Canadian citizen’s personal details shared with Russian woman in major eVisa data breach
A Canadian citizen’s passport information, immigration history and contact details were accidentally shared with a Russian woman by the Department of Home Affairs, in an egregious example of intricacies in the government’s e-Visa system.
The data breach came to light when a Russian citizen who had accessed his own e-Visa contacted the Canadian woman out of the blue, only to find out the other’s details had been merged with hers.
The Russian woman living in London contacted the Canadian via eVisa by accessing his e-mail address, phone number, nationality and passport information. The Home Office also mistakenly sent a confirmation email to Russia instead of Canada.
The Russian woman had difficulty re-entering the UK from Heathrow after visiting Russia for Christmas. The Canadian woman, who lives in Wales, was “extremely traumatized” by the experience, her lawyer said.
The case, which occurred in December 2024, emerged as part of a joint letter sent by immigration charities and human rights groups to data watchdog the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), calling for an investigation into the electronic visa system used by millions of foreign nationals. They say there is a “systemic risk to privacy, equality and human rights” caused by problems with the Home Office rollout.
The Russian woman also tried to attend a biometric appointment where fingerprints and photographs were given for visa applications, but was incorrectly told by officials that she could not register because she had already registered her information.
Misha Slough, a lawyer representing the Canadian, attempted to contact the eVisa team for assistance in late December 2024 but received a response saying they would respond within 10 business days. The Home Office said it would take 20 working days to respond to his formal complaint. However, as of March this year, there was still no response from either of them.
Problems escalated when the Russian woman returned to Russia for Christmas and had difficulty re-entering the UK. Border force staff then told him details about Canada’s immigration history, even as he tried to explain the combined identities.
Ms Slough managed to resolve the issue with the help of a charity but said her client was “lucky” that the Russian woman had tried to resolve the issue.
Now 19 immigrant rights groups, charities and researchers, including Asylum Matters and Open Rights Group, have written to the ICO, urging them to investigate problems with the eVisa system.
Have you been affected by visa issues? Contact holly.bancroft@independence.co.uk
They said the eVisa system “causes significant distress and hardship for immigrants due to ongoing technical malfunctions, lack of transparency, data integrity and quality issues, in addition to systemic barriers to accessing immigration status. Issues with the eVisa program remain unresolved.”
They said they had seen “numerous examples where individuals discovered incorrect personal details on their eVisas, including photos, names, visa expiry dates and even passport numbers.”
Experts have warned that foreign nationals may not be able to receive rent, study, prove their right to work or board a plane due to problems with the electronic visa situation.
Following the phase-out of physical documents for foreign nationals by the end of 2024, millions of people have registered to access e-Visas.
Independent has documented a number of cases where people have had difficulty flying due to the introduction of e-Visas, which foreign airport staff often did not understand.
These included a woman named Maria Juliana Marquez Monsalve, who was stranded in Brazil after airline staff refused to let her board her flight home, and British community worker Marzena Zukowska, who was bullied for more than an hour at Chicago O’Hare airport.
Another man told Independent He described how he was unable to prove refugee status or travel to see his family due to eVisa delays.
An ICO spokesperson said: “We are in regular contact with government departments, including the Home Office, to ensure data protection obligations are met and potential risks are mitigated. We can confirm we have received the letter outlining these concerns and will carefully consider the issues raised before responding.”
A Ministry of Internal Affairs spokesman said: “More than 10 million e-Visas have now been issued and the vast majority of e-Visa holders continue to use them without any problems.
“They cannot be lost, stolen or tampered with and provide a secure digital way to prove one’s right to work or enter this country legally.
“We take data security and accuracy extremely seriously. “We are ready to support all users who have difficulties creating or using their eVisa account.”
