In October 2021, the Home Office published an important and mostly overlooked report called “Digital, Data and Technology Strategy 2024”. The DDaT strategy was going to set the course for the future of UK immigration and become central to the department’s transformation efforts “within the next 3 years”. [The DDaT] would “set the direction for how [the government] will deliver better services and organise our technology and data estate more efficiently”. The report stated that the “aim is to become digital by design […], marking an important and necessary shift in the way we do things” [and] “implementing technology change”.
Reading the above it all seems very remote, but without wanting to sound too cheesy, the future really is here.
eVisas: the UK turning to digital
Fast forward 3 years and all physical cards should have been replaced by a fully digital system, by the time this article is published. According to the media factsheet published on 4th Dec, this new fully digital system will provide people with the ability to view and prove their immigration status online (only).
There are undoubtedly many advantages of eVisas, first and foremost virtual visas cannot be lost, stolen or damaged (until identity theft is expanded to electronic visas, that is); it’s supposedly easier and more secure to share information, such as immigration status and NIN as the UKVi account will also integrate with other government departments such as HMRC; updating ID documents will be easier and will be done directly by the visa-holder through their personal UKVI account; biometric appointments will become redundant, as the applicant’s ID information will be stored digitally on their UKVI account (important to remember that ID details will need to be re-confirmed for every new application).
Practically though the Home Office still has a few “glitches” in the matrix that needs fixing. As it stands, non-visa nationals currently holding an eVisa, still need to go through a biometric appointment in order to apply for leave to remain. The Home Office has recently communicated to us that they are aware of the “malfunction” and is working to fix it – the timeline is still unknown. Having an eVisa in place, but not having the possibility of digitally extending the leave to remain; instead, having to go through an appointment, like it’s 2019, surely defeats the purpose of having a “fully digital” immigration system.
Concerns over the Windrush situation also come to mind when people are asked to prove their status in absence of a physical document. In the 4th Dec media factsheet, the Home Office has reassured successful visa applicants that they will receive written confirmation by email or letter that they have been granted permission, which they can keep for their personal records: “while this document cannot be used as evidence of their status, these printed documents can be used when interacting with the Home Office should any subsequent issues be encountered with their eVisa”.
This is set to be one of the most important and largest transitions in the history of UK immigration; as a perfect storm, the deadline will fall in December, the busiest period of the year for international travel and is set to affect people travelling to the UK after the Christmas period. At the start of December, the Home Office has advised travellers to hold on to their physical cards, which will be accepted as a travel document until – at least – March 2025. So, if you’ve travelled back to the UK after the holiday period, you are probably experienced first-hand the effects of the DDaT strategy.
ETA, Electronic Travel Authorisation: the world turning digital
While visa-nationals are going to be busy with replacing their cards with eVisas, a brand-new electronic authorisation (not visa!) is set to be introduced in 2025 for all non-visa nationals entering the UK.
An ETA will be easily submitted via an ETA app or via an online form (here) following the lead of the digitalisation strategy of 2021. The contained cost will be £10, will take around 3 working days to be processed, and it will be valid for 2 years from the date of application, allowing for multiple trips to the UK. The US has already successfully implemented a similar ESTA system, and the EU countries are due to follow suit in 2025 with the ETIAS or European Travel Information and Authorisation System.
As with any fully electronic scheme, there is always a risk for incorrect decision leading to refusals, which in good digital fashion will be more difficult to rectify, in particular for those individuals with complex circumstances.
The 8th January will be the first date for when all non-visa nationals will need to apply for an ETA before travelling. While the EU nationals will be asked to do the same only from 2nd April 2025.
A digital immigration history, electronically stored and easily accessible, seems to be at the forefront of the Home Office’s concerns; by requiring non-visa nationals and all EU nationals to obtain an ETA before travelling, the government aims to strengthen immigration control and screening travellers for potential risks before they reach the UK. However, we cannot stress enough how important it will be to keep a “clean” digital record because new grounds for refusal will also apply to all ETA applicants, with a focus on previous visa refusals and cancelled ETAs. If the Home Office has always been working on a “full-disclosure” mandate, this becomes even more important when all immigration data will be easily accessible online. The aim of the game – as stated in the 2019 report is to “improve how we use data and enable users to quickly provide and access high-quality data” when needed [the National Data Strategy makes for a fascinating read to understand where the drive comes from].
At the time of writing this article, and knee-deep into the digital transition to UKVI accounts and first ETA trials, it often feels like we are all part of a nationwide digital experiment; but that’s probably what the DDaT had in mind when set out in October 2019, predating even the Covid-pandemic. The (mostly) overlooked DDaT report will affect most of our lives going forward, and it will have a ripple effect probably bringing other digital changes in the next 5 years. 2025 is already set to be a test of the government capabilities in the digital realm and our individual “data” is going to be the most valuable asset.