular practical issues concerning identity documents, registration or other administrative requirements. The relevance of these issues will depend on the country and individual circumstances.

Language and Social Connections

Language can be relevant to the practical circumstances of relocation, particularly where different languages are used across regions.

An expert may also consider the significance of family, community or social connections where these are relevant to the specific question.

However, the absence of a particular social connection does not automatically establish that relocation is impossible. The expert may instead explain the country context and any factors that could affect the individual's ability to establish themselves in the proposed location.

Information About the Individual's Circumstances

Country information alone might not provide enough context for a case-specific expert analysis.

Depending on the instructions, relevant factual information may include:

• The individual's age
• Family circumstances
• Education and employment background
• Language abilities
• Relevant community or family connections
• Previous residence
• Travel history where relevant
• Documentation
• Particular vulnerabilities or characteristics relevant to the country question

The expert can then consider the country information against the factual assumptions provided for the purpose of the report.

What Solicitors Can Provide When Instructing a Country Expert

Clear instructions can help an expert understand the precise country questions they are being asked to address.

Depending on the case, solicitors may consider providing:

A Clear Summary of the Relevant Facts

The expert may need a concise factual background identifying the matters that are relevant to the country-specific questions.

The Proposed Relocation Location

If internal relocation is an issue, identifying the location being considered can help the expert focus their research.

The Relevant Profile

The expert may need information about the characteristics that could affect treatment or access to protection in the country concerned.

Previous Country Information

Relevant reports, statements or other material already obtained may help the expert understand the issues that have been identified, although the expert may also undertake their own assessment of relevant country information.

Specific Questions

Instructions can identify the questions on which expert evidence is required. This may help avoid unnecessary material and allow the expert to focus on matters within their expertise.

What a Country Expert Does Not Decide

A country expert provides specialist evidence within their area of expertise. They do not normally determine whether an appellant meets the applicable legal test for asylum or immigration protection.

Similarly, an expert may provide evidence about country conditions relevant to state protection or internal relocation without deciding the ultimate legal question of whether those conditions satisfy the applicable legal test.

This distinction helps preserve the difference between expert evidence and legal submissions.

State Protection and Internal Relocation May Require Different Country Evidence

Although state protection and internal relocation can arise together, they are not necessarily the same country question.

State protection may focus on matters such as:

• The availability and operation of relevant authorities
• Access to protective mechanisms
• Treatment by state institutions
• Regional differences in protection

Internal relocation may involve additional questions about:

• The proposed location
• Security and local conditions
• Access to accommodation and employment
• Language and community connections
• Access to essential services
• The individual's circumstances in the proposed location

The expert's instructions can therefore identify which issues require specialist country evidence rather than treating all country-condition questions as one general issue.

A Practical Checklist for Providing Information to a Country Expert

Depending on the circumstances, solicitors may find it useful to consider whether the expert has information about:

1. The individual's relevant profile.
2. The location where the relevant events occurred.
3. The nature of the protection said to be available.
4. Any previous contact with relevant authorities.
5. The proposed location for internal relocation, if applicable.
6. Regional or local differences that may be relevant.
7. Language, community and family connections.
8. Employment, accommodation and access to relevant services.
9. Relevant documentation or administrative issues.
10. The specific questions the expert has been asked to address.

This is not a universal checklist for every case. The appropriate information will depend on the circumstances, the expert's area of expertise and the questions raised by the instructions.

Conclusion

State protection and internal relocation can involve detailed country-specific questions. The information required for expert evidence will depend on the individual's circumstances, the relevant location and the precise issues on which specialist country evidence is sought.

Providing a country expert with a clear factual background, relevant profile information, the proposed location where applicable and focused questions may help the expert assess available country information in context.

The resulting expert evidence can then distinguish between country information, factual assumptions and independent expert analysis, while leaving the applicable legal assessment to the relevant decision-maker.

Independent Country Expert covers specialist areas including state protection assessment and internal relocation analysis for UK immigration and asylum tribunals. Further information is available through the expertise areas page.

Solicitors who need to discuss a case can use the contact page.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about country expert evidence concerning state protection and internal relocation. It is not legal advice and does not replace the applicable legislation, case law, procedural rules, directions or professional requirements relevant to an individual case.

Last Reviewed: October 2026