By Mario Deepromoter
Nigerians living in the UK will no longer receive biometric residence cards (BRCs) or biometric residence permits (BRP) as from December 31, 2024 as the Home office is replacing them with a new online eVisa system.
According to the Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom (CANUK), part of the UK government’s programme to replace all physical migration documents with digital versions, the eVisa, has been aggressively promoted throughout 2024 and by the end of the year, such physical documents will replace the current hard copy visa regime altogether.
CANUK noted that it means Nigerians who have BRCs and BRPs will no longer need them as they will now get a digital version, “which saves them from having to carry any physical documentation around”.
eVisa is an online record of your immigration status and the conditions of your permission to enter or stay in the UK.
CANUK Publicity Secretary, Rose Graham and Assistant Publicity Secretary, Mohammed Yiosese in a statement on Sunday, said, “Nigerians affected by the change will need to create a UKVI account to be able to access their eVisa.
“At a meeting with the Nigerian community leaders yesterday, Home Office officials stressed that updating a physical document to an eVisa does not affect the immigration status or the condition of anybody’s permission to enter or stay in the UK.
“During a four-hour meeting with representatives from the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (Canuk), the Nigeria in Diaspora Organisation (Nido) and high commission officials at the Home Office, a presentation was made on the new regime.”
CANUK quoted the Home Office as saying, ‘In the future, you’ll be able to use an eVisa to travel to the UK. You will not need to carry a physical document, except for your current passport, which must be registered to your UKVI account. Until the end of 2024, you will need to continue to carry your physical document when you travel, if you have one.
‘All BRP holders should visit www.gov.uk/evisa now to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa. Holders of other physical immigration documents, including passports containing vignette stickers or ink stamps and BRCs, can also find information there on what they need to do to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa
‘Once you have created your UKVI account you will be able to view the details of your eVisa online, for example your type of permission, when it expires and your conditions of stay in the UK. Your eVisa will be linked to your passport in your UKVI account.
‘You must keep your passport or ID card details up to date in your UKVI account and tell us about any changes so that your immigration status can be easily identified at the UK border. You’ll still need to carry your current passport with you.’
It noted that at the meeting, Home Office officials pointed out that eVisas will remain valid even when passports expire, and new ones have been applied for.
CANUK was formed by the Nigeria High Commission in the UK in 2005 in recognition of a need to unite the various Nigerian groups under one umbrella organisation to ensure that the welfare, views, and community interests of Nigerians in the foreign country are represented in a harmonious and organised manner.