The asylum process is based on interviews with the applicant and an assessment based on these interviews to determine if the applicant meets the criteria for international protection. Troublingly, current interviewing and decision-making methods are not entirely supported by psychological science. We are partnering with researchers and practitioners across Europe to develop and assess evidence-based asylum determination methods and train European asylum officials to improve the ways in which asylum applicants are heard and the ways their cases are assessed.

Recent Activities

Upcoming event: Conference on SOGI and asylum decision-making, October 2026

Conference on “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) in Asylum Decision-Making: Towards an Infrastructure for Evidence-Based Practice.” Where: Turku, Finland When: 15–17 October 2026

Psych-AID at the LGBTQ+ Refugees in the Welfare State: Research, Policy and Practitioners in Dialogue Conference

Doctoral researcher Malin Ekelund and Prof. Jan Antfolk attended the international conference on LGBTQ+ Refugees in the Welfare State: Research, Policy and Practitioners in Dialogue. The conference was held at Ekonomikum, Uppsala University and hosted by the Department of Human Geography at Uppsala University together with the QUEEN (QUeer rEfugees rEsearch in the Nordics) network, and funded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Psych-AID at the Anti-Gender and Anti-migration Connection – a Nordic Dialogue-Based Conference

Doctoral researcher Malin Ekelund and Project Coordinator Catharina Walldén from the psych-AID network participated in The Anti-gender & Anti-migration Connection – a Nordic Dialogue-Based Conference in Stockholm. The conference explored the increasing interconnectivity between anti-gender and anti-migration politics across the Nordic region and beyond.

Recent Publications

Field reflections from training Finnish asylum officials

20.2.2026

In the published field reflection, Dr. Jenny Skrifvars and Prof. Julia Korkman aimed to describe the everyday challenges and organisational constraints reported by Finnish asylum officials during the training. The reflection aimed to discuss the areas of concern in relation to empirical literature and proposed solutions and recommendations for future practice and research.

‘How would you define your sexuality?’ analyzing the questions asked in official asylum interviews with sexual minorities

16.10.2025

The study of Finnish asylum interviews with sexual minority applicants found that, while problematic questioning styles were largely avoided, officials relied heavily on closed-ended questions and focused more on verifying sexual orientation than on experiences of persecution. Improved training and further research are essential to enhance interview practices.