World News
Home Office eVisa system mistakes woman for her twin sister, leaving her briefly stranded
The digital immigration system's error temporarily blocked a legally settled UK resident from boarding her flight home from Spain.
The short version
- Nidia Webb, a UK resident of eight years, was temporarily barred from boarding a flight in Spain because the Home Office's eVisa system mixed up her digital settled status with her identical twin's details.
- Webb was eventually allowed to board after spending hours on the phone with Home Office staff to resolve the mix-up.
- The Home Office stated that the issue has been fixed, maintaining that more than 10 million people have successfully used eVisas.
- Campaigners criticized the digital visa rollout as rushed, citing existing vulnerabilities and similar past cases of people being denied boarding.
Key facts
- Nidia Webb, who has legally lived in the UK for eight years, was stranded at a Spanish airport because the Home Office's eVisa system linked her digital settled status to her identical twin sister's details.[The Guardian]
- Webb stated that she was told at the departure gate by staff that the mix-up was a known technical issue affecting twins in the immigration system.[The Guardian]
- After spending several hours on the phone with the Home Office, Webb was allowed to board her flight, though the confirmation email was mistakenly sent to her sister.[The Guardian]
- A Home Office spokesperson said over 10 million people have successfully used eVisas, errors are rare, and the majority of issues are resolved within 24 hours.[The Guardian]
- Monique Hawkins, acting chief executive of the campaign group the3million, criticized the eVisa rollout as rushed and noted that the group has observed similar cases.[The Guardian]
Sources
- Woman stranded in Spain after UK’s eVisa system mistakes her for twin sisterThe Guardian - World