Almost one million people still need to apply for an eVisa after problems with the scheme’s rollout.

The Government is replacing physical biometric residence permits (BRP), which show proof of a person’s right to live, work and claim benefits in the UK, with digital eVisas from December 31.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the Home Affairs Select Committee that about four million people were holders of BRPs and so far only about 3.1 million had made the change to the new digital scheme.

The proposals were first announced in April, under the previous Conservative government, as a way to “ensure firm control over who comes here to live, work or study, strengthening border security and preventing abuse of the immigration system”.

Earlier this month Migration Minister Seema Malhotra confirmed that airlines will accept travellers with expired UK residency permits until “at least March 31” after problems.

Nick Beales, from the Refugee and Migrant Forum of Essex and London, said it was a “grave concern” that so many people still needed eVisas.

“So many people suddenly being unable to prove their status will without question see many wrongly suspended from work, denied disability benefits and prevented from accessing many other essential services,” he told the Guardian.

“For some, the consequences will be severe, with families suffering losses of vital income and potentially destitution.”

The Home Office said over 3.1 million people have “already got access to their eVisa, with many more creating an account every day”.

It added that those “who are yet to make the transition, they will still be able to use their expired BRP to create a UK visas and immigration account quickly and easily after December 31, both to access their eVisa and use the tools available online to prove their right to work and to rent”.