A woman who lives in the UK was refused boarding on her flight back from Spain after the Home Office’s electronic visa system confused her for her twin sister.
Nidia Webb, an EU national who has lived in Britain for eight years, was told that the problem was a “known issue” affecting twins with digital documentation.
Millions of people registered to access an eVisa after physical documents were phased out for foreign nationals at the end of 2024. However, some have reported problems proving they have the right to work, study, rent or travel to the UK due to errors and misunderstanding around electronic visas.
The Independent has reported on numerous cases of foreign nationals left stranded abroad due to confusion about the eVisas.
In other cases, people have had their identities wrongly merged with strangers.
Ms Webb, who shared her experience with Politico, tried to fly home to the UK from a holiday in Spain earlier this month when she was denied boarding at the gate.
The flight left without her as she spent hours on the phone to the Home Office helpline.
She told Politico: “My digital settled status had become linked to my identical twin sister’s details rather than my own, meaning my status could not be properly matched to my identity. I was informed that this is a known technical issue affecting some twins within the Home Office system.”
She added: “Had I not spent hours on the phone trying to resolve the matter, I have no idea how long I could have remained stranded abroad”.
Monique Hawkins, acting CEO of the3million, a campaign group for EU citizens, said: “We have seen many cases where someone else’s immigration status is entangled with another person’s eVisa account. We had hoped, after repeatedly raising this issue, that the Home Office had taken more steps to prevent it happening.
“It just shows how, despite claims that the eVisa system is highly resilient, it can fail people at the critical moments they need it to work.”
The Independent has previously reported on the case of a Canadian citizen who had their passport information, immigration history and contact details erroneously shared with a Russian woman by the Home Office.
The data breach came to light after the Canadian woman was contacted out of the blue by the Russian citizen who had access her own eVisa, only to find that the other’s details had been merged with her own.
Last month, human rights campaigners called for a probe into the data watchdog’s failure to investigate Home Office digital visa problems.
Civil rights organisations want the government to publish figures on the number of data security incidents and complaints linked to the service. They are also calling for an investigation into the data regulator, the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), over its failure to act over the issues.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Over 10 million people have already successfully used eVisas to prove their immigration status.
“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.
“In the rare cases where errors are identified, the majority of cases are resolved within 24 hours.”
