Our services for lesbian and gay women
Rainbow Migration is an inclusive organisation and we welcome everyone who is claiming asylum based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics. All our services are free. As a service we prioritise women, trans, intersex and non-binary people who wish to access our services.
Several of our staff and volunteers identify as lesbian or gay women. If you would prefer to receive support from another lesbian or gay woman you can request this when you contact us. We will do our best to accommodate the request, but we are only a small team, and this may not always be possible. However, all our support team are LGBTQI+.
We welcome gender diversity within all of our services and invite you to access whichever support services you feel reflect your gender identity, expression and/or sexual orientation.
Contact us and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Legal advice
If you are thinking of, or have already applied for asylum because you are a lesbian or gay woman, we can advise you by phone or in person on all aspects of the asylum process, confidentially and free of charge. We give guidance on how to apply for asylum, how to prepare for your interviews with the Home Office and how to gather your evidence for your application. We can also advise you if your application has been refused by the Home Office and you are appealing in the Immigration Tribunals or trying to make a fresh application based on new evidence.
If you need our assistance, please contact us and we will get back to you as soon as we can. If you are unable to call or email us, you may wish to attend one of our monthly asylum meetings in London or drop-in sessions in Birmingham (please note these are currently on hold due to Covid-19).
We sometimes run legal workshops for women and trans people applying for asylum. These workshops focus on specific aspects of the application, including how to prepare your statements and evidence. Sign up to our newsletter to receive updates on the date of our next Women and Trans Legal Workshop (please note these are currently on hold due to Covid-19).
Support services
We run an extensive range of support services for lesbian and gay women during the asylum process, with the specific aim to ensure those seeking asylum have access to emotional support and safe housing and do not become socially isolated.
We also offer one-to-one support sessions and run a women’s support group. If you are struggling please contact us and one of the support service team will be in touch.
If you face other barriers to attending our meetings or accessing our services, we would be happy to discuss these with you. A member of staff or a volunteer can meet you in reception before the monthly asylum meeting. There are private meeting rooms available at the Rainbow Migration offices and there are gender-neutral toilets on site. In some cases, we can pay for your travel to our offices.
Please also see our Other organisations that can help page for information on other services that may be able to support you.
