UK rolls out eVisa for biometric applicants
The UK immigration system is going digital, meaning physical documents will be replaced with an online immigration status.
The United Kingdom (UK) has expanded its eVisa system to include new biometric applicants, according to a press release issued on Friday.
The latest move will phase out physical documents such as Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs), vignette stickers, and wet ink stamps, replacing them with an online immigration status accessible via a UKVI account.
If you are granted a visa to stay in the UK for longer than 6 months – for example to work or study – you will now need to create a UKVI online account to access your eVisa, the statement said.
“We are constantly innovating to make it easier for Pakistanis to travel to the UK. This new use of technology will streamline a key part of the visa process, make it more secure and reduce the dependence on paper documents.”
Travelers are advised not to journey to the UK until they have received their passport and valid visa from the Visa Application Centre, it added.
Travelers should continue to carry their BRP cards along with their passports when traveling abroad to confirm their right to re-enter the UK, the release added.
High Commissioner Jane Marriott CMB OBE said:
“We are constantly innovating to make it easier for Pakistanis to travel to the UK. This new use of technology will streamline a key part of the visa process, make it more secure and reduce the dependence on paper documents.”
The process is free, secure, and straightforward. You can find out more, including how to create an account, on our website: gov.uk/eVisa. You must not travel to the UK until you have received your passport and valid UK visa back from the Visa Application Centre (VAC). Updating a physical document to an eVisa does not affect your immigration status or the conditions of your permission to enter or stay in the UK.
Upon arrival in the UK you will still be required to collect a BRP. All BRP cards are valid until 31 December 2024, but the expiry of your BRP card does not affect your immigration status. You can use your BRP card to create your UKVI account and access your eVisa. You should continue to carry your BRP until it expires, and take your BRP and your passport when travelling overseas to prove your permission to return to the UK.
Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs), vignette stickers in passports or ‘wet ink stamps’ are among some of the physical documents that will no longer needed. If you are granted a visa to stay in the UK for longer than 6 months – for example to work or study – you will now need to create a UKVI online account to access your eVisa. The account acts as an online record of your immigration status. For those granted a visa to stay in the UK for less than 6 months, for example as a tourist, you do not need to create a UKVI account.