Home Office postpones eVisa rollout till March 31: If you haven’t set up eVisa do this before travel

LONDON Nov 4 : The UK Home Office has reportedly decided to postpone the full rollout of the eVisa system, originally scheduled for January 1, 2025. This decision comes after numerous complaints from applicants who have encountered difficulties accessing the new digital system, raising concerns that individuals with the right to live and work in the UK may be left stranded abroad due to technical glitches.

If your biometric residence card (BRC) issued through the EU Settlement Scheme or biometric residence permit (BRP) expires on or after 31 December 2024, you you may be able to use your expired document to travel to the UK until 31 March 2025, where you continue to have permission to stay in the UK.

You should carry it with you – your carrier may ask to see it.

You should also:

• set up access to your online immigration status (eVisa) (online proof of your immigration status) if you have not done it already
• get a share code to prove your immigration status – a share code is valid for 90 days

If you’re travelling to the UK on an electronic travel authorisation (ETA), see our ETA guidance.

If you’re travelling out of the UK

If you’re in the UK with permission and have a UKVI account, you’ll need to check the information in your account is correct before you travel.

You can do this by:

• checking your immigration status is displaying correctly by using the view and prove your immigration status service – if your status is displaying incorrectly, report an error with your eVisa
• using the update your UKVI account details service to check:
  • the passport you will use for travel is linked to your account
  • your personal details are correct

How to check your eVisa details are correct before you travel in or out of the UK

Seema Malhotra, the migration and citizenship minister, has told the Guardian that, “Passengers will be allowed to use expired identity documents to travel to the UK because of flaws in the eVisa system”.

“The government had postponed a planned full shift to the new digital immigration system”, she said.

In its guidance “Check your eVisa is correct before you travel” the Home Office makes some suggestions as to what evidence of immigration status might be accepted to enable travel to the UK.

Suggestions include “a copy of a letter or email you received from the Home Office when your immigration status was granted”

The Home Office will be aware that the majority of their grant emails (and the EUSS grant letters for example) state “THIS IS NOT PROOF OF IMMIGRATION STATUS” or words to that effect.

If you haven’t set up your eVisa yet, make sure you do before you travel.

Check your eVisa is correct before you travel

The eVisa system was initially announced in April by the previous Tory administration as a means to strengthen border security and prevent abuse of the immigration system. However, the transition has been plagued with issues, particularly for individuals on “3C leave,” who have struggled to renew their immigration status and generate an eVisa.

Critics argue that the government’s failure to provide digital proof of status for people on 3C leave is unlawful, citing a June High Court ruling. Migration Minister Seema Malhotra is now looking to delay the full rollout, as the initial launch date fell on a bank holiday, making it more difficult to address any immediate problems that might arise.

The Home Office had allocated £4 million to support organizations in assisting vulnerable individuals who may struggle to obtain an eVisa without help. A national campaign to raise awareness of the scheme was set to launch this week. However, the government’s handling of the situation has been compared to the Windrush scandal, with some suggesting that the commitment to a “hostile environment” remains unchanged.