In May 2026, at the boarding gate of London Heathrow Airport, a Chinese with permanent resident status was refused boarding - the reason was that her BRP card had expired and she had not created a UKVI account to access eVisa. "I got permanent residence, how could it expire?" Her confusion represents the real situation of about 300,000 British residents as of April 2025: all BRP cards have expired and been replaced by eVisa, but many people have not realized the impact of this digital transformation on permanent residence status.
To make matters even more difficult, from 2 June 2025, expired BRP can no longer be used for return travel to the UK. If you haven’t completed the eVisa conversion, you may not be able to come back next time you leave the country. Today we explain all the key points of this new system in the most practical way.
📱 BRP card expiration vs permanent residence status: Don’t be scared by the date
Misunderstanding 1: "31 December 2024" is printed on the BRP card. Has my permanent residence expired?
The answer is: permanent residence status is completely valid, only the plastic card has expired. December 31, 2024 was selected as the technical termination date for the BRP card program, not the expiration date of any individual’s immigration status.
Once approved, the permanent residence status (Indefinite Leave to Remain) is permanent and has no expiration date, unless you have been absent from the country for more than 2 consecutive years or revoked by the Ministry of Home Affairs due to serious crime/fraud/national security reasons.
The BRP card has been replaced by eVisa. The nationwide switch is part of the digitization of the UK immigration system, with the aim of having the vast majority of visa holders using electronic records by 2025. Your right to permanent residence has not changed at all, only the method of proving it has changed.
🔄 What is eVisa? Why do I need to convert?
eVisa is an online record of your immigration status and conditions of permission to enter or remain in the UK. It replaces:
• BRP/BRC Card (Biometric Residence Permit/Card)
• Visa sticker (vignette)
in passport
•Permanent residence ink stamp
in passport
• Paper immigration documents
Why should be transferred? Because from a practical perspective:
1. Travel needs
From 2 June 2025, expired BRP can no longer be used for travel to the UK. The airline will check whether your UKVI account has a valid eVisa before boarding. If not, you will not be able to board the flight.
2. Required for work & renting
Employers, landlords or other agencies who need real-time access to your immigration status use a share code to complete the Right to Work and Right to Rent checks. Although expired BRP can still be used to obtain sharing codes within 18 months after expiration, this grace period will also end in mid-2026.
3. Trouble after changing passport
If your permanent residence is stamped with old-fashioned passport ink, it is extremely inconvenient to have to carry your old passport to prove your identity every time you change your passport. After converting to eVisa, you only need to link the new passport information to the UKVI account.
✅ Conversion paths for different permanent residence holders
Situation A: You have BRP card that expires at the end of 2024
You need to create a UKVI account to access your eVisa. step:
1️⃣ Visit gov.uk/evisa
2️⃣ Prepare your BRP number (upper right corner of the card) or the UAN number
from your last visa application
3️⃣ Prepare valid passport
4️⃣ Follow the prompts to create an account and complete identity verification
5️⃣ is free, no need to send passport or BRP card
Keep your expired BRP card, you may still need to use it to obtain the sharing code of Right to Work or Right to Rent within 18 months after the expiration date.
Situation B: Your permanent residence is an ink stamp or sticker in your passport (old ILR)
You can continue to use these files including travel, but conversion to eVisa is highly recommended. You need to do No Time Limit (NTL) to apply for :
• Submit NTL application
at gov.uk/evisa
• completely free
• Processing time currently averages 3 months (due to high demand)
• Proof of identity and a photo of your permanent residence document required
Misunderstanding 2: I already have permanent residence, why do I still need to "apply" for NTL?
An NTL application gives the Home Office the opportunity to review your decision to settle. Even if you have previously demonstrated eligibility, an NTL application requires you to demonstrate once again that you have valid permanent residence. This is not a re-application for permanent residence, but rather a "transcription" of your permanent status into a digital system. But there is a real risk - if the Home Office finds that your permanent residence status has expired due to long-term absences, etc., it may be refused.
