At the start of your asylum interview, the officer may ask whether your declaration is true,

At the start of your asylum interview, the officer may ask whether your declaration is true, accurate, and complete. Most people say yes without thinking twice — and that’s exactly the problem. 🎯 That one word — “complete” — is doing a lot of work. If you confirm that your declaration contains everything relevant to your case, and then you add details during your testimony, the officer can call that an inconsistency and use it against you. ⚠️ The safer answer is something like: “It’s a summary of what seemed most important at the time I wrote it. I’m happy to go into more detail today and discuss anything else that may be relevant.” That one response protects you from being locked into an incomplete picture of your own case. 🛡️ Almost everyone remembers additional details at the interview. That’s not lying — it’s human. But you need to be prepared for this question before you walk into that room, not caught off guard by it. 📋 For help preparing for your asylum interview, send the word “CONSULT” to me in a direct message.