Mahmood promises action against ‘sham lawyers’ abusing asylum system

Home Secretary Vows Legal Action Against Exploitative Asylum Tactics

Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, has vowed to take legal action against “sham lawyers” who are allegedly manipulating the UK’s asylum system. This follows a BBC investigation that exposed how law firms and advisers are charging high fees to assist migrants in fabricating claims of being gay to secure residency in the country.

Systemic Exploitation of Asylum Process

The BBC uncovered a pattern where migrants nearing the end of their visas are provided with fabricated narratives and guidance on obtaining misleading evidence, such as letters, photographs, and medical reports. These individuals then apply for asylum, asserting they face life-threatening dangers if sent back to Pakistan or Bangladesh, where same-sex relationships are criminalized.

The UK’s asylum framework is designed to protect those fleeing persecution due to their gender or sexual orientation. However, the BBC’s findings suggest it is being exploited by legal professionals who profit from deceptive practices, often targeting those with expired student, work, or tourist visas rather than recent arrivals through irregular migration routes.

Asylum claims in the UK exceeded 100,000 in 2025, with 35% of these cases involving individuals who have been coached to present fake stories. Mahmood emphasized that those exploiting the system “are beyond contempt” and warned of severe consequences, including denial of support and deportation, for those found guilty of immigration fraud.

“Anyone abusing protections for people fleeing persecution over gender or sexual orientation is beyond contempt,” Mahmood stated. “Try to defraud the British people to enter or remain in the UK and your asylum claim will be refused, your support cut off, and you will find yourself on a one-way flight out of Britain.”

Regulatory Response and Political Criticism

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has initiated urgent checks on firms implicated in the BBC’s report. Jonathan Peddie, the SRA’s executive director of investigations, enforcement, and litigation, said: “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.”

Labour MP Jo White, part of the Commons home affairs select committee, urged the Home Office to halt issuing study visas to individuals from Pakistan, following similar restrictions imposed on others last month. Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp described the BBC’s findings as revealing “the scam at the heart of many asylum claims” and called for legal prosecutions.

Will Forster, Liberal Democrat immigration and asylum spokesman, condemned the situation as “abhorrent,” stating that the current system is “a shambles” left by the Conservatives. He argued for a more efficient, fair, and controlled asylum process. Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf accused the government of creating a “broken asylum system” with loopholes exploited by “politically motivated lawyers.”

Testimonies and Concerns

Aderonke Apata, founder of the African Rainbow Family charity, was granted asylum in the UK due to her lesbian identity and the risk of facing the death penalty in Nigeria. She expressed dismay over the BBC’s findings, stating: “It dismisses the real struggle that we face as a community. And for genuine people seeking asylum and LGBTIQ individuals, this makes it extremely difficult to succeed in their claims.”

Several LGBT organizations have reported a rise in individuals attending meetings who suspect are part of fake asylum schemes. Tom Guy, founder of National Student Pride, noted: “We’ve had people turning up… they take photos and leave. They weren’t even staying for the event.”