A Border Service officer checking an arrival’s passport (Image: Getty)
Foreign nationals are being denied entry to the UK incorrectly, due to errors with the new digital immigration system.
Due to failures with electronic visas, non-British residents with a right to live in Britain have been unable to board flights to the UK.
“I am locked out of my UKVI [] account and cannot add a passport,” one traveller said.
“I therefore have no provable immigration status and cannot visit my family in France.”
An American national that has lived in the UK for more than 50 years say she would “relish a fight” with the Home Office over the issue. “I am angry at the sheer callousness, lack of thought and ineptitude of the Home Office”, she said.
Border Service personnel checks a passport (Image: Getty)
The scheme was set to come in at the start of this month, as most physical ID cards expired on December 31 2024.
However, the change was paused for three months by ministers, who urged people to use their expired IDs.
However, some travellers using those documents have reported that airlines haven’t let them board flights.
Sara Alsherif, a migrant rights programme manager at Open Rights Group, told The Times: “Delaying the rollout out of eVisas has not resolved the many problems with the scheme.
“We again urge the government to make changes that will ensure that people can prove their immigration status at any time, either by being allowed to use a saved QR code or a printed document.”
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Arrivals queue at passport control (Image: Getty)
A Home Office spokesman said: “We are listening to concerns people might have and are working closely with carriers and international stakeholders to ensure the rollout of eVisas is smooth.”
He added: “eVisas bring significant benefits. They cannot be lost, stolen, or tampered with, unlike a physical document, and also increase the UK immigration system’s security and efficiency.”