If your application has been granted and UKVI issued you with a biometric residence permit (BRP) with an expiry date of 31 December 2024, you may be wondering why?
If your immigration application has been granted, your passport will be endorsed with a short-term entry clearance visa to enter the UK. You will usually have 90 days to use this visa to enter the UK. Following your arrival, you will be required to pick up your BRP which sets out the terms of your permission to stay in the UK. Your BRP is important as it serves as evidence of your permission to enter (or return) and stay in the UK.
Over the past few years, many BRP validity dates have been automatically set to expire on 31 December 2024. If this applies to you, you may be concerned that your permission to remain in the UK is going to expire on 31 December 2024. The good news is that it isn’t. Your leave to remain will remain extant beyond 31 December 2024, and will only expire on the date stated on your official letter granting leave to enter or remain. The expiry restriction will not change your entitlements to work, access services/benefits or travel. Only your physical BRP will expire on 31 December 2024.
What happens between now and 31 December 2024?
UKVI has announced its intention to transition from the current system of recording immigration status to an entirely digital system. The new system will remove physical documents such as BRPs, passport endorsements and visa vignette stickers with a new eVisa.
What is an eVisa?
An eVisa will be an online mechanism through which migrants can prove their immigration status, including their right to work and rent in the UK. It will likely be similar to the existing system in place for those who have since 2018 applied for settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
When will I receive an eVisa?
UKVI has advised that those who currently have permission to stay in the UK do not need to take any action until they are told to do so. Over the next 12 months, UKVI will provide updates on how to register for a UKVI account and how to access your eVisa on the online system.
Will an eVisa be more secure than physical documents?
UKVI has justified the transition to eVisas on security and efficiency grounds. The new system is said to eradicate the loss, theft or tampering of physical documents, as well as removing the need to wait for a physical card or document to prove your immigration status. In theory, eVisas should make large parts of the UK immigration process much simpler.