A woman who is legally settled in the UK was left stranded at a Spanish airport after the Home Office’s post-Brexit visa system mixed her up with her twin sister. Nidia Webb fell foul of what she was told was a “known issue” with the eVisa, which was brought in as part of the government’s drive to digitise the UK’s immigration system but has faced problems that have caused concern for thousands of people. Politico reported that Webb, who has lived in the UK for eight years, was told at the departure gate she would not be able to board her flight home.
As we expand our digital system, we are committed to data accuracy and ensuring that the safeguards in place to support eVisa users are accessible to anyone reliant on the digital system. Serious concerns have been expressed about the eVisa system. In July 2025, the Guardian reported up to 200,000 people who had lived in the UK legally for decades were at risk of being caught up in a Windrush-style scandal because the Home Office was unable to get in touch with them to transfer their old immigration documents to the new digital system.
Monique Hawkins, the acting chief executive of the immigration campaign group the3million, said it had seen previous cases similar to Webb’s, adding that it highlighted vulnerabilities in the system and it was “crucial that people have a genuinely stable means by which to prove their status”. She told Politico the eVisa rollout had been “rushed”, adding: “We regularly see people not only denied boarding, but also compensation, as carriers and the Home Office play a blame game shifting responsibility between each other.”
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