University of Glasgow - International students - International student support - Visas and Immigration

eVisas

The UK government is changing to a digital immigration system of eVisas. An eVisa is your visa status viewed online and it is replacing physical visa documents like BRPs. You access your eVisa through something called a UKVI account.

If you have a BRP that expires on 31 December 2024, but your overall permission to stay in the UK is longer, and you do not already have an eVisa, then you will have the remainder of your immigration permission shown on your eVisa. To set up your eVisa, you must take action. - Get access to your eVisa

What is the difference between an eVisa and a UKVI account?

An eVisa is your visa status viewed online and it is replacing physical visa documents like BRPs. You need to set up a UKVI account to access your eVisa.

You use your UKVI account to:

Create your eVisa
Update your personal details

You use your eVisa to:

View your immigration status
Prove your immigration status to others (by getting a share code)

You can read more about eVisas and UKVI accounts on the government webpages - Online immigration status (eVisa) - GOV.UK

Do I need to create an eVisa?

Most people with a BRP card that expires on 31 December 2024 will need to set up an eVisa. There are some people who may already have an eVisa and won't need to create one.

You may already have an eVisa if you:

Have previously applied for a UK visa from inside the UK using the "UK Immigration: ID Check app" (this is the purple app that you use to submit your biometric data).
Have Settled or Pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

If you already have an eVisa, then you don't need to create another one, you simply need to get a sharecode and share it with the University through the HelpDesk following the instructions on the .

To learn more about the process of creating a UKVI account and accessing your eVisa, you can watch a video or have a look at this eVisa step by step guide.

What should I do if I already have a UKVI account and eVisa?

If you already have a UKVI account and eVisa, then you do not need to set up another eVisa, but please remember to give your sharecode to the University so that the Immigration Compliance Team can update your student record.

For instructions on how to give us your share code, please see the Immigration Compliance Team Webpages.

How do I set up my eVisa?

To get and view your eVisa, you need to create a UKVI account online and then link your eVisa to your account. You can do this here -Get access to your eVisa.

The process involves:

Creating a UKVI account.
Using the "UK Immigration: ID Check" app to scan your document and take a photo of your face.
Completing a short online application form.
Waiting to receive an email from the UKVI saying that your eVisa has been set up.

You don’t need to pay any fee or submit any new visa application to do this, and you do not need to apply for a replacement BRP.

To learn more about the process of creating a UKVI account and accessing your eVisa, you can watch this video.

Once you have your eVisa, you can view it on the View and Prove webpage. You can also get a share code on that webpage to share with the University. For instructions on how to give your share code to the University, please see the .

Is there a deadline for setting up my eVisa?

You should ensure that your eVisa is set up before your BRP expires. If you come to us with an eVisa issue after Friday 6th December then we cannot guarantee that we will be able to help you resolve the issue before Christmas Vacation.

This is especially important if you will be traveling outside of the UK after the date your BRP expires, since you could face issues re-entering the UK if your eVisa is not set up.

Since eVisa errors can take a while to fix and the University will close for several days over Christmas vacation, you should let us know as soon as possible if you need help with your eVisa. If you let us know too close to Christmas vacation, then we may not be able to help you resolve the issue in time.

You can register for your eVisa on the government webpages -Get access to your eVisa

After I set up my eVisa, how can I view it?

Once you create your UKVI Account and link it to your eVisa, you can view your eVisa by logging into the government's View and Prove website.

My BRP expires on 31 December 2024. What should I do?

If your BRP expires on 31 December 2024 and you've never used the "UK Immigration: ID Check" app for any previous visa applications, then you will likely need to create a UKVI account to access your eVisa.

It is important that you do this before your BRP expires, particularly if you plan to travel outside of the UK and re-enter after your BRP expires.

If you have a BRP which expires 31 December 2024, but you are not sure when your overall permission to stay in the UK ends, you can:

Check the original letter (sent by email) that you received from UKVI telling you that your visa was successful.

Set up your eVisa, then view your eVisa expiry date on the View and Prove webpage.

Can I travel outside of the UK and return after my BRP expires on 31 December 2024?

Yes, so long as your immigration permission is still valid after 31 December 2024, you have set up your eVisa, and your current passport details have been added to your UKVI account.

