eVisas and Biometric Residence Permits

In late 2024, the UK is changing the way you will show evidence of your permission to be in the UK.

What are eVisas?

Since 2020, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) have not been issuing Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) with an expiry date later than 31 December 2024, even if your actual visa expiry date (usually confirmed on your visa decision letter or email) is actually later than this. You can find more information on BRPs below.

UKVI are now in the process of phasing out BRPs. They have confirmed that they will not issue any new BRPs after 31 October 2024. If your visa application is decided after this date you will not be issued with a BRP.

UKVI have created a set of videos that provide more information on the following:

What is an eVisa?
How to create a UKVI account and access your eVisa
How to travel with your eVisa
How to prove your immigration status with your eVisa

Who already has an eVisa?

If you already have a UKVI account, you should be able to log into the account and access the eVisa. You should already have a UKVI account if you used the UKVI ID check app to apply for your current visa. This may be because you:

have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme; or
are a EU/EEA/Swiss national who applied for their most recent UK visa outside or inside the UK using the app; or
are a non-EU/EEA/Swiss national who applied to extend your visa inside the UK using the app

If you do not already have a UKVI account, you will need to create one and use the UKVI ID check app to complete steps to confirm your identity.

Who else can get an eVisa?

All students that have a visa to be in the UK that is valid for more than six months should now be able to set up an eVisa. It is important that you take this action as soon as possible and before your BRP expires on 31 December 2024 in case you need to travel outside the UK.

If your visa for the UK is valid for six months or less, for example because you are studying a short course or because you are in the UK as a Visitor, you will not be able to activate an eVisa. You will have an alternative form of evidence to show your right to be in the UK such as a vignette (sticker in your passport).

The systems employers and landlords use to complete right to work and rent to rent checks are separate from the eVisa system, so you still need to activate your eVisa even if you have already generated a share code for an employer or a landlord.

How do I apply for an eVisa?

You will need:

a smartphone (you can borrow a friend or family member’s phone if your phone is not compatible with the app. No data is stored in the app once this step of the application process is complete); and
a mobile phone number; and
an email address; and
a valid passport with your BRP number or visa application number*; or
your BRP card

*Your visa application number is either the reference number you have been given starting with ‘GWF’ or the unique application number (UAN) from your visa application (this is usually a 16 digit number starting with ‘1212-’ or ‘3434-’)

You must give a phone number and email address you can access regularly as you will need to use these every time you log into your eVisa. Keep this in mind if you are considering adding a helper to your eVisa account.

Before travelling, you should also ensure that you have linked your current passport to your eVisa to avoid problems entering the UK.

If you have a passport with a chip in it (your passport should have a symbol that confirms this if you do) you should be able to scan your passport in the app rather than your BRP to set up your UKVI account. If you use the passport rather than the BRP, it should mean that you do not need to link your passport separately later on.

If your passport does not have a chip in it, you will need to use your BRP and use the service below to link your passport to your eVisa before you travel.

For more instructions on how to set up your eVisa:

Free Movement have also published a useful step by step guide that may help you:

How do I show evidence of my eVisa?

When entering the UK, you need to present your valid passport. The Border Force Officer will scan your passport and check the eVisa that is linked to your passport. This is why it is important to make sure your current valid passport is linked to your eVisa before you travel.

UKVI have advised that until 31 December 2024 you should still travel with your BRP if you leave and re-enter the UK before the date your BRP expires, and show it when you re-enter the UK.

To prove your visa status for other reasons (for example, for registration at the University) you need to use the following service on the UKVI website and generate a share code online. This is similar to how you show evidence of your right to rent or right to work in the UK:

What if there are errors or problems with my eVisa?

You should contact ISSAC if you think there are any errors on your eVisa. ISSAC can send a form to UKVI on your behalf to request a correction if you have a visa in one of the following categories:

Student
Child student
Graduate
Dependant partner
Dependant child

And if the error on your eVisa is one the following:

Start date of the eVisa
End date of the eVisa (more information is available here)
work conditions (for example, if the working hours or type of work permitted on the eVisa are incorrect)
sponsor licence number (For the University of 91ֱ��, this is EGTNN8XR7)
dependant category is wrong (for example if it says you are a dependant of a student when you should be dependant of a graduate)

For other errors or technical problems, you will need to contact UKVI for help:

If you are having problems, you can also report your case to eVisa problems.org.uk using the form below. This is managed by 3million, in conjunction with ILPA and the Open Rights Group who are building an evidence base on eVisa problems to try to get a solutions for visa holders whose eVisa isn't working:

What is a BRP?

BRP stands for Biometric Residence Permit. This is evidence of your immigration status in the UK. Not everyone will have a BRP, as some may receive a digital visa status or a full visa vignette in their passport instead.

