eVisas and BRP Expiry Update
The Home Office have announced that they are phasing out Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) cards and replacing them with a digital system by the end of 2024.
A BRP card is a plastic card with your name, photograph and immigration status on it. The digital system means your BRP will be replaced by an eVisa.
If you have a BRP card, you should now take action to access your eVisa. You must do this before 31/12/24. This will not change your immigration status but it is important to ensure you are still able to prove your status.
What is happening?
The government has said they will no longer use physical BRP cards from the end of 2024. Instead they will use an online system for people to prove their leave to remain.
This means that many BRP cards show an expiry date of 31/12/2024. This is the date that the BRP expires, not the date that leave to remain expires.
When does my leave to remain expire?
If your BRP expires before 31/12/2024, then this is the date your leave to remain expires. You will need to make an application to extend your leave to remain before this date.
If your leave to remain expires after 31/12/2024, your BRP will still show an expiry date of 31/12/2024. This is not when your leave expires and you need to find out when your leave does expire. You can find this information in the Home Office letter that granted your leave to remain. If you can’t find this then you can apply for a copy of your full Home Office file by submitting a subject access request using this link.
What do I need to do?
To access the Home Office’s digital system you need to make an online UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account before 31/12/2024. Anyone who has a BRP which expires on 31/12/2024 can make an online UKVI account. You should do this on this page.
You will need:
- access to a smartphone
- a mobile phone number
- an email address
- your BRP card or a valid passport with your BRP number or visa application number
If you have lost your BRP card you can use a passport or visa application reference number.
This is a video from the Home Office about making a UKVI account and accessing your eVisa.
If you cannot see your eVisa details as soon as you create your UKVI account, do not worry. Once you have created an online account, wait for an email from UKVI saying your eVisa has been set up.
You can check if you already have a UKVI account via this link.
This is a new government webchat feature for eVisa assistance here.
What if I don’t have a BRP card?
If you have indefinite leave to remain but don’t have a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), and usually prove your status another way, then you will need to get a BRP before you can create a UKVI account. It is very important that you do this. The application to do this is called a No Time Limit (NTL) application. Please see this guide to NTL applications for more information.
More information
- The government says that you must keep your physical BRP card, even if you have accessed your eVisa. Do not throw away your BRP card.
- You can help someone else set up their UKVI account. For children who are looked after by local authorities and care leavers, it is important that their social worker or personal adviser understands this process and supports them to access their eVisa.
- There is translated information about the switch to eVisas published by Lancashire County Council. It is available in Arabic, Dari, Pashto and Ukrainian.
- The organisation the3million is collecting information on problems people are having with the eVisa rollout. If you have a problem, you can report it at this website.
Click here to download this update as a Word document.
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