How to prove permanent residency to employers and landlords? Steps to generate Share Code

The day your permanent residency is approved, you won't receive any card. There will be only one line added to your UKVI account: Indefinite leave to remain. The HR of your new company messages you saying "Send me your identity proof before joining", what do you send them?

Send a 9-character share code, plus your date of birth. The other person can verify these two items on the government website themselves. This is currently the only way for the employer to obtain a 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 used for.

The nine-digit code will only be generated after the purpose is selected. It is valid for 90 days, during which it can be used repeatedly for different people, but each time the "Generate" button is pressed, a new set of codes will be generated; old codes will not expire or be replaced. Send the code along with the birth date, and after the other person 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 present 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, a paper verification is required, and the employer can just make a copy of the page in the passport, which is listed as List A in the employer's guidelines.

A code cannot be used for two purposes. Think clearly who it is for.

工作用途的码给房东是打不开的，反过来也一样。租房码以字母 R 开头，房东一看开头就知道这码是干什么的。核验入口也是分开的，用错入口，法定免责不成立，罚款落在对方头上，但重新折腾材料的是你。

Something will affect a batch 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 pick up orders through , get assigned tasks by the platform, or work long-term in a self-employed capacity for one company are likely to be required to present a share code starting in October. The original guidance says this, 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. This is not true. People with ILR, settled status, or No Time Limit on their passport are considered to have unlimited right to rent under the system; once the landlord verifies correctly, they establish continuous legal exemption, and there is no need to check again as long as the lease itself remains unchanged. The same applies to the employer side; permanent residency belongs to List A, and a single verification establishes 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 verification, don't mind the trouble and just comply. Note down the date when the initial verification was completed, and reply: I hold an unlimited stay permit, and 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; since the lease has not changed, there is no need for re-examination. By paying the fee every year, you are effectively turning an unlimited status into a time-limited record in their compliance file, and the next agent will have to check everything from scratch.

If the other party brings up their internal compliance policies and refuses to budge, a one-sentence issue can be resolved by spending £5 on justiscript.com to have a UK-qualified lawyer write a formal response, which can then be directly sent to the intermediary, which is more effective than asking twenty people in a group.

"If you conduct a check of this document in the correct manner, 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, providing 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 11 September 2026, effective 1 October 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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