Planet Search (ENG)
What is COI?
COI refers to information about countries of origin, habitual residence, and transit or return countries. COI products can be used in several procedures. Primarily, they are crucial for the individual assessment of applications for international protection (first applications, subsequent applicants, or appeal procedures). COI may also be used in the context of non-asylum-related migration cases, for instance, with regularisation procedures (9bis, 9ter) and family reunification procedures.
COI research encompasses a wide range of information, including the human rights, humanitarian, and security situation, along with the legal, political, and socio-economical contexts. It also assesses the availability of state protection and internal fight options, as well as specific events and incidents in the country.
Why is COI important?
COI products are crucial elements of asylum procedures. The practical role of COI in international status determination procedures is preparing for an applicant’s interview, assessing the applicant´s statement against the country conditions evaluation, and forming the background evidence to be used in assessing the risk of return.
What do we offer with Planet Search?
Do you have specific questions about your current case? We are equipped with COI research method skills. Thanks to this method, the Planet Search Team provides reports on objective facts and situations that can help you corroborate an application's credibility.
Example of COI questions answered
What is the security situation in Kunar province in Afghanistan?
How are LGBTQIA+ persons treated in Georgia?
What level of control does Al-Shabaab have in the Middle Shabelle region? What are the consequences? Is there evidence of patterns of forced marriage by Al-Shabaab?
What is the assessment of the Angolese healthcare system? Specifically, regarding favism and its access to treatment and medications?
What are the conditions and restrictions for adults and minors to exit Eritrean soil? If successful, what are the potential travel paths from Eritrea to reach Uganda and Ethiopia?
What is the current situation of divorced women in Tunisian society and the family circle?
Are there reports on traditional harmful practices? What is the prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation in Somalia?
What is the situation of beneficiaries of international protection in Greece?
What is the situation of beneficiaries of international protection in Italy?
Practical information
Subscription
Do you want to subscribe? It is easy: you need to fill out the form below ↓
Language
The language used for this service is English.
Price
Professionals (lawyers, social workers...): Planet Search works via a subscription, giving you access to a set of 10 questions, and this costs €121.
Volunteers and members of our network: free.
Sending a request
You can ask your COI question by e-mail at @email.
When sending your COI question(s), please provide us with the information about the situation that you consider relevant (e.g. gender, region, religion...). Upon receipt of your question, we will contact you to possibly focus on the situation so that we can conduct targeted research. We will then also agree on a deadline for the report.
Timing
The service aims to send the report within five working days. Our service aims to provide you with the report within five working days. By mutual agreement, we can jointly agree on a different deadline, e.g. for non-urgent queries. Moreover, if we receive a large number of questions at the same time, we reserve the right to give priority to certain COI requests, such as those in the context of an appeals. In any case, we clearly communicate the response time you can expect.
About the team
We uphold the values of fairness, integrity, and dedication and firmly believe that every individual deserves safety and dignity, regardless of their origin. To achieve this, providing comprehensive support to asylum seekers and their advocates is crucial. We aim to enhance COI quality and expertise to better assist people on the move. We ensure the quality of the research, through our legal and research expertise, specific trainings, such as the Austrian Red Cross courses aligning with ACCORD's EUAA Training Curriculum and finally, our capacity to mobilise our network worldwide.
You still have questions?
Do not hesitate to contact us, our Planet Search Team will be happy to answer them: @email.
We are thrilled to start a collaboration with you soon.
