The UK Government has outlined how it will utilize the new electronic visa (EVISA) system and “Modern Biometric Technology” to Support Imigration Enforcement and “Strengthen the Burder”.
Published 12 May 2025, The Home Office's 82-Page Immigration WhitePaper-Titled Restoring control over the immigration system – Contains a range of proposals for how the UK Government will Use Data-Driven Technologies to Track Migrants And clamp down on “Visa Abuse” by that Staying and Working in the Country Illlegally.
During a press conference the same day, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said The whitepaper “is Absolutely Central to My Plan for Change”, and that it will allow the government to “Take back control of our borders” after net migration quadrupt between 2019 and 2023.
“Nations depend on rules – Fair rules. Sometimes they're written down, often “Now, in a divese nation like Ors, and I celebrate that, these rules become even more important. Without them, we wrist badcoming an island of strangers, not a not a not a not togeether.”
The whitepaper outlined how a key plank of the government's overall approach be using “Newly gathered intelligence” from the uk's new evisa system – Which has so far been plagued by data quality and integrity problems – to keep track of who is allowed to be in the country.
“The move to digital evidence of immigration status will enable us to update records in real time when you holds changes, ensuring there who are no longer entitled to access publics, work Reflected on their EVISA, Rather Than Continuing to Hold Physical Evidence of Status which is no longer up to date, ”it said, adding the intelligence the inteligence provided by digital Vill allow the statue to“ Mainintain Increase contact ”with people as they move through the immigration system.
“Put togetra, the comprehensive, intelligence-long and effective roll-out of evisas to all foreign nationals Residents in the Uk will have a a transformative impact on our immigration us: Telling us Each individual leaves the country and when they have returned;
“Importantly, EVISAS will make it much emigration enforcement to identify that who try to stay and work in the uk illgally, to truck them down and take action Action Action Action
The government added it will also also “Continue to Harness the latest developments in artificial intelligence [AI], facial recognition And age assessment technologies ”to gather” The most accurate information “Possible on everything on every individual environment People's status information remains up to date.
Enny Choudhury, Co-head of legal at the joint council for the welfare of immigrants (jCWi), said the government's push to expand evil and biometric surveillance “Is Yet Another Steper Step Dystopian immigration regime where people who've made the uk home are tracked, monitored and targeted simply because of their immigration status ”.
She added that the tools have noting to do with security and are instalad about giving the illusion of control: “Used AlongSide immigration raids and enforcement crackdowns, they will Deepen Most, ISOLATES Communities, and expert people to errors and abuse in an alredy chaotic system.
“IFISIINES WARE Serious About Fairness, The Invest in Clear, Compassionate Immigration Routes – Not Survelance infrastructure that treats people as threats, not neighbors.”
Computer weekly contacted the home office about the criticisms levied against the whitepaper's technology proposals, but received no response.
Issues with evisa
While the government claims in the whitepaper that “The transition to evisa has been successful providing a significantly better better end-end experience for individuals Journey ”, The system Ran Into Problems Almost Immedited.
Within the first few weeks of the evisa system going live, for example, many reported issues when flying back to the uk, with travellers struggling to provide their immigraration status to aerport
Others have reported issues from within the uk as well, including with gps not accepting the share codes issued via their uk visit and immigration (UKVI) Digital Account, WHOPLE ARECONT ACCONT Be almost to use to provide their immigration status when dealing with a range of third parties, include employees and letting agencies.
The issues are also affected refugeesWho are reportedly having problems connecting their passports to their online visa, according to digital rights groups supporting them.
Other refugees are also unable to set up or log in By the home office.
“As a result of the flwed e-Visa scheme, people with the legal right to be in the uk have ben help at airports, denied jobs and even made houses. [Biometric Resident Permit] Documents that expired over five months ago, “said Sara Alsherif, The Migrant Rights Program Manager at Open Rights Group (Org).
“It is outrageous that the government has the audience to refer to the shambolic evisa scheme as 'successful'. Raids and depart people.
