As you may know, the Home Office are in the process of rolling out their digital immigration system. By 1 January 2025 all individuals who hold a visa status in the UK should be able to access an e-visa (an electronic visa).
The Home Office have now confirmed that all visa holders with a BRP card that expires on 31 December 2024 can proceed to create a UKVI account and access their e-visa. Individuals do not necessarily need to wait for an email instructing them to do so.
You can find more information about how to set up this account here, and some instructional videos here.
Individuals should be able to use their travel document (a passport) or their most recent visa application reference number to complete this registration where they have lost their BRP card. They do not need to apply for a replacement BRP card.
A request from the Home Office for a replacement BRP card should only be made if the BRP card has been lost or stolen or if the individual has no other form of identity document to create their UKVI account.
After registering, if an individual cannot see their e-visa, the Home Office have confirmed that there is no immediate action that should be taken. They will contact the individual directly by email once the e-visa is available to view. We recommend logging in to check in on this regularly, whilst waiting for this email. Any individual in this position should continue to use their BRP card to prove their immigration status until their e-visa details are available.
Ordinarily, a BRP card that has expired should be returned to the Home Office at the address below and failure to do could result in a £1,000 fine. We recommend taking this step at the time of the expiry of the BRP card.
BRP Returns P.O. Box 195 Bristol BS20 1BT
If you would like to share our FAQs with your employees, or if you have any questions about the e-visa role out, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
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