Immigration update – June 2025 

Electronic travel authorisation update for dual nationality citizens 

The Home Office has clarified the position of dual nationality citizens and the requirement to apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA). 

The ETA was launched in October 2020 and has gradually been rolled out to visitors of all nations visiting the United Kingdom (UK). The ETA gives the holder permission to travel to the UK for up to six months. It will generally need to be applied for by nationals who do not require a physical visitor visa to come to the UK before they travel. 

A dual national, where one nationality is British or Irish, or where they hold a certificate of entitlement to live and work in the UK, does not need to obtain an ETA before travel to the UK. 

This clarification should give dual British nationals the comfort that they do not need to apply for an ETA even if their other nationality is of a country whose citizens must ordinarily apply for an ETA. 

NB we advise travellers to arrive in the UK using their respective British/Irish passports. 

New statement of changes – clarification of pre-settled status holders qualifying for settled status 

The latest Home Office statement of changes to the immigration rules has included a new provision so that as of 16 July, pre-settled status holders should be granted settled status where they have resided in the UK for at least 30 months in the most recent 60 month period (in contrast to the previous requirement of at least six months UK residence in any 12-month period for five years). 
 
The Home Office Explanatory Memorandum states that this change has been introduced following ‘confusion on the part of pre-settled status holders regarding permitted absences from the UK, which may have led some to inadvertently break their continuous residence in the UK’. 
 

Expired Biometric Residence Permits/Cards no longer valid for travel   

Most migrants and businesses in the UK will be familiar with Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs, issued to non-British nationals) and Biometric Residence Cards (BRCs issued to migrants who have status under the EU Settlement Scheme). BRPs and BRCs have served as evidence of a person’s UK immigration status for a number of years. They were used for right to work checks (until April 2022) and as evidence that the holder had valid permission to travel in and out of the UK. 

In its endeavour to move to further digitalisation the Home Office decided a number of years ago that it would stop issuing BRPs and BRCs by 31 December 2024. Therefore, the documents carried an expiry date of 31 December 2024, regardless of the fact that a person’s UK immigration status may not expire until well after this date. UK visa holders were therefore strongly encouraged to set up an online visa account before that date which would allow them to show their e-Visa as permission to travel in and out of the UK. 

In order to avoid travel issues, and to make the phasing out of the cards simpler, the Home Office extended the ability of carriers to accept expired BRPs/BRCs as proof of the holders permission to travel to the UK. The first extension was made until March 2025, the second until 1 June 2025.  

Since 2 June 2025 it has no longer been possible to rely on expired BRPs/BRCs to travel to the UK. All visa holders must now provide an e-Visa or another official document (this only applies in very limited circumstances) before they will be able to come to the UK. However, the Home Office has confirmed that they can keep their BRPs/BRCs for their records and do not need to send it back. 

It is important for visa holders to correctly set up their e-Visa account and link the passport they are using to travel to the account. If the visa holder leaves without having set up the account, they may not be permitted to return to the UK at the end of their trip. 

We would advise that travellers still carry their expired BRP/BRC with them, as well as a printout of a share code which confirms their immigration status and which can be provided to the carrier if requested. 

The situation is a little more difficult for migrants who were never issued with a BRP/BRC, such as, for example, persons who obtained Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) many years ago which consists of a stamp in an old passport, as they have no way to set up an e-Visa account. We would advise anyone in this situation to submit a No Time Limit application as soon as possible (these applications are now free of charge), which, if approved, would allow the setting up of an e-Visa account. It may be possible in the meantime to travel with their current passport and the actual physical ILR evidence (i.e. the old passport containing the stamp), but they may encounter issues with their carrier. 

Employers are encouraged to remind their employees who fall into the above categories to set up their e-Visa account to avoid getting stranded outside of the UK at the end of their trip, which would cause a large amount of inconvenience, cost and time to rectify. The same applies to individuals with UK immigration permissions. 

