How do I prove my immigration status without a BRP?
Short answer
With an eVisa share code. BRPs stopped being valid evidence of status on 31 December 2024. Create a UKVI account at gov.uk/evisa, then generate a nine-character share code — valid for 90 days — which employers, landlords and banks check online. Keep the old card as a backup.
Since 1 January 2025 the physical Biometric Residence Permit has been replaced by an eVisa — an online record of your status held by UK Visas and Immigration. The card in your wallet is no longer the legal evidence of your leave; the digital record is. The same applies to Biometric Residence Cards, passport vignettes and EU Settlement Scheme certificates.
Importantly, your leave did not expire when your BRP did. The card's expiry date is the expiry of a document, not of your immigration permission, which continues independently.
Setting up and using the eVisa
- Go to gov.uk/evisa and create a UK Visas and Immigration account.
- Verify your identity using your BRP details, the email address from your last application and a photo, which the system matches against your existing biometrics.
- Link your existing immigration status to the account.
- Generate a share code — nine characters, valid for 90 days — whenever an employer, landlord, bank or public body needs to check your status. They enter it with your date of birth at the GOV.UK checking service.
Keep the old BRP rather than surrendering it. It is not the legal proof any more, but it remains useful as a backup during the transition and some organisations still ask to see it.
When things go wrong
The transition has produced predictable problems, and each has a route out. If you are locked out of your UKVI account, the Resolution Centre on 0300 790 6268 can reset access after identity checks. If your record shows mismatched details — a name spelt differently across records — submit a status update request through the account with supporting documents; the correction should take around six weeks. If a carrier refuses boarding despite a valid eVisa, go to the Airline Liaison Officer at the departure airport, who can verify your status with the Home Office in real time and authorise boarding.
If an employer refuses to run the digital check, they are in the wrong: the online check is what the law requires of them, failure to do it properly exposes them to a civil penalty of £45,000 for a first breach, rising to £60,000 for a repeat breach, per illegal worker, and refusing to accept a valid share code may also be unlawful discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. Set up children's access through the parent account before they need to travel or enrol at school, and check that ILR appears in the record as "no time limit".
Related guides
The eVisa Transition: From BRP to Digital Status
The Home Office replaced the physical Biometric Residence Permit with an online 'eVisa' from 1 January 2025. Everyone with leave to enter or remain needs a UKVI account to view and prove their status. This guide explains what to do if you have not yet made the switch, what the eVisa proves, and the practical issues of travelling and working without a physical document.
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Biometric Residence Permits Explained
A Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) is a card-sized document issued to most non-EEA nationals granted permission to live in the UK for more than six months. It serves as proof of identity and immigration status. The UK government is transitioning from physical BRPs to a fully digital eVisa system — understanding this shift is important for all migrants.
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Right to Work Checks for Employers
All UK employers have a legal duty to check that every employee has the right to work in the UK before they start work. Correctly conducted checks provide a statutory excuse against civil penalties if it later transpires that the employee is working illegally. Failure to carry out checks can result in a civil penalty of up to £60,000 per illegal worker and, in serious cases, criminal prosecution.
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EU Settlement Scheme
The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) was created to protect the rights of EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals living in the UK before the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020. The scheme is now closed to most new applications (the deadline was 30 June 2021), but late applications can still be made with a valid reason for missing the deadline.
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