Handling an employee report of an eVisa error

An employee-reported eVisa error should be documented and directed to the appropriate official correction route while the employer assesses the current right-to-work evidence. Do not edit a status image or assume that every display problem means permission has ended.

Keep the employee’s account credentials private and record any official reference or outcome. Use regulated advice where the effect on employment or continued permission is uncertain.

Identify the type of eVisa problem

Ask the employee to describe what is wrong without sending their account password or security information. An incorrect date of birth, an inaccurate immigration status, inability to generate a share code and difficulty signing in may need different official routes. The Home Office error service explains which problems it handles and distinguishes them from updating personal details or recovering account access. Start by selecting the correct process. ^[1]

Record when the issue was noticed, what the employee can currently access and whether it affects a planned or ongoing right-to-work check. Keep the description factual. A report of an error does not itself prove that the displayed status is wrong, but nor should an employer assume that a technical failure means the employee has no permission. The evidence and current work decision need separate attention.

Use the official correction or support route

The error service covers specified incorrect details and technical issues, including some cases where the person can view an eVisa but cannot obtain a share code. It asks for identifying information and a relevant passport, BRP or application reference. Where the issue is a change of personal details, ordinary account recovery or another excluded category, follow the linked alternative service. Avoid submitting the same problem through unrelated forms without understanding their purpose. ^[1]

An employee can ask an employer or another person to report an error on their behalf. Agree that assistance explicitly and check the information before submission. The employee should retain control of their account credentials. Keep the reference and official correspondence in an appropriate restricted record, and distinguish a correction request acknowledgement from confirmation that the eVisa has actually been corrected.

Continue the employer's verification workstream

The employer still needs the prescribed right-to-work evidence. Where an online result is available, use the employer-facing service and compare identity and conditions with the actual role. If the ordinary route cannot establish permission because of the relevant technical problem, consider the Employer Checking Service under the current guidance. Our guide to Employer Checking Service: when to check guidance explains the required distinction between a request, a response and a statutory excuse. ^[2]

Do not replace the check with a screenshot of an error message or a manager's assurance that the employee “has always had a visa”. An error report can help explain the chronology, but it is not itself permission to work. For an existing employee, examine the previous compliant check and any applicable continuation provisions carefully. For a prospective employee, do not borrow a grace arrangement that applies only to certain continuing employment cases.

Manage timing without guaranteeing a correction date

The official service publishes target times for resolving most errors and explains that complex cases can take longer. Use the current service information for planning, but do not promise the employee that the problem will be fixed by an induction date or payroll cut-off. Set a review date and keep track of requests for further information. A target is not an assurance about an individual case. ^[1]

If the unresolved issue affects whether work may continue, obtain appropriately authorised immigration advice and any necessary employment advice promptly. Avoid automatic suspension or dismissal solely because a digital record is difficult to access. Equally, do not ignore an actual restriction shown by the evidence. The decision should explain what is known, what remains uncertain and which official verification supports the next step.

Recheck the corrected result and close the record

When the employee reports that the eVisa is corrected, complete the appropriate employer check rather than relying only on their message. Confirm the identity information, permitted work and any relevant end date or follow-up requirement. Save the new employer-facing evidence with the actual check date. Preserve earlier records as required so the chronology shows how the issue was handled, without overwriting a previous check to make it appear different.

For help through eVisa employment check support, provide the nature of the error, relevant employment dates and the verification stage. Case-specific immigration advice must come from an appropriately regulated or otherwise legally authorised adviser. Share detailed identity evidence only after agreeing a secure method. The employer's final record should identify both the correction outcome and the employment-check outcome, because resolving one does not automatically complete the other.

Update any internal reminder or work restriction only after the responsible checker has reviewed the corrected evidence. This prevents a well-intentioned payroll or line-management change from getting ahead of the verified immigration position.

Illustrative scenario

An employee notices incorrect personal details in their digital status. HR records the issue, asks them to use the official reporting route and checks what employer evidence or escalation is appropriate.

Preparation checklist

• Record the exact error
• Use the official correction route
• Assess current check evidence
• Track the outcome and follow-up