The UK extends the eVisa transition grace period until March 2025. The UK has given overseas travellers until March 2025 to make the move to eVisas. Even though millions have already made the switch, people who have physical papers like BRPs and BRCs that are about to expire can still use them during this grace period.
The action attempts to resolve technological problems encountered by certain visa holders and facilitate the transition to the digital system.
As visa holders move to an exclusively online eVisa system, the UK said on Wednesday that expired physical documents will be acceptable for foreign travel for a grace period until March 2025. As part of a continuous Home Office campaign, all visa holders—including many Indians—who used a biometric residence card (BRC) as proof of their immigration rights, a passport with a visa vignette sticker or ink stamp attesting to their “indefinite leave to enter/remain” in the nation, or a physical biometric residence permit (BRP) were given until the end of December to convert to an eVisa.
Despite the Home Office’s assertion that over 3.1 million people have already made the transition to an eVisa, it is thought that a number of others were unable to reach the year-end deadline due to a variety of factors, including technological difficulties.
Seema Malhotra, UK Minister for Migration and Citizenship, stated that “a wide range of guidance and support is available for those who have not yet switched to an eVisa.”
“In order to make sure this transition goes smoothly, we are continuously streamlining and making adjustments based on input from MPs, stakeholders, and visa holders. In order to facilitate the transition for individuals flying abroad without sacrificing border security, I am happy to confirm increased leniency on carriers accepting outdated documents,” she said.
Most BRPs are scheduled to expire at the end of this year and will be automatically transferred online in stages. To access them, create an account with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and log in.
Airlines and other carriers will now be able to accept BRPs and BRCs that expire on December 31, 2024, or later, as proof of authorisation to travel to the UK, temporarily until March 31 of the following year, as a “fallback” to help facilitate a seamless transition to eVisas. According to the Home Office, this date will be kept “under review” and travellers will still be subject to the standard criteria and checks for immigration.
“Anyone seeking to enter the UK whose underlying immigration status has expired will be liable for refusal of entry,” said the Home Office.
This Monday, it released a second call to action for holders of paper visas to convert to the eVisa network by using the GOV.UK online portal.
For an additional three months, anyone with indefinite leave to remain who uses a vignette or ink stamp in their passport to demonstrate their rights may keep using their documents. They are also invited to submit a “No Time Limit application” in order to obtain an eVisa.
“Moving to an eVisa, which provides more convenience, is simple and free. An eVisa enables visa holders to quickly and safely demonstrate their immigration rights and is impervious to loss, theft, and tampering. According to the Home Office, switching won’t alter, affect, or take away a person’s existing rights or immigration status.
It highlighted a number of assistance resources, including as a round-the-clock chatbot and helplines, available to anyone having problems throughout the changeover.
By 2025, the Home Office hopes that most consumers will enjoy a “secure and seamless digital journey” when interacting with the UK’s immigration system thanks to a phased implementation of digital services.
It is also envisaged that fewer people will have to leave their passports at the Home Office while they wait for their immigration status to be decided thanks to an eVisa. Additionally, eVisas save migrants money on renewal costs by eliminating the need to travel to pick up documents like BRPs or wait for them to be sent.
Under the previous Conservative administration, the procedure began in April of this year. BRP holders received a direct email with instructions on how to set up a UKVI account in order to access their eVisa.
Since then, the Labour administration has put it into effect, despite warnings from some digital rights experts that it may discriminate against people who can’t verify their British resident rights due to eVisa system implementation issues.
The administration has downplayed the worries and emphasised that the three-month transition period ending in March 2025 will assist in addressing the limited number of affected visa holders.
Irish nationals and holders of British passports, including individuals who were once considered immigrants but are now British citizens, are not affected.