CIC March 2010

For PSR applicants residing in refugee camps in either Kenya or Ethiopia, and who are willing and able to travel to an urban centre for interview (Nairobi or Addis Ababa depending on location of refugee), sponsors can contact the Nairobi visa post by e-mail at and request, on a case-by-case basis, that the interview location be changed from the camp to the city.   When interviews are scheduled, the visa office will endeavour to provide sufficient notice to enable the applicants to obtain movement passes from UNHCR to travel to their interview. 

This has obvious advantages for the refugees: because urban interviews are scheduled more frequently than are interview trips to distant camps, applicants will be interviewed sooner.  It also has advantages for the visa office: urban interviews are less resource-intensive than area trips.  However, it should be noted that refugees need to be able to pay for their own travel and secure official permission to travel, and that CIC cannot be held liable for any problems encountered en route (accident, injury, banditry, arrest, etc.). Any risk that may arise is assumed by the applicants and/or sponsors. In practice, however, many camp-based refugees routinely obtain permission from UNCHR to travel outside the camps for their refugee interview, and this travel is done without incident. Also, many sponsors send funds to their sponsored refugees for these type of purposes.

You can contact the Nairobi visa office at: