UK Home Office system confuses identical twins, stranding traveler

The U.K.'s post-Brexit settled status system has been criticized after a woman was stranded abroad when the Home Office's digital eVisa system mistakenly linked her immigration status to her identical twin sister's details. Nidia Webb, who has lived in the U.K. for eight years, was denied boarding on a flight from Spain because her settled status could not be properly matched to her identity. She was informed by the Home Office that this is a 'known issue' affecting some twins within their system. The Home Office did not dispute her account and stated they would contact her to resolve the issue, though the confirmation email was sent to her twin sister, adding to the stress of the situation. Webb was forced to pay for a new flight home out of her own pocket. Monique Hawkins, acting CEO of the3million, a group advocating for EU citizens' rights, noted that such errors can leave people unable to prove their identity when most needed, highlighting the system's unreliability despite Home Office claims of resilience. A spokesperson for the Home Office defended the eVisa system, stating it has worked for over 10 million people, and that in rare cases of error, most are resolved within 24 hours. However, a 2024 report indicated that over 76,000 people have had their data mixed up in the U.K.'s immigration database, affecting various nationalities.