What is an E-Visa?
An e-visa is a digital version of a traditional visa, serving as an electronic record of an individual’s immigration status. It replaces physical documents like visa stamps, permits, or cards. The purpose of an e-visa is to streamline the visa process, offering easier access, increased security, and reducing the need for physical paperwork.
The transition from physical to digital formats allows immigration authorities to store and verify visa information online. This shift improves efficiency, minimizes the risk of lost or forged documents, and gives travelers and students easier access to their visa status through online platforms.
Benefits of E-Visa
The e-visa system offers several benefits, including:
- Simplified travel experience: Travelers can apply, access, and manage their visa information online, making the process faster and more convenient. It also reduces the need for in-person visits to embassies or consulates.
- Eliminating physical documents: By transitioning to a digital format, the e-Visa removes the risk of losing or damaging physical documents like visas or permits. Immigration status is securely stored online and accessible anytime through digital platforms.
- Faster processing time: Applications can be processed more quickly due to the automation and digital handling of data, reducing delays compared to traditional visa methods.
- Increased Security: E-Visas use secure online systems to store immigration data, minimizing the risk of fraud, forgery, or tampering with physical documents.
- Global accessibility: Travelers can apply for and access their e-Visa from anywhere with an internet connection, removing geographical barriers to the visa process.
- Real-time updates: Applicants can track their visa status in real-time and receive updates or notifications online, ensuring a smoother experience.
- Cost-effectiveness: Digital systems often reduce administrative costs for both immigration authorities and applicants by eliminating physical paperwork and postage fees.
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) is transitioning to a digital immigration system throughout 2024. This shift involves replacing physical immigration documents, such as Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs), Biometric Residence Cards (BRCs), and older paper records, with an inline e-visa. From 7 August 2024, students whose BRPs expire on 31 December 2024 can create a UKVI account and access their e-Visa, streamlining the process without the need for a formal invitation from UKVI.
The BRP letter that currently accompanies a stamped visa outlines the full duration of an individual’s stay in the UK. The e-Visa system will now provide the same information online, ensuring ease of access and security, making physical documents redundant. This digital record will simplify status verification for both students and authorities.
How to Create and Setup a UKVI Account?
To create and set up a UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) account, follow these steps:
- Prepare Your Documents
- Ensure you have a valid passport or another acceptable identity document.
- If applicable, have your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) available.
- Create a UKVI Account
- Visit the Gov of UK page to create a UKVI
- Click “Start” to complete the registration form with your personal details.
- After submission, you’ll receive a confirmation email with a link to sign in and further instructions.
- Confirm Your Identity
- Download the “UK Immigration: ID Check” app from the App Store or Google Play Store.
- Use the app to scan your identity document and capture a live photo to verify your identity.
- Link Your e-Visa to Your Account
- After identity verification, complete any additional tasks or questionnaires as prompted to link your e-Visa to your UKVI account.
- Access and Manage Your e-Visa
- Once linked, you can view your e-Visa details, including your immigration status and any conditions of your stay.
- Use the View and Prove Service to share your status with employers, landlords, or other third parties as needed.
Note: If you currently hold a BRP that expires on 31 December 2024, you can now create a UKVI account and access your e-Visa. You should do this before the expiry date of your BRP. Continue to carry your BRP with you when traveling internationally until it expires.
For a visual guide on creating a UKVI account and accessing your e-Visa, you can watch the following video.
How Will I Use My UKVI Account?
Once you’ve set up your UKVI account, you’ll be able to access details of your e-Visa online, such as the type of permission you hold, its expiry date, and any conditions tied to your stay in the UK.
- You can also update your personal information, like your contact details, through your UKVI account.
- Your e-Visa will be linked to your passport in the account, so keeping your passport or ID details updated is important. Any changes must be reported to ensure
- Once you’ve set up your UKVI account, you’ll be able to access details of your e-Visa online, such as the type of permission you hold, its expiry date, and any conditions tied to your stay in the UK.
- You can also update your personal information, like your contact details, through your UKVI account.
