Are you currently residing in the UK beyond a 6-month period? Have you been issued with a Biometric Residence Permit (“BRP”)? If so, your BRP will contain a “DATE OF ISSUE” as well as a “VALID UNTIL” date.
You would be forgiven for assuming that the latter date represents the date on which your leave expires. This is not always the case, however, especially if you were granted limited leave to enter or remain beyond 31 December 2024 or alternatively, if you were granted indefinite leave to remain.
The Home Office have recently short-dated all BRPs that are supposed to be issued for a length of 5 years or more to 31 December 2024 in light of their plans to introduce next-generation encryption technology for future BRPs. The Home Office has announced that for persons affected, the Home Office will offer a free BRP replacement service at a time closer to 31 December 2024. The replacement BRP issued will contain the remaining leave granted to the affected person. When this replacement service will go live remains to be seen.
The Home Office have confirmed that you do not need to inform them if your BRP expires on 31 December 2024 but have leave to stay for longer. The Home Office will update their information on how to update your BRP, you do not need to do anything, and your immigration status will not be affected.
It is important to note that you should always review the BRP issued to you carefully, along with your letter of approval from the Home Office, and keep these documents safe. The decision letter will contain important information such as the period for which your leave is valid. This period may differ from the period of validity shown on your BRP card for the reasons above. If you have applied for leave to enter from outside the UK, your approval letter will usually come in the form of a physical letter, which accompanies the return of your passport. However, if you have applied for leave to remain in the UK, you may receive an email from the Home Office to the same effect. You should also note that the approval letter does not usually qualify as proof of your immigration status.
You will need to prove your status by way of a valid BRP card or alternatively, if you are an EU national, you will be able to prove your status via the online “View and prove your immigration status” portal, or through other methods depending on the type of status you hold and when your status was granted.
Gherson has a wealth of experience in all aspects of UK immigration law. If you have any specific questions or queries in respect of your immigration status or particular circumstances, please do not hesitate to contact us.
The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please don’t hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.
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