STANDARDS & GUIDELINES
THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS SHOULD BE RECORDED ON THE APPLICANT’S FILE
AND UNHCR’S CASE MANAGEMENT DATABASE:
Interviews and appointments with, or relating to, the Applicant;
The date of filing of the RSD application, as well as the date of all applications/submissions by the
Unit 2: General Issues
Applicant in other UNHCR RSD procedures (appeal, cancellation/revocation, cessation, file reopening, etc.);
All decisions taken by UNHCR regarding the status of the Applicant;
Documents issued by UNHCR to the Applicant, including the date and manner of issuance (e.g. in
person, by post, through legal representative, etc).
2.2.3 RSD File Management and Organization
Each UNHCR Office should establish a system for assigning RSD file numbers and file organization.
STANDARDS & GUIDELINES
THE FILE MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION SHOULD ACHIEVE THE
FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES:
Reflect the composition of the family unit / household and permit easy identification and cross-
referencing of linked files;
Permit designation and processing of more than one refugee status Applicant in a family unit;
Reflect changes in the status of individuals who are in the family, including changes in an individual’s
status as a refugee status Applicant or Applicant for derivative refugee status;
Reflect changes in the composition of the family unit/household, including marriages, births, deaths,
or other developments affecting the refugee status Applicants and Applicants for derivative refugee
status;
Ensure separate filing of the information provided by each member of the family unit / household so
that the source of specific information is clear and the principle of confidentiality is not undermined.
Every UNHCR Office should have a file registry. An electronic version of the file registry should be
maintained on UNHCR’s recordkeeping system. The file registry should include the RSD file number, the
name of the Applicant, the UNHCR registration number where different from the RSD file number, the
date the file is opened, the name of the UNHCR staff member who opened the file, the date the file is
closed and the physical location of the file. Each RSD file should be registered in the file registry as soon as
possible after opening.
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