eVisas and Your UKVI Account: What Sponsored Workers Need to Check

The UK has moved away from physical immigration documents. Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) stopped being issued and expired at the end of 2024, replaced by the eVisa: a digital record of your immigration status accessed through a UKVI account. For sponsored workers, this changes some day-to-day practicalities that are worth getting right before they become urgent.

What an eVisa Is

An eVisa is not a document you carry; it is an online record of your immigration status held by the Home Office. You access it through your UKVI account, and you prove your status to others (employers, landlords) by generating a share code rather than showing a card.

If you were previously issued a BRP, your underlying immigration status did not change when the card expired. You do, however, need a UKVI account linked to your current passport to actually use and prove that status.

The Checks Every Sponsored Worker Should Do

1. Create or access your UKVI account if you have not already, and confirm it shows your correct name, date of birth, and current visa details
2. Keep your passport linked. If you renew your passport, update your UKVI account with the new document. Travelling on a passport your account does not know about is a common cause of problems at the border
3. Check your visa expiry date in the account matches what you expect, especially after a switch of employer or an extension
4. Know how to generate a share code before you need one. Right-to-work checks for a new employer, tenancy checks, and some banking checks all use them
5. Keep your contact details current. Curtailment letters and other Home Office correspondence go to the details on file, which matters enormously if you ever lose your sponsored job

For New Applicants Overseas

If you are applying for your first Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK, your grant will generally be issued as an eVisa tied to the passport you applied with. Check the decision email and your account carefully, and make sure the identity details match your passport exactly. Errors are much easier to fix before you travel than after.

For Job Switchers

When you move to a new sponsor, the new employer will run a right-to-work check using your share code. Generate it fresh (codes expire), and check your account reflects your new grant of permission after the switch application is decided. Our guide on switching employers on a Skilled Worker visa covers the wider process.

Common Problems and How to Avoid Them

• Locked out of the account: keep access to the email and phone number used to set it up, and update them when they change
• Status shows old details after a new grant: allow processing time, then raise it through the account's error-reporting route rather than ignoring it
• Travelling during a pending application: take advice first, because leaving the UK mid-application can void it in some situations
• Anyone charging a fee to "activate your eVisa": this is a scam pattern. Creating and managing a UKVI account is free. See our fake visa email scam warning

FAQ

Do I still need my expired BRP?

Keep it, since some processes ask for old documents as supporting evidence, but it is no longer proof of status. Your eVisa is.

What if my share code will not generate?

Check the account for error messages and identity mismatches first. Persistent problems can be raised with UKVI through the account help routes; do it before a job start date depends on it.

Does my employer see my whole immigration history with a share code?

A right-to-work share code shows an employer what they need for the check (your right to work and its conditions), not your full history.

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: VisaAtlas is an independent platform and is not affiliated with the UK government or any employer. The information in this article is for general guidance only and does not constitute immigration, legal, or career advice. Sponsor licence status, job availability, visa rules, and salary requirements can change. Always verify details with official UK government sources and the employer before making decisions.