Accessibility statement for the UK Immigration Identity Check online service
The accessibility statement applies to the UK Immigration Identity Check online service. There is another accessibility statement for the UK Immigration Identity Check mobile application.
This website is run by the Home Office. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts
- zoom in up to 300% across most of the website without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
We have also made the website text as simple as possible to understand. AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
Some people may find parts of this service difficult to use because:
- we ask you to upload a photo of your identity document and a photo of yourself
- some pages use grey hint text which can be difficult to read if you set your display contrast too high or you have a visual impairment
- we ask you to input a number from your identity document
- we use graphics to show an example of an identity document - these can be unreadable if you have a visual impairment or if your display contrast is too high
- we ask you to use a webcam to scan your face
- the face scan functionality is not available in Internet Explorer 11
You can see a full list of any issues we currently know about in the ‘non-accessible content’ section of this statement.
Feedback and contact information
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, contact us:
- Phone: 0300 790 6268 (from inside the UK)
- Phone: +44 (0)203 875 4669 (from outside the UK)
Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 8pm
Saturday and Sunday, 9.30am to 4.30pm
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, contact us:
- Phone: 0300 790 6268 (from inside the UK)
- Phone: +44 (0)203 875 4669 (from outside the UK)
Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 8pm
Saturday and Sunday, 9.30am to 4.30pm
Read tips on contacting organisation about inaccessible websites.
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
If you are in Northern Ireland and are not happy with how we respond to your complaint you can contact the Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland who are responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’) in Northern Ireland.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The Home Office is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
If you find an issue that we have not listed, please contact us using the details in the ‘Reporting accessibility problems with this website’ section of this statement.
Manual movement of the device
The face scan may be difficult to use by people with mobility limitations or if using a device in a fixed position. This includes:
- A fixed orientation of the screen (either landscape or portrait) that does not re-orient when the device is rotated. This fails WCAG criterion 1.3.4 (sensory characteristics). Screens with a fixed portrait orientation have been designed to ensure visibility of all on-screen instructions.
- The need for the user to adjust the distance between their face and the device camera. This fails WCAG criterion 2.5.4 (motion actuation) and 1.3.3 (sensory characteristics) but is an essential part of the face scan.
If you cannot complete the face scan due to accessibility issues, you can ask someone else to take the scan on your behalf.
Images
The background image shown during the face scan does not have a text alternative so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content). We plan to fix this by the end of November 2023.
Status messages
During the face scan, guidance messages are not always announced when using a screen reader. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.3 (status messages). We plan to fix this by end of November 2023.
Accessing information
The size of the scanning interface cannot be increased up to 400%. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.10 (reflow). The ability to zoom in is not available because the liveness step cannot be completed while zoomed in. Users can skip this step, if they do skip, they may be asked to provide alternative evidence to confirm their identity.
Navigation and interactive elements
The close button on the scanning interface is not accessible to people using a screen reader or a keyboard to navigate the website. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 (keyboard). We plan to fix this by the end of November 2023.
There is no way for users to start the face scan manually. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.2.1 (on focus). We plan to fix this by the end of November 2023.
The session times out without a warning after 10 minutes of inactivity, and users cannot turn off, adjust or extend the timeout limit. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.2.1 (timing adjustable). We plan to fix this by the end of November 2023.
Disproportionate burden
At this time, we have not made any disproportionate burden claims.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
At this time, we have not identified any content that is not within scope of the accessibility regulations.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 11 August 2022.
This website was last tested on 17 September 2021. Testing was carried out internally by the Home Office.
We tested the service based on a user's ability to complete key journeys. All parts of the chosen journeys were tested, including documents. Journeys were chosen on a number of factors including usage statistics, risk assessments and subject matter.