The Home Office has ceased to issue physical Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) from the 31 October 2024, as the immigration system is transitioning to a fully digital system.

This means employees who hold physical permits will be required to register for an eVisa before the 31 December 2024. It is important for employers to be made aware that whilst the BRP’s physical cards are expiring, this does not mean employees’ visas are expiring - it is the physical card itself that expires.

Employees visa’s status and conditions remain unchanged and they must prove their immigration status by creating a UKV1 account to access their digital status record, known as an eVisa, online.

What do employees need to do before the 31 December 2024?

Employees need to register for an eVisa by the 31 December 2024 to prove their immigration status; there is no fee required by the government to do this. If they fail to register, this does not mean they will lose their immigration status, but it will complicate their ability to demonstrate their immigration status, which can result in challenges, such as proving their right to rent, or delays when travelling.

When they set up their UKV1 account on the gov.uk website (further information located by clicking here) they must then prove their identity using the UK’s immigration ID check’ app.

They can create their account using their BRP card, a valid passport and their application number or a valid passport and their BRP number.

Once they have completed the above steps, they will receive an email confirming access to their eVisa in their UKV1 account. Employees are required to ensure that they are keeping their details up to date on their account to avoid any unnecessary challenges.

What do employers need to do before the 31 December 2024 deadline?

Employers should contact all of their employees who hold immigration status on a physical permit and advise them that they need to register for a UKV1 account to access their eVisa. You may need to conduct a follow-up right to work check if the employee holds a temporary time-limited immigration status, if the original check was carried out using the physical BRP card or the expiry date of the permissions was not recorded at the time.

Do keep a record of the expiry date of their visa and complete follow up right to work checks prior to the visa expiry date in the usual way.

Employers who do not have an accurate record of time-limited immigration permission expiry dates run the risk of allowing employees to work beyond their permission expiry dates, which can lead to civil penalties of up to £60,000 per employee.