Is the Expiry Date on the BRP Correct?

The Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) contains details of an overseas national’s immigration status in the UK. Yet, many individuals have been in touch to ask whether the expiry date on the BRP is correct?

Background

The BRP is issued to overseas nationals with leave to enter the UK for more than 6 months. It may also be granted to those applying to settle in the UK, or where a person wishes to transfer the visa vignette from their passport.

The BRP is governed UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to enable the overseas national visa holder to confirm their:

• Identity
• Right to work and study
• Right to any public services or benefits you are entitled to

The BRP will contain the person’s name, nationality, visa category and the expiry date of their leave.

However, it is possible for the BRP to display an expiry date that is not reflective of a person full leave entitlement. For instance, a Skilled Worker visa holder may have been granted leave to remain in the UK until 31 June 2025, yet the BRP states that their visa status is due to end on 31 December 2024.

Is the expiry date on the BRP correct? Or did UKVI make a mistake?

BRP dates

From 6 April 2022, prospective employers will need to make online checks to prove a person’s identity. This will also apply to property owners and their agents, as UKVI seeks to move away from the BRP being the dominate proof of an overseas national’s identity.

For those overseas nationals that had used UKVI’s ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to prove their identity when extending their visa, a BRP would not have been issued to them at all. Instead, such individuals would have been granted a digital immigration status instead.

Indeed, from 31 December 2024, UKVI intend for all overseas visa holders to have a digital immigration status. For this reason, recently issued BRPs will contain an expiry date of 31 December 2024.

Therefore, if a person has leave to remain until June 2025 and the BRP has an expiry date of 31 December 2024, is the expiry date on the BRP correct? Yes. The BRP will cease to have validity past that date and cannot be used as proof of identity from 1 January 2025.

However, an early expiry date on the BRP does not mean that the person’s permission to stay in the UK ends on that date. And there is no need for the visa holder to contact UKVI about this. Instead, the person will be expected to direct employers, for instance, to their digital immigration status for the duration of their visa status.

In other words, the overseas national’s immigration status will not be impacted by the introduction of the electronic system.

@ukimmigrationexplained

Happy New Year!!! #ukimmigration #guidanceonly #questionsanswered #brp #proofofresidency #righttowork

♬ original sound – Carla Thomas

Conclusion

If you would like specific immigration advice, you can arrange a telephone consultation to discuss the merits of a visa application.

We also offer professional immigration assistance with preparing a visa application, to help the process go as smoothly as possible.

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Written by Carla Thomas – Managing Director at Thomas Chase immigration.

Thomas Chase Immigration offer immigration assistance to individuals and families.

Call to action

If you have questions or concerns or you would like straightforward immigration advice, or help with applying for a visa, Thomas Chase Immigration can help. Our processes are tried and tested. We offer an individual touch when assisting you and presenting the matter to UKVI.