The UK government is currently working on creating an entirely digital immigration system. This means the role of paper documents like Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) are to be replaced with electronic records of immigration status, or eVisas.

If you have a biometric residence permit (BRP) that expires on December 31, 2024, you need to know how to create a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account and access your eVisa before the expiry date of your BRP.

“UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) — the department of the UK’s Home Office responsible for issuing visas — is developing a digital immigration system in which documents such as passport endorsements or biometric residence permits are being replaced with an online record of your immigration status,” says Yash Dubal, Director & a Senior Immigration Associate at A Y & J Solicitors, London, United Kingdom.

It means that most likely, the UK Home Office will stop issuing the following physical documents on January 1, 2025.

Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs)
Biometric Residence Cards (BRCs)
Passport endorsements, such as indefinite leave to enter wet ink stamps
Vignette stickers in passports, such as entry clearance or visa vignettes.

An eVisa is an online record of your immigration status and the criteria under which you are permitted to enter or stay in the United Kingdom. To access your eVisa, you’ll need to register a UKVI account. “eVisas will replace UK biometric residence permits (BRPs) and biometric residence cards (BRCs), passport endorsements, such as indefinite leave to enter wet ink stamps and vignette stickers contained in passports, such as entry clearance or visa vignettes,” says Dubal.

Updating your physical document to an eVisa does not affect your immigration status or the terms of your permit to enter or remain in the UK. In the future, you will be able to travel to the UK with an eVisa; you will not need to carry any physical documents, except your current passport, which must be registered to your UKVI account. If you have a physical document, you must carry it with you when traveling until the end of 2024.

“Anyone currently holding any of these documents will need to switch to the eVisa system, which will include anyone holding a UK student visa, graduate visa, family or dependents visa, UK work visa, such as a Skilled Worker visa (including Health and Care visas), adds Dubal.