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Written question asked by Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative) on Wednesday, 10 September 2025, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 24 September 2025. It was answered by Lord Hanson of Flint (Labour) on Wednesday, 24 September 2025 on behalf of the Home Office.

Asylum: Religion

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what reviews they have carried out into asylum claims based on religious conversions, and whether they intend to publish any findings.

Answer

All asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations, meaning religious conversions do not guarantee a grant of refugee status.

Home Office policy guidance provides a framework for considering asylum claims and assessing credibility. When assessing claims based on religious persecution, caseworkers are expected to ask appropriate and sensitive questions to explore a claimant’s personal experiences and journey to their new faith and gather evidence of current religious practice.

Our processes are underpinned by a robust quality assurance review process. Decision makers and quality assessors must adhere to the interview and decision marking standards, which are shared with caseworkers to improve understanding when receiving feedback.

We have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders to help us to improve our policy guidance, training for asylum decision-makers, and to ensure we approach claims involving religious conversion in the appropriate way.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL10412
Session
2024-26
Related items
Asylum: Religion
Tuesday, 11 November 2025
Written questions
House of Lords
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Asylum Religion
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk