BY KAELYNN NARITA
Technology is by no means perfect: there are times when websites fail to load, the internet won’t connect, or computers crash. Despite this reality, and a long track record of technical failures, the Home Office has rolled out online-only eVisas – a digital record of someone’s immigration status, accessed through the UKVI website – to all ten million migrants in the UK. Following eVisas fully replacing physical immigration documents for international travel in June 2025 and the recent Home Office announcement that digital ID will become mandatory for all UK citizens to prove their right to work, Kaelynn Narita, Research and Policy Manager at the3million, sets out the widespread issues besetting eVisa holders and calls for urgent action to be taken.
A fundamental shift in proving rights
In 2018, eVisas were introduced for EU citizens and their family members who made the UK their home before Brexit. Since then, the Home Office has been transitioning away from physical immigration documents to eVisas, with eVisas replacing physical documents as the way of proving immigration status in the UK from 31 December 2024. A ‘grace period’, during which time individuals could continue to use their Biometric Residence Permit or Biometric Residence Card for international travel, ended on 1 June 2025.
This move to eVisas marks a fundamental shift. Physical documents are gone: people must now prove their status by producing a nine-character string – a ‘share code’ – which is then used by a third party to check their status. A share code is valid for 90 days, at which point it expires and must be replaced with a new one.
This shift makes people’s status transactional, rather than stable, and relies on technology working at the exact moment proof is required. If the system fails, people are left without a way to prove their right to live, work, study, access public services, or travel in and out of the UK.
The3million’s Digital Status Crisis report warns that the problems faced by eVisa holders echo the same failings that contributed to the Windrush Scandal: people with rights, but no reliable way to prove them. In particular, the report highlights:
- widespread technical issues within the eVisa system
- the perpetuated myths about digital status
- the significant personal impacts caused by system errors.
A lack of transparency
The3million and ILPA’s Report-It! tool receives daily reports from people who:
- face technical issues with their eVisa
- cannot prove their immigration status to checkers
- cannot reach the Home Office for help to fix critical problems.
Despite this, the Home Office has repeatedly refused to answer Parliamentary Questions and Freedom of Information (FOI) requests about the scale of eVisa errors that have been reported.
Given the Home Office’s refusal to disclose error data, the3million estimated the possible scale of failures by comparing reports received through its Report It! tool against two confirmed large-scale incidents where the Home Office did disclose the number of affected records.
From this comparison it is clear the3million receives only the tip of the iceberg of eVisa problems: we estimate that between December 2020 and September 2025, the possible number of errors could be as high as 940,000.
Despite our estimates of the scale of the problem, the Home Office has still not published any official error data.
A critical moment: Digital ID in the UK
Public scrutiny of the eVisa system has grown since the announcement that digital ID will become mandatory for all UK citizens to prove their right to work. Despite nearly three million people signing a petition against mandatory digital ID, the current form of digital proof for migrants remains widely misrepresented and widely misunderstood.
The Digital Status Crisis report debunks five myths perpetuated about digital IDs.
Myth 1: eVisas cannot be lost, stolen, or tampered with – False
Our evidence shows the opposite.
People lose access to their eVisas when:
- they do not have the log-in details or are no longer in touch with the person who supported them
in creating an account - advisers or third parties keep control of their accounts (in some cases, these are ‘advice sharks’
who charge status holders each time they require proof of status) - the UKVI website is down
- People have no internet access.
Examples of people’s eVisa being tampered with or displaying incorrect biographical data continue to emerge, both in widespread glitches and on a case-by-case basis.
In two known widespread incidents affecting thousands of people, individuals logged into their UKVI accounts to find another person’s photograph or identity documents listed, or their own status incorrectly downgraded from settled to pre-settled.
The human impact
Shingai, a woman with refugee status whose eVisa broke on three different occasions in three different ways, said:
“My right to live and work in the UK was compromised by system errors that I had no power to correct myself. I stayed at my job because I feared that if I left, I might never be able to prove my right to work elsewhere. I now have a routine of checking my status every single Sunday to make sure it still works.”
With no physical backup, people who are left with a tampered eVisa have no other means to prove their rights.
Myth 2: Digital ID will tackle irregular working – False
Mandatory digital ID has been promoted as a solution to irregular employment. This completely disregards the fact that visa holders already use online-only checks to prove their right to work. The existing online-only check has not only failed to stop worker exploitation but has also failed to increase employers’ compliance with immigration checks.
While there is no evidence that digital tools will increase employment checks, there are many examples of the eVisa system hindering people from obtaining employment, even where they have the right to work in the UK.
The human impact
For Tatiana, a glitch on her eVisa cost her a job in her dream industry. After receiving an offer from an employer, she logged into her (previously correct) eVisa account to find that her record had been merged with her husband’s, making her unable to prove her right to work. She said:
“I felt erased, like my identity had been replaced by a system error. Eventually, the Home Office totally incorrectly told the company that I still needed sponsorship, even though I had ILR [Indefinite Leave to Remain]. By the time the error was fixed through legal pressure, it was too late. I’d lost the role.”
