social workers who work with the doctors carrying out the medical screening of asylum applications (e.g. for tuberculosis) can send persons to special services provided by NGOs to screen them and decide whether they belong to the defined group of vulnerable persons. This practice currently takes place in Bavaria, Berlin and Brandenburg, as part of an on-going pilot project; it does not form part of the national asylum procedure or national asylum legislation. North America and the Pacific In the USA, although the immigration system is national and so should not vary by state, the responses to Question 3 were mixed. Generally, an asylum applicant may self-identify as a VoT during the asylum process, but there is no specific procedure for early identification among asylum-seekers. If an applicant is in detention, their being a VoT may be an additional vulnerability. ASTT, the IRCT member centre based in Baltimore, Maryland, confirmed that the early identification of VoTs may take place when the applicant lodges the asylum application, during the qualification process, or when interviewed by border guards at an airport or port entry point. In Canada, there is no special procedure in place for the early identification of VoTs. Both centres in Australia and New Zealand indicated that there are special procedures in place for the early identification of VoTs within the national asylum system but that these are implemented through policy or practice, not through any specific legislation. In Australia, the early identification of VoTs takes place either when the asylum application is lodged, or on arrival at a reception centre (for those applicants who arrive in Australia with no visa). In New Zealand, early identification of VoTs takes place during the qualification process. 28 / Recognising victims of torture in national asylum procedures