Government to text migrants when their time is up
Home Office announces plan to contact foreigners via SMS when their visas are about to expire.


The government is set to trial the use of text messages in the battle against illegal immigration, the Home Office has announced.
The government is set to start a three-month trial next month testing the idea of using SMS to contact migrants when their visas are about to run out.
The plan has been met with much criticism. David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary with the Conservative Party called the plan "extraordinary."
"This is a serious admission of defeat. John Reid is effectively giving up on trying to deport the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants in this country, preferring instead to spam them with text messages," Davis said. "It is all rather extraordinary. The idea that somebody who is about to overstay or who is overstaying will change his mind because somebody sends him a text message seems to be something out of this world."
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Freelance journalist Nicole Kobie first started writing for ITPro in 2007, with bylines in New Scientist, Wired, PC Pro and many more.
Nicole the author of a book about the history of technology, The Long History of the Future.
-
Why Microsoft thinks diversity will keep security workers relevant in the age of agentic AI
News Improved AI skills and a greater focus on ensuring agents are secure at point of deployment will be key for staying ahead of attackers
By Rory Bathgate
-
Microsoft: get used to working with AI-powered "digital colleagues"
News Tech giant's report suggests we should get ready to work with AI, revealing future trends for the workplace
By Nicole Kobie