eVisas and Digital Immigration Status

The UK Government (UKVI) is developing a digital immigration system that will replace physical documents such as biometric residence permits (BRP) and visa stickers printed inside passports with a digital eVisa.

An eVisa is a digital record of your UK immigration status which you will access via your own personalised UKVI Account.

If you are currently in the UK with a time limited UK visa and BRP expiring on 31^st December 2024, you will need a digital eVisa in order to travel and prove your immigration status from 1^st January 2025 onwards. How you obtain your eVisa will depend on what type of immigration permission you have and where and when you applied for it.  Please read on and refer to the relevant section for your personal circumstances below.  

You must register for a UKVI Account and eVisa to be able to continue proving your immigration status and to be able to travel in and out of the UK on or after 1^st January 2025.

We have created a short video to explain this process and recommend all students should watch this as a first step - please watch that here.

eVisas queries: We have received information from the UKVI advising us to refer queries regarding the eVisa and related processes to their Web Chat facility. They are best placed to help you with your specific queries as the system and process belongs to and is managed by them. You will find their assistance here: https://ukimmigration-support-webchat.homeoffice.gov.uk/evisa

You will need to generate a share code when you attend your Right to Study check as part of enrolment. You need to log into your UKVI Account and generate a share code for "something else" and take to this code to Right to Study along with your passport and other important documents (listed on the Right to Study webpage).

You will also need to bring your Visa Decision Letter (sent to you by email when your visa is granted) to your Right to Study check (a digital copy on your phone will be fine), along with your eVisa share code, as the Visa Decision Letter confirms some important conditions about your visa that do not appear on the eVisa itself.  We have created a short video to explain this process - please watch that here.

Once you have watched the video please follow the steps in the section at the bottom of this page called How do I get an eVIsa. This has the UKVI link you need to follow, as well as a step-by-step guide to help you with the process - please ensure that you are using that to help you.

When you come to enter the UK from 1st January 2025, you will be asked to show evidence of your existing immigration permission so that Border Officers can permit entry to the UK – this should be done by your eVisa linked to your travel document (usually a passport). 

 Before you travel to the UK, please ensure you:

• Follow all the instructions in your decision letter to create a UKVI Account.
• Access your eVisa and check the details are correct: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-sure-your-evisa-is-correct-before-you-travel 
• Link your travel document (e.g. passport) to your eVisa before travelling.
• Get a share code (with your date of birth): https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status 

From 15th July 2025, main applicants (Students) will only get an eVisa and no 90-day vignette sitcker in their passport. Student Dependant Partners and Children will still get both a vignette and an eVisa.

 We strongly suggest that when you travel to the UK, in your hand luggage you carry:

1. Your passport linked to your eVisa.
2. A printout or written note of your valid sharecode. 
3. A printout of your most recent eVisa showing the visa type and expiry date of the permission you hold (also take a screenshot on your phone but don’t rely on this alone in case your battery dies).
4. A Student Statement or a copy of your latest CAS statement in case it is requested. A Student Statement/Proof of Enrolment letter is available to all enrolled students. This will have your dates of study plus the UK address that the University has on file for you (or an overseas address if you haven't provided a UK address yet). You can access this letter yourself from your Gradintelligence account. More information can be found on the MyUniHub page here.
5. Evidence that you have applied for an eVisa and it has been issued, but you are having problems viewing it online etc (this could be the UKVI visa decision letter/confirmation email you received when you applied).

Please note that from 2nd June 2025, expired biometric residence permits (BRPs) and biometric residence cards (BRCs) can no longer be used for travel. However, you should keep an expired BRP or BRC for personal records or for assisting with future immigration applications.

There is a useful 4 minute video from the UK Government about travelling to the UK using your eVisa; we suggest you watch to help understand the process at the UK Border: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdZLXvfau2A

If you can already access your UKVI Account to view your eVisa and generate a share code, you don't need to take further action unless you need to update you account with new information (change of name, new passport etc).

