From 31st December 2024 all Biometric Residence Permits (BRP) cards will become redundant as the Home Office is phasing out the use of these cards instead favouring a new online system called an eVisa.

All BRP cards now expire on 31st December 2024 (this does not mean that your leave expires on that date). Your immigration status remains valid until the expiry date stated on your most recent visa approval email (or indefinitely if you have been granted settlement). It is only the card that expires on 31 December 2024.

What action should I take to get an eVisa?

If you have not yet done so you need to create a UKVI online account and then register for an eVisa which will be your proof from 1 Jan 2025 onwards, of your right to live and work in the UK and any other entitlements you may have.

What this means, is that from 1st January 2025 you will be able to request a share code, which you can then share with your employer or landlord and you will also be able to use this eVisa as a proof of your entitlement to return to the UK after a holiday or another form of absence from the UK. It is very important to always check that your UKVI account and eVisa is up to date. For example, if you change your telephone number or your passport, you need to go onto your UKVI account and make sure that you update these details in order that the eVisa linked to your UKVI account has always got the correct details.

Although the Home Office has indicated that all airline carriers and other ports to the UK will have access to these details, it is yet to be seen how it will work in practice. Our advice will be to check that these details are correct before you leave the UK and we would also suggest that you either take a print out or at least take a photo of your eVisa account details, before leaving the UK, as a back-up security in the event of initial teething problems.

If you have not yet done so already, take action now and create an account and secure an eVisa before 31st December 2024.

Below are some links to useful online information:

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