Law firms and advisers are charging fees to help migrants to fabricate sexual orientation-based asylum claims in order to remain in the United Kingdom (UK), a BBC investigation has revealed.
In an undercover report, the BBC found that some legal advisers allegedly provide migrants whose visas are nearing expiration with fake cover stories and guide them on how to obtain fabricated evidence to support their claims.
The UK’s asylum process gives protection to people who cannot return to their home countries due to fear of being in danger, especially in countries where same-sex relationships are outlawed.
However, the BBC investigation found that the system is being systematically exploited by some legal advisers who help migrants submit false claims, particularly asylum applications based on sexual orientation.
BBC reporters posed as international students from Pakistan and Bangladesh whose visas were about to expire.
The investigation found that some legal advisers allegedly tutored migrants on how to present themselves as gay and obtain fabricated evidence to support their claims for asylum.
The report said one law firm charged up to 7,000 to make a fabricated asylum claim and promised that the chance of refusal by the Home Office was “very low”.
It said fake asylum seekers visited general practitioners (GPs) pretending to be depressed in order to get medical evidence to bolster their cases.
In one instance cited by the investigation, one asylum seeker lied about being...
Law firms and advisers are charging fees to help migrants to fabricate sexual orientation-based asylum claims in order to remain in the United Kingdom (UK), a BBC investigation has revealed. In a...