Asylum Program

For Asylum Attorneys

PHR staff and volunteers are looking forward to working with you.

Who we are

PHR's Asylum Network consists of hundreds of health professionals throughout the country who offer pro bono psychological and physical evaluations to document evidence of torture and other abuse for men and women fleeing persecution in their home countries.

Step One: Getting Started

If your client is seeking asylum in the United States and needs a psychological or physical evaluation to support his or her asylum claim, please fill out an intake form (pdf) and fax (617.301.4250) or email it to PHR (asylum [at] phrusa [dot] org). If you require more than one type of evaluation for your client, please indicate which type of evaluation is a priority.

Because the placement and evaluation process takes some time, we request you send us this form at least six weeks before the affidavit is required. Due to the heavy demand for forensic evaluations of asylum seekers, PHR cannot guarantee securing an evaluation for every case. The probability that your case will be placed increases with advance notice.

Once you send us the intake form, PHR staff will contact you if there are any questions or concerns about your case and to let you know if we can process the case for placement with a health professional.

Step Two: Matching Your Case with a Health Professional

When we've approved your request for placement, PHR staff will contact health professionals near your client to determine if someone is available to perform an evaluation. Once a volunteer is identified, we will provide you with the name and contact information of the health professional. 

We will send the health professional information on the human rights situation in your client's country of origin. We also provide new volunteers with sample affidavits and the PHR manual on how to evaluate asylum seekers.

You will be responsible for contacting the volunteer health professional and making an appointment for your client. You also will be responsible for securing an interpreter if your client needs one for the evaluation.

I would like to thank Physicians for Human Rights and Dr. R. The medical report was invaluable in demonstrating the requisite, well-founded fear that our client had of his home government. I am pleased to say X was granted asylum!
 -- Attorney

Step Three: Conducting the Evaluation

The health professional volunteer will examine your client in the detention center or a location that you agree upon. Prior to the evaluation, please provide the volunteer health professional with a copy of your client's affidavit and any other relevant information.

Step Four: Drafting the Affidavit

If the health professional evaluator determines that the physical or psychological sequelae are consistent with the asylum seeker's account of torture or persecution, the health professional will also prepare an affidavit to submit to the court.

It is important to maintain close contact with the health professional while he or she is drafting this document to make sure that any issues or questions are addressed in a timely fashion. Although counsel has principal responsibility to schedule the evaluation and follow up with the physician, PHR staff are available to help if problems arise.

On behalf of Mr. X, thank you! Thank you, Dr. K. Thank you, Physicians for Human Rights. The Immigration Judge granted asylum this morning. Dr. K's affidavit was a key element in what became an 'open and shut' case.
 -- Attorney

Step Five: Reporting the Outcome

Once the case is completed, please inform both the health professional and Physicians for Human Rights of the outcome of the case. We need information about all case outcomes to support the foundation and other fundraising that makes this service possible.

PHR unfortunately is not able to coordinate ongoing medical assistance to asylum seekers.

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