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The woman says she is stuck Brazil when airline staff refused to let her board a flight home to the UK after refusing to accept her eVisa.
Maria Juliana Marquez Monsalve, 29, claims staff at Belem International Airport told her she needed current physical proof of her immigration status to travel, not electronic visa.
Millions of people have expired physical immigration documents December 31, 2024 as Home Office transfers to a digital system. Foreign nationals now depend on eVisas, which are linked to their passports, to prove their right to live and work in the UK. However, some passengers were facing difficulties with foreign airport staff not familiar with the changes.
Have you faced problems with your eVisa? contact holly.bancroft@independent.co.uk
The Home Office introduced a three-month grace period to allow passengers to fly with their expired British Residence Permits (BRPs), but Ms Marquez Monsalve says she was not allowed to board her flight on December 28.
She said The Independent the experience was “terrible”, adding: “I couldn’t breathe, I almost collapsed.” She says she was forced to spend more than £750 on alternative flights to the UK with another airline, and has so far been refused compensation from the original airline TAP Air.
She said airline staff told her she could not travel on her BRP card because it was about to expire and instructed her to go to the British Embassy in another city to get an up-to-date visa, despite Ms Marquez Monsalve explaining that she already had an eVisa.
Ms Marquez Monsalve, who is Colombian but lives in the UK and is married to a British man, said: “I was in Brazil for a friend’s wedding. I went through security and immigration, got my passport stamped and already checked in online. I was waiting with two of my friends, who were on the same flight, outside the gate when I heard my name.
“The girl at the gate desk asked for my passport and boarding pass so I showed her that. She checked my boarding pass and then my luggage size, but said both were fine.
“Then she came back to ask for my passport and BRP card again. It was very strange. My British friend came with me to ask her what the problem was and she said that something is coming up in the system, that my information is not correct. I was worried but she said I would be able to fly normally.
“Finally it was boarding and my friends went first because they had premium class, but they were waiting for me at the door,” she continued. “I was fine and the lady checked my passport again, and by then there were about five people checking the computer. The girl said you can’t go on this flight and I was so shocked.
“They close the gate, and I ask why, can you tell me why?” I was very anxious, I couldn’t breathe, I almost collapsed. I called my husband because I was stressed. My friends tried to go back and help me, but they weren’t allowed.
“In the end they said it was because my British residence permit expires on December 31st, and it was December 28th. I said, ‘but I have an eVisa’, and I started to cry. I opened the UK website, signed in and showed them my eVisa. I said, ‘see this BRP is expiring but is being replaced by eVisa’.
“I told them that even if I don’t have an eVisa, I can travel on a BRP that has expired until March, but they didn’t care. They said, ‘you don’t need a visa, you have to go to the British embassy and ask for a visa’.
Ms Marquez Monsalve says she was told to leave the gate and border officials had to cancel the stamp in her passport. She could stay with her friend’s mother until she booked another flight.
She decided to purchase new flights with a different airline on December 30 and had no problems with her eVisa or passport on this trip. She said she received her eVisa well before the December 31 deadline and had already traveled to Egypt with it earlier in the year.
Her husband Andrew said they paid £763 for new flights to get his wife home, adding: “She had no problems with the other route. UKVI and passport control confirmed that she should have been allowed to fly.”
Speaking about his wife’s experience, he said: “It’s a shame the way she was treated, she felt like a criminal.”
The Independent has contacted TAP Air for comment.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are listening to people’s concerns and working closely with carriers and international stakeholders to ensure the eVisa rollout goes smoothly. eVisas bring significant benefits, and many thousands of travelers have traveled successfully since most physical documents expired on 31 December 2024.