The Home Office has released a new nine-page booklet online setting out expected standards of behaviour for people seeking asylum in the United Kingdom, covering topics such as public conduct, consent and gender equality. The guidance explains that UK laws and social customs may differ from those in an asylum seeker's home country, and warns that breaking the law could jeopardise a person's asylum support or claim.
According to the booklet, women in the UK hold equal rights to men and do not require permission from a husband, father, brother or any other male relative to work, study, travel or make personal decisions. A separate section on consent states that both parties must agree to any sexual contact, and that consent cannot be given by someone who is asleep, intoxicated or otherwise unable to respond.
What does the guidance actually cover?
Beyond gender equality and consent, the document includes a section titled Respect in Public, which states that whistling or making kissing noises at people in the street is unacceptable, as is directing sexual comments at someone even if intended as a compliment. The booklet frames these expectations as necessary because non-compliance with UK law could result in police involvement, the loss of asylum support, or damage to an individual's asylum claim.
This is not the only Home Office document addressing conduct among people going through the asylum system. Separate departmental guidance on asylum support conditions states that people receiving support must behave reasonably towards accommodation staff and the wider community, and that serious or repeated antisocial behaviour should be reported, according to official Home Office guidance. A related accommodation guide adds that violent conduct can lead to criminal prosecution as well as the loss of housing and financial support, per departmental accommodation rules. Separately, an induction pack titled Rights and Expectations in the UK, distributed to people staying in temporary accommodation while their claims are processed, is described by a migrant support organisation's resource page as intended for that specific group.
How have politicians responded?
The Conservative shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, argued that the government's focus should be on removals rather than behavioural training, saying:
Instead of trying to train these mainly young, male illegal immigrants behave in a civilised way towards women, they should be deported.
Philp went further, suggesting cultural incompatibility was at the root of the issue:
Immigrants are coming from places and societies where attitudes towards women can be completely incompatible with Western society.
Too many communities are failing to properly integrate and become part of our culture, leaving frankly backwards standards to prevail.
Reform UK's home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, was similarly critical, calling the booklet's publication a disgrace and arguing it amounted to an admission by ministers that asylum seekers pose a risk. In a two-minute video shared on social media, he said:
I genuinely cannot believe what I have just read.
The government has just published a handy guide for illegal migrants on how not to be a rapist, not to be a paedophile, how not to beat women and how to leave babies alone.
That again may be really hard to believe but that is exactly what they have just done.
A Labour spokesperson declined to comment on the criticism. The Home Office, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party were also approached for comment.
What is the wider policy context?
The booklet arrives amid a broader overhaul of asylum policy. The Home Office has separately confirmed plans to introduce capped safe and legal asylum routes later this year, which would let organisations sponsor refugees directly, alongside reforms to human rights and modern slavery rules intended to reduce fraudulent claims. Ministers have also outlined proposals requiring refugees to eventually repay £10,000 in asylum support once they are earning, part of a wider push to tighten the system's finances and conditions.
Existing Home Office credibility guidance already factors behaviour into asylum decisions in other ways: failing to produce identity documents or destroying travel documents can count against an applicant under so-called section 8 behaviour factors, according to published screening and routing guidance. Separate interview guidance instructs officials to handle sensitive disclosures with care, and specifies that an asylum interview must never become an inquiry into the details of a claimant's sexual activity, per official interview guidance.
How many people are affected?
Home Office figures show that 93,525 people applied for asylum in the UK between April 2025 and March 2026, a fall of 12% compared with the same period the previous year. The new behaviour booklet is aimed at this population, alongside those already in the system awaiting decisions.
What happens next?
No further publication dates or review points for the guidance have been announced. The booklet remains available online, and the political dispute over its purpose and necessity looks set to continue, with opposition parties pressing the government on enforcement and removals policy rather than behavioural instruction.
- A nine-page Home Office booklet on behaviour has been published online for asylum seekers.
- It covers gender equality, consent, and public conduct such as unwanted comments or gestures.
- 93,525 people applied for asylum in the UK from April 2025 to March 2026, down 12% year-on-year.
- Conservative and Reform UK figures have criticised the guidance, calling instead for deportations.
- The booklet follows other Home Office moves including planned safe and legal routes and a proposed £10,000 repayment scheme for refugees.
