BRPs are no longer being issued from 31st October 2024. Find out how you can prove your immigration status.
If you are a student of September 2024 or prior and you made a Student Visa application from outside the UK, you would have been granted a short visa in your passport (called a vignette). Your vignette should normally be 90 days in length, and will allow you to enter the UK. The rest of your visa duration will be recorded on your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP).
However, UKVI say that BRPs and vignettes are no longer being issued from 31st October 2024 onwards. Instead, a successful Student Visa applicant from 31st October 2024 onwards, can now expect to be issued with an eVisa. This is an electronic record of your visa which can be viewed online.
Your eVisa is an official government document that demonstrates your immigration status in the UK. It is available online and our evisa webpage explains how you can access it.
If UKVI issue you with a BRP
UKVI have issued a small number of BRPs for Student Visas, after the 31st October. If this happens in your case, guidance on what to do to get your BRP when you arrive in the UK is below.
The address of your BRP collection point will be shown on your visa decision letter. You must collect your BRP within 10 days of arriving in the UK, or before the expiry of the visa in your passport (whichever is the latest date).
You will also need to ensure you access your eVisa.
BRP and eVisa errors
*This information is only relevant if you hold a BRP. If you are a student that has started a new programme in January 2025, or have been granted a new visa after 31.10.25, you will be very unlikely to have a BRP*
Your BRP will include:
- your name, date and place of birth
- the data of your fingerprints and a photo of your face
- your immigration status and any conditions of your stay
- whether you can access public funds, for example benefits and health services
If your BRP contains any errors or you have lost it, please note you can no longer obtain a BRP replacement.
If note any errors with your BRP, you will need to:
- set up access to an eVisa
- ensure the details of your eVisa are correct. You will need to report an error with your eVisa if not
You may ask for an administrative review if both of the following apply:
- you applied for your visa from inside the UK
- there are mistakes in the length or conditions of your visa
You can contact the International Student Advice Service for guidance if you have a query with the information on your BRP or eVisa.