UK's eVisa rollout dogged by glitches, threatening rights

Britain has failed to resolve years-old issues with its eVisa system ahead of the phase-out of physical immigration documents, jeopardising the rights of around 4 million people living legally in Britain, rights groups say. Hundreds of people have struggled to access new electronic records of their immigration status, making it hard to apply for welfare payments and prove their right to work or rent property. Electronic records of immigration status were introduced in 2019 for European Union citizens applying for settlement in Britain after the vote to leave the bloc.

Now eVisas are being rolled out for non-EU migrants and refugees as part of a switch to an online-only system for verifying one’s status.

But data mix-ups, problems creating accounts and entire system outages have bedevilled the scheme. “We’ve seen how the system fails (and are) warning the government that this is a flawed implementation,” said Andreea Dumitrache, the head of the3million, a grassroots group for EU citizens that supports those trying to switch to eVisas.

“A person’s whole life is impacted and, especially for the most vulnerable, it’s the difference between putting a roof over someone’s head or not,” said Dumitrache.

The government has said the online-only system, which it describes as “tried and tested”, will increase the immigration system’s security and efficiency. In a glitch in March, the3million said some people found the wrong identity documents were attached to their UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account, where digital visas are accessed to help people prove their status to landlords, employers and government departments. The switch to eVisas was due to be completed at the end of 2024, but the Labour government extended the deadline to March 31, saying the previous Conservative administration had not managed all the risks. It has since pushed the date to June 1. Jorge Gomez was granted asylum in 2022 after fleeing Nicaragua where he was persecuted for being a journalist. He switched to an eVisa last November, but was unable to link his travel document, which is issued to refugees instead of a passport, to his UKVI account. “I’m young, and I love technology, but it is actually very overwhelming creating an account and linking up your document,” he said. “It’s not easy. It’s not intuitive either.”

Rights groups said the final transition period to online immigration status has been rushed and poorly planned and no major changes have been made to the system despite the same technical glitches occurring since its inception.

The government did not prepare for the “infinite” variety of immigration needs, said Bethan Lant, principal immigration advisor at migrant charity Praxis. For example, there was no guidance for people who are waiting for their status to be renewed or for victims of domestic violence applying for permission to remain separately from their partner. Some people in these groups were unable to set up an eVisa or were shown an error message when they tried to access it.

Neither the current government nor its predecessor has disclosed assessments of the impact on data protection or equality, failing to respond to multiple freedom of information requests submitted by nongovernmental organisations for access to such assessments.

In December, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who oversees immigration policy, said the government was extending the eVisa rollout period to assess risks and would apply a “Windrush test,” a reference to a 2018 immigration scandal. In that case, thousands of people from Caribbean nations who lived legally in Britain for decades were unable to prove their right to stay because the government had not kept records of their arrival. Dozens of people were wrongly deported.

The eVisa transition will be different to Windrush because everyone requiring an eVisa should have proof of their status in a letter or email, the government has said.

The government promised to compensate people for losses stemming from the Windrush scandal. But there is no government liability for losses relating to eVisas, according to the terms and conditions of the UKVI system.

“They have learned from Windrush. They’ve learned to try and get rid of their responsibility,” said Lant.

The3million has met with the Home Office seven times since December 2023 to raise issues with the technical functioning of eVisas. It has the Home Office to publish a detailed troubleshooting guide, explaining the various problems that exist and how best to resolve them. The Home Office has a Resolution Centre to provide support to people with issues accessing their eVisa and a helpline specifically for people seeking IT support.

It also provided 4 million pounds ($5.18 million) to NGOs across the UK to help vulnerable and sick people set up their eVisas and UKVI accounts.

But Dumitrache said the funding was inadequate and failed to consider that many people need help after setting up an account. The3million are calling for offline alternatives, but the government rejected a proposal to make proof of status accessible via an app, physical card or passport sticker. Gomez agrees that people need somewhere to turn when the tech does not work. “It’s important to have a physical document because if anything happens - for example, you lose your phone when you go abroad or it runs out of battery, or you don’t have any data - how can you prove your status in the UK?” he said.