🗺️ Countries — document catalogue
📚 About Country of Origin Information
What is Country of Origin Information (COI)?
COI consists of public reports from independent organisations and governments on human rights, legislation, and conditions in a specific country. The Home Office uses COI to assess asylum claims.
COI reports are published by UNHCR, ILGA, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the US State Department, EUAA, and others. All are publicly available and free of charge.
Why does a UK CPIN exist for some countries but not others?
The UK Home Office publishes Country Policy and Information Notes (CPIN) for countries with a significant volume of asylum claims. A SOGIE (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression) CPIN exists for Russia — version 2.0 from June 2025.
For Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan there is no dedicated UK SOGIE CPIN. This means the Home Office and decision-makers rely on the international COI sources listed below.
Which international sources does the Home Office typically cite?
The 10 organisations below publish reports regularly used in UK LGBT asylum proceedings.
🌐 Universal LGBT COI sources (10 sources)
This is a catalogue of public sources. Which apply to your case is for an IAA lawyer to decide.
- 1. UNHCR Refworld
The primary international COI source. Includes UNHCR Guidelines on International Protection No. 9 (2012) on LGBT claims.
refworld.org → LGBTIQ persons → - 2. ecoi.net (ACCORD / Austrian Red Cross)
Mirrors UK CPINs and other official COI documents. Easy search by country and topic.
ecoi.net → - 3. EUAA Country Guidance (2025)
European Union Agency for Asylum — guidance on LGBT cases with analysis of CJEU and ECtHR case law.
euaa.europa.eu → - 4. IRB Canada — National Documentation Packages
Independent country packages on LGBT compiled for the Canadian asylum system. Frequently cited in UK proceedings.
irb-cisr.gc.ca → - 5. Asylos
Specialist COI research commissioned by lawyers. Frequently used for countries without a UK CPIN.
asylos.org → - 6. Rainbow Migration — country resources
Resources specifically for UK LGBT asylum, including country information and practical guides.
rainbowmigration.org.uk → - 7. ILGA-Europe — Annual Review & Rainbow Map
Annual review of LGBT rights in 49 European countries. Rainbow Map — legislation index.
rainbowmap.ilga-europe.org → - 8. ORAM
Organisation for Refuge, Asylum and Migration — specialises in LGBT asylum.
oramrefugee.org → - 9. Outright International
Country pages on LGBT rights worldwide, including all 6 countries in this catalogue.
outrightinternational.org → - 10. Human Dignity Trust
Database of criminalisation of same-sex relations worldwide. Country profiles with legal analysis.
humandignitytrust.org →
⚠️ Important: This is a public library. No document in this catalogue constitutes immigration advice. Which documents are relevant to your case is for an IAA/SRA/BSB-regulated lawyer to decide.
