Immigrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh – both countries where homosexual relations are illegal – are being charged thousands of pounds by immigration consultants to pose as gay in order to stay in the UK, an undercover media investigation has claimed.The BBC reported that its journalists revealed how migrants approaching the expiry of their visas were being provided with fabricated cover stories and trained to produce false evidence. They are then able to apply for asylum on the grounds that they are gay and face threat to their lives if returned to Pakistan or Bangladesh.According to PTI, the BBC report said, “The UK’s asylum process provides protection to people who cannot return to their home country because they would be in danger, for example in countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh where homosexual relations are illegal.”It says, “These are often people whose student, work or tourist visas have expired, rather than those who have just entered the country on small boats or through other illegal routes. This group now makes up 35% of all asylum claims, set to top 100,000 in 2025.”According to Home Office data, Pakistan recorded the highest number of such asylum claims in 2023, followed by Bangladesh. Nigeria, India and Uganda remained in the top five.Detailing its operation, the BBC said it sent undercover journalists posing as students to Pakistan and Bangladesh whose “visas” were about to expire, after gathering preliminary evidence to investigate how willing immigration advisers were to help people make false asylum claims.They discovered fake news websites, staged political protests, and fake medical terms being used to abuse the asylum system. Three avenues emerged for these types of fraudulent claims: Someone who has faced persecution for their sexual orientation, their religious beliefs, or their political views.Labor MP Joe White, a member of Parliament’s Home Affairs Select Committee, called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labor government to “crack down” on such law firms and consultants.White also urged the Home Office to stop issuing study visas to people from Pakistan – as it did for people from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan last month, because of what she said was widespread visa abuse.White said, “It is absolutely vital that the Government takes action against them. I hope that this kind of evidence will go straight to the police and the police will start their activity and sort it out.”Chris Phillips, shadow home secretary of the opposition Conservatives, said, “The whole system is broken. The asylum system should be completely overhauled so that only a very small number of people with real evidence facing genuine personal persecution are granted asylum. And illegal immigrants should be banned from seeking asylum at all.”
