At the end of 2024, the Home Office publicly acknowledged there have been many problems with the eVisa rollout, and announced that it would be rolling back the ‘hard deadline’ of 31 December 2024. As we explained in detail in our legal update back in December, this meant that expired BRP cards could still be used in various situations beyond the deadline. 

This was welcome news, which came as the result of efforts by many individuals and organisations to highlight the numerous issues.

On 27 February 2025, the Minister for Immigration announced another extension to the eVisa rollout. 

As a result of this second extension, you can still use an expired BRP card until 1 June 2025, for international travel. It is advisable to carry your expired BRP to use in addition to your eVisa if you have one. 

This means that the so-called eVisa ‘grace period’ has now been extended to 1 June 2025. However, it is very important that your eVisa is set up and functional, as you will no longer be able to use expired BRP cards after this date.

Ongoing problems

The switch to eVisas as part of the Home Office’s transition to an all digital immigration system has been characterised by many problems, at every stage. 

The announcement in February revealed that, at that point, ‘an estimated 600,000 people’ had not yet made the transition to eVisas. Home Office data on eVisa accounts was also published, showing the numbers of UKVI accounts created. As pointed out by FreeMovement, the minister’s announcement also acknowledged that ‘a number’ of duplicate accounts have been created, meaning that the existing figures may well be an overestimation. We are aware that for many people who are already digitally excluded, there has not been sufficient support to help people make the transition to an eVisa.

Even when people have managed to create a UKVI account and access their eVisa, there have been many reports of problems. Problems include:

• People not being about to view their eVisa after creating a UKVI account.
  
• eVisas not being accepted as valid forms of ID; such as in the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) while applying for benefits, or while opening a bank account.
  
• eVisas with the wrong details, such as the wrong date of birth, or the wrong name.

If you are experiencing these problems, or any other issues, we suggest you use the escalation routes in this section of the Toolkit Key Guide. 

The3million and ILPA have the reporting tool, which you can still use to report eVisa problems. Note that hey are not able to respond to individual issues. The3million also published a snapshot of the issues reported on the tool in January 2025, which you can view here. 

eVisa basics

On 13 March 2025 the Home Office updated their information on the three basic steps to creating an eVisa. The three basic steps are:

1. Create a UKVI account
2. Confirm your identity
3. Link your account to your eVisa
   

How to check if you already have a UKVI account

You will already have a UKVI account if you have ever: 

• Applied to the EU Settlement Scheme
  
• Used the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to prove your identity when applying for a visa

If you are unsure if you have already created a UKVI account, check your emails for a UKVI account confirmation email. You can also try and log in. If you have an account and you have lost your sign in details, use the account recovery function.

When will you need to use your eVisa?

• Applying for a job – employers will check your ‘share code’ to see your status as part of their right to work check.
  
• Renting a property in England – landlords will use your eVisa to carry out right to rent checks.
  
• International travel – you can use your eVisa to travel. However, airlines and other carriers can accept BRPs that expired on or after 31 December 2024 as evidence of permission to travel, until 1 June 2025.
  
• All other checks: others can check an individual’s immigration status using a share code provided by the individual being checked using the ‘check immigration status’ service. The Home Office have updated their factsheet for ‘status checkers’.

eVisa maintenance requirements 

Once you have your eVisa, you are required to make sure that you regularly check your account, and ensure that your personal details are up to date. The Home Office has also recently published guidance on maintaining your eVisa. 

You must update your eVisa: 

• If any details such as your name, date of birth, nationality or sex is false or has changed
  
• Your appearance changes significantly, or every 10 years (or 5 years if aged under 16), until you are 70

Right to Remain actions

At Right to Remain, we have been aware of the widespread confusion caused by the eVisa transition. In October 2024, we published a Key Guide on How to Support Someone with the transition to eVisas, to address concerns around the appropriate levels of support.

In addition, we also ran a number of eVisa outreach events, in response to specific requests from our network. We hosted our December Radical Solidarity Hub on the topic of eVisas, which was attended by around 90 people. 

Between October and December we delivered 6 information sessions on the topic, reaching 168 people across the UK. In these information sessions, we provided basic information to groups at the frontline of this transition, and offered space to talk about what this change means for them and their communities. 

There are a number of UK-wide organisations that have been granted funding to support vulnerable individuals to make the eVisa transition. You can read the full list of organisations with funding here.