Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her planned timetable is for providing eVisas to (a) people on leave extended by section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 and (b) others; and when that rollout will be completed.

We are developing a border and immigration system that is more digital and streamlined.

We plan to provide digital status for all those with a valid UK immigration status, including those on whose permission has been extended by section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971. This is being rolled out gradually as we transition to a digital system.

We do not currently produce data on the number of people whose permission has been extended by section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 and who have eVisas. Also, this number would change on a daily basis as people make new applications and applications are decided.

People with UKVI accounts and eVisas are already able to prove their status digitally. When they subsequently submit a valid, in-time immigration application and their permission has been extended by section 3C, their eVisa will automatically reflect that.

A small proportion of people who submitted immigration applications before they were transitioned to an eVisa, for which an outcome is still pending, will be unable to demonstrate that their permission has been extended by section 3C using our digital services. However, their digital immigration status will be updated when their pending application is decided, and if it is granted, they will receive an eVisa.

If a person’s eVisa does not display their 3C leave because their pending application was made before the eVisa system went live, and they need to prove their right to work or to rent whilst their application remains outstanding, employers can use the Employers Checking Service (ECS) and landlords can use the Landlord Checking Service. These services are for people with outstanding applications, administrative reviews, or appeals, who cannot provide evidence of their status digitally.

If a government department requires information in relation to benefits and healthcare, and they are unable to confirm an individual's’ immigration status, they are able to seek clarification via the Home Office Status Verification Enquiry and Checking Service (SVEC).