What is an eVisa?

e-Visas are a crucial part of the UK’s plan to create a fully digital border and immigration system by January 2025. This transition has been in progress for months, with millions of UK residents having obtained an e-Visa through the EU Settlement Scheme or the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app. e-Visas offer significant benefits, including enhanced security, efficiency, and convenience for migrants.

An e-Visa is a digital record of a person’s immigration status, accessible through the ‘View and prove your immigration status’ service using a UKVI account. Typically linked to a passport, it simplifies international travel and eliminates the need for physical documents like biometric residence permits (BRPs) or visa stickers.

The Home Office is implementing e-Visas in phases. Initially, BRP holders are invited via email to create a UKVI account linked to their e-Visa (What Employers need to know about Biometric Residence Permits – Clarkslegal LLP). Those who receive an invitation should follow the provided instructions, while others need not take action until the full rollout.

The process of creating a UKVI account to access your e-Visa is free and straightforward, ensuring that existing immigration status and rights remain unchanged. Users can securely share their e-Visa information with third parties, enhancing both convenience and security in their interactions with the UK immigration system.

Benefits of e-Visas

e-Visas aim to offer significant benefits, including:

• They cannot be lost, stolen, or damaged
• Users can instantly, accurately, and securely prove their rights to work and/or rent in the UK, sharing only necessary information
• e-Visas reduce the need to leave passports with the Home Office, and eliminate the need to collect or wait for documents like BRPs
• Through a UKVI account, users can easily update their details or documentation, such as changes to name, nationality, passport, email, phone, or address

e-Visas also simplify access to UK government services and benefits, as departments like the Department for Work and Pensions and the NHS can securely check immigration status automatically.

Additionally, employers and landlords can easily verify immigration status online, avoiding the complexities and risks associated with physical documents. More customers with UKVI accounts mean quicker and simpler checks using the secure online service.

e-Visas timeline

By the end of 2024, all migrants using physical immigration documents will be asked to create a UKVI account to access their e-Visa, the digital proof of immigration status. This shift, already in place for millions, including those under the EU Settlement Scheme, aims to streamline the process and improve security.

Since April 2024, BRP holders began receiving phased email invitations with instructions to create a UKVI account. This rollout has been extended to all BRP holders during the summer of 2024. If you haven’t received an email yet, there’s no need to contact the Home Office, as the process will soon be available to everyone at www.gov.uk/evisa.

Those with other physical immigration documents, like passports with visa stickers or biometric residence cards, can already begin transitioning to eVisas by following instructions at www.gov.uk/evisa. This ensures a smoother, more secure way to prove immigration status and access services without relying on physical documents.

More customers with UKVI accounts mean quicker and simpler checks using the secure online service.

International travels

For international travels, visa holders are advised to still carry their valid physical immigration documents when traveling internationally. Those with e-Visas should update their UK Visas and Immigration account with their intended travel document through the ‘Update your UK Visas and Immigration account details’ service on www.gov.uk/update-uk-visas-immigration-account-details. 

The Home Office is working to enable carriers, such as airlines and international train operators, to automatically access passengers’ immigration status when presenting their linked travel document. This streamline checks and enhance border security, providing a smoother customer journey.

Although the UK government is advancing towards a digital border and immigration system, there are no immediate plans to replace physical passports with digital versions. However, carriers operating across air, rail, and sea will soon have secure access to passenger immigration information, with further details to follow.

Children

Each individual, including children, must have their own UKVI account. If a child is unable to create or manage their account independently, a parent, guardian, or responsible adult can do so on their behalf. To set up the account, the adult will need the child’s identity document and date of birth, and they may use their own contact information, such as their phone number and email address. Once the child is capable of managing the account themselves, or when they turn 18, the account can be transferred to the child. This can be done by updating the contact details through the UK Visa and Immigration account update service.

These measures aim to improve border security, streamline travel processes, and provide convenience for passengers while ensuring children’s immigration status is effectively managed by their parents or guardians.

As we navigate the complexities of ongoing immigration changes, it’s clear that the road ahead is filled with twists and turns. This article merely scratches the surface of a topic undergoing continuous developments. In the next months leading to 2025, we expect significant shifts that will shape the landscape of UK immigration. Keep a close eye on our page for invaluable insights and up-to-date information.

If you have any questions or wish to obtain more information on the above, please do not hesitate to contact our immigration lawyers or send us an email.