Immigration
United Kingdom | All holders of physical UK visas can now upgrade to eVisas
Summary
The Home Office has opened up the application process to register for an eVisa to all Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) holders.
With most BRPs set to expire on 31 December 2024, BRP holders are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible to avoid travel disruption in 2025.
The detail
As the Home Office continues its move towards purely digital or ‘e-Visa’ immigration status by the end of this year, the majority of BRPs are set to expire on 31 December 2024. From 2025, rather than having a physical document evidencing their UK immigration status, individuals will have an online record of their visa status and the conditions of their permission to enter or stay in the UK: an ‘e-Visa’. This online record is accessed via a personal UKVI account.
Importantly, it is up to the relevant individual to create their own UKVI account to be able to access their eVisa: the process is not an automatic one. Until now the application process had been rolled out on an invitation-only basis. From 6 August 2024, the system is now open to everyone who needs a UKVI account to apply for one.
If you have a BRP – a link to start the application can be found here. The application is free of charge. Relevant individuals should ensure they create a UKVI account before the expiry date of their BRP.
If you had a BRP but lost it – Applicants can use a visa application reference number to create a UKVI account. Individuals should only request a replacement BRP if their current one has been lost or stolen and they have no other identity document or reference number. If the eVisa details are not immediately visible upon account creation, the Home Office has advised that no action is required. The Home Office will contact affected individuals directly by email once their eVisa is available to view. Such persons can continue to use their BRP to prove their immigration status until their eVisa details are available.
As we advised in a previous client alert, employers are not required to conduct follow up checks on BRP holders with a BRP expiry date of 31 December 2024 until the holder’s true visa expiry date, provided an initial compliant check was carried out which recorded that expiry date. The true visa expiry date can be viewed on the visa holder’s online profile. Where the 31 December 2024 date has been wrongly recorded as the visa expiry date, a follow up check will be required.
Employers are not required to check or monitor if their relevant employees have created UKVI accounts by the expiry date of their BRP, although they may wish to provide support to their employees on this.
Contact us
For further information and support on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:
Lyudmyla Davies
Partner (Solicitor)
Ian Robinson
Partner
Andrea Als
Director (Solicitor)
Tom Marsom
Director (Solicitor)
Lucy Vaux
Senior Manager (Solicitor)
Simply follow our Vialto Alerts page on LinkedIn and posts will be displayed on your feed. To ensure you don’t miss one, once you’re on our LinkedIn page, click on the bell icon under the banner image to manage your notifications.
Further information on Vialto Partners can be found here: www.vialtopartners.com
Vialto Partners (“Vialto”) refers to wholly owned subsidiaries of CD&R Galaxy UK OpCo Limited as well as the other members of the Vialto Partners global network. The information contained in this document is for general guidance on matters of interest only. Vialto is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. All information is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will Vialto, its related entities, or the agents or employees thereof be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this document or for any consequential, special or similar damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
© 2025 Vialto Partners. All rights reserved.