On 26 September 2025, the UK government announced plans to implement free digital identity for UK citizens and legal residents. The scheme is partly based on the premise of curbing the prospect of work for illegal migrants. It is also designed to make it easier for the public to access vital government services they are entitled to.
What is the Digital ID?
Digital ID will be a mandatory prerequisite for Right to Work checks, and will be available to all UK citizens and legal residents, saving time by ending the need for complicated identity checks which often tend to be manual. The hope behind the scheme is to make it simpler for the public to apply for services like driving licences, childcare, and welfare, and access to tax records. The Digital ID will accessible through a personal device, similar to the NHS app.
How useful will the Digital ID be?
It appears the Digital ID attempts to unify access to various state platforms—such as HMRC and Universal Credit—under a single user identity. In theory, this should make it more accessible for people to access information quickly and seamlessly.
One of the main aims of the Digital ID is to curb illegal working by using the Digital ID for Right to Work (RTW) checks. It is hoped that this will, in turn, deter people from making perilous journeys to the UK that put their lives at risk.
Legal residents in the UK already hold eVisas that link their digital visa status to their passport. This digital document currently proves Right to Work under the online View and Prove provision. Under this process, the legal resident provides a Share Code to their employer, GP, bank, or landlord, who then verifies it using the UKVI online portal. These eVisas also hold the migrant’s details, including the National Insurance number. Once a UKVI online RTW check is conducted, it is embedded into the UKVI systems, which in turn is monitored by the Civil Compliance team. This team monitors these checks alongside the individual’s immigration status.
If potential illegal work is flagged, an investigation is opened whereby the onus is put on the employer to provide evidence to show the migrant was not working illegally. Additionally, this intelligence is shared across government and law enforcement e.g. HMRC, Companies House, NHS, and the police. These checks have already contributed to a revocation of 1,948 sponsor licences between July 2024 and June 2025, along with a corresponding increase in arrests for illegal working.
It remains to be seen if the Digital ID plan will prevent illegal migration to the UK. The government indicates the new plans will offer significant benefits in reducing identity theft in that Digital ID limits unnecessary sharing of personal details, and will also use state-of-the-art encryption and user authentication to ensure data is held and accessed securely.
Please reach out to your Newland Chase dedicated contact or submit an inquiry should you have any specific questions regarding this announcement.
This immigration update is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal or scenario-specific advice. Furthermore, it is important to note that immigration announcements are subject to sudden and unexpected changes. Readers are encouraged to reach out to Newland Chase for any case- or company-specific assessments.
