Some vulnerable migrants are struggling to access an online ID check system needed to get work and housing, rights groups say

• Migrants need digital checks to access housing, jobs
• Some struggle with online access and data costs
• System heightens risks of exploitation, say rights groups

LONDON, Aug 15 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Refugees and human trafficking survivors in Britain are being forced to choose between buying food or data to access an official digital identity check system for migrants, charities said, warning the scheme is putting vulnerable people at risk.

Some have lost out on jobs because they were not able to access the system, which confirms that a migrant has the right to live and work in Britain, support organisations said, adding that it could force desperate migrants into exploitative work.

Immigration solicitor Carita Thomas said one of her clients, a human trafficking survivor, went hungry because he had to prioritise buying mobile data over food.

“He was not eating properly and getting food out of bins in order to maintain the data package on his phone,” said Thomas, of the Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit (ATLEU), a charity providing legal support for slavery victims.

“Many of our clients might struggle financially to maintain sufficient data packages and will now need to prioritise this over other important expenses … They cannot be without (data) because they can’t prove their rights otherwise.”

The Home Office, or interior ministry, in April replaced a system of physical residency cards with a digital verification process to confirm migrants’ rights to rent and work, which it said can crack down on illegal migration and identity fraud.

Instead of providing their permit cards, migrants must now use an online government portal to generate a one-off digital code, which is then shared with a potential employer or landlord to prove their immigration status.

The Home Office said it aims to phase out physical documents by 2024, and that the “vast majority” of migrants have access to digital devices.

“Where they do not, we have measures in place to support them, as well as offering additional assistance for those who do not speak English,” a spokesperson said in emailed comments.

But organisations that work with vulnerable migrants said the system is exacerbating digital divides, with those who are not digitally literate, lack devices, or cannot afford data costs left behind.