The Home Office is responsible for processing all immigration applications in the UK. Upon reviewing your application, the immigration department will provide a decision letter indicating either the approval or refusal of your request. Approval signifies that the Home Office granted you the immigration status for which you had submitted an application. Alternatively, if the decision letter states otherwise, you can appeal the decision, make another fresh application or opt to stay in your home country.
Verifying your immigration status is not the same as having your immigration application accepted. What documentation would you provide to prove that the UK government has given you permission to remain and conduct business there? What documentation will prove your legal status as a migrant to a potential employer, landlord, or government service?
From 1 January 2020, applicants who were granted five years of limited leave to remain started to receive Biometric Residence Permits endorsed with an expiry date of 31 December 2024. Initially, this was due to requirements introduced by the European Union to incorporate next-generation encryption technology. As this could not be fulfilled they contained a validity date of no later than 31 December 2024. In January 2021, the EU restrictions on format were lifted and the system moved to issuing a new UK format of BRP. However, the Home Office continued after this date with plans to digitalize the system. This is known as an eVisa.
What is โe-Visaโ?
The eVisa is an online record of your immigration status and the conditions of your permission to enter or stay in the UK. The eVisa will serve as a means of travelling to the UK, eliminating the need for a physical document in the future. It is crucial to acknowledge that you must carry your physical document as proof of your status until you obtain an eVisa.
The UK immigration system already incorporates eVisas through the EU Settlement Scheme. This will change the process by which international recruits submit visa applications, gain entry into the United Kingdom, and provide proof of their right to work.
The published guidance documents the following evident advantages of eVisas:
How Can I Use the View and Prove Service?
Anyone having a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account can use the View and Prove Service on the UK Public Sector Information website. You can access the View and Prove Service via your mobile phone, tablet, or laptop, where you will be asked to enter personal details such as your document or application number, date of birth, and the mobile number or email address you used in your previous UK immigration application.
Once you sign in to the Service, you will be able to:
To confirm your status, simply generate a share code from the online service and share it with the individual who wants to verify your immigration status.
To generate the code, go to the View and verify service dashboard and click 'verify your status'. Then, depending on the type of your engagement with them, you should select your purpose for providing your immigration information to ensure that the targeted individual sees only particular and relevant information.
For example, if you choose 'to prove my right to work', the person with whom you share the sharable view status code will only see information on your right to work in the UK, among other things. The Service generates a unique code for each reason. If you want to generate a code to share with your landlord, simply select the appropriate reason, and a unique code will be generated to represent your UK resident status to your landlord. Fortunately, you will be able to see a preview of what information a code will show to another person.
To communicate the 'prove status code' with the intended persons, use the email function in View and Prove Service.
The recipient will next sign in to the View and Prove Service, where they will enter the code to gain limited access to immigration-related data.
Travelling with an E-Visa (digital immigration status)
Before travel, if you have received a new passport after applying for your visa, you must update your UK Visas & Immigration account with the new passport number.
If you are travelling to the UK for the first time with your digital immigration status, you must enter after the visa start date specified on your status. If you enter before this date, you will most likely need to leave the UK and return again.
When going through UK immigration control, you must present your passport (and, if applicable, your BRP card) to the Border Force officer.
Depending on your nationality, certain individuals will be able to travel through the e-Gates rather than going to an Immigration Officer. In this case, you must ensure that your passport's details are up to date.
Update your Immigration Status
If there are any changes to your personal details during your stay in the UK, you must ensure you keep UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) informed. You should update UKVI by logging into your UK Visas & Immigration account and making the changes there.
Digital immigration status (e-Visa) will replace physical immigration documents, including biometric residence permits (BRPs) and vignettes, beginning in 2024, as mandated by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). An objective of the UK immigration system is to transition to a digital-only system by default.
UKVI will contact eligible visa holders, including skilled workers, throughout 2024 to request that they register for a UKVI account. Early in 2024, it is expected that skilled workers will be contacted regarding their switch to e-Visa. Various groups, including dependents and individuals with student visas, will be engaged at various intervals over the course of the year.
For expert advice and assistance regarding any aspect of UK immigration law, contact us on 0203 865 6219 or leave a message.