The Home Office’s flawed eVisa scheme means that many migrants can’t prove their right to be in the UK.

Until recently, migrants from outside the EU had physical documents to prove that they and their families could live, work or study in the UK. These could be physical cards such as the biometric residence permit (BRP) or stamps or stickers in their passports.

The Home Office planned to replace these physical documents with eVisas by the end of December 2024. These plans failed and now millions of people are having to use expired documents to prove their right to be in the UK.

Since the scheme was supposed to come into effect on 1 January, some people who have the right to live in the UK have been detained in airport and prevented from boarding planes. Others have lost access to healthcare and benefits. One man was even made homeless because of an error with his eVisa.

Technical GLITCHES, data issues AND INTERNET OUTAGES

Many people still cannot access their eVisa even though they have set up an account. Some people have found that the eVisa account can’t recognise their names on their passports (which are identical to the ones on their eVisa accounts), which results in them being locked out of their eVisa account. Others are seeing errors and mistakes which can take months to resolve. All eVisa holders are vulnerable to Internet outages occuring when they need to prove their immigration status.

Harms to refugees

A year after the rollout and more than seven months after reporting the problem, refugees still can’t link their travel documents to their eVisa account, as the system gives them an error message due to the differences in their documents.

not accessible for the people it’s trying to target

To create an eVisa account, you need a smartphone, digital literacy and to be able to speak English to a good standard. Migrants may not have a smart phone that can make contactless payments, which is required in order to open a UKVI account. The scheme poses challenges for older people, people with learning difficulties, and people for whom English is not their first language. There is little or no support for those with specific vulnerabilities, such as people experiencing homelessness, older people, those living in care, and those with complex mental health needs.

ONE
Allow all migrants to have an optional physical document to prove their immigration status. In March 2025, the Home Office recently updated its guidelines to allow migrants with legacy paper documents to continue using them. This should be extended to all migrants with the right to remain in the UK.

TWO
Exempt refugees with travel documents from linking requirements: Home Office guidelines should clearly state that refugees do not need to link travel documents to their eVisa, as these documents already confirm their right to return to the UK.

THREE
Improve system transparency and accountability: The Home Office must publish its DPIA and equality assessment for the eVisa scheme and not rely on the previous EUSS’s DPIA. Provide proper support for those without digital skills, language skills, or access to a smartphone.