LGBT Asylum: In Conversation with the UK Border Agency

"UK becoming a leading destination for asylum seekers who are claiming to be gay." (Daily Mail, 8 July 2010)

As a gulf appears between nations where lesbians, gay men and transgendered people may live freely and others where they face persecution, there appear to have been increased applications for asylum on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. These applications often lead to jaw-dropping headlines, but they have also caused some to voice concerns about the ability of UK Border Agency caseworkers to deal with such cases effectively.

Are such concerns justified? What are the challenges, and where might improvements be made?

The panellists were:
Bill Brandon - UK Border Agency (Deputy Director, NAM+ Quality and Learning; Refugee Integration and Resettlement)
Sarah Humphreys - Chair, ELOP
Ruth Hunt - Director of Public Affairs, Stonewall
Designated Immigration Judge John Manuell – First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) and Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber)