UK: 4M migrants expected to move to eVisas but deadline could be too short

More than four million non-EU migrants in the UK are expected to switch to digital biometric eVisas by the end of 2024. Critics, however, are warning that the deadline is too short and may leave many migrants outside of the scheme.

Authorities announced in April that those with physical immigration documents such as Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) will need to open a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) digital account and obtain an eVisa by the end of the year. The move is a part of the UK’s plans to introduce a digital immigration system.

According to figures from the Home Office obtained by human rights charity Helen Bamber Foundation, over four million have Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) that expire on December 31st, according to The Guardian.

Since the eVisa announcement, lawyers and immigrant rights organizations have been warning that the introduction of eVisas could wreak havoc on immigrant lives due to poor communication and technical issues.

“A huge number of people are at risk of not being able to prove their right to work, rent or travel,” the Foundation’s Zoe Dexter told the paper. “Many people will unnecessarily lose out on vital benefits because the Department for Work and Pensions also appear to have no plan for implementing this digitization of IDs.”

While the Home Office says that some BRP holders have already obtained an eVisa, the government has also admitted it has been struggling to contact migrants who are affected by the changes. In May it was discovered that people have not received emails inviting them to set up visas due to a glitch in the system.

The eVisa system is not the only UK immigration IT system that has been receiving bad press. In March, the country’s data protection watchdog launched an investigation into the Home Office after reports revealed that more than 76,000 people have been affected by biographical and biometrical data errors in the UK government immigration database.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  border management  |  digital ID  |  electronic visa  |  immigration  |  UK