The Home Office has delayed the requirement for foreign residents in the UK to hold an eVisa, at least until March of next year and maybe later.
It was planning to impose the requirement from the end of this year, when the majority of biometric residence permits (BRPs) are due to expire, but has revised the plan after establishing that some customers have had difficulties in signing up for eVisas.
Seema Malhotra, minister for migration and citizenship, outlined the situation in a statement to Parliament this week.
“In order to smooth the transition to eVisas, we have decided to allow carriers to accept a BRP or EUSS BRC (EU biometric residence card) expiring on or after 31 December 2024 as valid evidence of permission to travel until at least 31 March and this date will be kept under review,” she said.
“Customers travelling in the early part of the year are therefore advised to continue carrying their expired BRP, as this will add to the range of checking options already available to carriers.
“While this will not affect the way that Border Force conducts its passenger checks, it will provide confidence and reassurance to travellers that they will not face unnecessary delays when proving their travel status with airlines and other carriers, and it reflects our strong desire to act on the concerns that have been raised with us and ensure a smooth transition with minimal disruption for travellers at a busy time of the year.”
Re-entry risk
Foreign residents in UK not holding the appropriate permits – eVisas or BRPs – are at risk of not being able to re-enter the country.
Malhotra said that over six million people have been using eVisas for several years, and that over 3.1 million made the transition from BRPs between March and November of this year.
She added that the Home Office has been working with carriers that check the immigration status of incomers to ensure they have the relevant digital checks in place, and on its own technical issues that have created problems for some eVisa application. These include a customer’s status not being visible or showing inaccurately.
“We encourage any users experiencing issues to contact the Home Office to enable these to be investigated and resolved,” she said.
