On 30 October 2023, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) announced the plan to migrate to a fully digital immigration system, which means that all physical documents denoting an individual’s immigration status will be replaced by eVisas.
The new eVisa will be an online record of your UK immigration status, detailing the type of permission you hold and the conditions of your leave. The new eVisa will replace Biometric Residence Permits, Biometric Residence Cards, Passport endorsements (wet ink stamps) and Visa vignette stickers.
Does your physical document expire on 31 December 2024?
Ahead of the introduction of this new system, the Home Office have been issuing physical documents valid until 31 December 2024 in the hope that a fully implemented system will be in place by 1 January 2025. Thus, the expiry of your physical document may not reflect the actual expiry of your visa, and you should check your visa approval letter from UKVI for the correct expiry date of your leave.
If you do currently hold a physical document valid until 31 December 2024, then you will be required to transfer your immigration status to a digital one. The Home Office are yet to confirm when this needs to be done, but we expect further announcements soon.
Whilst UKVI successfully launched the digital system in 2018 for individuals holding permission under the EU Settlement Scheme, there are concerns that users facing technical difficulties will not have a physical document to rely on.
How Gherson can assist
Gherson’s Immigration Team are highly experienced in advising on UK visa matters. If you have any questions arising from this blog, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice, send us an e-mail, or, alternatively, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to stay-up-to-date.
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 do not 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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