The standard follows the forum.
An expert report is not interchangeable across jurisdictions. We start with where it will be filed — the forum, the governing practice, and what that means for the face of the document — before any drafting begins.
Structure is fixed by where the report will be read.
Choose the jurisdiction before the expert writes a word.
The country material may be the same. The document is not. Duties, disclosure, and formal elements differ by forum — and a report that ignores the forum's practice invites the decision-maker to give it less weight before the substance is reached.
Settle the forum before the draft
A report written for one forum is not in the form another expects. Format is fixed in the engagement letter, not in review — whether the filing is in the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, or under a UNHCR mandate.
Practice, not a substitute for directions
The table below reflects governing practice. Individual case-management directions, local rules, and current Practice Directions must be checked before filing. This page is a practice note, not legal advice.
The same country evidence, differently structured
Source discipline does not change across forums. What changes is how instructions, qualifications, disclosure, and conclusions are set out on the face of the document.
Forum · governing practice · what the report must do.
The same evidence, in the form each forum requires.
Requirements must be verified against the current procedural rule and any individual directions before filing. What follows is how we structure reports in ordinary practice.
| Forum | Governing practice | What the report must do |
|---|---|---|
| United States — EOIR immigration courts and BIA | Administrative rules; federal litigation applies FRCP 26(a)(2)(B) | A complete statement of opinions with the basis for each, qualifications, and prior publications — the structure EOIR practice expects even where the federal rules do not bind. |
| Canada — IRB (RPD and RAD) | RPD and RAD rules on disclosure of documents and expert evidence | Disclosure in advance of hearing, with country evidence tied to the National Documentation Package where it is relied on or departed from. |
| United Kingdom — FTT and Upper Tribunal (IAC) | Tribunal Procedure Rules, with expert duties drawn from CPR Part 35 and FPR Part 25 practice | An overriding duty to the tribunal, the substance of all material instructions, reasons for any range of opinion, and a statement of compliance. |
| European national tribunals and the ECtHR | National asylum procedure with Article 3 ECHR risk assessment | Risk assessed as at the date of decision, with the evidence on state protection and internal relocation addressed separately. |
| Australia — Administrative Review Tribunal | ART practice, which replaced the AAT in October 2024 | Country evidence framed for merits review: current, sourced, and answering the delegate's reasons for refusal directly. |
| UNHCR mandate RSD | UNHCR procedural standards for refugee status determination | Country evidence and credibility analysis proportionate to a non-adversarial procedure, without adopting an adversarial register. |
Questions before you instruct
- Can one report be filed in more than one jurisdiction?
- Sometimes the country analysis transfers; the formal shell usually does not. If a report may be used in more than one forum, say so at instruction — we will either prepare to the stricter formal requirements or produce forum-specific versions.
- Has Australia’s AAT been replaced?
- Yes. Australia’s Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) replaced the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in October 2024. Reports for Australian merits review are framed to ART practice: current country evidence answering the delegate’s reasons directly.
- Do you prepare evidence for UNHCR RSD and Article 3 ECHR claims?
- Yes. UNHCR mandate RSD requires country evidence and credibility analysis proportionate to a non-adversarial procedure. Article 3 ECHR risk assessment requires risk as at the date of decision, with state protection and internal relocation addressed as separate evidential questions.
Tell us where it will be filed.
We settle the standard, the expert, and the fee in writing before work starts.