UKVI

Updates on travelling with an eVisa

18th December 2024 By Jennifer Aitken

Following our article on what to consider if you are travelling over the winter, the Home Office has announced important updates on traveling with an eVisa.

What is the deadline for getting an eVisa?

Most biometric residence permits (BRPs) and biometric residence cards (BRCs) expire on 31 December 2024. The Home Office have now announced that, as a transitional measure, airlines and other carriers can accept BRPs and BRCs expiring on 31 December 2024 or later as evidence of permission to travel to the UK, provisionally until 31 March 2025.

We would still recommend setting up your eVisa as soon as possible. The Home Office’s preference remains for individuals to prove their status using eVisas and they have crucially noted that this delay to the full implementation of the eVisa system “will be kept under review”.

What should I do before travelling with my eVisa?

There are now four main steps you should take before travelling with an eVisa:

1. Sign in to your UKVI account to check that your eVisa is linked to your current passport or travel document.

If you have obtained a new passport since setting up your eVisa or if you hold multiple passports, you should ensure the passport with which you plan to travel is linked correctly to your account.

2. Check that the information on your eVisa is correct.

You should check your eVisa to ensure the details are correct.

If there is an error, you can use the new online form to report an error with your eVisa. The Home Office has advised that they will be redirecting individuals to use this form if they contact the UKVI Resolution Centre phone line or use the webchat.

3. You should obtain a share code from the View and Prove service before you travel overseas.

Carriers may ask to see a share code to check your immigration status. Share codes are valid for 90 days and we are aware of issues generating these codes in certain countries. As such, it is best to generate a code before you travel out of the UK.

4. Ensure the passenger information you have provided to the carrier (airline, ferry or rail company, etc.) matches the details on your passport and eVisa.

We would also recommend providing your passenger information well in advance of your planned travel to reduce the risk of disruption.

What should I carry when I travel after 31 December 2024?

When travelling you must carry your current passport and ensure this passport is linked to your eVisa. You should also have your share code available for carriers to check.

As carriers and border officials adjust to the new proof of status requirements, we would also recommend that you carry the following:

1. Your BRP or BRC that expires on 31 December 2024 or later. As above, the Home Office have announced that these will continue to be valid for travel to the UK until 31 March 2025.

2. A screenshot or printout of your eVisa, showing your photo and immigration status.

3. Your most recent Home Office decision letter/email.

What to do if you cannot access your eVisa outside the UK

If you are outside the UK and cannot access your eVisa, you can get help to recover access to your UKVI account.

If you have a valid physical document that proves your status in the UK, you can show that to the carrier. As above, BRPs and BRCs expiring on 31 December 2024 will remain valid permission to travel to the UK until 31 March 2025, based on current Home Office guidance.

The Home Office have advised that if you cannot recover your account and have no other evidence of your permission to travel, you may want to consider applying for a temporary visa which lets you re-enter the UK once only.

We welcome enquiries from our previous clients, if they have any concerns about their status or correct expiry date. Please also get in touch if you would like our support with an application process, and we can provide details on our fees.

What to consider if you are travelling over the winter

14th November 2024 By Morag Campbell

The Home Office has introduced a number of changes which will affect people travelling into the UK. If you are planning on travelling in and out of the UK this winter, here are a few things you should consider to avoid issues at the border.

If you live in the UK: set up your eVisa

On 31 December 2024, all biometric residence permits (BRPs) are due to expire, and you will need an eVisa to prove your status at the border.

All BRP holders should therefore set up their eVisa before travelling, particularly if they will be returning to the UK on 1 January 2025 or later. We have covered how to set up your eVisa here.

If you have indefinite leave to remain issued on a paper document, there is a different process. The Home Office’s advice is to apply for an eVisa by completing this online form. If the document is still valid, the Home Office has said you can continue to rely on it, but we would strongly recommend going through the eVisa process.

Once you have set up your eVisa, you should add your current passport as an ID document on your UKVI account. You must do this before travelling, and make sure all the details match the passport you will be using to travel back into the UK. This should allow your travel provider to see your eVisa, using your passport details.

If you are visiting the UK: check if you need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)

In addition to the new eVisa system, the Home Office is rolling out an ETA scheme. An ETA is not a visa – it is permission to travel to the UK, but you will still need immigration permission to enter.

Eventually, everyone will need to apply for an ETA before travelling to the UK if:

- They are not a British citizen.
- They are of a nationality that does not require a visa to enter the UK as a visitor; and
- They do not already have entry clearance or leave to remain in the UK (e.g. as a Skilled Worker or family member, etc.).

Nationals of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates already need an ETA to travel to the UK. The scheme will be rolled out to the rest of the world in two additional phases:

- Nationals of non-European countries will need an ETA to travel to the UK on or after 8 January 2025.
- Nationals of European countries (including both EEA and non-EEA countries) will need an ETA to travel to the UK on or after 2 April 2025.

So, if you are planning on travelling to the UK in the new year, you should check whether you need an ETA beforehand. You can apply for an ETA online using a straightforward application form. The application costs £10, and it will take up to three days to process.

