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Click the headings below to learn about how to use and access CGRS's TA program.
First, click here to access CGRS's account registration form. Then, follow the steps below to create your account:
- Select your account type. The first screen asks you to choose what type of account you would like based on what you are trying do on the CGRS website. Select the relevant category:
- Attorney representing a client: if you are an attorney or other type of advocate (including paralegals, accredited representatives, or law students) looking to access CGRS TA to support an asylum or other fear-of-return case, select this option.
- Asylum seeker representing myself: if you are an individual representing yourself in proceedings, select this option. After you have registered, CGRS staff will reach out with relevant materials to support your case.
- Expert witness for immigration cases: if you are an individual interested in serving as an expert witness for immigration cases, being listed in the CGRS Expert Witness Database, and accessing the Expert Witness Resource Library, select this option. Please note that if you are an attorney looking for expert witness referrals, please do not select this option, as you will not be able to access expert referrals. Register as an attorney instead.
- Organization/clinic offering expert evaluations: if you are a representative of a clinic or organization interested in being listed in the Expert Witness Database, select this option.
- Fill out the registration form. Please note that CGRS requires all registrants, other than pro se asylum seekers, to indicate their organizational affiliation or identify themselves as a solo practitioner. If someone from your organization has registered a CGRS account before, your organization will appear in the searchable dropdown organization menu. If your organization isn't listed, select (Other) and fill out the fields that appear to register a new organization. For more information on why CGRS collects this information, refer to our FAQ.
Technical assistance (TA) materials are shared through the TA Library, a curated resource library available on CGRS's site for advocates representing individuals in asylum, withholding of removal, or Convention Against Torture (CAT) cases. The TA Library can be accessed at any time for new or prior-submitted case. To access the the TA Library for a new case:
- Log in to your CGRS account, or register for a new account.
- Fill out a case intake form. The case intake form collects basic information about the your case, including the client's country of origin, types of persecution feared, procedural stage, whether any outcomes have been rendered, and other information pertinent to the case. To get the most relevant resources in the TA Library, ensure that you carefully review each question and answer inclusively.
- The TA Library is populated with resources curated to your case based on your responses to the case intake, so providing information as accurate as possible is important to inform the usefulness of the resources served to you.
- Once you have submitted a case intake, a five-digit CGRS case number will be generated. Use this number when communicating with CGRS about your case. To see all of your case numbers, go to your My Account page.
- Report any prior outcomes in the case. If you indicate on the case intake form that an outcome has been previously reported in a case, you will be redirected to a form to report the outcome before accessing the TA Library. Reporting outcomes makes our TA program possible, and CGRS appreciates your time spent providing us with the information. For more guidance on the outcomes form, refer to the "How to Report an Outcome" section below.
- Access the TA Library . Upon completion of the form, you will be automatically redirected to a case-specific, curated reource library. The library contains both materials relevant to asylum cases in general, including information and updates on recent developments, and case-specific materials that are informed by your responses on the case intake, such as universal expert declarations and country conditions research. For more information on navigating the TA Library, refer to the "Navigating the TA Library" section below.
- Return to the TA Library at any time to find updated materials. New resources uploaded to the TA Library by CGRS are automatically added into your curated resource library. You do not need to reach out to CGRS to receive new materials - simply go to your My Account page and click "View TA Library for this Case" for any case you have submitted prior. To see what recent CGRS-authored materials have been released, check our TA Program News page.
- Contact CGRS to update previously submitted cases. If you'd like to change or add any information to your case intake after submitting, contact CGRS's TA team at CGRS-TA@uclawsf.edu. Remember to include your case number in the email.
You can access the TA Library for any case registered with CGRS at any time, including before the TA Library was introduced. To do so:
- Log in to your CGRS account.
- Navigate to your My Account page. The My Account page is your personal dashboard, from which you can access the TA Library, report outcomes, and update your contact information.
- Click on "View TA Library for this Case." On your My Account page, you'll see a list of case numbers, along with basic identifying information and a link to the TA Library for each.
- To see more information about an individual case, click on the case number to access the full case record, which contains the information you provided on the case.
- For more information on navigating the TA LIbrary, refer to the "Navigating the TA Library" section below.
If you would like to request additional assistance beyond the resources provided in the TA Library, please email us at CGRS-TA@uclawsf.edu with your CGRS case number in the subject line, noting any urgent upcoming deadlines. Please note we are not able to accommodate all requests for further assistance; refer to the Technical Assistance Overview section of our FAQ for more information.
If more details arise after you've already submitted a case intake, you can edit the case record to immediately update the TA Library with relevant materials. To edit, go to your My Account page and click Edit under the relevant case number. Once you have saved your changes, your TA Library will show any relevant new resources, if applicable.
The TA Library contains a wide range of materials, including practice advisories, sample briefs and motions, expert declarations, country conditions research, and other resources that can help attorneys and advocates better understand and navigate the complex legal landscape of asylum and related forms of protection.
After accessing the TA Library, you will see a list of TA resources sorted by date, beginning with the most recent. Each resource card contains basic information about it: title, type of resource, date, and a brief summary. To download the resource, click on the link in the bottom right corner.
To view a resource, click on Read More at the bottom of the resource card. On the resulting individual resource page, you can view PDFs, access links, or watch embedded videos.
CGRS's TA Library contains hundreds of materials, so we recommend using the filters on the left side of the screen to explore all available resources. Here are some best practices for navigating the filters in the TA Library:
- If you select filters from more than one group (e.g., Type of Document, Type of Persecution, etc.), returned resources will match all criteria. For example, if you select the country of origin filter and Country Conditions under Type of Document, then only country conditions materials relevant to that country will be returned - universal expert declarations specific to that country will not be returned.
