Oct, 24, 2025

UK eVisa update: what changed and what you need to do next

Table of Contents

What’s happening
What’s changed?
What this means for you
What you need to avoid
The bottom line

UK eVisa update: what’s happening

The Home Office is replacing physical immigration documents with eVisas, a secure, digital record of your identity, status and conditions (e.g., right to work/rent) accessed through a UKVI account.

This is now the default for most routes and it affects migrants, employers, landlords and carriers.

Below is a plain-English brief you can forward to your teams.

What’s changed?

1) Physical cards and stickers are out

Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) have been replaced by eVisas and the same is happening to Biometric Residence Cards and vignette stickers/ink stamps.

You view and share your status online via a special share code.

2) If you applied for a work/study visa after 15 July 2025, you may not get a vignette

If you applied for a work or study visa on/after 15 July 2025, you may not receive a visa sticker to travel.

Instead, you’ll be told to create a UKVI account and access your eVisa before travel.

(Dependants and some non-work/non-study routes can still receive vignettes)

3) More people can now access their eVisa.

If you were given a Form for Affixing a Visa (FAV) or granted an extension without a valid passport/BRP, you can now create a UKVI account to access eVisa.

4) Expired BRPs/BRCs no longer work for travel.

From 2 June 2025, expired BRPs/BRCs cannot be used as travel evidence.

Airlines and carriers will rely on digital checks or the ‘view and prove’ system.

5) Transition support and funding.

The Home Office has announced targeted community funding to help people set up eVisas and UKVI accounts.

All in all, UKVI is moving to a digital immigration system to reduce fraud/loss, remove the need to wait for cards and make proving status quicker (right to work/rent, border checks, public-service access).

What this means for you

If you hold UK immigration status:

Create your UKVI account for free now and link your passport to your eVisa. Keep email/phone/passport details current.
Travel: make sure your passport is on your account. Consider generating a share code (valid for 90 days) as a backup.
Legacy docs: if you used BRPs or paper vignettes, you can (and should) transition to an eVisa. Some holders can still use legacy proof for specific interactions, but it’s being phased out.

If you’re applying now:

Expect eVisa-first processing. Make sure to include all the required documents in your application.
Watch your decision email/letter for instructions to set up your account before travel as there may be no vignette.

Employers & landlords:

Update onboarding and tenancy SOPs to use online share code checks as primary proof. Train teams to recognise eVisa outputs and keep screenshots/audit logs. The Home Office’s policy intent is that third parties rely on digital checks.

Universities & carriers

Ensure systems and front-line staff can handle digital-only proof. If a carrier cannot confirm status digitally, Border Force runs a 24/7 Carrier Support Hub for verification.

What you need to avoid:

Wasting time waiting for a vignette: work/study applicants after 15 July 2025 may not receive one. Watch for the eVisa instruction email instead.
Out-of-date passport: if you renew your passport, update your UKVI account first. If you forget about it, your eVisa may not match at the border and you might lose your valuable time and money.
Paper-only proof: relying on expired BRPs or old stamps for travel will fail – use your eVisa and share code.