A new academic report has raised serious concerns that the UK’s mandatory digital immigration status system is being used as a testing ground for a wider national digital identity programme. The study, titled Exclusion by Design: Digital Identification and the Hostile Environment for Migrants, was produced by researchers at the University of Warwick and the University of Leicester in partnership with Migrant Voice and the Open Rights Group.
The report examines the rapid expansion of the Home Office’s eVisa platform, which from June 2025 will require almost all migrants in the UK to prove their legal status solely through digital means. Since mid-July, the UK has been preparing to replace all physical visa documents—such as biometric residence permits, passport stickers and endorsements—with a single electronic visa record linked to a person’s passport. Millions have already been transferred onto the system as part of the government’s shift to a fully digital immigration framework.
Barriers Created by Moving to an Online-Only System
According to the researchers, the transition from physical documents to an online-only platform has introduced “substantial barriers” for migrants. Many reported experiencing legal uncertainty, emotional distress and difficulties accessing work, housing, travel and public services. Technical errors, limited digital literacy, inadequate guidance and language challenges have further compounded these problems, leaving some migrants fearful that even minor mistakes could endanger their rights.
Migrants as a Test Population for Digital ID
The study argues that the eVisa platform effectively pilots a national digital identity infrastructure on a vulnerable and precarious population. Researchers say the system “normalises experimental forms of digital identification” before similar models are extended to the wider public. Their concerns come amid renewed political debate over the introduction of digital ID cards in the UK. Earlier this year, former MI6 chief Sir Alex Younger publicly backed mandatory digital identification as a tool to prevent irregular migration and illegal employment.
The government has since accelerated work on a national digital identity plan. Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones recently held meetings with digital ID providers, while MPs have engaged in increasingly heated debates about the implications of such a system.
Digital Status Checks Creating a ‘Politics of Exhaustion’
The report highlights how migrants must repeatedly generate temporary “share codes” to verify their status with employers, landlords and service providers. Researchers describe this repetitive process as creating a “politics of exhaustion,” placing disproportionate administrative burdens on already vulnerable groups. Participants described the digital system as “unreadable, unreliable, unstable, stressful and time-consuming,” regardless of their level of digital skill.
The impact varies significantly depending on digital literacy, language ability and socio-economic background. Those who are already marginalised face the greatest risk of exclusion, while even digitally proficient users reported deep mistrust of the system’s reliability.
Calls for Immediate and Long-Term Reform
The authors recommend urgent measures including multilingual support, rapid fixes for technical errors, clearer communication with employers and service providers, and dedicated assistance for migrants navigating the platform. Longer-term proposals include legal safeguards, meaningful engagement with civil society and a guarantee that migrants will not be used as test subjects for future digital ID policies.
The report concludes by warning that without transparency, accessibility and accountability, the government risks entrenching systemic exclusion and undermining public trust. The Home Office has not yet responded to the findings.
