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This page contains answers to frequently asked questions about CGRS's Expert Witness Database, both for advocates and experts. To see FAQs about CGRS's TA program, click here.
CGRS’s Expert Witness Database is a free, searchable repository of health, country conditions, and issue-specific professionals who serve as expert witnesses to support the legal claims of asylum seekers in the United States.
The Database includes profiles for clinics providing forensic medical and mental health evaluations, as well as for hundreds of individual expert witnesses.
CGRS’s Expert Witness Database contains several kinds of experts:
- Country conditions specialists such as scholars, journalists, members of civil society organizations, legal specialists or political analysts, and other individuals with specialized knowledge on particular country conditions or issues impacting asylum seekers (i.e., gender-based violence, gang, religion, political opinion, etc.).
- Mental health experts and forensic medical/physical health experts which include, but are not limited to, individuals holding M.D., N.P., and P.A. degrees; and clinicians from the licensed mental health professions (i.e., clinical mental health counseling, clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, clinical and/or counseling psychology, psychiatry, psychiatric nursing). Individuals who conduct both mental health and forensic medical evaluations can register in both categories in the Database.
- Clinics and organizations that provide, e.g., forensic mental health or physical evaluations.
No. CGRS provides referrals for reference only. An expert’s or organization’s appearance in the CGRS Expert Witness Database does not indicate CGRS's endorsement of that expert or organization. We cannot guarantee any expert’s work product. Please read our full terms of use here.
The Expert Witness Database currently has individuals with expertise in over 115 countries. Please encourage qualified experts to join CGRS’s Database by registering here; we are always seeking to increase the number of experts listed in the Database.
Currently, the Expert Witness Database does not have listings for mental or physical/medical health experts in every U.S. state. Please encourage qualified experts and health clinics to join CGRS’s Database by registering here; we are always seeking to increase the number of experts listed.
CGRS’s Expert Witness Database is available free of charge to all advocates and experts dedicated to promoting the rights of immigrants and asylum seekers in the United States.
To access the Database, log in to your CGRS account, or register for a new account. Once logged in, you can search the Database here.
When searching, first choose the desired type of expertise. For example, if searching for a country conditions expert, first select “Country Conditions Expert” in the “Type of Expert” field. A field for “Countries of Expertise” will appear. Next, select the desired country or countries from the list, and further narrow your search using the filters.
CGRS does not charge for users to search and contact experts through the Database. Please note that some experts charge fees for their services. Please check their profile pages or contact them directly for fee information.
Advocates can filter their search to view only those experts who offer or will consider pro bono services.
After carefully reviewing an expert's qualifications, you can contact experts by clicking on "Contact Expert" on the expert's profile. You will then be prompted to select the CGRS case number corresponding the case for which you are looking for an expert. CGRS collects this information for interal tracking and reporting purposes, but it is not shared with the expert.
If you have not submitted a case intake for the case you're contacting the expert about yet, you can do so by clicking on Submit a Case Intake. Once you've done that, your case number will automatically appear in the drop-down list on the Contact Expert page.
After selecting a case number and clicking Contact Expert, you will be redirected to your default email program to email the expert directly.
CGRS’s TA Library has resources to support advocates working with experts, including a practice advisory on responding to challenges to expert witnesses in defensive proceedings and model documents such as confidentiality agreements and sample contracts.
You can access the TA Library by creating an account or logging into your account and registering a case. To view all expert-related resources in the TA Library, select the “Working With Experts” checkbox under “Other Topics” on the left-side filter toolbar. For more information on using the TA Library, please refer to our FAQ and TA Library Guide.
Yes. Experts supporting asylum applications processed in the Asylum Office typically only provide written declarations and do not have to be located in the United States to do so. In immigration court, the immigration judge in a particular case has the authority to decide whether to allow testimony from a witness who is not physically present in the courtroom, including testimony from experts who are not in the United States. Written and telephonic testimony from experts who are not in the United States can be, and often is, admitted in immigration court.
CGRS does not mediate disputes between experts and attorneys, for example, concerning work done on individual cases. We provide referrals for reference only. Appearance in the CGRS Expert Witness Database does not indicate CGRS's endorsement of an expert, and we cannot guarantee any expert's work product. Please see our full Terms of Use here.
Advocates can encourage experts to join CGRS’s Database by registering here.
