What are eVisas, and how will they affect people?

The Home Office plans to replace all physical immigration documents with digital ‘eVisas’ by 31 December 2024.

Here we provide some basic information on what we know so far.

The Home Office has started the process to replace all physical immigration documents, called biometric residence cards (BRPs), with digital ‘eVisas’ by 31 December 2024. This means that after 1 January 2025, most people will no longer have a physical card to prove their immigration status. Most recently issued biometric residence permits expire on 31 December 2024 for this reason.

Does my right to be in the UK end when my biometric residence permit expires?

Not necessarily. Your biometric residence permit is evidence of your right to be in the UK, but because of the eVisa scheme you may have been granted the right to stay in the UK for longer than the date on your BRP. If you have a BRP that expires on 31 December 2024, but you were granted leave to remain for longer than that period, then you will still have a right to be in the UK until your leave to remain ends.

For example, if you were granted 2.5 years leave to remain in January 2024, you still have the right to be in the UK until July 2026. If your BRP says “end date” 31 December 2024, that is when the card itself expires, not when your visa ends.

How do I know when my right to be in the UK ends?

If your biometric residence permit expires on 31 December 2024, you may not be sure when your right to be in the UK ends.

For many people, the easiest way to check when your leave to remain ends will be to create a UKVI account and view your eVisa.

If you experience difficulties or delays in being able to view your eVisa, you may need to check when your leave to remain ends in another way. When the Home Office granted you leave to remain, they may have sent you a letter explaining how long you are currently allowed be in the UK, and when your grant of leave expires. If a lawyer helped you to apply for leave to remain, they may have a copy of the letter if you have lost it. You can ask your lawyer for a copy even if they have now stopped working for you. Lawyers have to keep documents like this for 6 years before they destroy them.

If you do not have a letter like this from the Home Office, or the letter is not clear, you can contact your local MP (Member of Parliament). Different parts of the UK have different MPs; you can find your MP on the parliament website here. Your MP can contact the Home Office on your behalf and ask them for a letter to confirm when your right to be in the UK ends. While the Home Office may not reply to a request from you, they cannot ignore a request from an MP.

How do I view my eVisa?

To get access to your eVisa, you’ll need to create a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account.

It is free to make a UKVI account to access your eVisa. Most people should be able to do this by themselves.

You can get free help to make your UKVI account if you:

do not feel confident using a computer or mobile device

do not have internet access

do not have access to a device like a laptop or smart phone

This is called assisted digital support; you can access the free help service here.

There are also a number of organisations that have been funded to provide free support to vulnerable and at-risk people who need help with creating their UKVI account and getting access to their eVisa. View the list of organisations and how to contact them here.

When should I make a UKVI account?

As soon as possible. You cannot access your eVisa without making a UKVI account. The process is open to everyone who has leave to remain in the UK.

Asylum seekers do not currently have to make a UKVI account, and will continue to be issued a physical Application Registration Card (ARC). When an asylum seeker is granted refugee status, in most cases the Home Office will now automatically create a UKVI account for them. They should receive the login details for their UKVI account within 14 days of when they are granted refugee status.

You can make your UKVI account by following the steps on the gov.uk website here.

What happens if I don’t make a UKVI account?

It is very important that you make a UKVI account when possible if you are affected by the eVisa scheme.

If you do not make a UKVI account before 31 December 2024, you will find it more difficult to prove that you still have the right to be in the UK. This could affect your ability to travel abroad, work, rent, access adult education, and access free secondary healthcare, among other things.

You will still be able to use the online right to work and right to rent services to prove your rights once your BRP expires – provided you still have valid immigration status – but should try and register for a UKVI account as soon as possible.

The Department for Work and Pensions and NHS Trusts should also be able to run checks directly with the Home Office to confirm your right to access support if needed, but the system is not yet fully set up.

If you leave the country without setting up an eVisa, you may be unable to return. Airlines and other carriers will not allow people to board a flight without proof that they are entitled to enter the UK. The Home Office announced on 4 December 2024 that you can use an expired BRP instead of an eVisa to travel, provided you still have valid leave to remain, until 31 March 2025. However, this has not been tested yet in practice.

How can I prove my immigration status without a biometric residence permit?

You will have an ‘eVisa’, which is an online record of your immigration status.
You will be able to show your e-visa to people who need to know your immigration status (e.g. employers) using a ‘share code’ that will allow them to look at your immigration status online for a limited period of time.

As above, the Home Office announced on 4 December 2024 that you can use an expired BRP instead of an eVisa to travel, provided you still have valid leave to remain, until 31 March 2025. However, this has not been tested yet in practice.

The Home Office strongly encourage everyone to keep their expired BRP (where they have one) to help prove their status during the rollout of the eVisa system.