- For this reason, CGRS strongly recommends trying different combinations of filters or use them more sparingly to find relevant materials.
- Use the Search box to perform keyword searches. We encourage using single words or very short phrases in order to find the most relevant resources, as the search mechanism is not sophisticated enough to detect spelling errors or predict results. For example, to look up decisions referenced in a case compendium or practice advisory, search only the case number.
- The country of origin filter, which is informed by the country of origin of your client, will only return country conditions research and universal expert declarations directly relevant to that country. CGRS does share a number of sample briefs and decisions concerning asylum seekers from certain countries, but these will not appear in country-specific searches. CGRS endeavors to provide sample redacted briefs and decisions on claims relevant to your client's case. We share materials in similar types of claims, even if they are for cases different than your client's country of origin because the legal arguments presented may still be applicable.
- Numbers in parentheses next to each search filter indicate how many resources in that category have been returned by your search. To understand better how filters work, see how these numbers change as you change filters.
- CGRS produces practice advisories, country conditions memos, webinar recordings, case compendia, and other resources that are shared in the TA Library, but we also share litigation support materials authored or contributed by other organizations or by experts. To see only resources authored by CGRS, select the "Show only resources authored by CGRS" checkbox at the bottom of the filter pane.
Each TA Library contains a link to listings in CGRS's Expert Witness Database relevant to the client's country of origin. The link appears in a blue box at the top of all TA Libraries. Once you have entered the Expert Witness Database, you can change the filters to conduct any type of search for experts, including mental health or medical experts. For more information on CGRS's Expert Witness Database, refer to the "Using the Expert Witness Database" section below.
CGRS uses outcomes reported to us to track trends and patterns in asylum cases, such as changes in government policies, legal precedents, and country conditions, which informs our work and advocacy efforts. CGRS may also use the outcomes data to support its efforts to advocate for changes to immigration policies and laws that affect asylum seekers. Outcomes are one of the most important ways advocates can support CGRS's work.
Most relevant to the TA program, CGRS draws insights and examples from outcomes to provide context and guidance in our materials, including case compendia, trainings, and practice advisories. Outcomes also inform our priorities in resource development, allowing us to be responsive to trends nationwide.
CGRS also collects case documents, including decisions, sample briefs, and other materials.
By uploading a decision document, CGRS can review the decision and identify any patterns or trends in the outcomes of asylum cases. This can help CGRS improve our TA program by providing more targeted resources and support to clients based on the issues and challenges they face.
In addition, uploading a decision document can help CGRS to identify cases where there may have been errors or inconsistencies in the decision-making process, which can inform its advocacy efforts to improve the fairness and accuracy of the asylum system.
To report an outcome for a case already submitted to CGRS:
- Log in to your CGRS account.
- Navigate to your My Account dashboard. The My Account page is your personal dashboard, from which you can report outcomes, access the TA Library, and update your contact information.
- Find the relevant case number and click "Add an Outcome."
- Fill out the outcomes form as completely as possible. If any fields do not apply to your case, you can skip them (unless they are required, as indicated with a red asterisk).
- If relevant, upload documents. CGRS collects decisions, briefs, and other case-related materials. These documents, particularly decisions, can provide valuable information that can help CGRS better understand the outcome of your case. In addition, by uploading a decision document, CGRS can review the decision and identify any patterns or trends in the outcomes of asylum cases. This can help CGRS improve our TA program by providing more targeted resources and support to clients based on the issues and challenges they face.
- When uploading documents, you can choose whether CGRS has permission to share the document with attorneys working on similar cases. If you select No, CGRS will not share the document with anyone outside of the organization under any circumstance.
- If you grant CGRS permission to share the document, we will completely redact any identifying information in accordance with our rigorous redaction protocol before sharing externally. CGRS appreciates your contribution, as sharing unpublished decisions enables other attorneys to better represent their clients.
If your case has multiple outcomes, CGRS encourages you to report all of them in order to provide a full accounting of the history of the case in order to better understand how to assist.
To report additional outcomes, navigate to your My Account dashboard and click "Add Another Outcome" next to the case number.
CGRS's Expert Witness Database is a searchable repository ofqualified experts who can provide testimony in asylum cases. The database includes a diverse range of experts such as country conditions experts, physicians, mental health professionals, and clinics that provide expert evaluations. CGRS carefully vets and selects experts based on their experience and expertise in relevant fields. The Expert Witness Database is an important tool that can help attorneys and advocates to effectively represent their clients in asylum proceedings by providing access to qualified and experienced experts who can provide valuable testimony to support their clients' claims. It is available free of charge at any time on our website. See below for information on how to access.
The Expert Witness Database is available on our website at all times free of charge. To access the database:
- Log in to your CGRS account, or register for a new account.
- Navigate to the database.
- Use filters to browse expert listings. First, select an expert type: country conditions, mental health or physical/medical health. If you are looking for country conditions experts, select a country and optionally, topics of expertise.
- You can also sort by whether the expert charges for their services, whether they are currently accepting new cases, or view only clinics.
- Click View Profile on the bottom each expert card to view the full profile. CGRS encourages advocates review our vetting protocol to learn more about assessing an expert's credentials. Additionally, we encourage
- Please note that CGRS provides expert contact information to enable attorneys to find potential experts, but appearing in our database does not imply endorsement of an expert.
