- Actor of Persecution
- Any person or entity whose actions constitute persecution, including state agents and non-state actors where the state fails to protect. Defined in Article 6 of the Qualification Directive.
- Article 15(c) (Subsidiary Protection)
- Protection for persons who do not qualify as refugees but face a real risk of serious harm including indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict.
- CPIN
- Country Policy and Information Note. Home Office documents providing country conditions information used in asylum decision-making. Experts may go beyond CPIN analysis where the specific profile requires it.
- Country Guidance Case
- An Upper Tribunal decision designated as country guidance, providing authoritative precedent on country conditions and legal analysis for a specific country or issue.
- Discretion Argument (LGBTQ+)
- The rejected argument that LGBTQ+ asylum seekers should live discreetly to avoid persecution. Rejected by HJ (Iran) [2010] UKSC. Tribunals must assess risk on open living.
- Exclusion Clauses
- Refugee Convention Article 1F provisions excluding persons who have committed serious crimes, acts contrary to UN purposes, or crimes against peace from refugee protection.
- HJ (Iran) [2010]
- Leading UKSC authority on LGBTQ+ asylum. Established that LGBTQ+ individuals cannot be expected to conceal their identity and set the three-part test for LGBTQ+ persecution claims.
- Humanitarian Protection
- Leave granted where a person faces a real risk of serious harm but does not qualify for refugee status under the Refugee Convention grounds.
- IDP (Internally Displaced Person)
- A person forced to flee their home but who remains within their country of origin. Relevant to internal relocation and country conditions analysis.
- Immigration Tribunal Practice Direction
- Tribunal rules governing procedure including paragraph 10 on expert evidence standards, report format, and the duties of expert witnesses in immigration proceedings.
- Imputed Political Opinion
- Political opinion attributed to an individual by a persecutor regardless of whether they hold that opinion. Valid Convention ground established in RT (Zimbabwe) [2012] UKSC.
- Internal Flight Alternative
- Also called internal relocation. The proposition that an asylum seeker could safely and reasonably relocate within their country of origin rather than requiring international protection.
- Internal Relocation
- Analysis of whether an appellant could relocate safely and reasonably within their country of origin. Requires assessment of viability (safety) and reasonableness (not unduly harsh).
- MOJ (Somalia) [2014]
- Leading authority on persecution methodology and state protection analysis in non-state actor cases. Establishes the framework for assessing effective protection.
- Non-Refoulement
- The principle prohibiting return of a person to a country where they face persecution or serious harm. Core to both Refugee Convention and Article 3 ECHR protection.
- Non-State Actor
- A persecutor who is not a state agent, including criminal gangs, family members, community groups, and terrorist organisations. Can ground asylum where state protection fails.
- Particular Social Group (PSG)
- The fifth Refugee Convention ground. A group sharing a protected characteristic that is socially perceived as distinct in the country of origin. Requires both limbs of the test.
- Persecution Threshold
- The level of seriousness harm must reach to constitute persecution: a serious violation of fundamental human rights. Cumulative harm may reach the threshold even where individual acts do not.
- Political Opinion (actual/imputed)
- A Refugee Convention ground covering persecution for actual political views held or political views imputed by the persecutor. RT (Zimbabwe) [2012] confirmed imputed opinion as valid.
- Qualification Directive
- EU directive defining standards for refugee and subsidiary protection status, as implemented in UK law. Defines acts of persecution, actors of persecution, and protection grounds.
- Real Risk
- The standard for assessing future risk of persecution or serious harm. Requires a reasonable degree of likelihood, not certainty, that persecution would occur on return.
- Refugee Convention 1951
- The foundational international instrument defining refugee status. Article 1A(2) defines a refugee as someone with a well-founded fear of persecution for Convention reasons.
- Religion Ground
- Persecution for reasons of religion including belief, practice, conversion, apostasy, and imputed religious identity. Article 9 of the Qualification Directive defines acts of religious persecution.
- RT (Zimbabwe) [2012]
- UKSC authority establishing imputed political opinion as a valid Convention ground and addressing diaspora political activity as a risk factor on return.
- Serious Harm
- Harm reaching the threshold for subsidiary protection under Article 15 of the Qualification Directive, including death penalty, torture, inhuman treatment, and indiscriminate violence.
- Social Perception Test
- The requirement that a claimed PSG is recognised as a distinct group in society, not merely a statistical category. One of two limbs of the PSG test in UK asylum law.
- State Persecution
- Persecution carried out by state agents including military, police, intelligence services, and judicial authorities. Direct state targeting of individuals or groups.
- State Protection
- Analysis of whether the state is willing and able to protect the appellant from persecution. Three-part test: existence, adequacy, and accessibility of protection mechanisms.
- Subsidiary Protection
- Protection status for those facing serious harm who do not qualify as refugees. Includes Article 15(c) protection from indiscriminate violence in conflict situations.
- UNHCR Guidelines
- UNHCR guidance documents on refugee status determination including gender-related persecution, LGBTQ+ claims, and internal relocation. Influential in UK tribunal analysis.
- Well-Founded Fear
- The subjective fear of persecution combined with objective evidence supporting that fear. The standard for refugee status under Article 1A(2) of the Refugee Convention.
- Convention Nexus
- The connection between the feared persecution and a Refugee Convention reason: race, religion, nationality, PSG, or political opinion. Required for refugee status.
- Cumulative Persecution
- Where individually insufficient acts of harm cumulatively reach the persecution threshold through a systematic pattern of discrimination or mistreatment.
- Letter of Instruction
- The document sent to an expert setting out the case, questions, and documents. Must comply with Immigration Tribunal Practice Direction and the Adam Pipe October 2025 guide.
- Statement of Truth
- A formal declaration by the expert confirming the report's contents are true to the best of their knowledge. Required in all expert reports for immigration tribunals.
