Currently, most migrants in the UK who require permission to be here are in possession of a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). All BRP’s have an expiry date of 31 December 2024 even if the migrant’s actual permission to be in the UK expires after that date. The Home Office announced some time ago that it was going digital and was introducing eVisas from 1 January 2025. Unfortunately, the Home Office do not have the best reputation when it comes to introducing new technology and the eVisa roll out seems to be no exception to this. Many migrants have struggled to set up their eVisa accounts in order to access their immigration status online. This has understandably turned out to be very problematic for some migrants as it has impacted their ability to prove their right to work and rent property in the UK. I think the Home Office may also have overlooked the fact that by seeking to introduce eVisas on 1 January 2025, a global bank holiday, was not the best date to choose to implement such a widescale IT project. The Home Office would have had little if any ability to address technical issues during a public holiday.
Only very recently, the Home Office have announced that their eVisa rollout has been postponed to 31 March 2025 and that fortunately, until that date, all migrants can continue to rely upon their expired Biometric Residence Permits. This is not a particularly satisfactory position as it will no doubt create a lot of uncertainty and indeed anxiety with migrants who are in the UK with an expired BRP. Despite the delayed roll out, we would still advise all migrants to try and set up their eVisas as soon as possible.
It remains to be seen whether the Home Office will be able to cope with such a large scale project even by 31 March 2025 with many millions of migrants in the UK having to navigate the eVisa set up process. We have come across many clients who have and continue to have problems in setting up and accessing their eVisa account online and we have also come across cases where information which the Home Office have produced in the eVisa turns out to be incorrect. With the roll out of eVisas, it is a question of watch this space.
For advice on this or any other immigration issues, please do not hesitate to contact Sohan Sidhu.
