Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people the Home Office has contacted individually about the need to create a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account; how many people have so far set up a UKVI account since the start of the eVisa transition process; and what proportion of the total eligible for a UKVI account this represents.

During the testing phase of the eVisa transition, the Home Office, under the previous administration, started emailing BRP holders directly in April 2024 with instructions on how to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa. This included sending anonymised invitations based on available contact email addresses.

We are now looking to start using other communication methods, such as text messages. As contact details may get out of date, we plan a wider external communications campaign to reach key stakeholders such as employers, landlords and education establishments. This will include the development of a range of communications materials, routine updates on GOV.UK and extensive engagement with relevant stakeholders, in addition to direct messaging to those affected. The number of people who have created UKVI accounts to access their eVisas is changing rapidly, with a large number of customers already having created their UKVI accounts successfully.