UK Urges Immediate Transition to eVisas for Immigrants

The UK has initiated a campaign encouraging immigrants, particularly Indians, to switch from physical immigration documents to eVisas. With physical biometric residence permits due to expire soon, the UK government plans to digitize the immigration system by 2025. Grants and support are available to aid vulnerable individuals during this transition.

The UK has launched a significant initiative urging all immigrants, including Indians, who still use physical immigration documents to transition to eVisas immediately.

With plans to completely digitize its border and immigration system, the UK government aims to transition all physical biometric residence permits (BRPs), visa vignette stickers, and biometric residence cards (BRCs) to an eVisa system by next year. BRPs are set to expire towards the end of this year, and the transition to eVisas has already begun.

Seema Malhotra, the Minister for Migration and Citizenship, said, "Everyone with physical immigration documents is urged to take action now to switch to an eVisa, and free advice and support is available." The Home Office has allocated around GBP 4 million in grant funding to help those unsure about accessing eVisas.

(With inputs from agencies.)