Gay & Lesbian Asylum Seekers Asked To ‘Prove’ Their Sexuality!

UK Border Agency (UKBA) staff is still waiting to clear a backlog of 32,600 asylum cases (Picture: PA)

Gay and lesbian asylum seekers often have to ‘prove’ their sexuality in order to strengthen their case for residence, a committee has found.

In a report on the asylum system, the Home Affairs Committee found that LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) refugees faced ‘extraordinary obstacles’ in convincing immigration officers of their case.

In some cases applicants had even given photographic and video evidence of a highly personal nature to officials.

Gay rights group Stonewall called the system ‘distressing,’ while the Home Office maintained that it would monitor its level of standards.

As reported by the BBC, the committee said that it was concerned about the quality of decision-making by the UK Border Agency after 30 per cent of appeals against officers’ initial decisions were granted last year.

‘It is absurd for a judge or a caseworker to have to ask an individual to prove that they are lesbian or gay, to ask them what kind of films they watch, what kind of material they read,’ the committee’s chairman and Labour MP Keith Vaz said.The committee said that poor decisions could raise the risk of the country harbouring war criminals, as some people had waited up to 16 years for a decision on their asylum application.

‘People should accept the statement of sexuality by those who seek asylum. This practice is regrettable and ought to be stopped immediately.’