A covert network of immigration advisers and law firms is reportedly charging migrants substantial fees to engineer asylum applications by falsely claiming persecution based on sexual orientation.
That is according to a BBC undercover investigation released today.
The probe, part of a major undercover investigation by the BBC, focused on individuals from countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh whose student or work visas were nearing expiry.
Reporters, posing as visa overstayers, were guided on constructing detailed false narratives, gathering staged supporting material and rehearsing responses for Home Office credibility interviews.
In one recorded encounter, adviser Tanisa Khan, who is linked to the Worcester LGBT support group, met an undercover reporter at her home and outlined a £2,500 package (€ 2,876), with higher costs for appeals.
She suggested compiling evidence including photographs from gay clubs and events, membership letters from LGBT organisations, statements from supposed partners detailing physical relationships and medical documentation.
Tactics included visiting a doctor to report depression symptoms for unused prescriptions or claiming HIV status to solicit supportive letters from charities.
Clients were encouraged to attend relevant events, retain entry tickets and develop plausible cover stories such as explaining a wife and family remaining in the home country.
Khan reportedly stated that “there is nobody who is real” in such claims and emphasised that UK authorities do not conduct verification checks on sexual orientation.
She claimed to have assisted with similar cases for over 17 years and noted that supportive letters from organisations carried significant weight.
The introduction to Khan came via paralegal Mazedul Hasan Shakil, associated with Law & Justice Solicitors and involved with Worcester LGBT.
Separately, at Connaught Law in central London, senior adviser Aqeel Abbasi quoted a £7,000 (€8052) fee and indicated low refusal risk.
He directed the reporter to collect evidence from “gay clubs” and societies while preparing a consistent personal statement that accounted for any prior marriage.
The BBC also found an event at a community centre, a meeting that described itself as a support group for gay and lesbian asylum seekers, although the people attending admitted that not a single person was gay.
Ejel Khan, the British-born founder of the Muslim LGBT Network, based in Luton, called the issue with fake asylum claimants “a vast problem”.
“People offer to pay me money to give them letters of recommendation from my organisation but I never take it. All my work is voluntary,” he said.
The Home Office condemned any deliberate abuse of protection routes as unacceptable, warning that proven fraud can result in prosecution, removal from the UK and potential custodial sentences.
Officials indicated that assessment procedures are subject to ongoing review amid broader efforts to strengthen credibility checks.
Labour MP Jo White, a member of the Home Affairs Committee, said the government must “crack down” on law firms and advisers exposed by the BBC.
Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said: “There are many who have been accessories to the perpetration of a massive crime on the British people. All will be held to account by Reform.”
Rupert Lowe, MP and leader of the anti-migration party Restore Britain, condemned the practices and said in a reaction: “If you have helped an illegal migrant defraud the British people in order to remain in our country, a Restore Britain Government will put you in prison. Whether you’re a Home Office worker, a politician, a lawyer, or a judge.”
The individuals and firms involved have pushed back against the findings.
Some attributed recorded comments to miscommunication, language barriers, or lack of formal client engagement; others denied offering immigration advice or facilitating fabrication.
Khan, who is not a regulated immigration adviser, highlighted potential issues with the reporter’s Urdu comprehension during discussions.
Official statistics show Pakistani nationals represented a hugely disproportionate share of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) asylum claims relative to their overall application numbers.
In recent years, such claims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India have increased notably among those initially entering on temporary visas.
UK asylum grant rates for LGBT-based claims have hovered around two-thirds at the initial decision stage in recent data, although full processing includes appeals.
Successful applicants gain access to public support, work rights and pathways for family reunion.
In some instances documented during the investigation, individuals who obtained status later sponsored wives who then submitted claims asserting lesbian identities.
This case fits into recurring reports of exploitation across various claim categories in the UK and Europe.
Earlier probes have uncovered coaching for invented persecution stories involving alleged torture, trafficking, or political targeting, with some unregulated advisers or firms charging up to £10,000 (€11,503) for tailored packages.
Age disputes represent another documented area of contention.
UK figures have repeatedly shown that a significant proportion of individuals initially assessed or self-declared as unaccompanied minors are later determined to be adults, in some past annual data exceeding 60 per cent of resolved disputes.
In the Netherlands around 2020, authorities dismantled a network charging fees to help Ugandan claimants manufacture LGBT identities, prompting reviews and revocations of certain grants.
Foreigners who have applied for protection as refugees in Switzerland will now generally not be allowed to leave the country. https://t.co/uVLqjFfrmQ
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) October 24, 2025
