New report: Recognising and Protecting the Non-Religious in the British Asylum System
Posted on Monday 30 March 2026
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The event brought together policymakers, parliamentarians, legal practitioners, NGOs, researchers and the public to discuss the structural challenges faced by individuals seeking asylum on the basis of non-religion or apostasy (having left a religion).
Drawing on doctoral research conducted in collaboration with Humanists UK, the report identifies persistent gaps in asylum policy, the credibility assessment, and decision-making processes affecting people fleeing persecution linked to non-religious identity. The findings highlight how institutional and personal misunderstandings of apostasy and non-belief can create barriers to fair protection outcomes.
The report calls for straightforward changes to make the asylum system fairer for non-religious claimants:
- Home Office guidance should clearly say that the ‘religion’ ground includes non-religious people.
- Country information should properly cover the risks faced by so-called ‘apostates’.
- Credibility tests should stop relying on narrow or irrelevant ideas about what non-belief looks like.
- Staff should receive better training in freedom of religion or belief so they can assess claims more accurately and consistently.
- A fairer approach to evidence, recognising that many people cannot easily ‘prove’ a lack of belief in the way the system currently expects.
The event foregrounded lived experience testimony, underscoring the real-world impact of current procedures. An anonymous participant reflected:
“The interview process was particularly difficult. I was asked to speak about deeply personal and traumatic experiences in an environment where I often felt disbelieved. Some of the questions did not reflect my experience, and at times it felt as though there was a lack of understanding of what it means to leave Islam, specifically.”
Parliamentary engagement formed a key focus of discussion, highlighting the report’s potential to inform reform. As Lizzi Collinge MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Humanists noted:
“Part of the work that I want to do in Parliament is to make sure that [non-religion] is central to the discussions we're having around asylum claims… thank you again, Lucy, for providing this really strong evidence base that myself and my colleagues can take forward into those parliamentary discussions — and hopefully get an asylum system that works, that is fair, and that protects the most vulnerable.”
Speakers at the launch emphasised the value of academic–civil society collaboration in producing policy-relevant evidence. Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK described the project as:
“A silver star example of how it's good for academics and NGOs to work together to the benefit of both, and Lucy’s been an impeccable example of a researcher.”
The event also heard from Jamie Bell, immigration lawyer at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, who reflected on how recent asylum reforms are likely to affect non-religious claimants, including increased difficulties accessing legal aid, declining decision quality, and a greater risk of errors in complex cases. Commenting on the report, Jamie noted:
“This report demonstrates an astonishing level of knowledge of asylum claims for someone who is not an immigration lawyer”.
The launch concluded with a call for continued collaboration between academia, civil society, and government stakeholders, alongside the development of a practical toolkit aimed at improving understanding and decision-making in non-religious asylum cases.
Read more about the research the report is drawn from: UK policies give non-religious asylum seekers the ‘weakest protection’.