The Home Office recorded an average of more than a hundred complaints every month relating to the UK Government’s eVisa rollout in the latter half of 2024.

In answer to a written question from Conservative MP Greg Smith on the government’s plan to replace physical immigration documents with digital versions, the Home Office migration and citizenship minister, Seema Malhotra MP, said that the department had dealt with 441 disputes between 28th August and 15th December alone.

However, Malhotra also confirmed that over three million people successfully transitioned to eVisas from existing biometric residence permits and cards (BRPs and BRCs) between March and November.

The minister further explained that the Home Office could not provide figures on individuals who have yet to complete the process, and noted that delays might occur for various reasons, including applicants pausing their submissions or experiencing technical issues. 

“Even where someone has not yet created a UKVI account, their eVisa is already available and employers and landlords can digitally check a person’s right to work status,” wrote Malhotra.

“There are still a proportion of customers who have not yet signed up, and we would strongly encourage them to do so.”

In September, the government said that up to £4 million of support would be provided to a UK-wide network of voluntary and community sector organisations to provide independent support for vulnerable customers, as part of the transition from physical immigration documents.

The eVisa scheme is a key part of the government’s Border Transformation, with the aim to streamline the border control and immigration systems through digital technology, with the Home Office previously saying the process has been continuously improved via customer feedback. 

Among the benefits the government claims eVisas have over physical counterparts is that the digital documents cannot be lost, stolen or tampered with, and allow visa holders to instantly and securely prove their immigration rights and manage their data.

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Despite the government’s attestations, the eVisa rollout has proven to be controversial, with some civil society groups countering that the scheme is fundamentally flawed.

In December, the Open Rights Group (ORG) welcomed reports that the government would delay the full shift to eVisas, which the Guardian reported was down to concerns that UK residents could be stranded abroad due to glitches in the system.

A report from the ORG previously warned that the initiative could lead to a ‘digital Windrush scandal’ where people with the right to be in the UK are unable to prove it, potentially leading to life-changing consequences, as well as what the group described as problematic design choices, poor planning, and poor implementation, creating scope for technical errors.