Situation C: Newly approved permanent residence after October 2024
If you apply for permanent residence now and your application is successful, you will usually be issued eVisa directly, and the Home Office will provide instructions for creating a UKVI account and accessing your digital identity. No additional action is required.
🔐 How to use eVisa: Share Code is the key
After creating a UKVI account, your permanent residence status will be displayed as "No time limit" (no time limit) or "Indefinite" (indefinite), and no future end date will be displayed.
daily use scenarios:
is looking for a new job : Log in to UKVI account → View and Prove → Select Right to Work → Generate Share Code → Give the employer your Share Code + date of birth
renting : Same process, choose Right to Rent
outbound travel : Make sure your current passport is linked to your UKVI account, and the airline will automatically check your eVisa
The Share Code is 16 characters long, valid for 90 days from the date of generation, and can be used multiple times. Just regenerate after expiration.
Misunderstanding 3: If I send the Share Code to my employer, can they see all my information?
Won't. Employers and landlords see an independent, limited version that only displays necessary information related to Right to Work/Rent and does not expose your complete immigration history.
⚠️ 3 deadly pits to avoid now
Pit 1: Use your school/company email address to register a UKVI account
If your email becomes invalid after resigning or graduating, you will not be able to log in to your account. must use the permanent personal email address (Gmail, Outlook, etc.).
Pitfall 2: Didn’t update UKVI account after changing passport
Many people discovered at the airport that the new passport was not associated with eVisa, causing the airline to be unable to check their immigration status and deny boarding. Log in to your UKVI account immediately after changing your passport to update . Path: gov.uk → Update your UK Visas and Immigration account details.
Pitfall 3: Don’t switch to eVisa if you think “you can still use your old passport anyway”
While employers can manually check passports for endorsements or stickers that say "Settlement" or "Indefinite Leave," and landlords can accept expired passports containing the ILR sticker, you can't use your old passport to prove your identity to an employer - it must have eVisa. Moreover, policies may be tightened at any time in the future, and if we don’t change now, we will be more passive in the future.
🛠️ What should I do if I encounter a problem?
• eVisa displays incorrect information : Submit
through GOV.UK’s Report an error with your eVisa online form
• Unable to access account : Contact UKVI Resolution Center (GOV.UK search "UKVI Resolution Centre")
• Don’t know how to operate : There are official video tutorials on GOV.UK (search for "how to create UKVI account")
• Worried about problems with permanent residence status: Consult a licensed immigration lawyer and do not blindly apply for NTL by yourself
If you have questions about your permanent residence countdown, the number of days to leave the country, or whether you should apply for NTL now, you can use 永居计算器APP (https://justiscript.com/ilr) to calculate the day, or add our licensed lawyer WeChat uklvshi for case consultation.
💬 Written at the end: Digitalization is a trend, but don’t let it become an obstacle
The comprehensive digitization of the British immigration system is a general trend, and millions of people have received eVisa since 2018. For permanent residence holders, the essence of this conversion is to "change the proof method", and your rights are not reduced at all.
But including those who have permanent residency and thought they would no longer have to deal with the immigration system, there are still about 300,000 British residents who have not yet set up eVisa as of April 2025. If you are one of them, go to gov.uk/evisa today to complete the conversion to - don't wait until you are stopped at the airport next time you leave the country and find an expired plastic card, which will really make it impossible for you to return "home".
Have you completed the eVisa conversion? What pitfalls did you encounter during the process? welcomes sharing in the comment area to help more people avoid lightning 👇
⚖️ Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. British immigration regulations and policies change frequently. For specific questions, please consult a licensed immigration lawyer (OISC registered consultant or solicitor).
📊 Data source
• GOV.UK - Online immigration status (eVisa): https://www.gov.uk/guidance/online-immigration-status-evisa
• GOV.UK - Biometric residence permits: https://www.gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits
• House of Commons Library - Replacement of UK residence permits with eVisas: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10097/
📚 Data source
·https://www.gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits
· https://www.gov.uk/guidance/online-immigration-status-evisa
· https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-have-now-taken-action-to-access-their-evisa