Ministers are to postpone a full shift to eVisas next month after concerns that UK residents could be stranded abroad because of glitches in the system, the Guardian has learned.
It follows complaints from applicants who have failed to gain access to the new digital immigration system so they can demonstrate they have a right to return to their homes in the UK.
Most physical documentation proving the right to remain in the UK, such as biometric residence permits, will no longer be valid as proof of residency from 31 December.
It is understood that hundreds of UK residents have struggled to access the system from abroad and so cannot return to their homes, Home Office insiders said.
The Guardian disclosed on Sunday that migrant workers who have the right to live and work in the UK cannot access their eVisas and provide proof that they are allowed to be in the country.
A Whitehall source said that ministers will postpone the full rollout on 1 January and have examined the possibility of changing the rules so that physical documentation could be allowed in certain circumstances.
“These were problems that must have been obvious to ministers under the Tories. They had plenty of time to iron out these problems earlier in the process. It is more chaos that we have been left to sort out,” the source said.
The Home Office has been issuing eVisas for several years – including the EU settlement scheme (EUSS) after Brexit, skilled work visas, and Hongkongers applying for the British national (overseas) visa. Paper documents were supposed to be completely phased out and replaced from 1 January.
The last government announced the plan for a full rollout of eVisas on 17 April. Tom Pursglove, the then Tory minister for legal migration, said it would “ensure firm control over who comes here to live, work or study, strengthening border security and preventing abuse of the immigration system”.
It was suggested the introduction would reduce the risk of fraud, the loss and abuse of physical documents, and strengthen border security.
Those who inspect immigration status were supposed to be able to conduct one check using an online service and visa holders would be able to access their digital status anywhere and in real time.
But officials have told ministers that the scheme, which trawls dozens of disparate government databases to generate a new immigration status each time someone logs in, is error-prone.
Foreign nationals on “leave to remain” have to renew their status every few years, and while they wait for a decision, they are put on “3C leave”.
This is meant to protect the rights they have to work, study or claim benefits, but it leaves them without a physical document confirming their status – something many employers insist on seeing.
Many who have applied for eVisas while waiting for their visas to be renewed have hit a wall when they make the application online.
Although one screen states that a person has their eVisa, an error message appears when trying to open it. It said: “We cannot show you proof of your status. This might be because your status is not ready to view in this service yet.”
Seema Malhotra, the minister for migration and citizenship, is looking to postpone the full rollout after officials pointed out a series of problems.
Officials are also concerned that the rollout would take place on 1 January – a bank holiday across the world when any problems within the system would be difficult to address.
