In the United Kingdom, HIV is a manageable chronic condition, like diabetes. Treatment is free for everyone. People living with HIV lead normal, full lives.
Article 3 ECHR — prohibits deportation to a country where a person would not receive adequate treatment. If HIV therapy is unavailable or stigmatised in your country, this is grounds for protection.
What to do:
1. Tell your solicitor about your HIV status
2. Ask your GP to write a medical report
3. Your solicitor will include this in your asylum claim
4. If you are in detention, request a Rule 35 report
💡 The Home Office considers HIV a serious medical condition. A medical report stating that adequate treatment is not available in your home country is one of the strongest arguments you can have.
✅ Your GP — knows (necessary for your treatment)
✅ Your solicitor — knows (confidential, for your case)
✅ The Home Office — learns only from your medical report (this helps you)
❌ Your employer — will NOT find out; you are not required to disclose
❌ Neighbours in your hotel — will NOT find out
❌ Family back home — will NOT find out (the NHS does not share data with other countries)
Your HIV status is protected by law. A doctor who discloses it without your consent breaks the law and risks losing their licence.
What it does: Suppresses the virus to an undetectable level. Modern medications have almost no side effects. There are two options:
💊 Tablets — 1 tablet per day. Biktarvy, Dovato, Triumeq. The most common option.
💉 Injections (Cabenuva) — an injection every 2 months at a clinic. No need to remember a daily tablet. Free through the NHS.
How to access treatment:
1. Go to a Sexual Health Clinic or your GP
2. You will be referred to an HIV Clinic (a specialist clinic)
3. Treatment is usually prescribed on the same day or within a week
4. Collect your tablets free of charge from the clinic pharmacy, or receive injections at the clinic
The result: within 1-6 months your viral load becomes undetectable. You are healthy and cannot pass on the virus.
💡 Important for your case: injectable therapy (Cabenuva) is unavailable in most CIS and Central Asian countries. If you have been prescribed injections, this is an additional argument that you cannot be returned to a country where such treatment does not exist.
Rapid test — result in 15 minutes at any Sexual Health Clinic. Free, no appointment needed, no documents required.
Home test — order from shl.uk (London) or sh.uk (England). Delivered by post, result by SMS.
Through your GP — ask for an HIV blood test when you register. This is completely normal.
⚡ The sooner you find out, the sooner you start treatment, the better the outcome. Please don't delay.
PrEP (before exposure) — a tablet that protects against HIV by 99%. Free at a Sexual Health Clinic. Just say: "I'd like PrEP".
PEP (after exposure) — an emergency tablet. Must be started within 72 hours of possible exposure. Go to a clinic or A&E immediately.
PrEP is not only for gay men. Anyone can get PrEP for free.
Eastern Europe and Central Asia is the only region in the world where new HIV infections are rising (UNAIDS 2024 data).
Situation by country:
🇷🇺 Russia — approximately 1.2 million people living with HIV. Enormous stigma. Medication shortages occur regularly. Sexual minorities are persecuted.
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan — criminal liability for HIV transmission (Article 113 of the Criminal Code). Societal stigma. Limited access to ART.
🇹🇯 Tajikistan — low therapy coverage (around 40%). Stigma, especially in rural areas. Few clinics.
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan — criminal liability for HIV transmission. Discrimination in healthcare facilities.
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan — criminal liability for HIV transmission (Article 118 of the Criminal Code). Medication available in cities but not in rural areas.
🇺🇦 Ukraine — one of the highest HIV rates in Europe. The war has destroyed healthcare systems in occupied regions.
This is exactly why HIV status is an argument for asylum. If you would face persecution, stigma, or lack of treatment in your home country, the UK has an obligation to protect you.
❌ Back home: stigma, losing your job, criminal charges, medication shortages, fear
✅ UK: free treatment, confidentiality, protection from discrimination, a normal life
❌ Back home: hiding from everyone, afraid to see a doctor
✅ UK: your GP prescribes therapy, a clinic monitors you, no one judges you
❌ Back home: HIV = death sentence, AIDS, death
✅ UK: HIV = one tablet a day, a normal life, a normal lifespan