The UK is moving from proving immigration status with passport vignettes, ink stamps and plastic BRP cards to a digital eVisa system. An eVisa is a digital record of a person's immigration status, showing visa type, expiry date and conditions relating to work, study and access to public funds.

In most cases, you will need access to a UKVI account to check your status online. Many people can view their eVisa and generate a share code through their UKVI account, but the process can be more complex if you hold legacy evidence of status (for example, an old passport with an ILR stamp), have a pending application, have errors on your eVisa, or have changed your passport. It is particularly important to check your eVisa and UKVI account details before travelling, starting work or entering into a tenancy.

What Is “Immigration Status” in the UK?

“Immigration status” means a person’s legal position under UK immigration law and the rights and restrictions that flow from it. For example, visitors, students, Skilled Workers, partners, refugees, persons with indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or indefinite leave to enter (ILE), and those with status under the EU Settlement Scheme (settled or pre‑settled status) each hold different forms of immigration status.

Immigration status is not limited to whether a person may remain in the UK. It also governs whether they may work (including self‑employment and business activity), study, claim public funds, access the NHS and rent accommodation, and what checks employers, landlords and other bodies must carry out. People with limited leave usually have an expiry date and conditions; breaching those conditions can affect future applications, including for settlement.

Accordingly, the immigration status, expiry date, work conditions and other restrictions shown on an eVisa are not mere administrative details: they go to the core of a person’s right to live, work and study in the UK.

What Is eVisa and When Was It Introduced?

For many years, the UK relied on physical documents - vignettes, ink stamps and BRP cards—to evidence immigration status. As part of its programme to digitise the border and immigration system, the Home Office has been rolling out eVisas, initially focusing on BRP holders. In 2024, the transition to eVisas for BRP holders accelerated, with many BRP cards showing an expiry date of 31 December 2024. That date did not necessarily mean the underlying leave ended on that day; it reflected the move from physical cards to digital status.

An eVisa is not a paper visa or a plastic card. It is the Home Office’s digital record of a person’s grant of leave. Individuals log in to their UKVI account to view their eVisa and, where required, prove their status to third parties. An eVisa typically shows the holder’s immigration status, the validity period of their leave and any conditions (for example, on work, study or access to public funds).

An eVisa does not replace the need to make a valid application under the relevant immigration route. For example, applications for Skilled Worker, partner, student visas or settlement must still meet the substantive requirements of the Immigration Rules. The eVisa is the digital evidence of a grant of leave once an application is approved.

Who Can Check Their Status Online and How?

Online status checking is available to many categories of leave, including valid work, study and family visas, ILR/ILE, status under the EU Settlement Scheme, and certain refugee or humanitarian protection statuses, provided these are linked to a UKVI account.

The primary route is the GOV.UK “View and Prove your immigration status” service. You will normally need to sign in using the credentials linked to your UKVI account. Depending on how your account was created, you may sign in with a passport, national identity card, biometric residence card (BRC), an expired BRP, or your UKVI customer number, together with access to the email address or mobile number registered to the account.

After signing in, you should check that your name, date of birth, nationality, photograph, immigration status, expiry date and conditions are accurate. If you have obtained a new passport or changed your name, nationality or other personal details, simply holding the new document may not be enough. In particular, before international travel you should ensure that the passport or travel document you intend to use is linked to your UKVI account.

When Do You Need an eVisa?

An eVisa is particularly important where you must prove your status quickly and securely—for example, to a new employer, a landlord, a university or other education provider, a bank or public authority, or to a carrier when returning to the UK.

If your BRP has expired but your leave remains valid, you will often need to rely on your eVisa to prove your status. The Home Office has directed those with valid leave but expired BRPs to create a UKVI account and access their eVisa.

Needing an eVisa does not mean you must always provide a share code. When you are checking your own status or preparing to travel, the key is usually that your UKVI account is accessible and linked to your current passport. A share code is typically required where a third party (such as an employer or landlord) must carry out a statutory right‑to‑work or right‑to‑rent check.

What Is a Share Code and When Is It Required?

A share code is a time‑limited code generated via your UKVI account that allows an authorised third party to check your immigration status online using the relevant Home Office service. Once you generate a share code, the checker will also need your date of birth to complete the check.

Using a share code is generally safer and more efficient than circulating copies of your passport or BRP. Different checks exist for right to work, right to rent and general immigration status, and you should generate a code for the correct purpose. A share code for travel can also be generated where a carrier or border official requests additional proof; travel share codes are valid for 90 days and can be reused within that period.

A share code is not permanent evidence of status. It expires (normally after 90 days for status checks) and must be regenerated if it lapses. Providing a code generated for the wrong purpose may prevent the checker from seeing the information they require.

What If You Have ILR or ILE Evidenced Only in an Old Passport?

Some individuals still hold legacy evidence of settlement, such as an ink stamp or vignette stating “Indefinite Leave to Remain”, “Indefinite Leave to Enter” or “No Time Limit” in an old (sometimes expired) passport. While this does not mean the underlying status has been lost, relying solely on old physical documents can cause delays or refusals in right‑to‑work, right‑to‑rent, travel and other administrative processes.

