Home Office announces further delays to the e-Visa scheme
The Home Office has again extended the deadline for implementing its eVisa scheme. The scheme was initially due to come into effect on January 1, 2025 but because of multiple problems, it was delayed until April 1, 2025. People with the right to be in the UK were told they could use expired documents to prove their immigration status. The Home Office has now updated its guidance to say that migrants should continue to use these expired documents until June 1, 2025.
Digital Windrush scandal in the making
This is particularly worrying for people travelling to the UK, who have to hope that these expired documents will be accepted by carriers and customs officials in other countries.
ORG’s Migrant Digital Justice Programme Manager, Sara Alsherif said:
“The eVisa scheme continues to be beset with problems and this is causing huge anxiety for migrants who have the right to be in the UK.
“Since January, ORG has heard of people who have been stopped at borders, denied benefits, and even one man who was made homeless because of an issue with his eVisa.”
Back-up documentation
The term eVisa is misleading. People will not be issued with a digital visa that they can store on their devices to be used as and when they need to prove their status. Instead they have to register for an account that will allow them to generate a share code. As users don’t have a physical or saved digital proof of status, they are susceptible to data errors, system crashes and the stability of Internet connections.
Alsherif added:
“We urge the Home Office to follow the recommendations of ORG and many other campaigners, to ensure that people can have a version of their immigration for use offline that can be saved, such as a QR code, or print out.
“While this won’t fix all the problems with the scheme, it will help people be able to prove their immigration status.”
Refugees
At the start of February, the Home Office admitted that refugee’s travel documents can’t be linked to their eVisa. The Home Office have insisted that refugees won’t be prevented from travelling because they can still use their eVisa to show that they have refugee status and border guards have been told to accept Refugee Travel Documents. The government has to issue clear and public guidelines that exempt Refugees from the requirement to link their travel documents to their eVisa.
Issues for legacy document holders
There are ongoing issues for people who have legacy documents proving their right to remain. These are typically older people who have been in the UK for years. These people were previously advised to apply for a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) which would then enable them to apply for an eVisa. However, the Home Office stopped issuing BRPs at the end of October 2024.
Kate Harper, who applied for a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) in September, paid £86 to the company Sopra Steria to take her photo and fingerprints and ensure they were sent to the Home Office. Ms Harper, who has had indefinite leave to remain since 1974, never received a BRP nor a refund for the money she spent. She has had no further information from the Home Office about her application.
Write to your mp
Tell the government to change the eVisa scheme, so migrants can prove their immigration status with an offline saved digital or physical document
Take Action