- Your e-Visa will be linked to your passport in the account, so keeping your passport or ID details updated is important. Any changes must be reported to ensure your immigration status is easily recognized at the UK border.
- Before traveling, ensure all your personal details are accurate and up-to-date to avoid potential delays or being denied boarding. You’ll still need to travel with your current passport.
- If you’ve updated your passport information but are still waiting for confirmation from the UKVI, it’s advisable to carry both your new and old documents to prevent any issues at the border.
Importance of a UKVI Account
- Centralized Immigration Information: A UKVI account provides a single, official source for all your immigration details, ensuring accuracy and reducing confusion.
- Verification of Legal Status: Having a UKVI account is essential to prove your legal right to live, work, or study in the UK without physical documentation.
Compliance with UK - Immigration Laws: The account helps you stay aware of visa conditions and deadlines, which is crucial for maintaining lawful status in the UK.
- Secure Identity Management: Ensures your personal immigration data is protected and accessible only to authorized individuals, reducing the risk of fraud.
- Official Requirements of e-Visa Holders: The UKVI account is mandatory for managing digital immigration status, especially with the shift from physical documents like BRPs to digital e-Visas.
- Supports Long-Term Residency Goals: The account is vital for tracking your immigration history, which is important for future applications like permanent residency or citizenship.
Eligibility for a UKVI e-Visa Account
- For those with a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)
- Individuals holding a BRP that expires by December 2024 must create a UKVI e-Visa account, especially if their course or stay extends beyond that date.
- Once the e-Visa account is set up, they can use their mobile device to generate a share code, which can be used to prove their immigration status to employers, educational institutions, or landlords.
- For those with Other Physical Immigration Documents
- Holders of other physical immigration documents, such as “stamped visa”, are eligible to create a UKVI e-Visa account.
- Students receiving their “stamped visa copy for the September 2024” intake should create an e-Visa account as soon as they receive their visa.
- The e-Visa will replace the need for physical documents to prove immigration status.
- General Eligibility
- Anyone with “Permission to live, work, or study” in the UK and issues with a “digital status” or transitioning from physical immigration documents (like BRP) to an e-Visa.
- Applicants must keep their passport or ID card details updated in the UKVI e-Visa account to avoid complications at the UK border.
UK Immigration: ID Check App
Get the app from:
How to Use the UK Immigration: ID Check App:
- Start Your Application
- Create your UKVI account and start your application online at GOV.UK before using the app.
- Connect the App
- Using QR Code: Scan the QR code on your application’s web page.
- Using Connection Code: Enter the connection code provided during the online process if you can’t use the QR code.
- Scan Your Document
- For a “Passport”, take a clear picture of the photo page.
For a “BRP”, capture both the front and back of the card.
- For a “Passport”, take a clear picture of the photo page.
- Check Document Information
- Place your phone on the document to read the chip. Move the phone if needed until the document is recognized.
- Face Scan
- Hold the camera in front of your face for a scan, or skip this step if necessary.
- Take a Photo
- Take a clear picture in good lighting with a neutral expression and no face coverings.
- Complete Your Application
- Once your identity is verified, finish the rest of your application online.
- Post-Application
- You can delete the app once the application is complete. Use your digital immigration status to travel, as no physical visa sticker will be issued.
Visit the website for photographic guidance or more assistance; contact the help center if you face any issues.
Conclusion
Creating and using a UKVI e-Visa account is an essential step for students and visa holders to manage their immigration status in the UK. The process involves creating an account on GOV.UK, verifying your identity through the UK Immigration: ID Check app, and keeping your personal information up to date. Whether you hold a BRP or other physical documents, transitioning to an e-Visa provides secure, paperless access to your visa information. This ensures compliance with immigration laws, simplifies travel, and provides other easy proof of your status when needed.
To be updated with the new system and changes, follow A One Global Consultancy. We guide students through the visa process as well as create UKVI e-Visa accounts and also guide them with the usage of the e-Visa, ensuring a smooth transition into the UK for their studies.
