Asylum Seeker's Harrowing Journey Through UK Immigration System
"Apart from your family, who else noticed you were behaving femininely?" "Were you in a gay relationship in Burma?" These were among the intrusive questions Hein Aung Htet faced during his asylum interview in the United Kingdom after waiting sixteen agonizing months for the process to begin. For someone fleeing persecution in Burma due to his sexuality, the experience felt like a brutal slap in the face.
BBC Investigation Triggers Painful Memories
When a recent BBC investigation revealed that some legal advisors were allegedly coaching migrants to falsely claim LGBTQ+ identities to secure asylum, Htet felt deep personal hurt. The report brought back vivid memories of his own dehumanizing interrogation. The process of obtaining asylum approval based on being LGBTQ+ and facing persecution is notoriously difficult, often stripping applicants of their basic dignity.
"I was asked questions and told to prove myself in those most inhumane of circumstances," Htet recalls. "It felt degrading." Fortunately, he had photographs and intimate messages with men to "prove" his sexuality to skeptical officials. Without this evidence, he doubts he would be alive today.
Growing Up Queer in Repressive Burma
Growing up as a queer person in Burma presented constant challenges. LGBTQ+ individuals face severe discrimination, often being labeled as public nuisances while enduring regular sexual and physical violence from police authorities. Sexual activity between men remains criminalized, as does being transgender.
The situation deteriorated dramatically following the 2021 military coup in Myanmar. Police intensified attacks on LGBTQ+ communities, targeting them through protests, detentions, abuse, and harsh sentencing. Htet lived in constant fear, hiding his sexuality to avoid police who would sexually assault him in horrific ways.
"Right now, I have queer friends who are being abused in prisons," he reveals. "That is a horrifying thought."
From London Freedom to Asylum Nightmare
Htet arrived in the UK in October 2021 as a student, initially experiencing London's accepting atmosphere and protective LGBTQ+ laws as liberating. However, his circumstances changed abruptly when the Burmese military discovered his political activities and sexuality, threatening his family and forcing him to cut contact or face military conscription if he returned.
He filed for asylum, expecting protection within approximately six months. Instead, he encountered a system that treated vulnerable people with shocking disregard. At the asylum center, he witnessed staff yelling at a disabled girl for sitting on a bench and accusing an Albanian asylum seeker of treating the process as a "joke" for losing his passport.
After waiting six hours, Htet was informed his screening interview wouldn't happen that day. Following the initial screening, he waited over a year for his main asylum interview despite repeatedly contacting MPs and the Home Office for updates.
Intrusive Interrogation and Constant Anxiety
When the interview invitation finally arrived, Htet had just four days to prepare. The interviewer displayed open hostility and facial expressions of disbelief throughout the questioning. Htet had to provide extensive evidence including:
- Physical proof of his relationship with an ex-partner
- Text message exchanges
- Documentation proving they lived together
- His partner's passport and bills
The interrogation focused intensely on validating his sexuality, with questions ranging from how long they'd been together to whether they planned marriage. Most shockingly, he was asked if there was a secret location in Burma where gay men met for solicitation.
"It was a completely dehumanizing experience," Htet describes. "It stripped down my sexuality to my relationship and sexual nature." When he laughed at the marriage question as bizarre for someone in his mid-twenties, the interviewer dismissed his reaction, insisting that genuine relationships involve marriage plans.
Trauma of Waiting and Eventual Relief
Throughout the waiting period, Htet experienced constant anxiety and panic attacks, terrified that rejection would mean deportation to possible imprisonment or death in Burma. He worried constantly about misplaced Home Office letters or being forgotten in the system.
The psychological toll was severe: "I was so worn down by the waiting that, by the end, I couldn't eat or sleep properly." After a month of waiting following his interview, he finally received refugee status, bringing immense relief and the chance to start anew in the UK.
Systemic Problems and Necessary Reforms
While Htet doesn't wish to speculate about others potentially lying about their identities, he emphasizes that many truthful LGBTQ+ applicants still face rejection or lengthy appeals. Despite the BBC investigation, he argues the Home Office must believe queer people seeking safety, including those who have never been in relationships or remain closeted.
Several critical issues demand attention:
- The overlooked experiences of bisexual people within the asylum system
- The need for more compassionate, inclusive procedures that reduce burdensome proof requirements
- Focus on legal advisors potentially breaking the law through coaching
The hostile asylum process has left Htet with intense PTSD, anxiety attacks, and constant fatigue requiring ongoing therapy. "For me, the whole asylum process was dehumanizing and degrading," he states. "I am a human being deserving of basic dignity and respect—the government would do well to remember that."
