2025 16 JAN
UK Home Office announced earlier in 2024 their plans to roll out a digital immigration system from January 2025. This means that the physical documents proving your immigration status in the UK are being replaced by digitalized records.
An eVisas is a digital record of your immigration status. You must create a UKVI account for free access to it. An eVisas does not change your immigration status or the conditions of your permission to enter or stay in the UK.
? Biometric Residence Permit
? Biometric Residence Cards
? passport endorsements, such as indefinite leave to enter wet ink stamps
? vignette stickers in passports, such as entry clearance or visa vignettes
After millions of people got their physical documents expired on 31 January, they now have to rely on digital records to prove their immigration status, and permission to enter, stay, work, or rent a flat in the UK. They have to link their passport to their eVisas.
It has been only 2 weeks since the rollout of eVisas and there are already problems foreign nationals and refugees are facing. Some travelers are facing problems proving their immigration status while boarding UK-bound flights and refugees are unable to prove their immigration status in the absence of a BRP or eVisas.
The intention of the UK’s government to digitalize the physical documents is to prevent fraud, from being stolen or tampered with, making it a quick and easy process to prove your immigration status. You can prove your immigration status through eVisas or also by using a share code. A share code is a unique code that can be generated online by an immigrant and shared with third parties including air carriers which will give them time-limited access to your immigration status.
However, immigrants flying back to the UK from Germany, France, Malawi, Egypt, and Cyprus are facing challenges with overseas airport staff.
The problem a returning traveler to the UK from Malawi Airport faced was that foreign airport officials said they could not access her eVisas and they could not do anything with the share code. This caused a delay because she had to log in (with slow internet connections) to the UKVI account and access eVisas by herself to show it to the officials. Due to all of this, she could barely board her flight in time.
Another traveler faced the same problem at Paris airport.Visa holders were ensured before the transition by the Home Office that they had done extensive training with air carriers and foreign border forces to easily check someone’s visa status.
However, despite the best efforts challenges still exist. New refugees are not being issued a Biometric Residence Permit and they don’t have yet an eVisas. They have received eviction letters from Home Office accommodation but with no BRP or eVisas in hand; they cannot rent a flat making their living in the UK tougher. eVisas resolution center is also having a long queue of phone calls that is frustrating the callers seeking urgent help.
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