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 just have one line added: Indefinite leave to remain. When 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 displayed after selecting the purpose. 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 code will be generated; the old code 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 a record themselves.

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, paper verification is required; employers just need to photocopy the page of the passport where the sticker is located, which is listed in the employer's guidance as List A.

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

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 entry is also separated. If you use the wrong entry, the legal exemption does not apply, and the fine will fall on the other party, but you will have to re-arrange the documents.

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, get assigned tasks by the platform, and work long-term as self-employed individuals for one 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 community: 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 No Time Limit on their passport are considered to have unlimited right to rent under the system; once the landlord verifies correctly once, it establishes a continuing legal exemption, and there is no need to check again as long as the lease itself has not changed. Similarly, for the employer's side, permanent residency belongs to List A, and a single verification establishes a continuing 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 a permanent residence 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 further review 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 compromise, 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 carry out a check of this document in the correct way, you will establish a continuous statutory defence 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 2026-09-11, effective 2026-10-01); 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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