eVisa Rollout Begins

The Home Office have recently announced the next stage in their plans to move towards a fully digitalised UK immigration system by 2025. This next phase involves those with physical immigration documents, most commonly BRP cards, moving to an electronic form of status known as an 'eVisa'.

The Home Office has been keen to promote the benefits of this move including greater security, shorter waiting times for applicants as well as quicker and easier information sharing with third parties such as employers and landlords.

While many individuals in the UK may already hold electronic status, this change is due to impact millions of visa holders in the UK who will be required to take active steps to digitalise their status in the coming months.

What is an eVisa?

An eVisa is an online record of your immigration status and the conditions of your permission to enter or stay in the UK. This can be accessed online via a UKVI account which holds all the details related to your status.

It is important to note that updating a physical immigration document to an eVisa will not impact your immigration status or the conditions attached to your leave, and these will remain unchanged.

What do I need to do?

As of April 2024, the Home Office have begun contacting individual BRP holders by email or in a decision letter, with instructions for them to create an online UKVI account to access their eVisa.

These email invitations are currently being sent in phases, before the service will be made available to all BRP holders in the summer. Individuals have been advised not to worry if they have not yet been contacted as the service will become available to all BRP holders later this year.   

In order to remain up to date with the latest developments, individuals can sign up here to receive updates on the latest eVisa announcements. Please note, you will need to create a "GOV.​UK One Login" in order to sign up for these updates.  

It is also worth noting that the current changes do not impact those who already have an eVisa and these individuals are not required to do anything as a result. However, it is important that individuals continue to keep their UKVI account up to date with any changes to their personal information, such as a new passport or contact details. This information can be updated here.

How do I use my UKVI account?

Once individuals have created their UKVI account they will then be able to view the details of their eVisa online. This includes the type of permission they have in the UK; when their leave expires, and the conditions attached to this.

This will also then give individuals access to the Home Office 'view and prove' service which enables individuals to share information regarding their immigration status such as the right to rent or work in the UK.

Travel

While these changes are due to be fully implemented by the end of 2024, until this time individuals will need to continue to carry their BRP while travelling outside the UK.

From 2025, individuals should then be able to use eVisas to travel to the UK and will not need to carry a physical document, except for their current passport.

Please note, if you tell UKVI that you have a new passport and you’re still waiting for confirmation that your UKVI account has been updated, you should also carry your old passport with you, if possible, to avoid unnecessary delays at the border. 

Concluding Remarks

While the mass roll out of electronic status is generally seen to be a positive move in that it seeks to provide greater security and make it easier for individuals to access and share information relating to their immigration status, this announcement has not come without its criticism.

This has been particularly in relation to the lack of transition period which could impact individuals who fail to create a UKVI account prior to 31 December 2024 leading to difficulties proving a right to rent or work in the UK. This may also impact individuals outside the UK who may have difficulties re-entering.

In order to ensure that you do not miss any of the latest developments in relation to the roll out it is important that individuals ensure the Home Office have their most up-to-date contact details and additionally sign up to the link above to ensure they are receiving the latest updates 

If you have any questions following this update, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.