People who believe the Home Office shared a wrong immigration status with another government department or a bank can ask for a check using an online form, which replaced the paper form on 20 April 2026.
Key facts
- Who: People who believe the Home Office shared the wrong immigration status with another government department or a bank, whose access to work, benefits or services has been stopped as a result, and who do not have an eVisa
- From: 20 April 2026
- Source: Ask the Home Office to check your immigration status is correct
The Home Office has replaced the paper form for asking it to check that your immigration status is correct with an online form. The guidance was updated on 20 April 2026.
The guidance lists three situations in which you can ask for a check: you believe the Home Office shared the wrong immigration status with another government department or a bank; the wrong status has stopped you accessing work, benefits or services; and you do not have an eVisa (a digital record of immigration status). It says there is a different way to report an error with an eVisa, for example if personal details are wrong.
You can upload documents to the online form. You do not need to send any documents to make a request, but the guidance says you will get an answer more quickly if you do. Documents must be in English or Welsh. Examples it lists include:
- a letter telling you that your access to work, benefits or services has stopped
- information about who stopped your access, such as an employer, a bank or a government department
- reference numbers from contact with another government department
- letters that support your immigration status, such as an immigration decision letter
- the leaflet from your bank saying an account was closed or refused
If you ask on behalf of someone else, you must have a letter of authority from them. It must include their name in block capitals, their signature, the date it was signed (within the last 12 months) and confirmation that you are authorised to act for them on immigration issues.
If you cannot use the online form, you can write to the Home Office at Complaints Allocation (IC), Customer Correspondence Hub, 4th Floor, 2 Ruskin Square, Dingwall Road, Croydon CR0 2WF. Include your contact details and copies of your documents, not originals.
The guidance says you should get a response within 7 working days. It may take longer if you send no documents or the Home Office needs more time to find your status. The Home Office will reply using the details you provided.
What this means for applicants
Use the online form rather than the paper form. Gather copies of your supporting documents first and upload them, as this speeds up the answer. If you are acting for someone else, you need their signed letter of authority dated within the last 12 months. If you cannot use the online form, you can post your request with copies of your documents. If you have an eVisa with an error, use the separate eVisa route instead.