(1) The expression ‘self-serving’ is, to a large extent, a protean one. The expression itself tells us little or nothing. What is needed is a reason, however brief, for that designation. For example, a letter written by a third party to an applicant for international protection may be ‘self-serving’ because it bears the hallmarks of being written to order, in circumstances where the applicant’s case is that the letter was a spontaneous warning.
(2) Whilst a statement from a family member is capable of lending weight to a claim, the issue will be whether, looked at in the round, it does so in the particular case in question. Such a statement may, for instance, be incapable of saving a claim which, in all other respects, lacks credibility.
Citations:
[2017] UKUT 164 (IAC)
Links:
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Immigration
Updated: 31 January 2022; Ref: scu.588799