Interviewing Community Members: Challenges and Resilience in Navigating eVisa (Part I)
Reminder: If you have a (1) Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), (2) Biometric Residence Card (BRC), or (3) immigration status displayed as a stamp in your passport or a vignette sticker, remember to apply for an eVisa by 31 December 2024.
Starting 1 January 2025, the UK government will transition to a fully digital immigration system, which will affect over four million non-EU migrants living in the UK.
This article isn’t a step-by-step guide for applying for an eVisa. Instead, we’ve interviewed two members of our community to share their experiences and reflections. If you’re looking for detailed instructions, you can refer to helpful guides from Lancashire County Council or Free Movement.
These interviews, featuring Cielo Tilan and Florence Yilmaz, highlight how they learn about policy changes and navigate them. Their stories, interwoven with personal lives, reveal not only the challenges migrants face in the UK but also their resilience and determination.
While the digital system promises improved convenience and cost savings, it also presents significant challenges—especially for those without a smartphone (or even the latest software), reliable internet access, technical skills, or strong English proficiency.
Setting up eVisa can leave migrants on edge—many of whom have already endured negative experiences at border controls or harsh migration systems. Some even face additional financial burdens due to misinformation or fears about making a mistake in the eVisa application process and its potential consequences, as shown in the interview below.
Stuck, Learn, and Grow, ‘I Can Do It’
Interviewing Florence Yilmaz, Bookkeeper at Southeast and East Asian Centre
I still need to finish setting up my eVisa account. I received the eVisa notification this June or July, but I only understood what it was about once people in the office started talking about it. I have tried several times since then, but all my attempts have failed. I followed the steps in the Home Office videos, but I kept getting stuck at the stage of scanning my BRP card. I was wondering if it was because the room wasn’t bright enough or for some other reason. However, I’ve been listening to others’ experiences and gathering opinions. One of my colleagues succeeded, and that gave me hope.
The Southeast and East Asian Women Association (SEEAWA) and the Filipino Domestic Workers Association (FDWA), two organizations I have close ties to, have volunteers helping members create their accounts. I don’t know how many people haven’t made the change, but people are constantly discussing and exchanging information about it.
Overall, I felt the notice was very brief. Navigating the app with just the Home Office videos is far from sufficient. I am going to travelling this December and will return on the 26th—when my BRP physical card is still valid. In any case, I always carry a hard copy of proof of my legal status. I will continue to carry it even after the Visa system is digitalised. What if the internet doesn’t work at the airport? What if the country I’m visit doesn’t recognize the eVisa as proof of my residency in the UK? I just came back from Turkey and was told at the border control that they don’t accept digital evidence. This has always been on my mind, and it stresses me out a lot. That’s why I’ve stuck a paper with 'eVisa' written in big letters on my desk to remind myself.
I still have time, and I want to do this on my own. The Home Office has made things difficult for me—longer permanent residency routes, thousands of pounds in visa renewal fees, and now this. It’s not an option to have a strong mindset as a migrant in the UK; the policy environment forces you to be that way. But I have navigated through it so far, and I’m confident that I can do it this time. If I succeed, I can help others.