UK Updates Asylum Guidance for LGBT Applicants From Georgia
On 5 November 2026, the UK Home Office published revised guidance for officials deciding asylum claims from LGBT people from Georgia. The note is dated October and has been valid since 2 November. It covers claims of persecution based on actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
The Home Office still considers that LGBT people in Georgia are generally unlikely to face a real risk of persecution or serious harm from either the state or non-state actors. Applicants must establish the risk in their own case. Officials must consider the nature, severity and cumulative impact of threats, violence or discrimination.
The assessment of protection by Georgian authorities has changed. In its 2024 guidance, the Home Office considered the authorities generally able and willing to provide sufficient protection from non-state actors. It now considers that someone with a well-founded fear of persecution or serious harm from such actors is unlikely to obtain effective protection. The Home Office considers that the authorities are generally able to provide it but unwilling to do so.
The guidance calls for an assessment of whether moving to another part of Georgia would allow the person to escape the risk. Tbilisi is named as one possible destination. Relocation is ruled out if the person would have to conceal their sexual orientation or gender identity there for fear of persecution. Under the revised assessment, a refused claim is unlikely to be certifiable as “clearly unfounded” under section 94 of the UK’s Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
The background section describes Georgia’s 2024 Law on the Protection of Family Values and Minors. It prohibits recognition of same-sex marriages, medical procedures for gender transition and changes to sex markers in documents. It also restricts the distribution of material about same-sex relationships and gender identity.
Urania previously reported on two gay refugees from Turkmenistan and Tajikistan who were temporarily staying in Georgia and planned to move to another country.
