Country Conditions Expert Statements
Russia and Belarus
5,000-9,500 words; 35-80 footnoted sources; section on individualized risk of removal
Ten days minimum, from final declaration and payment
Flat fee, quoted after the case review; higher when lead time is three weeks or less
Remote only, flat fee billed separately
countryconditions@nataliaforrat.com
I prepare written country conditions expert statements for asylum and related immigration proceedings involving Russia and Belarus. Each statement is prepared for the facts and legal theories of a specific case, in a form ready for filing with USCIS, EOIR, or another adjudicatory body.
I do not provide legal advice or offer opinions on a case's merits or likely outcome. The statement reflects my independent assessment of country conditions and may not align with the narrative a client would prefer.
Professional Background
I am an independent consultant and a social scientist specializing in Russia and the post-Soviet region. Until April 2026, I was a lecturer at the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Michigan's International Institute, and from 2022 to 2025 I was Strategy, Evidence, and Learning Advisor at Freedom House. I received my PhD from Northwestern University in 2017 and have approximately two decades of experience studying Russian society and politics, first as a pollster and then as an academic researcher. My book on the social roots of authoritarianism in Russia was published by Oxford University Press in 2024. I am a native Russian speaker and work with sources in both Russian and English. My CV is available on request.
Countries and Topics
The main country of the statement I write must be Russia or Belarus. When a case also involves conditions in another post-Soviet country—a period of residence in Kazakhstan, a removal risk to Armenia, family circumstances in Ukraine—I research those conditions as part of the statement. I do not take cases whose main focus is a country other than Russia or Belarus.
I cover a wide range of topics related to politics and society in Russia and Belarus. I have written statements for applicants including:
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Supporters of the Navalny movement, including people at risk of prosecution for donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation
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Applicants prosecuted or at risk for anti-war speech after February 2022, including under the Russian laws on "discrediting the armed forces"
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Independent election observers and participants in the 2011–2012 electoral protests in Russia
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Participants of the 2020 electoral protests in Belarus
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Teachers, students, and others exposed to political repression inside educational institutions
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Men facing military conscription imposed as punishment for political dissent
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Entrepreneurs persecuted for their political opinion
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Former state officials persecuted for their political opinion.
This list is not exhaustive. If your case involves another aspect of Russian or Belarusian politics or society, write to me, and I will tell you whether it falls within my expertise.
What a Statement Contains
A statement typically runs 5,000 to 9,500 words and carries 35 to 80 footnoted sources. Its structure is always tailored to the circumstances of the case. The last section always addresses the individualized risk the asylum seeker would face if deported to Russia or Belarus.
Court Testimony
I am available for remote court testimony. Testimony is billed as a separate flat fee.
Fees
I charge a flat fee for the statement, covering research, drafting, and up to two revisions.
The statement fee is higher when the lead time is three weeks or less.
Remote testimony, if requested, is a separate flat fee.
I quote both fees when I confirm my availability for a case.
Timeline
I need at least ten days to prepare a statement if I have availability at the moment. Those ten days begin when I receive both the final version of the client’s declaration and payment for the statement—not when counsel first writes to me.
Because a declaration is often still being revised at the point of first contact, the practical lead time is longer. Please write to me as early as you can, both to secure my availability and to avoid the short-lead-time fee.
Sample Materials
Attorneys who want to see the scope, structure, and quality of my work before deciding whether to retain me may request a packet of sample materials. It contains tables of contents from recent statements and several analytical excerpts. It contains no client information.
Confidentiality
Completed statements prepared for clients are confidential and are not circulated — including to prospective clients and including in redacted form.
Requesting My Services
To check if I would take a specific case, write to me with two things:
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The deadline for submission of the expert statement. Most EOIR cases, though not all, have a filing deadline one month before the hearing. I need that filing deadline—or, if earlier, the date you need the statement in hand—rather than the hearing date.
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The client’s declaration. You are welcome to send a short case summary for a quick check, but I must review the full declaration before I can agree to take the case. There is no charge for this review.
Materials you send before I am retained are treated as confidential. For security reasons, I recommend sharing materials via a link to online storage rather than as email attachments. This way, I can review the documents without downloading them, and you can revoke my access at any time.
Please send requests to countryconditions@nataliaforrat.com