UKVI wants EU Settlement Scheme holders to update identity papers before 2026 eVisa checks
Immigration advice firm Five Star International has released a Home Office bulletin dated 27 July that reminds more than five million EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) status holders to maintain their UKVI accounts up to date.
From early 2026, airlines will automatically check your eVisa at check-in.
If your passport information is out of date, you may be denied boarding or face long secondary inspections on arrival.
The notice also confirms that the Home Office is simplifying the route from pre-settled to settled status, with applicants now needing evidence of 30 months’ residence within the last five-year qualifying period, down from the previous requirement to account for absences totalling no more than six months in any 12.
Eligible holders will be automatically converted using HMRC and DWP data, and UKVI will email beneficiaries directly.
The message is obvious for firms and universities relying on EEA and Swiss nationals: make sure workers and students upload new passport numbers when renewing documents, and plan internal communications well in advance of summer travel in 2026.
Failure to do so could delay project deadlines if staff are stuck overseas or delayed at UK ports.
Mobility teams should also change right-to-work processes.
By 2026, the main evidence will be digital status and photocopies of expiring passport vignettes will no longer be sufficient.
An assessment of HR systems to include eVisa share-code capturing will help to prevent civil-penalty exposure under the Immigration Act.