Only one in 100 asylum seekers are genuine – with many migrants using 'the same script', a former Home Office insider has claimed.

The whistleblower, who worked for years assessing thousands of claims, said the entire process had been abused and turned into 'a massive fraud'.

He revealed how 'hundreds' of Iraqi Kurds were petitioning to stay in the UK  because they were all in a relationship with the same daughter of the Kurdish prime minister.

Scores of Pakistanis claimed they could not return home because they were in a gay relationship – with the same man, who would provide letters supporting their claims.

Large numbers of Bangladeshi asylum seekers claimed they were political dissidents, but seemed to have little substantive knowledge about the party they were said to support.

Speaking to The Times, the whistleblower condemned the current system and said: 'There's almost no aspect of the asylum system that isn't either a massive fraud or just really dysfunctional.'

He added that claimants underwent only a brief screening initially, followed by a more substantial interview by officials months later.

'This gives them time to prepare, time to get advice, time to see exactly what fake evidence they can get before committing to a story at full interview,' he added.

The former employee also said there was a bias towards green-lighting claims, which would only take minutes, as opposed to rejecting an application – which could take hours.

Officials denying asylum would be expected to respond to every claim made by the applicant, he said.

The whistleblower said he believed some claims included fake police and court documents – but officials were not allowed to contact the origin countries because of confidentiality rules.

Government data shows 39 per cent of all claims come from individuals who entered the UK on a work, study or visitor visa and overstayed.

Meanwhile, Pakistan accounted for the largest number of claimants stating to be gay or bisexual, according to a 2024 Home Office study.

The whistleblower's claims come just months after legal advisers were caught by undercover reporters telling asylum seekers to pretend to be homosexual to stay in the country.

An investigation by the BBC in April exposed a shadowy network of asylum experts charging up to £7,000 to coach migrants on how to be more successful in their applications.

The advisers were also revealed to be providing clients with cover stories and telling them how to falsify evidence – including supporting letters, photos from LGBT nightclubs and medical reports.

The migrants would claim asylum on the basis they risked being persecuted if they return to Pakistan or Bangladesh, where homosexual acts are illegal.

A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We do not comment on anonymous briefings. We have robust processes to test credibility and identify fraudulent claims. 

'If any evidence of fraud or misrepresentation is discovered during the process, those individuals will have their claim revoked. 

'This has seen the asylum grant rate falling from 77 per cent in 2022 to 38 per cent this year.

'Our new Immigration and Asylum Bill will ensure asylum processing is swift and fair, allowing us to further bear down on those who abuse the immigration system. 

'The Home Secretary has been clear that those trying to defraud the British people to remain in the UK will have their application refused and find themselves on a one-way flight out of Britain.'

In the year ending June 2026, the most common nationalities claiming asylum were Pakistani (10 per cent), Eritrean (8 per cent), Iranian (8 per cent), Sudanese (7 per cent) and Afghan (7 per cent).