What Is a UK eVisa and Why Does It Matter?
A UK eVisa is an electronic record of your immigration status held securely in the Home Office’s UKVI system. Instead of carrying a physical card or document, you access your immigration permission entirely online through your UKVI account on GOV.UK.
Your eVisa has replaced the following physical documents:
- Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs)
- Biometric Residence Cards (BRCs)
- Visa vignette stickers in passports
- Wet ink entry stamps
The shift to eVisas means that anyone wishing to check UK immigration status, whether for work, renting, study, or travel, must now do so digitally. Employers, landlords, government agencies, and border officials all use the online system to verify your status in real time.
If you have not yet created a UKVI account and linked your eVisa, you should do so immediately to avoid disruption to your employment, tenancy, or travel plans.
How to Check Your UK Immigration Status Online: Step-by-Step Guide
To check your UK immigration status in 2026, use the official View and Prove Your Immigration Status service on GOV.UK. Here is how:
- Visit the View and Prove Your Immigration Status page on GOV.UK
- Sign in to your UKVI account using your registered email address or phone number
- Enter your identity document details, your passport, BRP number, or Home Office application reference number
- Receive a one-time security code by email or SMS and enter it to verify your identity
- View your digital UK immigration status and your eVisa on screen
Once logged in, your eVisa displays your:
- Visa type and immigration category
- Permission start and expiry dates
- Conditions, including any restrictions on work, study, or access to public funds
- Right to work in the UK
- Right to rent property in England
- Right to access NHS services, benefits, and education
If you are unable to access your online immigration record or are unsure what your eVisa conditions mean, Stanton Black can provide expert guidance.
How to Set Up Your UKVI Account to Access Your eVisa
To check UK immigration status online, you must first create a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account. This applies to all visa holders, including those with:
- Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs)
- Passport vignettes or entry clearance stamps
- EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) pre-settled or settled status
- Points-based visa leave to remain (Skilled Worker, Student, Family visas, and others)
To create your UKVI account:
- Go to the UKVI account creation page on GOV.UK
- Enter your passport or BRP details
- Download the UK Immigration: ID Check app if prompted
- Scan the biometric chip in your identity document
- Complete a facial recognition check to confirm your identity
- Provide a current email address and mobile number for security codes
Keep your login credentials, email address, and phone number up to date at all times. Losing access to your registered contact details is the most common reason people are unable to check their UK immigration status online.
How to Generate a Share Code to Prove Your UK Immigration Status
A UK immigration share code allows you to prove your immigration status to employers, landlords, universities, and other third parties without giving them direct access to your UKVI account.
To generate a share code:
- Log in to the View and Prove Your Immigration Status service on GOV.UK
- Select the purpose: right to work, right to rent, or other services
- The system generates a unique share code
- Provide the share code and your date of birth to the relevant party
- The code is valid for up to 90 days generate a new one when needed
The person using your share code will see your name, visa category, permission dates, and relevant conditions. They will not see your full personal information or UKVI account details.
Proving Your Right to Work and Right to Rent with Your eVisa
Right to Work Checks
Under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, UK employers are legally required to carry out right to work checks before hiring. Since the transition to eVisas, digital checks are the primary method.
To prove your right to work in the UK:
- Provide your employer with your share code and date of birth
- Your employer enters these details on the Home Office online Right to Work checking service
- The system confirms your eligibility to work and any conditions or restrictions
Right to Rent Checks
Under the Immigration Act 2014, landlords in England must carry out right-to-rent checks on all adult occupants.
To prove your right to rent:
- Provide your landlord or letting agent with your share code and date of birth
- They complete the check on the Home Office online Right to Rent checking service
- The system confirms your permission to rent residential property in England
If an employer or landlord misreads your digital status or incorrectly refuses you work or accommodation, Stanton Black can help you challenge that decision.
Checking EU Settlement Scheme Status Online
If you applied under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), you already hold an eVisa. EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals and their family members should regularly check their UK immigration status online to confirm whether they hold pre-settled status or settled status (indefinite leave to remain).
To check your EUSS status:
- Log in to your UKVI account on GOV.UK
- Use your passport or national identity card details
- Enter the security code sent to your registered contact details
- View your current status pre-settled or settled
Important: Physical residence cards for EUSS holders are no longer issued. Your proof of status is entirely digital. Check your status before international travel, employment checks, rental applications, or benefit claims.
Checking Your Child’s UK Immigration Status
Each child holds a separate digital immigration record. To check a child’s UK immigration status online:
- Log in using the email address or phone number registered during the child’s original application this may differ from the parent’s contact details
- Keep these login details securely stored
- Check each child’s status separately before school admissions, travel, or benefit applications
If you have lost access to a child’s UKVI account or their immigration status is unclear, Stanton BlackStanton Black can guide on next steps.
What to Do If You Cannot Access Your eVisa or UKVI Account
Access problems are common but usually resolvable. Common reasons people cannot check their UK immigration status online include:
- Lost access to the registered email address
- Changed mobile number
- Expired passport linked to the UKVI account
- Incomplete account setup during initial registration
To recover your UKVI account:
- Use the password reset function on GOV.UK
- Update contact details if you still have partial access
- Answer identity verification questions
- Contact the UKVI helpline if online recovery is unsuccessful
Keep copies of your passport, BRP, Home Office reference numbers, and decision letters these are essential for identity verification during account recovery.
For EU Settlement Scheme users, the EUSS Resolution Centre can help recover accounts and link updated travel documents.
If delays are affecting your employment, tenancy, visa application, or international travel, Stanton Black can provide urgent legal assistance.
How to Correct Errors in Your UK Immigration Status Record
If the information displayed when you check your UK immigration status online is incorrect, act immediately. Common errors include:
- Incorrect name or date of birth
- Wrong visa expiry date
- Missing right to work permission
- Pre-settled status recorded instead of settled status
- Mismatched passport or photo details
Report errors to the Home Office using the official GOV.UK error reporting form as soon as possible. While corrections are pending, keep your decision letters, application references, and supporting documents readily available to show employers, landlords, or border officials.
If errors are affecting your ability to work, rent, or travel, seek legal advice promptly.
When to Seek Legal Advice About Your UK Immigration Status
Practical problems with your eVisa or UKVI account can quickly escalate into serious legal and personal consequences. You should seek specialist immigration legal advice if:
- An employer has withdrawn a job offer because of a misread digital status
- A landlord has refused your tenancy despite your valid UK immigration permission
- You have been wrongly denied access to benefits or NHS services
- You have been refused boarding for a flight to or from the UK
- Your eVisa shows incorrect conditions or an incorrect visa category
- You cannot access your UKVI account and face an urgent immigration deadline
In all these situations, gather screenshots, emails, decision letters, and application references as evidence.
Check Your UK Immigration Status with Expert Legal Support from Stanton Black
Navigating the UK’s digital immigration system can be complex and stressful, particularly when access problems, errors, or disputes arise at critical moments. Stanton Black is a trusted UK immigration support services firm providing guidance.
Our experienced team help clients:
- Set up and recover UKVI accounts and access eVisas
- Generate and use share codes for work and rent checks
- Resolve errors and discrepancies in recorded immigration status
- Challenge wrongful refusals by employers and landlords
- Deal with EU Settlement Scheme status queries and appeals
- Navigate complex UK immigration law with confidence
Whether you need urgent help checking your UK immigration status or long-term support with your visa, leave to remain, or settlement application, Stanton Black provides clear, practical, and personalised legal guidance.
Contact Stanton Black today for expert assistance with your UK immigration status, protecting your rights to live, work, rent, and remain in the United Kingdom.
Stanton Black is not authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
