Write to your MP: Allow physical proof of immigration status

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What's the problem?

Until recently, migrants from outside the EU had physical documents to prove that they and their families could live, work or study in the UK. These could be physical cards or stamps or stickers in their passports.

The Home Office planned to replace these physical documents with e-Visas by the end of December 2024. These plans failed and now millions of people are having to use expired documents to prove their right to be in the UK.

Since the scheme was supposed to come into effect on January 1, 2025 people who have the right to be in the UK have been prevented from boarding planes and had their travel plans disrupted. Refugees have been unable to rent homes or get jobs. At least one person has been made homeless because of an error in their eVisa. 

What are the key issues with the transition to e-visas

Technical and data issues: Many people still cannot access their eVisas after they have set up an account. For example, some people have found that the eVisa account can't recognise their names on their passports (which are identical to the ones on their eVisa accounts), which results in locking them out of their eVisa account.

Accessibility: To create an eVisa account, you need a smartphone, digital literacy and to speak English to a good standard.

Lack of support: The average waiting time for the Home Office’s resolution centre calls can reach 120 minutes. The Helpline for migrants in airports can't provide technical support or speak directly to staff from airlines.

Harms to refugees: A year after the rollout and seven months after reporting the problem, refugees still can't link their travel documents to their eVisa account, as the system gives them an error message due to the differences in their documents

There is a solution. The government could allow people to have physical documents as well as digital proof of their right to be in the UK.

Why write to your MP?

You can ask your MP to raise these concerns directly with the Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra is aware of the problems with the eVisa. She had the opportunity to make this simple change to help resolve many of the issues with the scheme.