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Why does my BRP expire on 31 December 2024?
Why your BRP expires on 31 December 2024
You may have noticed that your BRP expires before your visa is due to run out. There is no need to panic or apply for a renewal if your BRP expiry date is 31 December 2024.
By the end of 2024, all currently-issued BRP cards will expire in a move by the Home Office to both streamline and digitise visa and immigration services. This means your immigration status will be available online, and you will no longer need a BRP card to prove your status beyond 31 December 2024.
A BRP card is issued if you have indefinite leave to remain, or:
- Apply to come to the UK for longer than 6 month
- If you extend your visa to longer than 6 months
- Apply to settle in the UK as a British Citizen
Transfer your visa to a new passport - Apply for certain Home Office travel documents
You do not have to apply separately for a BRP. It will be issued to you by the UK Home Office.Â
From 1 January 2025, your Indefinite Leave to Remain date will be updated and transferred onto your own online account and you will then hold digital status.
What do these changes mean for my BRP status?
If you currently hold a valid BRP card with the expiry date of 31 December 2024, from 1 January 2025 your immigration status will be available online. Your immigration status will not be affected by this expiry date.
This means that you will rely solely on your online digital status to be able to demonstrate your right to work, right to study, right to rent property and to open a bank account in the United Kingdom.
This shift is in line with changes introduced to the right to work guidance from 6 April 2022, which confirms that BRP cards will no longer be acceptable documents for the purposes of manual right to work checks.
What do I need to do when my BRP transfers online?
If you have been granted permission to remain in the UK after 31 December 2024, the Home Office should have been in touch in early 2024 to let you know the process involved and any actions they need you to take. They will ask you to make an account on the new online eVisa portal. You can learn more about this in our blog on recent updates to the eVisa and BRP cards.
This means that your rights to live, your rights to rent and open a bank account in the UK will simply be transferred to your own online immigration account from 1 January 2025.Â
For those who travel outside of the UK with current Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) status, you will still be able to prove your ILR status using your online BRP account in the future. The current procedures apply for your BRP Card until 31 December 2024.
What does this mean for employers?
If you currently employ someone with a BRP card that expires before 31 December 2024, you must ensure that you have a record of the expiry date on your employee’s file.Â
Your employee has to provide you with evidence that they are able to remain living and working in the UK after this expiry date. This is part of the usual right to work checks you have to undertake on their behalf.
Please note that your employees’ right to work will not be impacted by changes to the BRP card.Â
What if my BRP card expires before 31 December 2024?
People who have indefinite leave to remain will need to use the Government’s online BRP replacement service from within the UK. Here, you can simply apply for a new BRP; you will receive a decision within six months.
Those who are in the UK on a visa or with further leave to remain, cannot apply for a new card. You must instead apply to extend your visa, apply for a new visa, or apply to extend your leave to remain. If your application is successful, you will be given a new BRP card.
Contact us for our expert legal advice
Woodcock Law & Notary Public is highly experienced in assisting both individuals and businesses with their UK Immigration Advice Services. If you need our assistance please get in touch with us today.
We offer a free 10-minute assessment during which you can discuss your issue with a member of our law team, and allow them to see how they can help you. After this, you will be able to book a longer, paid consultation where you are given legal advice by our Principal Solicitor, Nathan Woodcock. The longer consultation will allow our team to plan what steps to take next.Â
Ready for assistance?
If you have any questions, or want to book an appointment with one of our legal experts, contact Woodcock Law today. Call us on +44 (0)20 7712 1705 or email info@woodcocklaw.co.uk.
