How to prove permanent residency to employer and landlord? Steps to generate Share Code

The day your permanent residency is approved, you won't receive any card. Your UKVI account will only have one line added: Indefinite leave to remain. Your new company's HR sends a message saying "Send me your identity proof before joining," what do you send over?

Send a string of nine-character share code, plus your date of birth. The other party will use these two items to verify on the government website themselves. This is currently the only way for the employer to obtain statutory excuse.

Permanent residency has no expiration date, what exactly does the employer look at?

Look for the "View and prove your immigration status" service on GOV.UK, and log in with your UKVI account. To log in, you need to receive a verification code via the email or mobile number used during registration, plus a document number (passport number, or old BRP number). After logging in, click "Get a share code." The system will first ask you: What is this code for.

The nine-digit code will only be displayed after selecting the purpose. It is valid for 90 days, during which it can be used repeatedly for different people. However, each time the "Generate" button is pressed, a new set of codes will be generated; the old codes will not expire or be replaced. Send the code along with the birth date. After the other party inputs it, they will see a page with your photo and a verification result stating "No Time Limit." They need to keep their own records.

There are two types of people who cannot generate this code: British and Irish citizens; and those whose permanent residency document is the sticker on their passport (which says Settlement, Indefinite Leave to Enter or Remain, or No Time Limit). For the latter group, paper verification is required, and the employer can just copy the page of the passport where the sticker is located for record-keeping purposes. This is listed in the employer's List A.

A code cannot be used for two purposes, think clearly who it is for first.

The code for work purposes cannot be opened by the landlord, and vice versa. The rental code starts with the letter R, and the landlord can immediately know what the code is for by looking at the beginning. The verification entrance is also separated. If you use the wrong entrance, the legal exemption does not apply, and the fine will fall on the other party, but it will be you who has to re-arrange the documents.

Something will affect a group of people in October. The draft "Employer's guide to right to work checks" published by Home Office on September 11, 2026 (updated from the version on July 16) clearly states that it will take effect from October 1, 2026, according to Section 48 of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025, expanding the verification obligation to those hired under a worker's contract, independent subcontractors, and platforms providing online matching services. people who take orders for errands, get assigned tasks by the platform, and work long-term in self-employment for a company will likely be required to present a share code starting in October. The original guidance is written this way, not an industry rumor.

The landlord asks me once a year, can I not pay?

Yes. And I think it should be rejected.

There is a saying in the circle: after obtaining permanent residency, every time you renew the lease or change the contract, you need to issue a new code again. This is not true. People with ILR, settled status, or a passport with "No Time Limit" are considered to have unlimited right to rent in the system; once the landlord verifies correctly, it establishes a continuous legal exemption. As long as the lease itself does not change, there is no need to check again later. The same applies to the employer's side; permanent residency belongs to List A, and a single verification establishes a continuous exemption without any follow-up check. The ones who really need regular checks are tenants and employees with time-limited visas.

When the agent insists on annual inspection, don't be annoyed and just comply. Note down the date when the initial verification is completed, and reply: I hold an unlimited stay permit, according to the landlord's guidance in Home Office, it is an unlimited right to rent, the initial verification has established a continuous statutory excuse, the lease has not changed, so no re-examination is needed. Paying the fee every year is equivalent to manually turning an unlimited status into a time-limited record in their compliance file, and the next agent will check from scratch again.

If the other party brings up their internal compliance policies and refuses to make any concessions, a one-sentence issue can be resolved by paying £5 on justiscript.com for a written response from a British practicing lawyer, which can then be directly sent to the intermediary, which is more effective than asking twenty people in a group.

"If you carry out a check of this document in the correct way, you will establish a continuous statutory excuse against a civil penalty, and you will not need to carry out any further right to rent checks, provided there is no change to the tenancy agreement."
—— Home Office《Landlord's guide to right to rent checks》

The word "continuous" in this sentence is the word you got after waiting for five years.

[Data source] GOV.UK: Prove your right to work to an employer; Prove your right to rent in England; Draft employer's guide to right to work checks (version dated September 11, 2026, effective October 1, 2026); Landlord's guide to right to rent checks.

This article is for reference only. For specific issues, please consult a licensed attorney.

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