The Home Office has published new behavioural guidance for asylum seekers in England and Wales, setting out how laws and social customs in the UK may differ from those in their countries of origin.
The nine-page booklet has been uploaded online and covers issues including respect in public, sex and consent, and gender equality. It also explains that asylum seekers may face consequences if they break UK law, including effects on their asylum claim and support while their case is considered.
Guidance Warns of Legal Consequences
The document states that the impact of breaching UK rules can range from police involvement to the loss of asylum support, and that it could also “affect” an applicant’s asylum claim.
A Home Office spokesman said the department expects people coming to the UK to follow UK laws, adding that failure to do so can lead to “consequences”, including the refusal of an asylum claim and removal from the country.
The booklet was published as latest Home Office statistics show that 93,525 people applied for asylum in the UK between April 2025 and March 2026, down by 12% compared with the previous year.
The Home Office said removals of failed asylum seekers have reached their highest level since 2010 under the current government.
Gender, Sex and Consent Sections Included
A section on gender explains that women in the UK have equal rights with men and do not need permission from a husband, father, brother or any other man to work, study, travel or make decisions.
The booklet’s section on sex and consent states that both people must agree to sexual activity or any sexual contact. It adds that consent cannot be given if someone is asleep, drunk, or unable to respond.
Respect in Public and Support Details
Another section, titled Respect in Public, says it is not acceptable to whistle or make kissing noises at people in the street. It also warns against making sexual comments to someone, even if the person making the comment believes it is a compliment.
The guidance also includes contact details for organisations providing support for victims and people seeking help with the issues raised in the document.
Opposition Criticises, Labour Declines Comment
The Conservatives said asylum seekers who break UK law should be deported. Reform UK said the publication showed the government “knows that they are a menace”.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the approach should focus on deportations rather than trying to train asylum seekers to behave differently. In remarks cited from earlier comments, he argued that communities were not integrating properly, leaving what he described as “backwards” standards to persist.
Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf posted a two-minute video on social media describing the booklet as “a disgrace”. He said the government had published what he characterised as a guide for illegal migrants on what he said people should not do, including committing sexual offences and other violent behaviour.
A Labour spokesperson declined to comment. The Liberal Democrats and the Green Party were contacted for comment.
Separate government figures cited by the Home Office show nearly 70,000 illegal migrants and foreign criminals have been returned or deported since Labour came to power in July 2024. The BBC reported that nearly 10,000 foreign criminals, including murderers and rapists, have been removed since the last election, a 36% increase compared with the previous 21 months.
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20 August 2026
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