Your visa decision letter will confirm if you do have a BRP. If so you may need to collect this upon arrival in the UK, and must ensure you take it with you when travelling in order to return to the UK. You may automatically receive a BRP where you have:

Applied to settle in the UK
Extended your visa in the UK
Transferred your visa to a new passport
Applied to come to the UK for longer than six months (depending on your nationality)

Your BRP will include your:

Fingerprints and photograph
Name, date and place of birth
National Insurance (NI) number (if applicable)
Immigration status and conditions of your stay (including your recourse to public funds)

Collecting your BRP

Your visa decision letter will confirm if you do have a BRP. If you applied for your visa from overseas you will need to collect your BRP when you arrive in the UK. You will receive a travel vignette or sticker in your passport (usually valid for up to 30 days before your course start date) and a letter confirming where to find your BRP collection location.

Where you applied inside the UK, your BRP will be sent to you by courier.
Where you applied outside the UK, you can collect your BRP upon arrival from the University or the Post Office. This will depend on what you answered in your visa application form.

You must usually collect your BRP before the vignette sticker in your passport expires or within 10 days of arriving in the UK.

Collecting your BRP from the University

Where you wish to collect your BRP from the University, enter our ACL code: 2HE237 in the BRP Collection section of the visa application form when you are completing this.

You will be emailed when the University receives your BRP with instructions on where and how to collect this. You must wait to receive this email before collecting your BRP from the University as the location and instructions may change and to ensure the appointments can occur as safely as possible.

Remember that you must bring your original passport to your BRP collection appointment.

Checking your BRP

When you receive your BRP, it is very important that you check all of the information on it is correct. Check the correct length of visa you should be granted here:

Visa duration

If there are any mistakes on your BRP, it is very important that you follow the instructions on the letter that your BRP is attached to within 10 days. More information can be found on .

BRP expiry date of 31 December 2024

Your BRP will have a latest expiry date of 31 December 2024 even if your immigration permission or visa expires after this date. This is because UKVI is planning to change the BRP system. Do not worry about this or report this as an error. Refer to the information on activating your eVisa above.

If you are unsure when your visa expires, our detailed guide (PDF, 104KB) may help you confirm when.

Do I still need to collect my BRP card within 10 days of arriving in the UK?

Where you are collecting your BRP from a Post Office, you must collect the BRP either within 10 days of the date you entered the UK or before the 'valid to' date on your vignette, whichever is later.

If you are collecting your BRP from the University, you can collect the BRP after this, as long as your evidence shows that you entered the UK before the 'valid to' date on your vignette.

For new students, where the University has received your BRP before you register on your course, the BRP will be issued to you at your registration appointment. If this does not apply to you, you should be aware that the University must return any BRPs that have not been collected once they have been held for 60 days. Therefore, you should make arrangements to collect your BRP as soon as you can after you have been emailed by the University with instructions on how to collect it.

I have applied for my visa from overseas and need to change the BRP collection location

UKVI have advised the University that once your visa application is submitted, it is not possible to change from Post Office collection to University collection and vice versa.

If you wish to collect your BRP from a different Post Office to the one listed on your decision letter, there are instructions on how to do this on page seven of .

I am applying for my Student Visa in the UK, what should I do?

If you are applying from the UK your BRP will be posted to the address you include in your visa application form and will not need to be collected from a post office or the University. You should ensure that you include your UK address in your visa application form correctly and expect to be living at this address by the time your visa application is decided.

If you need to change the address your BRP card will be sent to, follow the advice below:

If you have received your visa decision then you should get an email from the courier TNT to confirm that your BRP card is to be delivered. You must contact TNT directly and re-arrange delivery by calling them on 0345 608 0630 with your reference number. Visit:
If your visa application is still pending and you have not received a decision yet then you should contact International Student Support. We can then request that UKVI change your correspondence address on their system. You should also update your address details using UKVI's online change of address form.

Contact International Student Support

If you are concerned about receiving your BRP card at your UK address, you can use the International Student Support, Advice & Compliance Team's Office address as the postal address so the BRP can be delivered to pick up from the University. To do this, the address you should enter as the postal address on the visa application form is: University of 91ֱ��, Att: G.Bottery, SAS, Level 6, Students' Union, Western Bank, 91ֱ��, S10 2TG
The courier TNT will attempt to re-deliver your BRP card three times within 30 days and then return it to the Home Office. If your BRP card does return to the Home Office, you can contact them using this form to organise redelivery of the BRP.

I can’t come to collect my BRP card from the University as I have returned home. What should I do?

The University is not permitted to post your BRP card to you overseas, nor can it issue the card to a third party. If you do not intend to return to the UK within a reasonable timeframe, or are no longer sponsored under the Student Visa or Tier 4 system, then we may return your BRP card to UKVI.

If you are still sponsored then you would still be able to contact UKVI and request your BRP upon your return to the UK using the forms below:

1. Request and download a ‘share code’ online, using the relevant GOV.UK page:

2. Send this to your employer or landlord via email.

3. They will use the ‘share code’ to confirm your immigration status and save this evidence themselves.

For more information on how to prove your status in the UK, visit:

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Support for new students

Support for new students