You can apply for asylum in Niger, when you are in Niger, at the closest local authorities, at the Single Window for the Protection and Assistance of Refugees and Urban Asylum Seekers, or the closest office United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Niger.
Green Line for asylum seekers in Niger
The green line at the Single Window is free to use with Orange, Airtel, and Moov SIM cards:
Monday through Thursday, 8.00 – 13.00 and 14.00 – 17.30
Friday, 8:00 to 14:00
An operator will respond to you discreetly in French, Hausa, Djerma, English, and Arabic. You can ask for information about the asylum process in Niger. You can complain. You can book an appointment for a service related to your asylum application. You can ask about the status of asylum applications. Other answers and guidance will be provided as needed.
You can write a handwritten letter requesting to be recognized as a refugee. You address this letter to the National Commission for Eligibility for the Status of Refugees (CNE) which is presided over by the General Directorate of Civil Status and Refugees (DGEC-R).
The asylum applicant must undertake an individual refugee status determination procedure in order to qualify for refugee status. This is the principle that applies to all asylum seekers, with the exception of nationals of northern Mali and north-eastern Nigeria, who are subject to a particular protection system due to the current situation in these two countries.
Most websites linked in this article are in English or French. If you need, use Google Translate, Tarjimly, or any other translation app.
You can read more on asylum seeking procedure in Niger at Sheega Info or on UNHCR Help Niger.
Asylum process in Niger
You can apply for asylum in Niger, when you are in Niger, at the closest local authorities, at the closest field office of the National Commission for Eligibility for the Status of Refugees (CNE), or General Directorate of Civil Status and Refugees (DGEC-R), or the closest office United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Niger.
You can write a handwritten letter requesting to be recognized as a refugee. You address this letter to the CNE which is presided over by the General Directorate of Civil Status and Refugees (DGEC-R).
When submitting their application to the DGEC-R, the asylum seeker must fill out a form (questionnaire) pertaining to their case. He is given a provisional certificate that is valid for three (3) months and is signed by Ministry of Interior officials. In Niger, this certificate serves as proof of residency. It is renewable as many times as the individual requires until a final decision on his asylum application is communicated to him.
Interview
A DGEC-R agent interviews the asylum seeker. Following that, the agent compiles an individual file (and initiates an administrative inquiry into the asylum seeker in question, in accordance with Niger’s refugee law).
Individual files include:
- The handwritten application for asylum by the asylum seeker;
- The completed form for determining refugee status (questionnaire);
- Any paper or document that could reveal the identify of the asylum seeker;
- Any document that can help establish the merits of the refugee application;
- two (2) passport photographs
- The administrative investigation’s report.
Decision in refugee status
The judgments reached as a result of these discussions are documented and communicated to applicants in writing, signed by the president of the CNE or his agent.
When an asylum seeker is accepted as a refugee, the Interior Minister, President of the CNE, grants him a refugee identity card. This card is valid for two (2) years and can be renewed at the request of the refugee. In the event of loss, a duplicate is granted to the refugee upon production of a police-signed notification of loss.
Appeal a negative decision
When the CNE refuses to recognize an asylum seeker’s refugee status, the latter has sixty (60) days from the date of receipt of written notification of the decision to file an appeal. The CNE’s negative.
The appeal is directed to the Minister in charge of the Interior, the President of the CNE, and filed with the DGEC-R. This appeal must include the applicant’s surname, first name, complete civil status, profession, and domicile, as well as the specific reasons why the negative decision is incorrect.
A photocopy of the judgment of non-admission to the benefit of refugee status, as well as any other document likely to show the merits of the appeal request, must be included with the appeal.
The appeal request is reviewed by the appeals committee, which is comprised of civil officials from the ministerial departments that comprise it.
When the asylum seeker is accepted as a refugee after an appeal, the Minister responsible for the Interior, President of the CNE, notifies him of the decision and issues him a refugee identity card.
This card is good for two (2) years and is renewed after it expires. In the event of loss and at the refugee’s request, a duplicate is granted upon production of a police-signed declaration of loss. When an asylum seeker’s appeal is refused, he or she is informed in writing by a decision signed by the president of the CNE or his delegate. As a result, an asylum seeker whose appeal request has been denied is required to regularize his situation with the immigration authorities if he desires to remain in Niger, as he cannot benefit from refugee status in Niger.
Sources: Sheega Info, UNHCR Help Niger
Cover image is somewhere in Niger. Photo by Alek Burley on Unsplash