Dr S Chelvan to speak at two events in Oslo on LGBTQ+ asylum claims
On 4 and 5 November 2026, Dr S Chelvan will participate in two events in Oslo focused on LGBTQ+ asylum claims and refugee status determination.
On 4 November, Dr Chelvan will deliver a keynote at Skeiv Verden’s International Conference on Intersectionality 2026. This year’s theme, Intersectionality and Migration, brings together activists, advocates, policymakers and professionals to discuss the experiences of migrant communities and issues of inclusion and exclusion.
His keynote will examine credibility assessments in LGBTQI+ refugee claims, drawing on his 25 years of experience in refugee status determination, drawing specifically on his Difference, Stigma, Shame and Harm ('DSSH') model may created in 2011, endorsed by the UNHCR in 2012, and adopted by the UK Home Office since 2015.
On 5 November, Dr Chelvan will provide specialist training for caseworkers and decision-makers at the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI). The programme will focus on LGBTQ+ asylum interviews and include a presentation, Q&A sessions for the 70 government officials across Norway, and an interactive in-person workshop for the approximately 20 based in Oslo .
The invitation follows Dr Chelvan’s presentation at Uppsala University’s May 2026 conference, LGBTQ Refugees in the Welfare State: Research, Policy and Practitioners in Dialogue.
As the UDI team noted:
“After hearing Chelvan’s inspiring presentation on the misapplication of the DSSH Model at the Uppsala University conference ‘LGBTQ Refugees in the Welfare State: Research, Policy and Practitioners in Dialogue’ in May 2026, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) invited Chelvan to provide training for Norwegian asylum interviewers and decision-makers in Oslo on 5 November 2026.”
These engagements provide an opportunity to share Dr Chelvan’s expertise in LGBTQ+ asylum claims and contribute to professional discussion and training on asylum interviews and decision-making.
