By Lucy Adautin
The British government has commenced the digitalization of its immigration system by inviting foreigners holding Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) to exchange their documents for a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account.
This account will serve as the platform for foreigners to access their eVisa.
As part of this initiative, millions of visa holders residing in the UK will transition from physical immigration documents to digital visas by 2025.
The transition process commenced on April 17, 2024. During this period, the Home Office will send emails to individuals holding BRPs, prompting them to create a UKVI account, which will serve as evidence of their immigration status.
Authorities will invite foreigners in the UK in phases before the process is officially open to all holders of physical immigration documents, scheduled for the upcoming summer.
“Replacing physical immigration documents with eVisas will ensure firm control over who comes here to live, work or study, strengthening border security and preventing abuse of the immigration system, while delivering cost savings for UK taxpayers,” Minister for Legal Migration and the Border, Tom Pursglove MP said.
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This initiative is being introduced in national efforts to digitalise the immigration system while also reducing the risk of fraud, and abuse of documents, which aims at strengthening the border security even further.
The authorities also went on to clarify that eVisas are free and available for those who hold physical and paper documents. Creating a UKVI account will not impact the user’s current status but is rather a measure that provides convenience.
eVisas are perceived as secure documents as those cannot be lost, unlike physical documents. In addition, they can be accessed at all times, further improving communication between users and authorities. Certain public bodies are already allowed to access immigration status to decide whether the candidate is eligible for public services.
eVisas have been tried and tested before and millions of people using the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) are evidence of how successful the measure can be. Most BRPs or BRCs are being removed gradually, with the majority of Biometric Residence Permits expiring by the end of 2024.
“We’ve already taken really significant steps to digitally transform the border and immigration system, and this wider rollout of eVisas is a key part of that process,” Purgslove MP said.
The United Kingdom is one of many countries that are planning or have already started the automation and digitisation of their immigration systems. Recently, Sri Lanka launched its eVisa system and announced that it would be a more efficient substitution for the Electronic Travel Authorization.
