What Human Resources should know about the UK’s eVisa- Alexander Finch writes in The HR Director

29 November 2024

The UK is undergoing a significant transformation of its immigration system towards a fully digital approach. The UK government has urged anyone with paper documents proving their immigration status to register for the new eVisa which they insist will be a safer, more reliable form of proof that employers, landlords, carriers and border force will require from next year.

Alexander Finch wrote about who needs to act, how to apply for an eVisa, how HR teams should prepare and the consequences for employers in The HR Director.

Employers should always keep on top of the latest right to work guidance and look out for an expected update that will reflect the digital transformation towards the end of this year. If you have any doubts, it never hurts to do an audit of right to work practice and sponsor compliance with an immigration specialist.

For assistance, please feel free to contact our friendly team of immigration experts. You can call us on +44(0) 207 033 9527 or email us to discuss any aspects of UK immigration at enquiries@vanessaganguin.com

If a right to work check was carried out using the UKVI online service (via a share code – available since January 2019), it should already show the employee’s correct permission end date. Until April 2022 however, a right to work check could be conducted by a manual check of a BRP.  In this case, the employer’s statutory excuse (an employer’s defence against civil penalties if they are found to be employing an illegal worker) may run out on 31 December 2024 and an updated right to work check should be carried out by this date. (The civil penalty for illegal working is now up to £60,000 per employee.)

(Photograph of Parliament by David Dibert /Unsplash)