LGBTI Claim Resources

Asylum is a form of protection which allows an individual to remain in the United States instead of being removed to a country of feared persecution. Feared persecution may present itself in different forms, but for many individuals, feared persecution is directly linked to their sexual orientation or gender identity. The following materials were developed for asylum-seekers seeking protection based on their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI) orientation, but they are not a substitute for legal counsel.

Select UNHCR Resources

• Guidelines on International Protection No. 9 (2012): Claims to Refugee Status based on Sexual Orientation and/or Gender Identity within the context of Article 1A(2) fo the 1951 Convention and/or its 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees
• Guidance Note on Refugee Claims Relating to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (2008)

General Information

• LGBT Know Your Rights: Information on Seeking Asylum in the United States for Detained Individuals who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or HIV-Positive (2009): National Immigrant Justice Resource Center
  • ​Languages available: Arabic, English, French, Spanish, Urdu
• Transgender Know Your Rights: The National Lawyers Guild 
• Winning Asylum, Witholding and CAT Cases Based on Sexual Orientation, Transgender Identity and/or HIV-Positive Status (2006): National Immigrant Justice Center

Further Resources

• Refworld: UNHCR's online database
  • Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI)​
  • Persecution on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity
• U.S. Asylum Law - Precedential LGBTG/HIV+ Decisions: Immigration Equality

Recursos en Español para Personas Lesbianas, Gais, Bisexuales, Transexuales y Intersexuales (LGBTI)

• Conozca sus derechos (2009): National Immigrant Justice Center
• Información para gente Homosexual, Lesbiana, Bisexual, Transexual y VIH+ en Procedimientos de Deportación: Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project
• Solicitud de Asilo para personas LGBTI: Immigration Equality
• Servicios para inmigrantes LGBTQ: National Immigrant Justice Center