“With the use of technology, automated decision-making and ai, we can expect to see a windrush scandal on steroids, and the labore government real needs to ask whose wants to be the Architte's Humana Rights abuses. “
Digital rights campaigners have long contended That online-only, real-time nature of the home office's evisa scheme-which trawls dozens of disparete government databases to generate a new immigration status Each Time Someone Logs in-Eror-ARORONE LOGS in-Eror “Deeply Problematic”.
“When users enter their details to log into the government view and prove system [in their UKVI account]They are not accessing their status directly, but raather their credentials are being used to search and retrieve dozens of different records hand on them account databases, ”SAID ORG in ACRISS DATABASE 2024 Report.
It added that research Has Identified more than 90 different platforms and casework systems that immigration data may be pulled from within the ukvi ecosystem to determine a person's status: “View and Prove Uses an algorithmic and poet Probabilistic logic to determine which data to extract and which e-resounds to use when it encounters Multiple records, ion in institutes where people have renewed or change their immigration status, appealed an incorrect decision.
“It is these real-time and alo-timed checks that generate a person's immigration status, which they can then share with an Employer, Landlord or International Carrier.”
The organ said the online-only-only design choice creations Multiple Problems for Users, Including Making IT “Impossible” for an individual to be certain that they will get a correct result on any part Increased Potential for Incorrect Decisions as a Result of People's Records Being Pulled From “Numerous Servers”: and the details of two different people being confused in institutes with Share the same name or date of birth.
Greater use of biometrics
In its whitepaper, the government also outlined proposals to deploy “Modern Biometric Technology” to Frontline Immigration Enforcement Officer, Specifically HIGLIGHTING THITING THETIN WHILIGHTING THE YOLE HIGLILY in Facilitating immigration raids,
It added that, over the coming months, it would also roll out bodyworn video cameras to frontline teams, “Togeether with an advanced data management system and improved mobile buyerk kits, IMPROVED Identity Verification, Transparency, Accountability and Officer Safety ”.
It Claimed That, TAKEN TOGETHER, “These improys The Professional Standards of Our Staff ”.
According to a blog post Published by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper-Which does not mention the extended tech-Related proposals contained in the whitepaper-the new requirements laid out in the document will “[restore] Order to a Failed System that Saw Net Migration Quadrupple Between 2019 and 2023. ”
These measures include raising the skilled worker threshold, ending oversas recruitment for social care visit, reducing the length of time Graduates can stay in the uk after studyNew Penalties for Businesses Employing Workers Illlegally, and Streamlining The Depotation Process to Further Increase “Returns of Foreign National Offenders”.
The government has also outlined how it will prevent the “Dependents” of Immigrants from Coming to the Country If they are not Proficient Enough in English.
Fizza Qureshi, CEO of the migrants' rights network told computer weekly that “Immigration raids are a racist fear mechanism that disparoggete impression Use of EVISAS, Electronic Travel Authorizations (ETAS) and Increased Biometric Data Collection has been “an insidious tool” to create a database of migrants.
“We We We WOLE WOLLD BE Used to Further Surveil Migrants and Intensify Enforcement Operations,” She Said. “Now, we finally know the measures set out in the new immigration whitepaper will be weaponised to further target and terrcerise migrants and racialyised people.”
Tech Sector Employment
Responding to the whitepaper, trade unions and trade associations highlighted how the proposed measures could also also undermine the uk's ambitions to create a throwing, World-Leading Technology Sector By Undercutting Access to talent and skills,
“Continually increasing Visa costs and requirements have the potential to undermine efforts to Attract critically important collectant collection andval And a host of other areas, “Said Sue Ferns, Deputy General Secretary at the Prospect Union.
Antony walker, Deputy Ceo of Techuk, Added that UK Tech Sector's Continued Success is Linked to the Diverse Talent it Attracts from Around the World: “AS the Demand for Skilled Workers In Fields Such As AI, Cyber Security, and Quantum Continues to Grow, It is Crucial that UK Grants and MainTains Immigration Pathways Pathways that enable tech companies to access the talent they needed.
“A Well-Designed and Fairly Priceed Visa System is Essential to MainTaining The UK's Global competitiveness. Better Support Businesses. Effective.
“If Government Wants to Reduce Reliance on the Immigration System, it must Urgently Invest in Skills and Training, Otherwise Businesses will be left without