Support letters for asylum claims

Information for people seeking a letter from The Rainbow Project (Rotherham)

Dear community member,

We understand that evidence about sexual orientation or gender identity can be important in an asylum claim or appeal. We also understand that deadlines can be urgent. To make our process fair, consistent and ethical, the following arrangements apply to all new Service Users & Requests for Support Letters, effective Immediately 20 July 2026 onwards

Our core commitment

We will only write what we honestly know. Any letter will be based on our records, your engagement with us and the writer’s genuine professional belief. We will not copy a requested account, exaggerate our knowledge or confirm something we cannot properly evidence.

 

Minimum contact before we consider a support letter

• At least 20 weeks of meaningful contact with our service.

• At least five recorded contacts in person with staff/volunteer or an authorised representative.

• If you live outside our area and cannot reasonably attend in person, the five contacts may be completed by scheduled video meetings on Microsoft Teams but this is subject to proof of address and no other organization in your area.

• WhatsApp, telephone and group messages may support your engagement record, but do not replace the five in-person or Teams contacts.

• Where an appropriate LGBTQI+ or refugee-support service exists in your local area, we expect you to engage with that service as well. We can signpost or help you make contact.

What the 20-week period means

The 20-week period allows us to know you over time. It does not guarantee that the letter will express a particular conclusion. We will however provide details of what if any contact has occurred.

If your first Home Office deadline comes sooner

We may be unable to provide a substantive support letter for your initial application if the minimum contact requirements have not been met. Please do not delay an application or miss a deadline while waiting for us. Give this information to your solicitor or regulated immigration adviser as soon as possible. If your case later proceeds to appeal and you have then completed the required engagement, we can consider a letter for the appeal.

If you are moved or moving into the area

We recognise that some people may only be in our area for a short time. If you maintain regular contact with us, we will consider providing a support letter based on what we have personally observed and can reasonably verify.

If you have previously received ongoing support from another agency or charity and they refer you to us, we may take that established engagement into account. Where appropriate, we may also contact that organisation—with your consent—to confirm the support provided.

You may obtain support letters from more than one agency. Each organisation should write independently about its own knowledge of and contact with you.

Important

We are a support charity, not an immigration-law provider or an expert witness. Our letter cannot determine whether a claim succeeds. You should obtain advice from a solicitor or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority.

 

 

 

What our letter may say

A clear and honest account of the contact we have actually had with you

We may include

• When and how you first contacted us.

• The dates, frequency and type of your attendance or engagement.

• The groups, appointments or activities you have taken part in.

• Relevant matters you have told us, clearly identified as information reported by you.

• Relevant observations made directly by staff or authorised volunteers.

• Where appropriate, the writer’s honest belief arising from sustained contact with you, together with the basis for that belief.

We will not

• State that we know you when we have had no contact or only brief contact.

• Guarantee that your sexual orientation, gender identity or asylum account is true.

• Use wording dictated by an applicant, representative or third party.

• Leave out relevant limitations in our knowledge or records.

• Backdate letters, invent attendance or write solely because a deadline is approaching.

• Give immigration advice unless the person giving it is legally authorised to do so.

How to request a letter

Complete the referral/request form in this pack. You may complete it yourself or ask your solicitor, regulated adviser, local charity or support worker to help. Please provide the exact deadline, the purpose of the letter, consent to share information and the contact details of any representative.

A completed form is a request, not an agreement to provide a letter. Once the minimum contact requirements are met, we will review our records and confirm whether we can assist and the likely timescale. Urgent requests cannot bypass the minimum standards.

Local and out-of-area support

Our priority is safe, sustainable support. If you live in an area with an appropriate local service, regular local engagement will usually be more practical and may provide stronger evidence over time. If no suitable local provision exists, or there is a clear barrier to using it, we may support you remotely through WhatsApp and scheduled Teams meetings. The five Teams contacts must be substantive, recorded sessions and identity must be verified appropriately.

Confidentiality and records

We keep proportionate records of contact and letter requests. Information will only be shared with your consent unless we are legally required to disclose it or there is a safeguarding concern. Please tell us about any safety risk associated with messages, calls, post, or contact with other organisations.

WE DO NOT PROVIDE TRANSLATORS

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The Rainbow Project (Rotherham)