Myth 3: There is adequate support from the Home Office when something
goes wrong with your eVisa – False
Currently – and as has been the case throughout 2025 – when someone reports a problem on their eVisa they receive an automated message stating, “We are currently receiving a high volume of enquiries and as a result, we are not able to respond in our published time frames.” People who have a critical error, such as they cannot access their eVisa, or the information on their eVisa is incorrect, need to have an avenue to get these issues promptly resolved.
Instead, people attempting to resolve issues often end up being led around in circles, from a webchat agent, to online forms, to a busy phone line unable to speak to a human operator. People are commonly sent automated messages with links to how-to videos, which can be helpful for some but are deeply infuriating for those experiencing a genuine technical error and needing to speak to a Home Office worker prepared to listen and escalate.
Problems getting support are acutely felt by people travelling and encountering issues proving their status. During the transition to eVisas, the Home Office promised to operate a 24/7 passenger hotline. However, this support was only offered for three months and was not widely advertised. Without the necessary support, people have been wrongly denied boarding, even when their eVisa is in working order, or been left in stressful situations when airline staff have not accepted share codes and have asked for additional information, such as the live UKVI account.
The human impact
Immigration practitioners report that vulnerable and digitally excluded people are now finding themselves in a more precarious position due to the Home Office’s ‘once and done’ approach of funded support for these groups.
Emily O’Dowd from North-East Law Centre said:
“We have found accessibility issues and a lack of digital literacy to be significant problems in relation to eVisas. Older individuals and other vulnerable groups often struggle to navigate the system due to limited digital skills. While we can assist with setting up eVisa accounts, this does not mean people can access or manage them independently in the future.”
Myth 4: Digital IDs allow for more efficient use of public services – Uncertain
If someone’s eVisa does not have the correct information or if there is a technical failure, they risk being cut off from public services.
- People have been denied benefits after their eVisa incorrectly displayed ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’.
- People with 3c leave – a pending immigration application – are not given an eVisa and struggle to
prove their ability to get support whilst their application or appeal is processed. - People have been incorrectly charged for NHS services.
The human impact
Soisic, who has ILR, was wrongfully billed by the NHS after staff members would not accept her eVisa as valid proof. She said:
“I was taken into a corner and I was in pain and interrogated and told to shut up. The hospital worker didn’t want the documents that I was giving her. It felt like she was determined to make me pay. I’ve had endless sleepless nights. My blood pressure shot up. I felt like I wasn’t wanted in England. I had three months of hell and I don’t want anyone to go through the same.”
Myth 5: Adopting more digital tools will help the Home Office prevent another
Windrush-like scandal – False
The Home Office promised to improve its data practices and develop new digital systems to deliver better record keeping. Atlas, its new case-working system, was developed with the intention of delivering better data quality. However:
- The Information Commissioner’s Office questioned the Home Office following reports of
widespread data errors. - The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration criticised Atlas for not being
sufficient in methods of case workers recording data. - The National Audit Office recently published a report that criticised Atlas as unreliable for
creating a single reliable record for asylum cases and contributing to poor data practices in the
Home Office despite the significant amount of funds used to develop the system.
Poor data quality in Home Office systems results in errors in eVisa holders’ immigration records. In turn, this inaccurate information means people are denied their rights and, without a physical backup, it becomes a case of ‘what the computer says goes’.
Conclusion
The eVisa system offers a stark warning of the harms that come when the rollout of digital programmes is rushed and lacks transparency or public oversight. We continue to see people lose their ability to prove their rights in the UK due to a technical failure or lack of access to their eVisa.
While the Home Office maintains that there are no systemic issues with the eVisa scheme, people continue to report into the3million instances of stress, anxiety and fear due to the instability of their digital status.
The Digital Status Crisis report urges stakeholders to remember that there are people within the technology. There are people’s hopes, goals and livelihoods all dependent on a digital ID system that requires access to the internet, digital literacy, and a working UKVI website.
Immediate action is needed to ensure the repeated history of the Windrush Scandal is not further realised. For there are echoes of the practices that led to the stripping of thousands of UK citizens of their rights, people who have rights but have no means to prove those rights.
The3million is calling for an independent review and increased resources to resolve and support people experiencing critical issues on their eVisas.
If your organisation wishes to endorse the Digital Status Crisis report, you can do so by filling in this online form.
Kaelynn Narita is Research and Policy Manager at the3million, the largest grassroots organisation for EU citizens in the UK. Prior to joining the3million, Kaelynn worked in academia as an associate lecturer and tutor in political science. She has researched widely on digital technologies and artificial intelligence and has a PhD from Goldsmiths, University of London, entitled ‘The Digital Hostile Environment: Technology and Migration’.
ILPA invites members and other leading experts to contribute articles to its monthly blog. The views expressed in all blog posts are the authors’ own and are not necessarily those of ILPA.
- Document Date
- Wednesday December 17, 2025