The Country of Origin Information Service (COI Service) provides accurate, objective, up-to-date, sourced information on asylum seekers' countries of origin. This information mainly focuses on human rights issues.
The information is for UK Border Agency officials involved in the asylum determination process.
Specialist country officers in the COI Service research, compile and produce country of origin information (COI). They monitor the position in their countries daily and have access to all the most up-to-date COI sources.
All COI products focus on human rights issues and matters frequently raised in asylum and human rights claims. We compile them from reliable material produced by external information sources such as:
the US State Department
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
human rights organisations
news media
The public can access all COI products. They are based on published or unclassified source material. Hyperlinks are provided within the COI products to most of the original source documents referred to. COI Service products do not contain any UKBA opinion or policy.
COI products
The COI Service currently publishes:
COI Reports: These are detailed compilations of pertinent material produced by a wide range of external information sources. Each report focuses on the main asylum and human rights issues in the country, but also provides background information on geography, economy and history. COI Reports are regularly produced on the 20 countries which generate the most asylum applications in the UK, based on the previous year’s statistics. Until recently the reports were published twice yearly in April and October, but since October 2006 most COI reports have been updated more frequently. The current reports also contain news pages, providing the most up-to-date information at the time of publication.
COI Key Documents: For countries that generate fewer asylum applications, we provide ‘COI Key Documents’. This brings together all the main source documents that would be provided with a COI Report, but with a brief country profile and index rather than an actual report. COI Key Documents are generally updated annually.
COI Bulletins: We issue Bulletins on an ad hoc basis, usually on countries outside the top 20, when it is necessary to provide information at short notice in response to emerging events or in relation to a country for which a COI Report is not produced.
COI Fact-Finding Mission Reports: These mainly contain information obtained from interviews conducted with organisations and individuals in asylum seeker’s countries of origin.
Feedback
We are always keen to improve our service and welcome any suggestions
that may help us to do so. If you have any comments on any COI
Service products please send them to this email address: COIS@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
COI material produced by UKBA is reviewed by the independent
Advisory Panel on Country Information. www.apci.org.uk
