Specialist law firm Thaxted Legal has published new Home Office guidance confirming that the UK’s transition from physical immigration documents to fully digital eVisas is on track to complete by 31 December 2026. Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs), Biometric Residence Cards and passport vignettes will be replaced by online records accessed via a UKVI account. From this week, migrants renewing leave are automatically issued an eVisa; BRP cards are no longer printed with expiry dates beyond 2024. To view or share status, users must create a UKVI account and link it to their current passport. Carriers and employers are expected to rely on the ‘View and Prove’ portal, signalling the end of routine passport-stamping for most visitors. For global-mobility programmes the operational challenge is communication. Staff travelling on legacy BRPs must convert to an eVisa before the card’s expiry; failure to do so risks border delays if airline systems cannot validate the outdated format. Employers should update right-to-work processes and train on verifying digital share codes, while landlords and NHS administrators are being migrated to the same platform. Privacy advocates warn that a single point of failure could lock migrants out of work or housing if account access is lost. The Information Commissioner’s Office is reviewing complaint backlogs, but the Home Office insists redundancy measures are in place via the Carrier Support Hub and Employer Enquiry Line. Over the next 12 months, the government will pilot ‘permission to travel’ digital corridors that automatically cross-check ETA, eVisa and watch-list data—bringing residents and visitors under one integrated border-security umbrella. Companies should therefore expect wider adoption of API-based status checks across HR, travel and procurement systems.
Source: Thaxted Legal
