Mr. Brian Collins:

On the question about the complexity of the application process, it is a complex process and people need legal advice because they may not fully understand. Even in the public domain, there is quite a misunderstanding about the definitions. In a lot of the commentary online, people say there is no war in country X and ask why people are coming here, whereas the refugee definition is more nuanced than that, including race, religion, nationality, political opinion and membership of a particular social group. Sometimes, the individual applicant may not appreciate the full scope of his or her claim until he or she meets a lawyer. For example, the applicant may fear persecution based on religious or political reasons, but after a conversation with them over time, there may be an issue related to sexual orientation as well. The applicant may have had a fear of authority in their country of origin and a fear of disclosing that. It is about explaining the definition, building trust with the person and he or she bringing you through their narrative, which could expand his or her claim into something else.