The asylum request is considered by the Migration and Citizenship Service (MCS) based on the interview conducted with you. A positive or negative decision is made.
In case of a positive decision, you are granted refugee status; in case of a negative decision, you are obliged to leave Armenia if you do not file an appeal against the decision. A negative decision is subject to appeal in all three court instances. If the final decision is positive, you are granted refugee status; if it is negative, you are obliged to leave the country. You can find below the procedure in the form of a chart. Further, each step of the procedure is described in details.
Asylum Procedure
Interview
After registering your application at the Migration and Citizenship Service, an interview will be conducted with you. You will be informed about the date and time of the interview in advance within three days after your application.
The aim of the interview is to get information on the reasons of leaving your country. You will be asked questions and you should answer them in as comprehensive and detailed manner as possible. You are obliged to come to the interview, cooperate with MCS and provide correct information to the interviewer.
If you do not show up for the interview for no valid reason and do not cooperate with the Migration and Citizenship Service, then the processing of your application may be cancelled by the MCS. If your attendance is not possible or if you are late for a valid reason, please inform the MCS at least one day prior to the interview.
Upon your request, you will be interviewed by an Migration and Citizenship Service official of your preferred gender. If you do not speak Armenian language, then the interview will be conducted with the participation of the interpreter of your preferred gender, provided by the MCS. Should you wish, you can have an interpreter of your own choice and on your own means with the consent of the MCS. The Migration and Citizenship Service will make the record of the interview.
If you agree, a staff member of the UNHCR, as well as your lawyer from the Office of the Public Defender, or your personal lawyer may be present at the interview.
If the MCS considers that your application is well-founded and there is sufficient information on the file to grant you a refugee status, then the decision may be taken without an interview.
The interview is confidential. The information provided by you will not be communicated to the authorities of your country, including the Embassies, or any other person. Such information can be provided to other people only by your written permission. The confidentiality of the interview is guaranteed by the RA Law “On Personal Data Protection”; the information received from the interview is strictly confidential and shall not be published.
Decisions in relation to the claim for refugee status
The Migration and Citizenship Service will take a decision after submission of asylum application within three months. In some cases, it can be extended up to six months based on the decision by the MCS. As a result of considering the application, MCS will take a decision:
- on recognizing as a refugee and granting asylum in Armenia, or
- on rejection of your asylum application.
The Migration and Citizenship Service makes its decision on information contained in your individual file and provided by you during the interview, as well as available information on your country of origin.
The Migration and Citizenship Service can apply exclusion grounds and not recognize you as a refugee, if there are reasonable grounds to assume that you committed a crime against peace and humanity, a war crime or other serious crimes, or you were found guilty in actions that contradict aims and principles of the United Nations.
If you have already been recognized as a refugee by any other country (Signatory State to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol), then you will be considered as a refugee in Armenia automatically, and the MCS will consider the issue of granting you asylum in Armenia. You will be informed about the decision made by the MCS within three days. You can receive the decision yourself from the MCS or it will be sent to you by mail.
Accelerated procedure for granting asylum
Your asylum claim may be reviewed in an accelerated manner, if:
- Your asylum claim is unfounded, that is the grounds mentioned in it do not obviously meet the refugee recognition criteria.
- Your asylum application has been once considered and rejected and you submitted a new asylum application.
The accelerated procedure is processed within 10 working days. The application processing period may be extended up to one month based on the decision by the Migration and Citizenship Service.
You have all the rights and obligations set out for asylum-seekers during accelerated procedure.
The accelerated procedure of granting asylum shall not be applied to you, if you are an asylum-seeker with special needs.
Persons with special needs are:
- asylum-seeking or refugee children,
- persons with disabilities,
- pregnant women,
- single parents with minor children,
- persons with serious illnesses,
- persons with mental health issues,
- survivors of trafficking, torture, or other forms of violence.