A probe into the UK's asylum system has found migrants allegedly pretending to be gay to continue residing in the country.
According to a major undercover investigation by the BBC, migrants whose visas are due to expire but do not want to return to their home countries are being provided with fake cover stories by a shadow industry of law firms and legal advisers.
The UK Home Office has vowed to crack down on those exploiting the system, stating that anyone found trying to exploit the system will face the full force of the law, including removal from the UK.
The investigation found that these legal advisers and law firms charge fees and provide fake cover stories to migrants, instructing them on how to obtain fabricated evidence, including supporting letters, photographs, and medical reports.
Migrants then apply for asylum in the UK claiming to be gay, highlighting that they are in fear for their lives if they return to Pakistan or Bangladesh, where gay sex is illegal.
The BBC sent undercover reporters to immigration advisers who were willing to help make up false asylum claims, finding that law firms were charging up to £7,000 to help, with a promise that the chances of rejection from the Home Office were "very low".
One of the immigration advisers had spent over 17 years helping people make false asylum claims and offered to arrange someone who could pretend to be in a gay sexual relationship with a client.