You can check if you have an eVisa by trying to log into the View and Prove webpage and seeing if you can generate a share code -View and prove your immigration status: get a share code - GOV.UK

You should read this UK government guidance before you travel - Check your eVisa is correct before you travel

You can also watch this video - How to Travel With Your eVisa video

If you are having issues with your eVisa, please note that the UK government has said that you can use a BRP that expires on 31 December 2024 for travel until March 2025: "In order to smooth the transition to eVisas, we have decided to allow carriers to accept a BRP or EUSS BRC expiring on or after 31 December 2024 as valid evidence of permission to travel until at least 31 March and this date will be kept under review. Customers travelling in the early part of the year are therefore advised to continue carrying their expired BRP, as this will add to the range of checking options already available to carriers."

The International Student Support team cannot gaurentee that you won't face issues at the border so please be prepared before you travel. In addition to your passport and any other documents that you normally take with you when you travel, you may wish to also bring the following with you when you travel:

sharecode
BRP (even if expired)
certifying letter showing your student status
In the event that you're having issues with your eVisa, then bring any communication you've had with the UKVI regarding your eVisa issues.

I am having trouble using the "UK Immigration: ID check" app.

One part of the process of creating a UKVI account and accessing your eVisa is downloading the "UK Immigration: ID check" app and submitting your biometrics using the app. Biometrics means personal data including your document (passport or BRP) information and your photo.

If you are having difficulty doing this on your own device, you can use a friend's phone. You can also book an eVisa drop-in appointment with the International Student Support team.

I need help with the eVisa process.

To learn more about the process of creating a UKVI account and accessing your eVisa, you can watch this video.

You can ask questions to the UKVI about the eVisa process by using the eVisa Webchat.

You can also book an eVisa drop-in appointment with the International Student Support team.

Alternatively, you can send us an email - internationalstudentsupport@glasgow.ac.uk

Do I need to ensure that all personal details in my UKVI account are kept up to date?

Yes! It is important that all the information in your UKVI account (and therefore your eVisa) is kept up to date. For example, you should ensure that your current passport and current BRP details are in your UKVI account. If you do not have your current document details in your UKVI account, this may cause issues, such as if you try to leave and re-enter the UK.

You can find the link to update your UKVI details on this government webpage - Update your UK Visas and Immigration account details: Overview - GOV.UK

You should ensure that you update your UKVI account if you’ve changed your:

mobile phone number
email address
name
identity document, such as your passport or national identity card
home address
postal address

You can also:

correct your date of birth
add an extra nationality - if you have dual nationality, for example
add an extra identity document
change your photo, for example if your appearance has changed and you can no longer be recognised from your photo
give someone else access to your visa applications, if you’d like them to help you apply
give someone else ownership of the UKVI account, if you set up the account on their behalf

Is my visa expiry date correct?

Although your BRP will show an expiry date of 31 December 2024, remember that this is not the same as your visa expiry date. It is important that you check the length of your visa, as any errors must be reported to UKVI straight away.

Once you set up your eVisa, you should check that your visa expiry date in your eVisa looks correct. This table shows the correct end date of your visa after your course end date:

Type of course	Period granted after course end date
A course of 12 months or longer	Four months
A course of six months or longer but shorter than 12 months	Two months
A pre-sessional course of less than six months	One month

If you think the end date on your eVisa is incorrect you can report this through the online eVisa error reporting form - Report an error with your eVisa - GOV.UK

My eVisa has an error. What should I do?

It is important that the information in your eVisa is correct.

If you think that your eVisa contains an error (for example, the expiry date, visa type, or any of your personal information) then please submit an eVisa error form. To complete the form, you will need to input the University's sponsor number which is: TRAW6PAA8

You can also contact the UKVI via their eVisa live chat - eVisa Webchat

If you are having trouble getting your eVisa error corrected then please contact us - internationalstudentsupport@glasgow.ac.uk

What is a share code?

A share code is something you can create after you set up your eVisa. It is valid for 90 days. You can generate as many sharecodes as you want.

You can share your share code with others so that they can view your eVisa. You may need to share this with people such as employers or banks. You must provide your share code to the University so that they can update your student record with your eVisa information.

How to view your eVisa and share it with others:

View and prove your immigration status: get a share code

Sharing your eVisa information with the University

Do I need to provide the University with my eVisa information?

Yes. Current students are required to provide the University with their eVisa information once they have it. This can be done by generating a share code and sharing it with the University in the Helpdesk. Instructions can be found on the Immigration Compliance webpages.

New students with an eVisa will need to share their eVisa details during Visa Registration, and instructions on how to do so can be found on the Visa Registration webpages under the heading: My new Visa has been issued as an electronic/digital 'e-Visa'.