GUIDANCE NOTE
Last updated: January 2021

The guidance regarding IPA focuses on the three cities of Baghdad, Basrah and Erbil. The selection of the three cities for this joint assessment does not prevent case officers from considering the application of IPA to other areas of Iraq, provided that all criteria are met.

The ethno-religious background of the person and the region they originate from should be taken into account. In general:

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For individuals of Kurdish ethnicity IPA would be considered in KRI.
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For Arab applicants, IPA would be assessed with regard to other parts of Iraq.
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In the case of ethno-religious minorities, IPA should primarily be assessed with regard to the region where their communities are concentrated.
When choosing a particular part of Iraq with regard to which to examine the applicability of IPA, where relevant, existing ties with the place, such as previous experience and/or availability of a support network could, for example, be taken into account.