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Immigration | Visa |

eVisas

One million people still need travel permit a week before deadline

by DD Staff

December 23, 2024

Lunar House in Croydon, south London which houses the headquarters of UK Visas and Immigration, a division of the Home Office

key takeaways

Due to issues with the program's implementation, almost a million people still need to apply for an eVisa.

Beginning on December 31, the government will replace paper biometric residency permits (BRP), which serve as documentation of an individual's eligibility to live, work, and receive benefits in the UK, with electronic eVisas.

However, over 25% of non-citizens and British passport holders have not yet made the transition, with only one week remaining before the deadline.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the Home Affairs Select Committee that about four million people were holders of BRPs and so far only about 3.1 million had made the change to the new digital scheme.

The proposals were first announced in April, under the previous Conservative government, as a way to “ensure firm control over who comes here to live, work or study, strengthening border security and preventing abuse of the immigration system”.

But there were multiple complaints from applicants who failed to gain access to the new digital system, sparking fears that people could be left stranded abroad because of glitches.

Earlier this month Migration Minister Seema Malhotra confirmed that airlines will accept travellers with expired UK residency permits until “at least March 31” after problems.

She said: "We remain concerned that some of the risks of the rollout, particularly to those making the transition from BRPs and legacy documents, were not clearly identified and managed under the previous administration and have been consulting stakeholders on other issues raised by them, along with the wider concern that this change could lead to another Windrush.”

Nick Beales, from the Refugee and Migrant Forum of Essex and London, said it was a “grave concern” that so many people still needed eVisas.

“So many people suddenly being unable to prove their status will without question see many wrongly suspended from work, denied disability benefits and prevented from accessing many other essential services,” he told the Guardian.

“For some, the consequences will be severe, with families suffering losses of vital income and potentially destitution.”

The Home Office said over 3.1 million people have “already got access to their eVisa, with many more creating an account every day”.

It added that those “who are yet to make the transition, they will still be able to use their expired BRP to create a UK visas and immigration account quickly and easily after December 31, both to access their eVisa and use the tools available online to prove their right to work and to rent”.