If your only evidence of ILR/ILE is in an expired or lost passport, you may not be able to prove your status promptly. Reissuing a passport does not automatically transfer old stamp information to the new document or to your UKVI account. In such cases, it is often prudent to consider converting to an eVisa, including by making a free No Time Limit (NTL) application where appropriate, so that your status is reflected in the digital system.

Holders of legacy ILR/ILE stamps should not rely solely on carrying old passports. You should check whether your status can be evidenced via a UKVI account, whether you need to create an account, and whether an NTL or other application is advisable to regularise your digital record.

How Is eVisa Status Checked at the Border and by Carriers?

When leaving or re‑entering the UK, carriers (airlines, ferry operators and others) may check your permission to enter the UK before allowing you to board. To travel using an eVisa, the personal details in your UKVI account and the passport or travel document you are using must match and be up to date. If your passport number or expiry date has changed and your UKVI account has not been updated, carriers may be unable to verify your status smoothly.

Before travelling, you should confirm that the immigration status shown in your eVisa is correct and that your current passport is linked to your UKVI account. GOV.UK advises updating your UKVI account if your passport number, passport expiry date, name or nationality changes.

Where a carrier cannot automatically confirm your status, a travel share code may assist, and in some cases valid physical documents may serve as supporting evidence. However, discovering problems for the first time at the airport can lead to delays or even refusal of boarding. You should therefore check your eVisa and passport linkage well in advance of your travel date.

What If Your Leave Expires While an Application Is Pending?

If you make a valid in‑time application to extend or vary your leave before your existing leave expires, your leave may be extended by law under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 while the application (and, where applicable, any appeal or administrative review) is pending. This is commonly referred to as “section 3C leave”. The purpose of section 3C is to prevent a person who has applied in time from becoming an overstayer due to Home Office processing delays.

For section 3C leave to arise, the application must be made before the existing leave expires and must not yet have been decided or withdrawn. During the section 3C period, the conditions of the previous leave generally continued. For example, if your prior leave permitted work for a specific employer, you should verify whether those same conditions persist while section 3C applies. However, outcomes can vary depending on the type of application, whether it is withdrawn, whether you leave the UK, and other procedural factors; it is not safe to assume that rights are always identical to those under the original leave.

Conversely, if you apply after your leave has already expired, section 3C leave will not normally apply. This makes the expiry date of your existing leave a critical legal deadline.

Applicants awaiting a decision may not see a new eVisa immediately. This may simply reflect that the new grant has not yet been issued. In such cases, you should consider your existing eVisa, application submission confirmations, biometric enrolment records and any Home Office correspondence together to determine your status and whether you have a right to work.

What If Your eVisa Contains Errors?

If your eVisa shows incorrect details—such as your name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status, expiry date or conditions- you should not ignore the discrepancy. Errors can cause problems at the border, with right‑to‑work and right‑to‑rent checks, university registration, and dealings with banks and public authorities.

The Home Office provides a “Report an error with your eVisa” service for cases where the eVisa details are wrong; you can view the eVisa but cannot generate a share code; technical issues prevent you from viewing the eVisa; or the Home Office created your UKVI account, and you have never been able to sign in. When reporting an error, you may be asked to provide your name, date of birth, nationality, a contact email or UK address, and one of the following: passport number, expired BRP number, GWF reference, UAN, or UKVI customer number.

It is important to distinguish between issues that can be resolved by updating your UKVI account (for example, a new passport number or expiry date) and cases where the substantive immigration status or expiry date on the eVisa is incorrect. The former may be addressed via account updates; the latter typically requires an eVisa error report and, where relevant, supporting evidence of your correct grant of leave.

Common Mistakes When Checking and Using eVisas

Common mistakes include failing to update your UKVI account after receiving a new passport; treating the date on a BRP card as your actual leave expiry date without checking the eVisa; assuming that because a BRP shows 31 December 2024, your underlying leave ends on that date; not generating a share code, generating the wrong type of share code, or using an expired code; and attempting to log in to your UKVI account for the first time immediately before travelling. If your registered mobile number or email is no longer accessible, your new passport details are not reflected, or your eVisa contains errors, resolving these on the day of travel can be difficult. You should check your eVisa, passport linkage and share code requirements well before your intended travel date.

Conclusion

The UK is rapidly shifting from paper documents and BRP cards to UKVI accounts and eVisas as the primary means of proving immigration status. You should regularly check the status, expiry date and conditions shown on your eVisa; update your UKVI account promptly when you obtain a new passport or change personal details; and prepare the appropriate share codes before starting work, entering a tenancy or travelling.

Additional care is needed if you rely on legacy ILR/ILE stamps in old passports, have a pending application, suspect errors on your eVisa, or cannot access your UKVI account.

If your eVisa shows the wrong status, expiry date or conditions; you cannot access your UKVI account; you cannot generate a share code; or an employer, landlord, education provider, bank or public body refuses to accept your immigration status, please contact us on 020 3865 6219 or leave a message.