Thread: A digital only immigration system is worrying for many reasons including the Important point highlighted below by @the3million.

A physical (even on an optional basis) immigration status is easy implemented (processes are already in place) and is important basic right. https://twitter.com/the3million/status/1298545972377657345

1. Sharing and evidencing a digital status is difficult where IT knowledge or other hurdles exist (e.g. language barriers, language and literacy, age for both the young and the old, relationships of vulnerability e.t.c.) for the user.

2. Free advice/support is currently available to help people apply for pre-settled or settled status. But there is no indication from the Government that this support will be made permanent to assist citizens to share their status, update it, or challenge discrimination.

3. Those with IT barriers, in my experience particularly the elderly, don’t have emails and/or mobile numbers, both are mandatory not just to apply for settled status but to also access and share it afterwards.

Those I’ve helped apply for pre-settled and settled status had to borrow emails and mobile numbers to apply because (a) they did not have them already, (b) did not want to obtain them, (c) did not want to learn how to use them, or (d) relied on their family for these utilities.

They're going to have difficulties accessing/sharing the status later because they will need have ongoing and available access to the email addresses and mobile numbers from other people. The third party requesting the status is not always going to be patient and understanding.

4. For this reason, discrimination is highly likely to occur. With thanks to @JCWI_UK we have hard evidence of this occurring in a similar (right to rent) scheme.

The risk increases, as it always does, for some groups - BME community, women, children, those with disabilities.

5. Barriers can also exist with the third party requesting access to the status, multiplying the likelihood of discrimination. For example, a small landlord with a basic understanding of English and IT, will find it a challenge to access and understand the digital status.

This landlord is more likely to rent a room to a British national who can pull their passport out from their pocket over someone who has to persuade them to access and understand a digital status. This is the same reason why our senior friends and families are worried.

6. There are other concerns. A digital status means the Government (the Home Office, DPW, HMRC, and who knows who else) will have data for the lifetime of that status - who accessed it, who shared it, when, where, and with whom. This is an alarming amount of information.

Pre-EUSS, a person who obtained indefinite leave to remain in the UK was considered to be ‘free from immigration control’. Unless a person had done something wrong (e.g. criminality issues) the Home Office no longer had an interest in them and didn’t care who they interacted with

A person with settled status will never be free from immigration control. The Home Office has ongoing oversight of interactions. This affects the person requesting the status too. The Government hasn’t told us anything about what they’ll do with this data and why they need it.

5. Security - a digital security is a hot topic. How secure this data is, what the contingency measures are, who it’s shared with (in and outside the Government) and why, is still a secret.

We still don’t know which third parties the application data is shared with, let alone the status access and sharing data. The Government has so far refused to give us anything beyond a standard ‘it’s safe and secure so don’t worry’ answer.

6. It’s just not practical.

For example, some countries require sight of a physical status on travelling/granting visas and will not engage with a digital status. The Government has said ‘they’ll be working with them to resolve this’ but we know nothing more than that.

7. Anxieties. It doesn’t matter if all the above can be resolved, unlike British citizens, EU citizens are used to and are comfortable with physical documents. The relationship with the State is different and more trusting. They want a physical status, whatever the reassurances.

8. Disenfranchisement. The @ukhomeoffice are working towards a digital only visa. Along with other govt. services going online, and the internet yet to be considered a basic right, there will be multiple rights being deprived while support services continue to be strained/cut.

We also don’t know what we don’t yet know - future challenges, practicalities, hurdles, that a digital only world offers us. Our society and social fabric continues to feel the straight of a digital word - why add to it. A physic status is simple and will be welcomed by all (END)