A major undercover investigation in the United Kingdom (UK) has found that legal advisers and immigration fixers are allegedly helping Pakistani migrants build fake asylum cases by telling them to pose as gay and claim they would be at risk if sent back home.
The investigation found that some migrants whose student, work or visit visas were about to expire were offered ready-made cover stories, fake supporting letters, staged photographs and even medical documents to strengthen false asylum claims.
Pakistan emerged as the biggest nationality in these cases.
Official figures cited in the report showed that Pakistani nationals made up 42 percent of new asylum claims lodged on the basis of sexual orientation in 2023, even though they accounted for only 6 percent of overall asylum applications in the same year. Pakistani nationals were also the largest group in such claims for five straight years.
That has put Pakistan at the center of a growing controversy around abuse of the UK asylum system.
Undercover reporters posed as students from Pakistan and Bangladesh whose visas were close to expiring. They were allegedly told that claiming to be gay was now the easiest way to stay in the country.
One adviser reportedly told an undercover reporter that “nobody is real” and that this was the route “everyone is adopting.” Another allegedly offered a full package of fabricated evidence, including photos at LGBT events, letters of support and even a fake sexual partner to back the claim.
One firm was accused of charging as much as £7,000 (roughly Rs. 26 lac) for a false asylum case while another adviser allegedly said refusal chances were “very low.”
The investigation also found cases where migrants were told to visit doctors pretending to be depressed so they could obtain medical records for their applications. In one case, a migrant was said to have falsely claimed to be HIV positive in an attempt to secure further supporting evidence.
UK authorities have reacted strongly to the findings.
The Home Office stated that anyone trying to exploit asylum protections would face the full force of the law, including possible removal from the country. British politicians also called for police investigations and prosecutions against any lawyers or advisers found to be involved in immigration fraud.
The report further said nearly two-thirds of asylum seekers claiming persecution on the basis of sexual orientation had their claims approved at the initial stage in 2023, showing why such cases may be seen as attractive by migrants looking for a way to remain in Britain.
Source: BBC