Substantive interview

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Page last updated: July 2025

The substantive interview (also known as 'big interview') is where you will provide detailed information about your reasons for claiming asylum in the UK.

These interviews can be very long and difficult, and you will have to give the interviewer a lot of detail. In some cases, you may have several shorter interviews rather than one long one. Like in the screening interview, you have the right to an interpreter if you need one. If you’d prefer your interviewer and/or interpreter to be a man or a woman you can request this.

You will receive a letter telling you the date, time and location of your interview, and whether the interview will be in person or by video link. If you have been invited to interview by video link and you do not feel comfortable with this, you can contact the Home Office and request that your interview be conducted in person. If you have to travel to attend your interview, the Home Office will provide travel tickets. If you haven’t received these tickets, it is important to contact Migrant Help.

The substantive interview is a challenging process, and is the most important part of your asylum claim. It is important that you prepare for it as well as you can, and that you have a legal representative to help you if possible.

What to expect

Your substantive interview will be conducted by a Home Office caseworker. You have the right to an interpreter if you need one. If you’d prefer your interviewer and/or interpreter to be a man or a woman you can request this and the Home Office will try to accommodate your request.

In most cases, you will be interviewed on your own. If you have a lawyer, they may be able to attend the interview with you. However, if your lawyer is being paid through legal aid, there may be rules about the amount of time they can spend on your case that might mean they can’t attend with you.

During your interview, you’ll be asked detailed questions about:

You and your background – including your life story and personal circumstances
When and how you left your country – and your journey to the UK
Why you can’t return safely – the reasons you would be at risk if you went back
Why you wouldn’t be safe anywhere in your country – not just in your home area
Who is threatening or persecuting you – and why they are targeting you
Any arrests, imprisonment or traumatic experiences – such as assault or torture

You will probably be asked the same thing many times in different ways. It is important to remember that your interviewer may not know very much about your country or culture. This can lead to misunderstandings during your interview. Take your time answering questions and give as much detail as you can. You can ask for clarification if you aren’t sure what a question means.

The interviewer may say or imply that they do not believe part of your story, or may come across as confrontational or unhelpful. Be prepared for this and think about ways you can help yourself stay calm.

For more detail on what to expect during your substantive interview, visit Right to Remain’s asylum toolkit.

Preparing for your substantive interview

It is important to prepare as much as you can for your substantive interview. It is important to seek legal advice as early as you can. Your lawyer will be able to help you prepare for your interview.

You might want to try telling your story to a friend or supporter who can point out where you might have explained something in a roundabout way or forgotten to include details. You could also write down the key points or draw yourself pictures, although you will not be able to take these into the interview with you.

Your lawyer may be able to help you gather evidence to support your interview testimony. This evidence will usually be submitted before your interview, and could include:

A written statement explaining parts of your case you don’t feel able to speak about in an interview,
Personal or official documents,
Medical or medico-legal reports documenting the effects of torture or other violence,
Evidence about the situation in your country from reliable sources or an expert.
You should make sure you have discussed any evidence with your lawyer before you decide to send it to the Home Office. Evidence from your home country will need to be translated into English.

Your rights at a substantive interview

Interpretation

An interpreter will be provided if you need one. If you would prefer your interpreter to be a man or a woman you can ask for this. You should make this request as far in advance as you can.

If there are any problems with the interpreter — for example, if you cannot understand them or they cannot understand you, if you speak a different dialect, or if you think they are mistranslating what you are saying — it is very important that you tell the Home Office interviewer this and ask them to write it down.

If there are any problems with your transcript or if you are recorded as having said different things in different interviews, it will be much easier to query if the interviewer noted at the time that there were problems with the interpretation.

Transcript

The Home Office interviewer will take written notes and record audio of your interview. You and your lawyer should get copies of these documents immediately after the interview. If you do not receive your transcript and recording promptly, you should get in touch with the Home Office to request them.

You should set aside some time to review the interview transcript after your interview. Check it carefully to make sure that it accurately reflects what you said without any mistakes. If you forgot to mention something or made a mistake in one of your answers, you can write to the Home Office to correct the transcript. You will need to provide an explanation for why you did not give this answer during the interview. Your lawyer will be able to help you make corrections to your interview transcript.

Breaks

Childcare

Some Home Office centres are now able to offer childcare during substantive interviews for single parents with young children under 5 years old. There should be a leaflet with information about childcare and how to book it included with the letter inviting you to interview. If you know you will need childcare during your interview, you should inform the Home Office as early as possible. Not all interview centres can provide childcare, and you may still need to arrange it yourself. You cannot bring children with you to the interview.

Support person

In exceptional circumstances, you may be allowed to bring someone with you to support you emotionally, medically or spiritually during your interview. This could be a friend, someone from your faith group, or someone from an organisation that has been supporting you. The support person cannot be a family member, someone claiming asylum themselves, or anyone with a personal interest in the outcome of your claim.

You will need to ask for permission to bring a support person to your interview, and the Home Office will decide whether to allow it. A support person is only there to support you and is not allowed to participate in the interview.

What happens next?

The Home Office will decide the outcome of your claim based on your interviews and the evidence you and your legal representative have provided. This may take months or years.

Delays do not necessarily mean that your claim will be successful or refused.

If your case is complicated, it is possible that the Home Office will tell you that:

Your supporting documents need to be verified
You need to attend more interviews
Your personal circumstances need to be checked, for example because you have a criminal conviction or you’re currently being prosecuted

Ask your legal adviser if you want to seek an update on your application. However, they may tell you that you need to wait for a few months before they can get an update from the Home Office.

Your asylum support will continue after your substantive interview and will last until you receive a decision on your claim.

Need more help?

Call our free, confidential, helpline to speak to one of our experienced advisers (you can ask for an interpreter) or email refugeesupport@scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk.

0808 196 7274

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Substantive interview