What is the New Form to Accompany eVisas?
The Home Office describes the document as a form for accompanying an eVisa. The published form contains information relating to the holder and their immigration permission.
The specimen version published by the Home Office contains personal immigration status fields and includes wording stating that the document is valid only for travel to the United Kingdom when accompanied by a valid digital status.
The document expressly states that it does not itself confer a visa or right of entry to the UK. As such, the document alone is not sufficient for travel, and a valid eVisa or other qualifying digital immigration status remains necessary.
The eVisa itself continues to be the official record of immigration permission held within Home Office systems.
The Home Office has not yet published detailed operational guidance explaining when the form should be used. However, the specimen document itself refers specifically to travel to the United Kingdom, suggesting it is intended to have a travel-related function alongside a valid eVisa.
Who is the form for?
The form is relevant to individuals who already hold an eVisa.
Current Home Office guidance continues to direct visa holders to access their immigration status through their UKVI account and generate share codes where proof of status is required for employers, landlords and other authorised organisations.
Nothing published to date suggests the new form replaces any of these existing processes.
How does it fit into the eVisa system?
The UK’s digital immigration system continues to operate through:
- an individual’s eVisa record
- their UKVI account
- share codes used to prove immigration status
- linked travel documents, including passports.
The Home Office has not announced any changes to these arrangements following publication of the form.
Individuals should continue to ensure their UKVI account remains accessible and that any passport or travel document linked to their eVisa record is accurate and up to date.
Does the form replace a BRP or BRC?
No, the new eVisa form does not replace either a BRP or BRC.
The move to eVisas replaced physical immigration documents such as Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) and Biometric Residence Cards (BRCs) as the primary means of evidencing immigration status.
The new accompanying form is not a replacement for those documents. The Home Office continues to identify the eVisa itself as the official record of immigration status.
DMS Perspective
The Home Office has not yet published detailed guidance explaining how the form is expected to be used in practice.
While the document contains information relating to an individual’s immigration status, the accompanying publication does not indicate that it replaces existing eVisa verification processes or introduces any new requirement for visa holders, sponsors or carriers.
Existing right to work, right to rent and immigration status checking processes remain unchanged.
The specimen document provides the first indication of its likely purpose. Unlike share codes, which are designed for employers, landlords and other status checking organisations, the new form is framed around travel to the UK and expressly requires an accompanying valid digital status. That suggests the Home Office sees it as a supporting travel document rather than an alternative method of proving immigration status.
Based on the information currently available, the new form appears to be an administrative addition to the eVisa framework rather than a substantive policy change. The Home Office may publish further operational guidance in due course, but for now the existing digital status system remains unchanged.
Need Assistance?
If you have questions about eVisas, digital immigration status or UK visa compliance requirements, speak to one of our UK immigration specialists. DavidsonMorris provides expert advice to individuals, employers and sponsors on all aspects of the UK’s immigration system.
For specialist advice, contact us for a fixed-fee telephone consultation.
Access the official eVisa accompanying form here >