The ETA scheme only applies to you if you do not need a visa to visit the UK. If your nationality is on the visa national list, you still need to apply for a visit visa, not an ETA. If you would like assistance with a visit visa application, please contact us on enquiries@gryklaw.com or 020 7401 6887.

Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme

8th November 2024 By Dmitri Macmillen

On 19 February 2024, the UK government announced that it intended to create a new Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme. This scheme would enable eligible Ukrainians and family members to apply for a further 18 months’ permission to stay in the UK. The scheme is expected to open to new applications in early 2025.

We do not yet know the requirements eligible Ukrainians and family members will need to meet when applying for further permission under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, and expect further guidance soon from the Home Office. The Home Office have, so far, published limited guidance which says that applications to the scheme can be made by those with permission under the Ukraine Family, Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship and Ukraine Extension schemes. Those who previously had permission under a Ukraine scheme, and afterwards switched to a different immigration route, might also be eligible to apply under the new scheme. The application will be free and must be made before a person’s permission to be in the UK expires.

If you are looking to apply under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, please ensure you keep hold of your biometric residence permit, as the Home Office have said it will be requested as part of the application process. Many Ukrainians are concerned that their current permission might expire on 31 December 2024, as their biometric residence permit expires on this date. Biometric residence permits are being phased out by the end of 2024, as migrants will be expected to prove their immigration permission digitally as of 2025. To check the actual expiry date of your permission, please look at the decision email you received from the Home Office granting you permission in the UK, or check your eVisa using this link. If you cannot access your eVisa, you may need to follow this link to create a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account so you can access it.

If you require advice or assistance with an application under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, or require advice on other immigration options in the UK, we would be happy to help and can advise in Ukrainian if necessary. Please contact us on 020 7401 6887 or by email at contact@gryklaw.com.

Important update for BRP holders

13th August 2024 By Emily Heinrich

Further to our article on the upcoming changes, UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) have now opened applications for eVisas to all those holding a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP).

As part of UKVI’s plans to move to a digital immigration system by the end of 2024, they are requiring all those with a BRP to switch to an eVisa before their current cards expire on 31 December 2024. You no longer need to wait for an invitation to set up your UKVI account and link it to your existing immigration status.

What is the process for applying for an eVisa?

Full details on the process can be found here and it requires three steps:

1 Setting up your UKVI account

2 Verifying your identity via the UK Immigration: ID check app

3 Applying to link your current immigration status to your eVisa profile, on your UKVI account

How can I prove my status once I have an eVisa?

UKVI has confirmed that individuals will not receive a new physical document.

Going forwards, those with a UKVI account and linked eVisa will be able to demonstrate their immigration status electronically only. To prove your right to work, for example, you will be able to provide an employer with a share code, by following the instructions at this link.

What if I need assistance with my eVisa application?

UKVI has set up a support service for individuals who are not confident using a computer or mobile device; do not have access to the internet; or do not have access to a suitable device. More information on this can be found here.

We welcome enquiries from our previous clients, if they have any concerns about their status or correct expiry date. Please also get in touch if you would like our support with the application process, and we can provide details on our fees.

Sudan crisis highlights why UKVI shouldn’t hold on to passports while processing applications

4th May 2023 By Diana Baxter

We were very proud this week to have helped a Sudanese father-to-be successfully evacuate to the UK despite his passport being held by the now closed UK Visa Application Centre in Khartoum. Sadly, many others have not been so fortunate as it is estimated that thousands of Sudanese nationals are trapped inside Sudan upon the outbreak of civil war with their passports retained by the UK and other visa authorities.

Such visa applicants are likely to be family members of British citizens, skilled workers and students resident in the UK, whose passports have been held by UKVI (or on its behalf, by the company TLScontact) for varying lengths of time. They may even include British citizens applying for Certificates of Entitlement to the Right of Abode or new passports. The last few years have seen significant delays in processing of UK visas overseas, first due to Covid (when visa offices abroad were also closed without notice, trapping applicants’ passports inside for months) and then following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Throughout 2022, family settlement visa applications regularly took up to six months for a decision and, while the timing of these has improved recently, refugee family reunion applications are averaging 12 months or longer for a decision.

This week, we were contacted by a distraught refugee in the UK whose wife applied for refugee family reunion more than 12 months ago yet she still has no decision and her passport is still held at the VAC in Khartoum. Such delays are not unusual with refugee family reunion processing yet UKVI continues to insist that passports are retained for the decision making process, unless additional fees are paid (and not universally available) to the private contractor for a ‘keep my passport’ service. The continued logic for this is increasingly hard to justify as UKVI transitions to a digital only immigration status, where applicants’ identity can be determined through biometrics and a check of biometric passports and where visa applicants in the UK (as opposed to those applying from overseas) are, for the most part, no longer required to submit their passports for consideration.

We sincerely hope and encourage UKVI and TLScontact to assist those affected by their passport loss at the TLS VAC in Khartoum by:
• immediately sending each individual affected a formal and personalised (with the relevant passport details) confirmation of the loss of their passport;
• urgently considering their outstanding visa applications and, if successful, facilitating their entry to the UK despite the lack of passport (a FAV (‘form for affixing a visa’) can be used in these circumstances).