However, if you need to create an eVisa or UKVI Account, here is an overview of the five steps to completing the eVisa process: 

• Step 1 - If you don't have one already, create your UKVI Account. You can do this either on a laptop or your smartphone/tablet. 
• Step 2 - Once you have created your UKVI Account, you will need to log back in to start the next stage of the process which will be to confirm your identity using your ID document and the UK Immigration: ID Check App. You need a smartphone or tablet to download the App. If your phone is not compatible with the UK Immigration: ID Check App, and you don’t have access to another device that is compatible, you can select to 'Confirm your identity without the app' where you will be directed to take a photo of your passport and yourself and upload them to be checked. 
• Step 3 - Once you have confirmed your identity using the ID Check App, log back into the UKVI Account again (either on your phone or laptop) and complete the rest of the eVisa form. Submit the form. It may take a few hours to be able to view your eVisa. 
• Step 4 – Once your eVisa is ready to view you will receive an email from the UKVI.  Keep this email somewhere safe where you can find it again in the future. Log in to view your eVisa and check that all the information on it is correct
• Step 5 - Update your UKVI Account with your current passport details and link your eVisa to it.

Most visa holders should find the process quick and straight forward.

We have created this step-by-step guide to e-Visas to help you with each step. PLEASE download and use this to help you with the process.

The UKVI link for creating an eVisa account can be found here.

The UKVI have said that Students applying for a visa overseas from June 2024 will be able to create a UKVI Account once the Student visa has been granted. Main applicants (Students) will no longer be issued a vignette (visa sticker) in their passport, only an eVisa. Dependants and children will still get both a vignette and an eVisa.

Please read your visa decision letter carefully, it will contain the following useful information:

• your full visa validity dates - please check these are correct for your course.
• instructions about how to create your UKVI Account and access your e-Visa.

Keep a copy of this letter somewhere safe where you can refer back to it when needed. 

Before starting your course, you will need to complete a Right to Study check whereby Swansea University staff will check your visa status and eligibility to study as part of the enrolment process. When attending your right to study check please bring with you the following documents:

• Your valid passport linked to your eVisa.
• your share code (select "for something" from the list of options).
• Your visa decision letter - this will be sent to you by email when your visa is granted or it will be included with the documents returned with your passport from the visa centre.
• Any other documents/qualifications/certificates as requested by the enrolment team.

If you applied for your current visa from within the UK using the UK Immigration: ID Check App, you will have already created a UKVI Account and will have been issued an eVisa when your visa was granted. Please refer back to the visa decision email received when the visa was granted where you will find instructions about using your digital immigration status and eVisa.

UKVI have created this page explaining what you can do with your UKVI Account

Failing to keep your UKVI Account updated will result in delays at the UK border and difficulty proving your immigration status.

If you had to book an appointment and attend a UKVCAS visa centre to submit biometrics and original ID documents as part of your most recent visa application, you should be/ have been issued an eVisa, but you may need to create a UKVI Account to access it and generate a share code. 

Please see the instructions on this webpage for guidance on how to set up a UKVI Account and ensure you can access your eVisa.

If you hold a UK visa (e.g. Study, Graduate, Skilled Worker):

• the vast majority of EU/EEA/Swiss citizens should have been able to apply for a UK visa overseas and in the UK using the UK Immigration: ID Check App. If you applied in this way, you will already have an eVisa which is linked to your passport. This will have been confirmed in your visa decision email or letter. You do not need to take any further action, other than to keep your personal, contact and ID document details updated on your UKVI Account.

If you had to attend a UK Visa Application Centre (VAC) as part of the overseas visa application, then you may not have been issued an eVisa. If this applies to you, you will need to create a UKVI Account and register for an eVisa.

If you applied to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS):

• If you were granted either EU pre-settled or settled status, you should already have a UKVI Account and a digital immigration status if you used the EU Exit App at the time you applied. Please refer instead to our EUSS webpages which includes information about accessing your digital immigration status.  

Please also remember to update your UKVI Account with any changes to your personal, contact or ID document details.

If you have a BRP card you will need to create a UKVI Account and register for an eVisa using the instructions below to  guide you. You can still apply even if your BRP itself has expired.

The Home Office has simplified the process for getting an eVisa for people with ILR who still use an ink stamp or vignette in their passport to prove their rights.

However, if you are in this situation, the Home Office enocurage you to make a No Time Limit (NTL) application which allows you to:

• create a UKVI account.
• access an eVisa
• prove your rights more easily in future.

