The Home Office is under scrutiny for allegedly collecting personal data on hundreds of thousands of British citizens without their knowledge while conducting financial checks on migrants. This information was inadvertently disclosed in a document sent by a government official to a charity, which included details such as names, dates of birth, and electoral roll data of over 260 individuals. These individuals’ only connection to the immigration applicant was that they had previously lived or worked in the same address or postcode area, with some records dating back to 1986. The document, generated by credit reporting firm Equifax on June 25, 2024, was meant for an immigration fee waiver application that requires financial checks to verify an applicant’s inability to afford normal visa fees. This has raised concerns about transparency, data protection, and non-consensual data collection. Ramfel, the charity that received the document, has questioned the Home Office about the collection and storage of such data, but has yet to receive satisfactory answers. Equifax, which suffered a significant data breach in 2017, includes a disclaimer stating that the volume and nature of the data make verification impractical. The Home Office claims to be investigating the matter and stated that they no longer use Equifax for visa fee waiver processing. The situation highlights growing privacy concerns amidst increased visa application fees, which have led to a steep rise in fee waiver applications.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/feb/23/home-office-contractor-collecting-data-on-uk-citizens-while-checking-migrants-finances