Use
expired ID to get to UK, says minister in charge of flawed eVisas
People will
be allowed to use expired identity documents amid ‘real fear’ of another
Windrush-style scandal
Rajeev Syal
Home affairs editor
Tue 3 Dec
2024 22.22 GMT
Passengers
will be allowed to use expired identity documents to travel to the UK because
of flaws in the eVisa system, a minister has told the Guardian.
Seema
Malhotra, the migration and citizenship minister, said the government had
postponed a planned full shift to the new digital immigration system amid “real
fear” of another Windrush-style scandal among minority communities.
It follows
complaints from eVisa 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.
Migrant workers have complained that without an eVisa, they could not access
employment or housing.
Malhotra
said: “I have heard a range of concerns, including that the move to eVisas
might negatively impact the vulnerable and elderly, leaving them unable to
demonstrate their rights. I know that international travel is also a particular
point of concern ahead of the festive period.
“I have
therefore brought in changes to reflect these concerns … this includes working
with airlines to allow biometric residence permits or EU settlement scheme
(EUSS) biometric residence cards that expire on or after 31 December to be
accepted as valid evidence of permission to travel until 31 March 2025.”
Malhotra,
who represents the multicultural seat of Feltham and Heston, said there were
concerns that without access to eVisas, migrant communities could be locked out
of their rights.
The new
Labour government committed to righting the wrongs of Windrush.
Malhotra
said: “For migrant communities, there is the real fear of something going wrong
with Home Office systems and the ongoing impact when it does on every aspect of
your life. That’s why we’ve been so focused on listening.”
The Home
Office is setting up a 24-hour helpline for airlines attempting to identify
documents over the new year. It is understood that hundreds of UK residents
have struggled to access the eVisa system, Home Office insiders said.
The Home
Office has been issuing eVisas for several years – including the EU settlement
scheme (EUSS) after Brexit, skilled work visas, and for Hongkongers applying
for the British national (overseas) visa.
Paper
documents were supposed to be completely phased out and replaced from 1
January. The Home Office ceased to issue physical biometric residence permits
on 31 October 2024. Employees holding physical permits were required to
register for an eVisa before the end of the year.
The last
government in April announced the plan for a full rollout of eVisas starting on
New Year’s Day. 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”.
Malhotra
said problems in the system were exacerbated by the plan to launch the rollout
on New Year’s Day, when so many people would be travelling and there is an
international public holiday.
“I still
find it staggering that the Tories chose 1 January to roll out the biggest
change to immigration documents for a generation on an international public
holiday – risking a cliff-edge, when hardly anyone is working,” she said.
Andreea
Dumitrache, the chief executive of the3million, the largest grassroots group
representing EU citizens in the UK, welcomed the development but warned that
there could still be travel chaos over the new year.
“The Home
Office has a mammoth task ahead. To avoid travel chaos, they need to deliver an
exceptionally well-organised and resourced communication campaign to get
airlines to accept expired documents, worldwide,” she said.
“It cannot
be left to people to convince carriers to let them travel. It’s clear the
current system is not fit for purpose.”
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