Updated January 2025

The Home Office are phasing out Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) cards and replacing them with a digital system by the end of 2024.

A BRP card is a plastic card with your name, photograph and immigration status on it. The digital system means your BRP will be replaced by an eVisa.

If you have a BRP card, 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. This means that BRP cards which expire on the 31st December 2024 will be treated as valid until 31st March 2025. At the time of writing our understanding is that this mostly impacts travel in and out of the UK. After 31st December, expired BRP cards can also be used to access Right to Work and Rent services where employers or landlords can check your rights, as long as you still have valid leave to remain. Our advice is still 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 is expiring soon
– 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

GMIAU is running support sessions in our office every Thursday for people who need help with an eVisa. We have also produced a leaflet outlining the process of setting up an eVisa which has been translated into 6 languages. Find details of both here.

There are other organisations who can help you set up your e-visa. Please see this list of organisations. In Greater Manchester, in additions 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 will no longer use physical BRP cards from the end of 2024. Instead they will use an online system for people to prove their leave to remain.

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

When does my leave to remain expire?

If your BRP expires before 31/12/2024, then this is the date your leave to remain expires. You will need to make an application to extend your leave to remain before this date.

If your leave to remain expires after 31/12/2024, your BRP will still show an expiry date of 31/12/2024. This is not when your leave expires and you need to find out when your leave does expire. You can find this information 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 before 31/12/2024. Anyone who has a BRP which expires on 31/12/2024 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 with your BRP number or visa application 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.

You can check if you already have a UKVI account via this link.

This is a new 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, 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. It’s possible this may be sent to someone on your behalf, like your legal representative.

Lost BRP cards

If your BRP card is lost or stolen, you must report it to the Home Office via this link.

The government is no longer providing replacement BRPs. If you do not already have a UKVI account and you have lost your BRP, you can use a passport and visa application 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 will not have to leave your accommodation without having access to your eVisa.

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. These can be uploaded online or in-person at an appointment. The application will also ask you about any time spent outside the UK.

Your eVisa will be set up as part of the No Time Limit application.

Travel

The UK government have said that to try to minimise problems at the border, particularly over the Christmas period, they have told airline carriers that they can accept expired BRP cards as valid proof of permission to travel. This means BRP cards which expire on the 31st December 2024 can be used for travel until 31st March 2025 at the earliest. 

There may still be problems and delays with travel at this time. 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 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 will be available from 9am GMT on 31 December 2024 on 0800 876 6921. It will be available 24 hours a day. Calls are free of charge.

More information

  • You can find a bust card, to help you understand your rights and explain them to others, at this link.
  • Information about GMIAU’s support sessions are at this link.
  • 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.
  • Some people have 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.
  • There are organisations who can help you set up your e-visa. Please see this list of organisations.
  • In Greater Manchester, the organisations who can help you are:

Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA)
Europia (Priority will be given to Ukrainian nationals and non-EU family members of vulnerable EU nationals)
KeyRIng (Oldham only)
Migrant Help
Wai Yin Society

  • 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.
  • There is translated information about the switch to eVisas published by Lancashire County Council. It is available in Arabic, Dari, Pashto and Ukrainian.
  • The organisation the3million is collecting information on problems people are having with the eVisa rollout. If you have a problem, you can report it at this website.
  • 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.

Click here to download this update as a Word document.

Category: News