Bangladeshis among migrants 'pretending to be homosexual' for UK residency: BBC report

Migrants from various countries, including Bangladesh and Pakistan, are applying for asylum or residency in the United Kingdom by pretending to be homosexual. A BBC undercover investigation has found that a class of dishonest legal consultancy firms are assisting in this fraud by fabricating stories and providing false evidence in exchange for large sums of money.

The investigation, published on Tuesday, April 14, found that the fraud traps are targeting migrants whose visas are about to expire, particularly citizens of Bangladesh and Pakistan. Since homosexuality is legally prohibited in these countries, the false claim of risk of death upon return is relatively easier to make believable.

BBC journalists, posing as international students from Pakistan and Bangladesh, contacted several legal consultancy firms. The investigation found that one law firm is demanding up to £7,000 for a fraudulent asylum application and assuring that the risk of rejection by the Home Office is 'very low'.

A consultant named Tanisa Khan told an undercover journalist that she would provide instruction on what to say in the interview, along with photos of visits to fake clubs, letters and false proof of sexual relationships. She initially demanded £2,500 in exchange.

One consultant even claimed to have been doing this work for 17 years and said fake individuals could also be arranged to claim that a sexual relationship had existed with the client.

BBC journalists attending an event of a homosexual support organisation in Beckton, east London, in disguise found that out of over 175 participants, almost none were genuinely homosexual. One participant named Fahar said the majority there were not homosexual. Another named Jisan stated even more clearly that not even 0.01 per cent of the people there were homosexual.

Immigration lawyer Anna Gonzalez, who has 30 years of experience, said after watching the BBC footage that this was clear fraud and such fraudsters are making life even harder for genuine refugees. The British Home Office has stated that strict legal action, including deportation if necessary, will be taken against those abusing the asylum system.

According to Home Office statistics, Pakistan has topped the list for five years in terms of sexuality-based asylum claims. In 2023, initial decisions were made on 3,430 LGBT asylum applications, of which 42 per cent were from Pakistani citizens. Nearly two-thirds of claims alleging persecution based on sexuality were approved at the initial stage in the same year. Home Office statisticians have noted a significant increase in recent times in the tendency of citizens from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, who arrived on study or work visas, to subsequently claim asylum.