The UK’s immigration system is now largely digital. For many migrants, the right to live, work, rent and return to the UK is recorded in a UK Visas and Immigration account, rather than shown on a physical card. You usually prove that status by using the online View and Prove service to generate a share code for an employer, landlord or other checker.
The convenience is clear. A digital record cannot be lost, stolen or forged in the same way as a card. But the risk is also clear: a person with valid status can still face serious problems if they cannot access their account, if their details are wrong, or if a checker does not understand the system.
Most biometric residence permits expired on 31 December 2024, although the immigration permission behind them did not expire simply because the card did. The Home Office now says an expired BRP can still be used for limited purposes, such as signing in to view an eVisa, creating a UKVI account, or applying to extend permission, for up to 24 months after the card expiry date or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first. It is not a substitute for proving status in every situation.
The House of Commons Library reported that, as of April 2025, an estimated 300,000 UK residents had not set up their eVisa. It also compared the evidence problem to the Windrush scandal, where people with a legal right to be in the UK could not prove it when it mattered.
Our guide to the switch from physical BRPs to eVisas explains the mechanics, and our note on eVisa problems at the border explains how digital proof can affect travel.
What actually changed?
Your immigration permission has not changed just because the document changed. What changed is how you show it. The old system put evidence in your hand. The new system puts it behind an online account.
It is also separate from the ETA scheme, which is travel authorisation for certain visitors and transit passengers. An ETA is not proof of immigration status for someone who already has permission to live or work in the UK.
| Issue | Physical BRP | Digital eVisa |
|---|---|---|
| Where proof sits | A card you carried | An online UKVI account |
| How status is shown | Present the card | Generate a share code or allow an online check |
| Main risk | Card lost, stolen or expired | No account access, wrong data or mismatched document details |
| Travel risk | Card checked at boarding and border | Carrier checks status against digital records |
| What to update | Replacement card where needed | Passport, email, phone number and personal details |
The risk has shifted from losing a document to losing access to a system. For travel, the decisive moment may now come at the airline desk. If your passport has changed and your UKVI account has not been updated, the carrier may not be able to match you to your status.
Someone with indefinite leave granted years ago, evidenced only by a stamp in an old passport, may face a different issue. They may need to make a “no time limit” application before they can access digital proof. If you are unsure whether an old document still helps, our note on using an expired BRP is a useful starting point.
Where the risk to rights sits
The people most exposed are often those least able to absorb a digital failure. That includes older residents, people without reliable internet access, people with limited English, care leavers, survivors of trafficking, and people who no longer hold current identity documents.
Data errors add another risk. A wrong date of birth, missing status, old passport number or inaccessible email account can cause problems with work checks, rent checks, banking, benefits and travel. Timing also matters. A Home Office notice, including a curtailment notice for sponsored workers, may be sent electronically, so contact details in the UKVI account should be kept current.
Where an immigration decision affects your right to remain, work, study, rent or family life, it may become a legal issue rather than an admin problem. Our guide to a human rights appeal explains when Article 8 and other rights may matter.
How to protect yourself
Treat your digital status as something to maintain, not something to set and forget. Create your UKVI account, check the eVisa details, link your current passport or travel document, and keep your email address and phone number up to date. Before travel, test a share code and check that your status displays correctly.
Sponsored workers on a Skilled Worker visa and business owners using the self-sponsorship route should recheck their account after a change of passport, job, employer or sponsor details. Anyone planning British citizenship after ILR should also confirm that their status record is correct before applying.
Short visitors are different. Someone coming only to marry would normally look at a marriage visitor visa, not an eVisa linked to long-term UK status. If your record is wrong and the Home Office does not correct it, judicial review may sometimes be the only effective route.
Get your status checked
For most people, the eVisa system works. But valid status is worth far less if you cannot prove it when an employer, landlord, airline or public body asks. If your eVisa looks wrong, your account will not open, or a check has already gone against you, speak to the immigration solicitors in London at Garth Coates. We can help you correct the record, prove your status and protect your position.
