Latest from Home Officer partnership briefing:
In March-April 2024, the Home Office is running a small-scale ‘private beta’ launch
by email invitation to a small number of BRP holders to help develop and ensure an
optimal customer experience. Only BRP holders who receive an email invitation
need to take action at this stage. The Home Office intends to launch a wider phased
rollout from spring 2024. Initially this will be to BRP holders by invitation only, in
phases, before the service is rolled-out to all BRP holders from summer 2024. The
latest information is available on
www.gov.uk/evisa and holders of other physical
immigration documents, including (for those who hold indefinite leave to enter or
indefinite leave to remain) passports containing vignette stickers or ink stamps, and
BRCs, can also find information here on what they need to do to create a UKVI
account to access their eVisa.
What Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) holders will need to do
Customers who have a BRP and are living in the UK will need to create
Customers who have a BRP and are living in the UK will need to create a UKVI
account to access their eVisa unless their immigration leave expires before 31
December 2024. The process to create an account will become available from spring
2024, and BRP holders should visit
www.gov.uk/evisa for the latest information. Customers who hold a BRP that expires on 31 December 2024, and who have
immigration leave to be in the UK beyond this date do not need to apply to renew
their BRP, as all recently issued BRPs are due to expire on this date. Instead, these
customers should follow the instructions below to create a UKVI account.
From spring 2024 onwards, customers will be invited by email in phases to use their
BRP to create a UKVI account and access their eVisa. This service will be available
for all BRP customers without invitation.
This is free, straightforward, and will not usually require BRP holders to send the
Home Office either their passport or BRP.
• This applies even to customers recently issued with a BRP.
• In the meantime, customers can use their BRP as normal.
Once a customer with a BRP has created their UKVI account, they should update
their account with any new passport or contact details. The 'Update my details’
service is an online service available to customers who have a UKVI account, which
enables them to update their details, including travel documents. The service can be
accessed at
www.gov.uk/update-uk-visas-immigration-account-details.
Any BRP customer who has immigration leave that expires before 31 December
2024, but plans to remain in the UK should seek to extend their visa in the usual
way. Guidance will be provided as part of the visa extension process on how the
customer can create a UKVI account to access their eVisa.
BRP holders should continue to travel internationally with both their BRP until it
expires, and their passport.
What legacy paper document holders (passports containing ink stamps,
vignette stickers, Home Office letters, etc.) will need to do
Customers who have indefinite leave to enter or indefinite leave to remain and prove
their rights using a passport containing an ink stamp or vignette sticker, or use
another type of legacy paper document should make a ‘No Time Limit’ application. It
is free to make a No Time Limit application, and information on how to do so is
available at
www.gov.uk/evisa. As part of the application process customers may
need to travel to a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services Centre (known as a
UKVCAS) to provide a photograph, and in some cases provide fingerprints.
Once an application has been processed successful No Time Limit applicants will be
issued with a biometric residence permit (BRP), which can then be used to prove the
customer's rights and to create a UKVI account.
From spring 2024 onwards, customers will be invited by email in phases to use their
BRP to create a UKVI account and access their eVisa. This service will be available
for all BRP customers without invitation.
Customers can continue to use their passport or other paper document alongside
their eVisa and they should continue to take it with them whenever they travel
internationally to avoid unnecessary delays. From January 2025 customers will need
to use their eVisa to prove their rights.
Later in 2024, the Home Office will take steps to launch a revised No Time Limit
application process which provides an eVisa directly, without issuing a BRP. Further
information on the new process will be available at
www.gov.uk/evisa. Until then, if
customers hold a legacy document there is no reason to delay making a No Time Limit
application.
If customers hold a passport containing a vignette sticker issued to them under EEA
Regulations, this document ceased to be valid on 30 June 2021 because the UK has
left the European Union. To continue living in the UK customers should obtain an
immigration status as soon as possible. They may be able to make a late application
to the EU Settlement Scheme as a family member of EU, EEA or Swiss citizen at
www.gov.uk/eusettlementscheme, where they will also find information on the range
of support available.
What Biometric Residence Card (BRC) holders will need to do
Customers who have a BRC and have been granted status under the EU Settlement
Scheme already have a UKVI account and access to their eVisa (also referred to as
an EUSS digital status). They can prove their rights through the view and prove
service at
www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status.
BRC holders who have not applied to the EUSS should visit
www.gov.uk/evisa for
information on what they need to do next.
EVisas and customers making new visa applications
Customers who successfully apply for a visa and are issued with a BRP up until
Autumn 2024, will also need to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa. They
can do this using the steps outlined above and at
www.gov.uk/evisa.
From Autumn 2024, most customers will no longer be issued with a physical
document such as a BRP and will need to create a UKVI account to access their
eVisa. Information on what to do to create a UKVI account will be contained in their
decision notice and will also be available on
www.gov.uk/evisa in due course. They
will be able to use the view and prove service through their UKVI account to prove
their rights, and carriers will be able to automatically securely access an individual’s
immigration status when they present the passport or national identity document
associated with their UKVI account.
Customers who are not sure if they already have a UKVI account and eVisa can
either check here on GOV.UK or should refer to their original grant email or letter.
Customers who already have an eVisa should ensure it that their UKVI account is
kept up to date with their latest contact information and any passport or national
identity document which they intend to travel with using the ‘Update my details’
service at
www.gov.uk/update-uk-visas-immigration-account-details.
