Migrant rights groups have warned that British residents could still be prevented from returning abroad because of digital visa barriers, despite the government extending the deadline by three months.
The Home office announced last week The transition to eVisas as proof of British residency rights is set to begin at the end of March 2025, ditching the original December 31st deadline just weeks after the transition. followed by technical issues.
While the delay is most welcome, there are major concerns that the change in schedule will not affect overseas airport staff and time for border officials, with British residents potentially denied travel permission and left stranded as a result.
“Based on our practice, we emphasize that this message does not filter out to every carrier, every check in staff member and third party, and every member of the boarding gate staff,” said the immigration law of the Medical Association (ILPA) and the EU. civil rights group the3million said in the mail to the Home Office after the postponement was announced.
Under the government’s rules, if a carrier carries a passenger into Britain who is then not allowed to enter the country, the operator must cover the cost of taking them back. “Posters, when traders are trained, are risk averse,” the letter said. “So unless the authorities can confirm that someone has received permission to travel from the UK, they will probably err on the side of caution and deny the person boarding.”
“We are concerned that these measures may kick off the road and will not be enough to avoid chaos on the road,” Monique Hawkins, policy and research officer with the3million, told Notice. “We need safeguards so that no one who is stuck outside through no fault of their own will bear the financial, emotional and seditious burden. It cannot be left to the individual to convince the airline to go with the completed documents, the responsibility needs to sit firmly with the government.
The eVisa system for EU citizens has already been introduced in the UK. “I’ve seen how technical errors push people into opportunities and obstacles of losing a job, being denied access to services and having travel problems,” Hawkins said. “The current system is a bit unsuited to the situation.”
The government has introduced a round-the-clock “suggestion centre” for carriage workers wanting to check a passenger’s immigration status, but the “clearance centre” for passenger help only operates in Britain during the day and often has waiting times of more than an hour.
The Home office He says 3.1 million people have so far accessed eVisas this year by opening UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) accounts online, but he did not say how many still need to do so. After the extended deadline, the old biometric residence permits (BRPs) will no longer work as proof of immigration status, although passport ink stamps and visa vignettes – which provide BRPs – are still valid.
Expats say the eVisa rollout has been beset by technical problems. “We are seeing state departments denying parents access to child benefit because they are ‘unprepared to accept eVisas’ and high street banks refusing to accept them as proof of status,” Josephine Whitaker-Yilmaz told migrant rights charity Praxis. “These are the types of administrative errors that can push families into poverty or even into the streets.”
Some encountered technological obstacles in accessing their eVisa, such as not having a smartphone or a regular email account.
Post Newsletter promotion
“Sometimes, even when people successfully create a UKVI account and receive a confirmation email, they are still unable to access their eVisa due to technical issues,” said Sarah Alsherif, program manager with the Open Law Group. “There were issues where people could see the old usage, not the new one. Some of these problems persist, including linking the refugee travel document with eVisa.
“The Home Office’s delay will not fix the problems. In fact, it has created other problems and leaves many people without clear information, especially after announcing that they will stop the new BRPs. This means that people have nothing to prove their right to work, quit, or re-enter, and he left the office of House House in the dark.