Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has pledged that legal advisers who help migrants fabricate LGBTQ+ identities to secure asylum in the UK "will face the full force of the law." The warning follows a BBC investigation exposing how some law firms charge thousands of pounds to coach clients on posing as gay and creating false evidence.
"Anyone abusing protections for people fleeing persecution over gender or sexual orientation is beyond contempt," Mahmood stated. "Let me be clear: try to defraud the British people to enter or remain in the UK and your asylum claim will be refused, your support cut off, and you will find yourself on a one-way flight out of Britain."
The investigation revealed that migrants—often those whose student, work, or tourist visas have expired—are being given fabricated cover stories and instructed on obtaining fake supporting letters, photographs, and medical reports. They then apply for asylum, claiming to be gay and fearing for their lives if returned to countries like Pakistan or Bangladesh, where same-sex relations are illegal.
This group now constitutes 35% of all asylum claims, which exceeded 100,000 in 2025. The Home Office is investigating individuals identified in the report as part of a broader probe into a rising trend of fraudulent claims.
Regulatory bodies have responded swiftly. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is urgently following up with firms named in the investigation. "If we find evidence that anyone we regulate has acted in ways that contravene their duty to act legally and uphold the law, we will take action," said Jonathan Peddie, the SRA's executive director of investigations. The Immigration Advice Authority is also assessing the evidence and plans to pursue action against those providing illegal immigration advice.
Political reactions have been sharp. Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp called the findings "the scam at the heart of many asylum claims" and urged prosecutions for immigration fraud. Liberal Democrat spokesman Will Forster described the situation as "abhorrent," while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage denounced an "illegal immigration industry" benefiting some legal professionals. Green Party leader Zack Polanski criticized "unscrupulous law firms" and inconsistent government policies that create "perverse incentives."
LGBTQ+ advocates expressed concern that fraudulent claims undermine genuine asylum seekers. Aderonke Apata, founder of the African Rainbow Family charity, who was granted asylum as a lesbian facing potential death in Nigeria, said she was "appalled" by the findings. "It dismisses the real struggle that we face as a community," she noted, adding that it makes it "extremely difficult" for legitimate claimants to succeed.
Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, whose foundation assists LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, acknowledged that most claims are genuine but reported being "swamped" by requests from Pakistanis seeking recommendation letters. Imran Hussain of the Refugee Council emphasized that abuses by advisers must not "undermine the credibility of people with genuine need for asylum," citing daily work with LGBTQ+ refugees from countries like Uganda and Pakistan who have faced violence and imprisonment.
Home Office statistics highlight the scale of the issue: in 2023, 42% of asylum claims with an LGBTQ+ element were made by Pakistani nationals, though they accounted for only 6% of overall applications. Nearly two-thirds of claims based on sexual orientation were granted at the initial stage that year.