A BBC investigation reveals that legal advisers in the UK are helping migrants pretend to be gay in order to gain asylum.screenshot bbc
April 15, 2026, 4:08 p.mApril 15, 2026, 4:08 p.m
A shadow industry of British law firms and consultants aims to help migrants in the UK pretend to be gay in order to gain asylum. This is the result of one BBC research.
The migrants would be given false identities. They would then apply for asylum with fake documents and, according to the BBC, claim that they are homosexual and that they fear for their lives if they have to return to Pakistan or Bangladesh. The lawyers and consultants demanded thousands of pounds for this.
The British asylum process offers protection for people who cannot return to their home countries because they are at risk there – for example in countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, where homosexual acts are illegal.
Migrants are also advised to have depression certified in order to have a better chance of remaining in the country.
The research shows that the procedure is systematically exploited by legal advisors, writes BBC. They would charge high fees to migrants who wanted to stay in the UK. These are often people whose student, work or tourist visas have just expired.
“Such abuses must not be used to undermine the credibility of people with genuine asylum needs,” says Imran Hussain, director of external relations at the British Refugee Council. It is “unfortunate that unscrupulous advisors exploit desperate and vulnerable people for their own benefit.”
It is difficult to say how many asylum applications have been falsified so far, writes the BBC. However, Interior Ministry statistics show that Pakistani nationals account for a disproportionate share of applications made based on their sexual orientation. (hkl)