You can still use your current ink stamp or vignette to prove your rights, including for travel. At the same time, you can benefit from the added security and convenience of an eVisa.

To apply, youonly need:

• the document showing ILR
• your passport or travel document showing your most recent UK entry.

You will be asked if you have been outside the UK for two years or more, but don’t need to provide evidence of residence.

You can travel freely while your NTL application is being processed.

Once approved, you will receive an eVisa and instructions on how to access it in your decision letter or email.

People who were granted permission to stay in the UK before 1 November 2024, but who don’t have valid ID, can now create their own UKVI account. They no longer need the Home Office to do it for them.

Over the coming months, the Home Office plan to roll out this self-service account creation process to include more groups who currently require Home Office support to create an account.

Keep the login details for your UKVI Account somewhere safe where you can access them when you need to. It is very important that you keep your UKVI Account up to date at all times with your current personal, contact, and ID document details. Please see the section below for guidance.

You will use your account to view your eVisa and to prove your immigration status to 3^rd parties such as the University or employers, as well as using it to book international travel, to board a plane/train/ferry and at the immigration desk on arrival in the UK. 

The UKVI has published guidance on using your UKVI Account  and two very useful videos to help you prove your immigration status using an eVisa as well as how to use your eVisa when you travel.

To evidence your immigration status you will need to generate a share code from your eVisa account. This share code (alongside your date of birth) would be shared with the employer, landlord (for rentals in England only) or education provider. They can use that code to access your eVisa status via a special UKVI system.

IMPORTANT: When generating a share code to prove your Right to Study to the University you should choose the option which says 'Something else' and not the work or rental option. The University cannot approve your Right to Study with a sharecode generated for a different category.

Your eVisa is linked to the travel ID document used to create your UKVI Account. For most people this will have been their BRP. You must continue to carry your BRP when you travel in and out of the UK for as long as it remains valid.

When you arrive in the UK at the airport, ferry or railway terminal you will have your ID document scanned at the immigration desk. The eVisa needs to be linked to that travel ID document for the immigration officer to be able to see your immigration status.

Before your BRP expires you MUST update your UKVI Account with your current passport details and link your eVisa to it because this will be the travel document you will use for international travel once your BRP expires on 31^st December 2024.  

Now that visas have "gone digital" and BRP cards will no longer be issued, we are aware that some students may want to look for another source of identification for ID purposes. We recommend students obtain one of these ID cards to use for day-to-day identification purposes.

There are a couple of ID cards that we are aware available for purchase.

• PASS (Proof of Age Standards Scheme) is the UK’s national proof of age accreditation scheme, endorsed by the Home Office, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the Security Industry Authority (SIA). The PASS Scheme accredits a number of national and local suppliers of PASS hologrammed cards. To apply for a card you need to contact one of the schemes listed on their website - Apply for Card | The National Proof of Age Standards Scheme

Take a look at what the different schemes have to offer and select the one that best matches your personal needs.

Experience shows us that students tend to use their passport for ID purposes. Every year we see many students lose these and have difficulty in getting them replaced in what is usually a costly and time consuming process. Getting a replacement passport may necessitate you travelling to London to apply, adding extra cost, and time to the already challenging situation. Therefore, we recommend arranging and carrying one of the cards above as identification.

Important Note: The VISA Advice (formerly International@Campuslife) is not able to offer support with, or validation of, applications or confirmation of ID such as acting as a referee etc. Swansea University has no involvement or ability to intervene in their processes or requirements. Please refer any queries, questions, and support issues directly to the card provider.

The introduction of digital immigration status and eVisa is still relatively new. As with any new system, some users may have questions or find that they encounter problems accessing or using their eVisa.  

The UK Council for International Student Affairs has created a useful FAQ (frequently asked questions) page using feedback from students and Universities who are already using the eVisa system. Hopefully you will find the UKCISA eVisas FAQs webpage useful.

The UKVI have advised us to refer queries regarding eVisa and related processes to their Web Chat facility. They are best placed to help you with your specific queries as the system and process belongs to, and is managed by, UKVI.

You will find their assistance here: https://ukimmigration-support-webchat.homeoffice.gov.uk/evisa