The definition of an “expert witness” in immigration proceedings is broad. It does not require any specific academic degree or years of a particular type of experience. Per the Federal Rules of Evidence, which are persuasive in immigration court, a person with “scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge” that will help the adjudicator understand the evidence or determine a fact in issue could qualify as an expert. Fed. R. Evid. 702. Expert witnesses can include:
- Country conditions specialists such as scholars, journalists, members of civil society organizations, legal specialists, political analysts, and other individuals with specialized knowledge on particular country conditions or issues impacting asylum seekers (i.e., gender-based violence, gang, religion, political opinion, etc.).
- Mental health experts and forensic medical/physical health experts with the ability to conduct both mental and medical health evaluations, including individuals holding M.D., N.P., and P.A., degrees; and clinicians from the licensed mental health professions (i.e., clinical mental health counseling, clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, clinical and/or counseling psychology, psychiatry, psychiatric nursing).
To be considered for inclusion in the Expert Witness Database, first register for a CGRS account by selecting “Individual serving as an expert witness,” then provide your contact information. Once logged in to your account, select Create an Expert Witness Profile on your My Account page. The Expert Witness Profile collects more in-depth information about your qualifications and expertise. CGRS staff will review and consider your Expert Witness Profile for inclusion in the Database.
Organizations and clinics can register for an account and create a profile in the Database by selecting "Organization/clinic offering expert evaluations" on the registration page.
To register for a clinic or organizational account, first register for a CGRS account by selecting “Organization or clinic providing expert evaluations,” then provide contact information for an individual or general email address at which CGRS staff can contact your clinic. Once registered for an account, select Create Organization/Clinic Profile on the My Account page. The profile creation page will collect more detailed information about the work of your clinic or organization, which will be reviewed by CGRS staff for inclusion in the Database.
After creating a CGRS account as an expert witness, you will be granted access to CGRS’s Expert Witness Resource Library. The library contains resources intended to support work as an expert witness, including to support collaboration with a legal team, the practice of serving as an expert witness, sample expert declarations, and more. You do not need to be published in the Expert Witness Database to access the Resource Library, but you do need to have a CGRS individual expert account.
CGRS’s Expert Witness Resource Library contains resources intended to support work as an expert witness in immigration proceedings. This includes sample documents to support collaboration with a legal team such as confidentiality agreements and contract paperwork; sample expert declarations, country conditions information, recorded trainings from CGRS and other organizations; and more.
CGRS’s Expert Witness Resource Library is available to all individual experts registered with CGRS. You do not need to be published in the Expert Witness Database to access the Resource Library, but you do need to have a CGRS individual expert account.
To access, log into your CGRS account and navigate to your My Account page, then click on Access the Expert Witness Resource Library.
No. Registering as an expert in CGRS’s Expert Witness Database is free and advocates can contact experts at no cost.
Yes. For CGRS to publish your profile, you will need to either upload your curriculum vitae (CV) OR provide us with a working link to an online version of your CV.
Please note that advocates are required to submit all documents in immigration proceedings in English or with full and complete English translations. Please fully translate your CV, including the title of publications and the names of organizations you have worked with – even where those titles were originally published in another language.
Yes. When you create your profile, you can list someone other than yourself to update your profile or communicate with CGRS.
Yes. Experts supporting asylum applications processed in the Asylum Office typically only provide written declarations and do not have to be located in the United States to do so. In immigration court, the immigration judge in a particular case has the authority to decide whether to allow testimony from a witness who is not physically present in the courtroom, including testimony from experts who are not in the United States. Written and telephonic testimony from experts who are not in the United States can and often is admitted in immigration court.
Experts can indicate on their profile page whether they are accepting new cases. Experts can update their availability status at any time.
Specialists provide expert testimony in fear-of-return cases for many different reasons. Opinions vary regarding whether charging a fee is appropriate and/or how much to charge. Some experts do not charge at all. Others may have a sliding scale and consider various factors, including whether the fee will be paid by an asylum seeker, a non-profit organization, a law firm providing pro bono services, or another source; whether the declaration will require new research; or time constraints. Fees can also be structured in different ways, including a flat fee, an hourly fee, or some combination of the two.
Advocates can filter their search to view only those experts who offer or will consider pro bono services.
