6.4.2. Individual circumstances

COMMON ANALYSIS
Last update: January 2025

In addition to the general situation in the area of potential IPA, the assessment of whether it is reasonable to settle in that part of the country should take into account the individual circumstances of the applicant.
The individual considerations could relate to certain vulnerabilities of the applicant as well as to available coping mechanisms, which would have an impact in determining to what extent it would be reasonable for the applicant to settle in a particular area.
Please note that this is a non-exhaustive list:

• Gender: women and girls in Iran are generally subjected to discriminatory restrictions and may need the support of a male family member in order to access different services and to exercise certain rights. Women and girls encounter additional difficulties in relation to education, work, housing, etc. A husband can determine where the couple lives and can prevent his wife from taking certain jobs that he considered contrary to ‘family values’. Therefore, the gender of the applicant should be taken into account when considering reasonableness in conjunction with their family status and available support.
• Family status/support network: single people, and in particular single women, may face difficulties when resettling without a support network. Additional obstacles may be related to the family status of the woman, such as being a single mother or a widow.
• Age: young age as well as elderly age could significantly limit the applicant’s access to means of subsistence such as through employment, making him or her dependent on other providers. Therefore, this element should be seen in conjunction with the available support by family or a broader support network. In the case of children, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration, for example, with regard to access to basic education.
• Ethnic and/or religious background: members of ethnic and religious minorities would face difficulties relocating and assimilating into the community in an area dominated by another ethnic or religious group if they would be without familial, tribal, or political networks.
• Professional and educational background and financial means: the professional background of the applicant, their level of education and available financial means should be taken into account when assessing the reasonableness of IPA, and in particular the access of the applicant to means of basic subsistence.

It should be noted that these factors would often intersect in the case of the particular applicant, leading to different conclusions on the reasonableness of IPA. In some cases, more than one element of vulnerability would indicate that IPA is not reasonable for the particular applicant, while in other cases, they would balance each other.