How to Fill Out and Submit the Rainbow Railroad Request Help Form

To ask Rainbow Railroad for help, fill out the Rainbow Railroad Request Help form at rainbowrailroad.org/request-help. It is free, it is confidential, and it is the only legitimate starting point for LGBTQI+ people seeking the organization’s assistance to reach safety.¹ Rainbow Railroad received more than 13,000 help requests in 2024 and directly supported 5,916 people that year, so a strong, specific submission matters.²

Who the Form Is For

The form is open to anyone who identifies as LGBTQI+ and needs support to make their life safer. In practice, the organization focuses on people facing violence, imprisonment, or other serious harm because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. You do not have to have already left your country. Rainbow Railroad’s programs include in-country relocation and financial aid as well as cross-border emergency travel, and the type of support is worked out after your case is reviewed.¹

One boundary to keep in mind: if you are looking for general legal advice or economic migration rather than escaping identity-based persecution, the form is unlikely to lead to active case management. Priority goes to people facing a direct threat to their safety.

What to Have Ready Before You Start

You can strengthen your request by gathering your information before you open the form.

An email address you can check safely. After you submit, Rainbow Railroad sends a confirmation email with a link to log into the client portal, and that address becomes your ongoing channel of communication.¹
Your date of birth, which is part of the form’s identification fields.
A written account of what has happened to you: specific incidents of violence, threats, arrest, or harassment tied to your LGBTQI+ identity. Include dates, locations, and who caused the harm — police, family members, community groups. Concrete details carry far more weight than general statements.
Any supporting evidence you already have: police reports, medical records, photos of injuries, court documents, threatening messages, or news coverage of persecution in your area. You do not need everything upfront; Rainbow Railroad will send a specific list during verification.
Identification and travel documents if you have them. If your documents were confiscated, destroyed, or never issued, you can still submit the form, but you are responsible for eventually obtaining your own travel documents if your case moves toward relocation.¹
Your current legal status — registered refugee, asylum seeker, expired visa, or other — so caseworkers understand what travel barriers exist.

Filling Out the Form Step by Step

Go to rainbowrailroad.org/request-help and open the help form. You will enter your email address and date of birth first. Everything you share is kept entirely confidential by the organization.¹

The narrative section is the most important part. This is where you explain what has happened and why you need help. Be specific. Instead of “I am in danger,” describe what the danger looks like: “I was arrested under my country’s sodomy law and held for three days,” or “my family discovered my relationship and threatened to kill me.” If your country criminalizes same-sex conduct under charges like “gross indecency,” “unnatural offenses,” or “acts against the order of nature,” name them. Caseworkers use that level of detail to assess severity and urgency.

If safe communication is a concern, indicate your preferred method of contact. The organization uses secure channels for follow-up after the initial submission.

What Happens After You Submit

Once you click submit, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to log into the Rainbow Railroad client portal.¹ The portal is where you check the status of your request. Do not submit the form a second time. Duplicate entries create confusion in the review queue and can slow things down.

From there, the process moves through stages.

Verification. Rainbow Railroad’s team reviews your submission and reaches out with a list of documents that can help validate your claim. You will share your story and experiences in more detail and provide whatever supporting evidence you can. This step is collaborative, and the organization expects you to participate actively.¹
Case evaluation. Caseworkers assess your situation against the pending volume. With more than 13,000 requests coming in annually, not every case receives an immediate response. Cases involving immediate, life-threatening danger tend to move faster; others may take weeks or longer before a caseworker follows up.²
Support plan. If your case is accepted, a caseworker develops a path to safety with you, tailored to your circumstances.

The concept of “well-founded fear of persecution,” drawn from the 1951 Refugee Convention, runs through the evaluation.³ Your fear needs to be backed by something objective: documented incidents, the legal framework of your country, and the treatment of LGBTQI+ people where you live. The more tangible your evidence, the stronger your case.

Kinds of Support You May Receive

Rainbow Railroad does not offer a single kind of help. The organization matches you with the program that fits your situation. The main options include:¹

Emergency travel support when you face an immediate threat, including help arranging flights and transit logistics.
Financial aid to cover urgent safety-related needs such as temporary shelter, transportation, or other crisis expenses.
Help applying for official refugee resettlement through government sponsorship programs.⁴
In-country relocation to a safer area within your own country when cross-border travel is not possible or not the best option.
Referrals to other organizations better positioned to help with your specific needs.

Staying Safe Online While You Apply

If someone monitoring your internet activity could put you in danger, take precautions before and after visiting the Rainbow Railroad website. No digital trail can be erased completely, but you can reduce the risk significantly.

Clear your browser history after every visit. Open your browser’s settings, go to Privacy and Security, and select Clear Browsing Data. Do this each time, not just once.
Delete call and message records related to any contact with the organization or with LGBTQI+ support services.
Use a secure messaging app for follow-up. Signal is widely considered the strongest option for personal security because of its end-to-end encryption and minimal data retention. Session offers full anonymity with no phone number or ID required.
Be careful on social media. Review who can see your posts, who can tag you, and who can find your profile through search. Block accounts you do not recognize.
Access the website from a device that is not shared with family members or others who might check your activity. A trusted friend’s device or a public library computer can be safer than your personal phone.

Confidentiality on Rainbow Railroad’s end does not protect you from someone who has physical access to your device.

Watch Out for Scam Impersonators

Rainbow Railroad never charges fees. Not to submit the form, not during verification, and not for any support it provides. If anyone contacts you claiming to represent Rainbow Railroad and asks for money, that person is running a scam. The only legitimate place to request help is directly through rainbowrailroad.org/request-help.¹

Scammers sometimes target vulnerable people by impersonating aid organizations, especially through social media or messaging apps. Do not share your personal information, case details, or money with anyone who reaches out unsolicited claiming to offer resettlement. If you are unsure whether a communication is legitimate, log into the client portal directly through the website rather than clicking links sent to you, and check your case status there.

Submitting on Someone Else’s Behalf

Friends, family members, and partner organizations can submit a request for someone in danger. The process is the same: complete the form at rainbowrailroad.org/request-help with as much detail about the person’s situation as possible. Make sure you provide a way for the organization to reach the person directly, because caseworkers will need to communicate with the individual at risk to verify the claim and develop a safety plan. If the person cannot safely access the internet or email, note that in the form and explain what communication channels are available.

Organizations working on the ground in high-risk areas can also apply for micro-funding through Rainbow Railroad’s Crisis Response Fund, which supports grassroots groups assisting displaced LGBTQI+ people. Inquiries about that program go to crisisfund@rainbowrailroad.org.⁵

1
Rainbow Railroad. Request Help
2
Rainbow Railroad. Annual Report 2024: Understanding the State of Global LGBTQI+ Persecution
3
UNHCR. Refugees
4
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. LGBTQI+ Refugees
5
Rainbow Railroad. Crisis Response Fund Applications