Updated June 2025

The Home Office is now using a digital system – eVisas – for people to prove their immigration status. Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) cards  – a plastic card with your name, photograph and immigration status on it – are no longer being issued. Instead you will need to prove your status online, by setting up a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account.

If you have not already, you should now take action to access your eVisa. This will not change your immigration status but it is important to ensure you are still able to prove your status.

In December 2024 it was announced that the Home Office would postpone the full rollout of eVisas to ensure it goes smoothly for everyone, and that BRP cards which expired on the 31st December 2024 would be treated as valid until 1st June 2025. This date has now passed. Our advice is to set up a UKVI account and eVisa as soon as possible.

This page contains specific advice for:
– people who have a BRP card which has expired
– people who don’t have a BRP card and have been recently granted status
– people who don’t have a BRP card because it is lost or stolen
– people currently living in Home Office asylum support accommodation
– people who have indefinite leave to remain but don’t have a BRP card

We have produced a leaflet outlining the process of setting up an eVisa which has been translated into 6 languages – access it here.

There are other organisations who can help you set up your e-visa. Please see this list of organisations. In Greater Manchester, in addition to GMIAU’s sessions, the organisations who can help you are Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA), Europia (Priority given to Ukrainian nationals and non-EU family members of vulnerable EU nationals), KeyRIng (Oldham only), Migrant Help, and Wai Yin Society.

What is happening?

The government is no longer issuing BRP cards. Instead they are using an online system for people to prove their leave to remain through an eVisa.

This means that many BRP cards show an expiry date of 31/12/2024. This is the date that the BRP expired, not the date that leave to remain expired.

You can check when your leave to remain expires in the Home Office letter that granted your leave to remain. If you can’t find this then you can apply for a copy of your full Home Office file by submitting a subject access request using this link.

What do I need to do?

To access the Home Office’s digital system you need to make an online UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account. Anyone with status in the UK can make an online UKVI account. You should do this on this page.

You will need:

  • access to a smartphone
  • a mobile phone number
  • an email address 
  • your BRP card or a valid passport and your Unique Application Number or GWF number (visa number)

If you have lost your BRP card you can use a passport or visa application reference number.

This is a video from the Home Office about making a UKVI account and accessing your eVisa.

If you cannot see your eVisa details as soon as you create your UKVI account, do not worry. Once you have created an online account, wait for an email from UKVI saying your eVisa has been set up.

Once your eVisa is set up you will be able to view it by logging in at this link. You can also use this link to check if you already have a UKVI account. 

You will be asked to use an app while setting up the UKVI account, but you don’t need the app after the account is set up and can delete it. Your eVisa is accessed through the View and Prove webpage, not an app.

This is a government webchat feature for eVisa assistance.

What if I don’t have a BRP card?

You need a document, like a BRP card or passport, to set up your UKVI account. Since the end of October 2024, the Home Office are no longer giving people new BRP cards.

For people recently granted status in the UK

If you have a national passport you can use, you can use this to make a UKVI account.

If you do not have a passport or BRP the Home Office will make a UKVI account for you and notify you. Information on how to log into your account and access your e-Visa will be sent to you within 14 days of receiving a decision on your application. This will include a code beginning with KX which should be used instead of your passport number. You will need to go through the process as if you do have a passport and use this number. It’s possible this information may be sent to someone on your behalf, like your legal representative.

Lost BRP cards

If you do not already have a UKVI account and you have lost your BRP, you can use a passport and visa application/UAN reference number to set up your UKVI account. If you do not have these then you can still set up your account, but you may need to attend a video interview with the Home Office to verify your identity.

For people in asylum accommodation

If you receive a positive decision on your asylum claim, the Home Office will make a UKVI account for you so you can access your eVisa. If you are living in Home Office asylum accommodation, you will then be sent a “discontinuation letter” to tell you that your asylum support will stop and you will have to leave your accommodation. The letter will tell you that from the date it was sent, you have 28 days before your support will stop. You should not receive this letter until you have your UKVI account details. This means you should not have to leave your accommodation without having access to your eVisa.

This means you should not have to leave your accommodation without having access to your eVisa. We know that in practice people are not accessing their eVisas, or finding that there are mistakes which make their eVisas unusable, before having to leave their asylum accommodation. There are also delays in resolving eVisa problems. You can get help to raise issues from one of the organisations listed below or in GMIAU’s support sessions.

For people with Indefinite Leave to Remain

If you have indefinite leave to remain but don’t have a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), and usually prove your status another way (like with a stamp in a passport), then you will need to complete an application called a “No Time Limit” application. It is very important that you do this. This application will start the process for an eVisa to be set up in your name.

The application needs evidence: a copy of your document showing your indefinite leave to remain (ILR) and a copy of your passport or travel document that shows your most recent entry to the UK, and proof of your address. These should be uploaded online. It is possible to scan them in person at an appointment but this comes with an extra cost. 

Your eVisa will be set up as part of the No Time Limit application, but you will still need to follow the above steps to set up a UKVI account in order to see it.

Travel

Even if you have set up an eVisa you are advised to carry your old BRP card with you as one of several possible ways to prove your status.

If you have set up an eVisa account with a BRP card, you can link a passport to the account. At the time of writing the system does not allow a refugee travel document to be linked to the eVisa account.

If you are going to be travelling soon and you’re worried about problems with your eVisa, this guidance may help.

A Home Office eVisa passenger helpline is available on 0800 876 6921. Calls are free of charge.

More information

  • The government says that you must keep your physical BRP card, even if you have accessed your eVisa. Do not throw away your BRP card.
  • If you notice an error on your eVisa, such as with your name, photo or status, you can use this service to report the error.
  • To update your personal details on your UKVI account visit this link.
  • Some people received decision letters from the Home Office after the end of October that say they will receive BRP cards. These letters have been sent in error. Anyone who receives a decision after the 31st October 2024 will not receive a BRP but will be able to set up an eVisa.
  • You can help someone else set up their UKVI account. For children who are looked after by local authorities and care leavers, it is important that their social worker or personal adviser understands this process and supports them to access their eVisa.
  • If someone else has control of your eVisa account and you can’t access it, you can recover your account and add new contact details here: how to recover your account. You will need:
    – access to your new phone number and email address 
    – the identity document number associated with the account or your unique application number (UAN) – this is useful but not essential
  • The Home Office has published information about banking with an eVisa. You can download it here.

More resources

  • GMIAU’s eVisa guide, translated into 6 languages, can be found here.
Category: News