Legal advisers help migrants pose as gay to get asylum, undercover BBC investigation finds

Legal Advisers Help Migrants Pretend to Be Gay for Asylum, BBC Investigation Reveals

A hidden sector of legal professionals and consultants is collecting substantial fees to assist migrants in fabricating claims of being gay, enabling them to secure asylum in the UK, according to a BBC investigation. The first phase of this extensive undercover report uncovers how individuals with expiring visas are provided with false narratives and guided in obtaining fabricated documents, such as letters, images, and medical records, to support their asylum applications.

The UK’s asylum system grants protection to those unable to return to their countries due to risks of harm. However, the BBC’s findings suggest this process is being manipulated by legal advisers who extract payments from migrants seeking to prolong their stay. Many of these individuals are not arriving via illegal routes but are instead people whose student, work, or tourist visas have expired, now comprising 35% of all asylum claims, which surpassed 100,000 in 2025.

Following initial evidence from informants, BBC reporters disguised as international students from Pakistan and Bangladesh investigated the willingness of immigration advisers to facilitate fake asylum claims. During their inquiry, they were invited to a community gathering in Beckton, east London, organized by Worcester LGBT, a group claiming to support gay and lesbian asylum seekers. Despite the group’s website stating it welcomes only authentic individuals, attendees openly admitted to the reporter that the situation was not as it seemed.

“Most of the people here are not gays,” stated Fahar, a participant. Another man, Zeeshan, went further: “Nobody is a gay here. Not even 1% are gay. Not even 0.01% are gay.”

The undercover reporter’s involvement began in late February when they contacted Mazedul Hasan Shakil, a paralegal at Law & Justice Solicitors in Birmingham and London. Shakil, who also founded Worcester LGBT, used the group’s website to promote his services. During an initial call, he assured the reporter that they needed to fear persecution to qualify for asylum, yet within hours, a new voice introduced herself as Tanisa, eager to help the reporter claim asylum under the guise of being gay.

As the conversation shifted to Urdu, Tanisa emphasized that the only viable path to remain in the UK was through an asylum visa based on same-sex identity. “There is no hope for any other visa,” she asserted, sitting on the edge of a bed during their first meeting at her home in Forest Gate, east London. She warned that the reporter would have to memorize a fabricated story for their interview with the Home Office, highlighting the effort required to maintain the charade.