eVisa causing stress, confusion and exclusion for some migrants, study finds

Foreign nationals are facing stress, confusion and exclusion from flights and potential work due to the transition to digital visas, a new study has found.

Some migrants are struggling to prove they have the right to work, study, rent or travel to the UK due to misunderstanding around electronic visas.

Research from academics at the University of Warwick and Leicester called Exclusion by Design, in collaboration with Migrant Voice and the Open Rights Group, found that foreign nationals are also facing glitches and errors with the new eVisa system.

Millions of people have now registered to access an eVisa, according to data in the report, after physical documents were phased out for foreign nationals at the end of 2024.

Academics interviewed 40 migrants in the UK about their experiences with eVisas. While some said they welcomed the digital transition, others said they were left having to explain the changes to employers, landlords and airport staff.

Foreign nationals with a UKVI account can prove their immigration status through a government website, which generates a share code that the user can give to others.

Some of those interviewed reported issues with employers not understanding how share codes worked and technical issues with their accounts, causing confusion.

Landlords also have limited awareness of share codes, and encountered issues with verifying the codes when they did use them, the report found.

Many people also reported fears and issues when using share codes to travel. There was also an emerging form of “casual surveillance” where workers, such as supermarket staff who didn’t need to see proof of a person’s immigration status, were asking to see it.

In one case, an individual was quizzed by a supermarket worker who asked them for their share code to prove their age, even though they had already presented another form of ID.

In a case of merged identities, an individual who had applied for indefinite leave to remain in the UK had their details mixed up with someone else by the Home Office. They were contacted by a migrant with a different nationality, living in a different UK city, to be told that they could see all the first person’s contact information and passport details on their online visa account.

Sara Alsherif, manager at the Open Rights Group, said the eVisa system was “still beset with problems”. She added: “The Home Office can take immediate steps to reduce the anxiety that migrants are experiencing by giving them the safety of a physical or digital back up that will allow them to prove their status in any circumstances.”

Nazek Ramadan, director of Migrant Voice, said the report’s findings “clearly show” that the digital scheme was “preventing migrants from demonstrating and accessing the rights they already have”.

The Independent has documented a number of cases where people had trouble flying due to the introduction of eVisas, which foreign airport staff often did not understand.

This included a woman, Maria Juliana Marquz Monslave, who was left stranded in Brazil after airline staff refused to let her board her flight home, and a UK community worker, Marzena Zukowska, who was challenged at Chicago O’Hare for over an hour.

Another man told The Independent how he was left unable to prove his refugee status or travel to see his family due to eVisa delays.

Some foreign nationals also reported that they couldn’t secure the jobs they wanted because employers didn’t understand the share code system. One interviewee told the researchers: “You are here with all your information dealing with an ignorant system and it’s a burden having to say things over and over again.”

Others described obstacles when trying to rent a place to live, with another interviewee saying: “Imagine you are a landlord. You have five people willing to rent your house. Three of them have a physical document, which is what British people have, and then these two have these strange numbers.”

However, other foreign nationals interviewed by researchers said they liked the transition to digital technology, saying: “It makes the whole thing easier.”

Dr Derya Ozkul, from the University of Warwick, said: “We heard from individuals losing employment opportunities, missing flights, having their personal information shared with others, struggling to complete processes due to technical issues, and worrying that they had lost their legal status.”

A Home Office spokesperson said:“Over 10 million eVisas have now been issued, and the vast majority of people with an eVisa continue to use them without any problems.

“They cannot be lost, stolen, or tampered with, and provide a secure digital way to prove someone’s right to work or enter this country lawfully.“We stand ready to support any users who encounter difficulties creating or using their eVisa accounts.”