Temporary refugee status poses ‘constant threat’ to LGBTQ+ asylum seekers: ‘Horribly inhumane’

Asylum seekers given refugee status in the UK will now only be offered protection for a temporary time, a change which will put vulnerable LGBTQ+ at constant risk of danger, a charity has warned.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the move as part of a shake-up of the government’s asylum rules, which represents most substantial reform to the UK asylum system in a generation.

The changes come into force on Monday (2 March) and revoke the permanent protection given to refugees who are granted asylum, instead adults and accompanied children claiming asylum will now only receive a 30-month period of protection.

At the 30-month mark, those still in need of protection will have their status renewed whilst those deemed to be safe to return to their country of origin will be expected to return home.

The new rules will not apply to anyone who has already submitted an application for refugee status.

“We must ensure our asylum system is not creating pull factors that draw people on dangerous journeys across the world,” Mahmood said of the change.

“Genuine refugees will find safety in Britain, but we must also reduce the incentives that draw people here at such scale, including those without a legitimate need for protection.

“So, once a refugee’s home is safe and they are able to return, they will be expected to do so.”

The idea of a ‘safe country’s of origin’ is a contentious one, given the complex socio-political factors often at play with LGBTQ+ facing of harassment, violence and even death in some nations judged to be safe.

As Nigerian journalist Daniel Anthony previously set out for PinkNews, the UK asylum system’s designation of Nigeria – where homosexuality is illegal – as a “safe country” poses real risk to queer Nigerians facing persecution.

Minesh Parekh, policy and public affairs manager at Rainbow Migration, condemned the changes.

“The asylum changes the Home Secretary brought in today are cruel, unjust, and will only make it harder for people to put down roots and rebuild their lives in safety,” Parekh exclusively told PinkNews in a statement.

“Determining whether a country is ‘safe’ is extremely complex and blanket designations too often fail to reflect the realities individuals face. Living with the constant threat of being sent back to danger is horribly inhumane.

“Constantly reviewing someone’s right to stay, making them live with uncertainty for decades, will undoubtedly affect their ability to develop lasting work, housing or family ties.”

Parekh continued: “We support LGBTQI+ people like Sam, a trans man from the Middle East who had to escape his home country because he was threatened with violence if he didn’t reverse his transition.

“Or Jalal, a gay man from Pakistan whose family, when they found out about his sexuality, told him that ‘if you come back, we will kill you’.

“Imagine finally being granted refugee status after fleeing these horrors, only to be told that your status will be reviewed in 2.5 years and you could be sent back to danger.”

Parekh urged the government to halt its “anti-migrant agenda”, which they said “is fuelling hostility and hate towards people seeking safety”.

Instead, the government should tackle “real issues the UK is facing, like inequality, unaffordable housing and rising poverty”.