Moving to online digital status (eVisas)

The UKVI are changing the way you will evidence your permission to be in the UK and moving away from physical documents such as vignettes and Biometric Residence Permits and will be replacing these with a digital status called an ‘eVisa’. In the future you won't need a physical document for travel to the UK but if you currently have a BRP card or other type of physical document, e.g., vignette in your passport, then you must continue to carry it with you until 1 January 2025.

EU and EEA nationals who have used the UK Immigration: ID Check App already receive their visa in the form of an online digital status. So do some other visa nationals who applied for their visa in the UK, for instance those on a BNO visa. These digital statuses (or eVisas) are now slowly being rolled out to other applicants this year.

Everyone holding a physical immigration document with permission beyond 31 December 2024 will need to make the move. The scheme is now open to all to create an account and receive an eVisa, you do not need to wait for an email. You can find more information on the UKVI website and sign up for alerts and updates.

Benefits of an eVisa

An eVisa is a digital online record of your immigration status and the conditions of your permission to enter or stay in the UK which you access by creating a UKVI account. Switching to an eVisa will not change your permission or the conditions of your permission in the UK, such as work restrictions or the length of time you can stay.

UKVI believe there are many benefits to an eVisa:

• they are secure and cannot be lost, stolen or tampered with, unlike a physical document
• you will not need to wait for, or collect, a physical document after your application is decided
• it will be quicker and easier to prove your status at the UK border, and share your status with third parties like employers and landlords.

Proving your status with an eVisa

Once you have generated your online digital status or eVisa you can prove your status by logging in to the ‘view and prove services’ using your UKVI account. You should link your current travel document to your account and make sure this is always correct and updated if you change document.

Providing the University with your Share code

Only some students will need to provide us with their Share code. You will need to generate a Share code (choosing ‘something else’ not work or accommodation in the process) and provide it to us using our online form only if:

• You applied for your student visa in the UK (even if you were also issued with a BRP)
• You applied for your student visa outside the UK and used the UK Immigration: ID Check App
• You are holding permission (visa) in a category other than Student, such as Indefinite Leave to Remain and have now obtained your eVisa

Please use our online form as it helps us to process the responses more quickly.

When will everyone receive an eVisa?

For the next few months UKVI will continue to issue entry clearance and BRPs which expire on 31 December 2024 to those who do not create a UKVI account as part of the application process. Following that, applicants applying overseas who enrol their biometrics at a Visa Application Centre will receive a 90-day entry clearance vignette to allow them to travel to and enter the UK but will not receive a BRP. The decision/grant letter issued with the permission (visa) will include instructions on how to create a UKVI account and eVisa. Those who apply successfully in the UK will be directed to create an account and generate an eVisa once their permission is granted.