Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to investigate reports of individuals submitting fraudulent claims in support of visa or asylum applications; and whether she plans to review visas granted in cases where claims relating to sexual orientation have been made from countries assessed as presenting a higher risk of fraudulent applications.

The Home Office does not tolerate abuse of the immigration and asylum system and where we encounter such abuse, we take action. Protection status can and will be revoked where evidence emerges that it was obtained by deception.

If someone has concerns that a specific asylum claim may have been made fraudulently, these can be reported here: Report an immigration or border crime - GOV.UK. Any such reports will be fully investigated.

Furthermore, claiming asylum on the grounds of sexual orientation does not automatically result in a grant of asylum or other form of leave. All asylum and human rights claims, including those raised on grounds of sexual orientation are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Our guidance for considering asylum claims is available on GOV.UK at: Assessing credibility and refugee status: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK.

A decision maker will not accept a person’s claimed sexual orientation at face value, such declarations constitute the starting point in the consideration process and are subject to probing at interview and a proper assessment of the facts and circumstances.

Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information. Our assessment of the situation of a given group in a given country is set out in the relevant country policy and information note, which is available on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-policy-and-information-notes.