Business Immigration Update: Transition to eVisas
In this article Pam Sidhu, Partner and Head of Business Immigration, reviews the government’s plans to develop a digital immigration system known as eVisas.
The UK Visas and Immigration department (UKVI) are preparing to replace physical visa documents with an online record of an individual’s immigration status and conditions of permission to enter or stay in the UK by 2025.
An eVisa will replace biometric residence permits (BRP) and biometric residence cards (BRC) in an effort to modernise the immigration system. By the end of the year, individuals travelling to the UK will no longer need to carry a physical document with them except for their current passport provided they have registered for an eVisa with their UKVI account.
Notably, this is a sensible change as eVisas cannot be lost, stolen, or tampered with, unlike physical documents, making them a more secure alternative.
Further, with an eVisa, individuals can easily share their immigration status with third parties (such as employers or landlords) through a secure “view and prove” service. This service generates a time-limited share code which grants to approved third-parties temporary access to their immigration information.
However, there are concerns that the rollout of eVisas has been slow and may disadvantage visa holders. It is estimated that more than 4 million non-EU migrants still need an eVisa by 31 December 2024. . Any delay in the grant of an eVisa during this time creates a risk that non-EU migrants may face difficulty in proving their immigration status as their physical BRP will no longer be accepted after 31 December 2024. In light of this concern, the Home Office is now advising migrants that applications for eVisas will open “later in 2024”.
Pam Sidhu comments:
“The Home Office originally stated that applications for eVisas would open for everyone from June 2024. This was concerning at the time, as it left only six months for visa holders to register. Given the delay in the rollout of applications scheme for eVisas to later in 2024, this leaves many migrants with great uncertainty as to how and when they might transfer their immigration status online by end of 2024, and thus prove their visa status to employers as well as border officials. We await any further updates from the Home Office. In the meantime, all migrants should check whether they are able to access their online details.”
For more information or to discuss any business immigration query, please contact our Partner and Head of Business Immigration, Pam Sidhu, on 0121 233 4333 or by email at [email protected].