On June 24, 2015, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) released “Guidelines on International Protection No. 11: Prima Facie Recognition of Refugee Status.” The Guidelines were created “to provide legal interpretative guidance for governments, legal practitioners, decision-makers, as well as UNHCR staff carrying out refugee status determination under its mandate and/or advising governments on the application of a prima facie approach.”  According to the Guidelines, the prima facie approach refers to “the recognition by a State or UNHCR of refugee status on the basis of readily apparent, objective circumstances in the country of origin or, in the case of stateless asylum-seekers, their country of former habitual residence.”  Although it has been common practice for over sixty years, there are few set standards on recognizing refugee status on a prima facie basis.  The Guidelines aim to set out such standards and “explain the legal basis as well as some procedural and evidentiary aspects of applying a prima facie approach.”