Migrants are allegedly being given fake cover stories about being gay – as government says anyone caught lying will ‘find themselves on a one-way flight out of Britain’
Legal advisers are allegedly charging thousands helping migrants to pose as being gay so they can stay in the UK, a BBC investigation has found.
Migrants whose visas are due to run out are given fake cover stories and instructed in how to obtain fabricated evidence, including supporting letters, photographs and medical reports.
They then apply for asylum claiming to be gay and in fear for their lives if they return to Pakistan or Bangladesh. In response to the BBC investigation, the Home Office said: “Anyone found trying to exploit the system will face the full force of the law, including removal from the UK.”
Meanwhile, Downing Street said migrants found to be lying about their sexuality to claim asylum will “find themselves on a one-way flight out of Britain”.
An investigator was told once they won his false case, he could bring his wife over from Pakistan and she could also claim to be a lesbian.
Undercover footage from the BBC shows a meeting for “gay and lesbian asylum seekers” in Beckton, east London. Despite the group’s claims to be a support network, some attending laughed at the idea they were actually gay.
One man, Zeeshan, told the reporter: “Nobody is gay here. I am not gay. Not even 0.01% are gay.” Almost 200 people, travelling from as far as Wales and Birmingham attended the event, organised monthly by Worcester LGBT.
Another firm offering the coaching services demanded £7,000 for a “guaranteed” fake claim. Some advisers boasted they could arrange for people to pretend they’d had gay sexual relationships with the clients.
Organisers behind the scams were caught on camera coaching clients on how to pass their Home Office interviews. The investigation comes as ministers announced the closure of 11 migrant hotels – with 190 remaining. The Government said the shutdowns mark the start of a drive to end the use of hotels for illegal migrants before the next election.
Other migrants involved in the scam were told to visit GPs and feign mental health struggles or even lie about having HIV to bolster their cases.
A lawyer linked to a separate company told how he had helped people claim asylum by pretending to be gay or atheists. His fees increased by up to £3,000 if evidence was wanted.
One adviser, named by the BBC as Tanisa Khan, invited an undercover reporter to her home for an initial consultation. She was filmed in her bedroom saying: “At the moment there is only one route from where you can get a visa and it is open. It is the asylum visa. It is on human rights and it is called gay case or same sex. There is no hope for any other visa.”
She told an undercover reporter she had been helping to bring fake claims for more than 17 years. She charged £2,500, but warned the fee would increase if the claim was refused by the Home Office and went to appeal.
She told him: “There is no check-up to find out if the person is a gay. The main thing is what you say. You just have to tell them that ‘I am a gay and it is my reality’. There are a lot of organisations here where there are people like you who are not gay but are applying for the visa. You are not alone.”
The reporter had been approached by Tanisa after initially getting in touch with Mazedul Hasan Shakil, a paralegal at Law & Justice Solicitors.
Shakil works at the immigration law firm, based in Birmingham and London, as well as being founder and chairman of Worcester LGBT. After being approached by the BBC, he said the group did not create or support fabricated evidence in asylum claims.
He claimed an investigation into Tanisa’s conduct had been launched. Law & Justice Solicitors said Tanisa was not professionally connected to the firm and that it was investigating “potential unauthorised access”.
Asylum claims topped 100,000 in 2025, with 35% coming from people already in the UK on legal visas that have run out. It is difficult to know exactly how many asylum applications could be fabricated.
A Home Office spokesperson told the BBC: “The asylum system is built on robust safeguards to ensure every claim is rigorously and fairly assessed. Any attempt to misuse protections designed for people fleeing genuine persecution because of their sexuality is deplorable. Abuse is actively uncovered and procedures continually reviewed to shut down misuse.”
Asked about the report, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Any attempt to misuse protections designed for people fleeing genuine persecution because of their sexuality is deplorable.
“Those trying to defraud the British people to enter or remain in the UK will have their asylum claim cancelled, support cut off and find themselves on a one-way flight out of Britain.
“Where unethical and illegal practices are identified and evidence exists, the team will refer legal practitioners to the relevant regulatory body or to the police.
“The asylum system is built on robust safeguards so every claim is rigorous and fairly assessed, abuse is actively uncovered and these procedures are continually reviewed to shut down misuse.”
Jonathan Peddie, Executive Director – Investigations, Enforcement and Litigation at the Solicitors Regulation Authority said: “All regulated law firms and solicitors should uphold the high professional standards that we and the public expect of them. This is especially important in areas such as asylum and immigration, where the people involved may be vulnerable.
“We are urgently following up with the SRA-regulated firms identified in the BBC story. 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.”
