UK rollout of eVisas could leave non-EU migrants ‘vulnerable’
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Home Office is issuing digital visas without completing necessary checks, Freedom of Information quest reveals. The government is pressing ahead with a digital visa scheme to prove the residency rights of millions of people from outside the EU without having completed the necessary checks, campaigners are warning.
![[Border Force check passports at London’s Gatwick airport]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/02d3293d026ae781abff870f2c06a61530bc1aec/0_117_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The Home Office said in response to a freedom of information request from the Observer that it had not yet completed an equality impact assessment into the rollout of eVisas, despite launching the changeover last April. Under a programme started by the last government, eVisas are replacing biometric residence permits (BRPs) as the accepted way for non-EU migrants who are not British citizens or passport holders to prove their rights to enter and live in the UK.
Campaigners have warned that the transition to eVisas could cause problems for older residents and those who are less confident with technology or lack reliable internet access. The Home Office has yet to publish a data protection impact assessment (DPIA), despite concerns that the transition to eVisas could expose some peoples’ immigration status to hacking.
The department said it was “reviewing” two older impact assessments – into the introduction of eVisas for EU nationals under the post-Brexit settlement scheme in 2020, and the subsequent rollout of eVisas to prove non-EU residents’ rights to rent and work – with an updated report to be published “in due course”.