UK to phase out certain 90-day vignette stickers in passports 

As part of the digitalisation process in the UK, the Home Office will be phasing out the issuing of vignettes for certain applicants. A vignette is the sticker which is affixed to a visa applicant’s passport once their entry clearance visa application has been granted. 

From 15 July 2025 anyone applying as a main applicant (or only applicant) for a work or study visa will no longer be issued with a vignette in their passport. Instead, they will have to create a UKVI account to set up their e-Visa before travelling to the UK. 

Vignettes will, for the moment, still be issued to dependant family members of main applicants, and to main applicants in visa routes other than work or study. 

It is very important for applicants who have not been issued with a vignette to ensure that their UKVI online account is set up correctly, and that their e-Visa information in the account is correct before they travel to the UK as otherwise their carrier may not permit them to travel. If there are any issues or errors on the e-visa, the applicant can contact UKVI here.

Travellers should ensure that they keep their approval email confirming the visa has been granted, print out from the profile page of the UKVI account, and a share code in their hand luggage. 

With more and more physical documents disappearing, those holding a UK visa should ensure that they run a comprehensive absence schedule for the duration of their stay in the UK. Information that should be logged is the date the visa holder left the UK, the date they came back, where they went, and why. This includes personal absences (such as holidays) as well as business trips. This information will be required for extension applications and applications for permanent residence in the UK. 

UKVI issues updated sponsor guidance in relation to document-keeping duties 

Businesses holding a UK sponsor licence in a number of visa categories (such as Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility, Minister of Religion, Creative Worker, etc.) will be familiar with the Appendix D: record-keeping duties document. It is the document which sets out which documents a sponsor must keep on file for each sponsored person. 

UKVI has recently made a number of changes to this document. A key update is the separation of all information relating to document-keeping duties for Student visa sponsors, now available here.

Another change is taking account of the continuing rollout of e-Visas and the phasing out of entry clearance vignettes. 

It is important for licenced sponsors to be familiar and up to date with the requirements of Appendix D as this is an area the Home Office tends to focus on during an audit. Ensuring that employers have all of the correct information and documents on file for all of their sponsored employees is a fundamental compliance requirement for all sponsors. 

India Young Professionals Scheme visa ballot opens 22 July 

The next India Young Professionals Scheme ballot will open at 1.30pm India Standard Time on 22 July 2025. It will close at 1.30pm India Standard Time on 24 July 2025 

The scheme is a programme that allows Indian citizens between the ages of 18 and 30 to come to the UK to live and work for a maximum of two years. 

It works on a ballot system, where the applicant has to apply for a place on the scheme and then meet specific eligibility requirements, such as having a bachelor’s degree or above and having £2,530 in savings in the bank. This visa category does not permit dependants to come with the applicant.  

Successful applicants to the ballot system will receive a notification within two weeks of the scheme closing. The ballot application is free of charge and offers 3,000 places. Applicants can only enter a ballot once, if they are not successful they have to try again during the next ballot. 

Once a place has been assigned to an applicant they can proceed to submitting a visa application. 

This visa category can be useful for applicants looking to live and work in the UK, and for employers as they can get to know the applicant before they may need to move to sponsoring them for a work visa. 

Improved ‘Contact UKVI’ web page 

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has made a number of changes to its ‘Contact UKVI’ tool. The changes are designed to make it easier for customers to find the information they need. 

The initial list of options has been augmented and now contains more answers to common queries, such as when an applicant can expect a visa decision.  

It is hoped that the more targeted approach will mean customers can find the information they are looking for more quickly and more efficiently. 

UKVI reopens premium Visa Application Centres in Nigeria 

UKVI has decided to re-open its premium Visa Application Centres (VACs) in Port Harcourt and Enugu following popular demand after they were closed in November 2024. 

The VACs offer enhanced support to applicants for a £150 fee, which has to be paid online at the time a biometrics appointment is booked. 

The regular VACs in Abuja and Ikeja remain open and continue to offer free biometrics appointments at the point of booking. 

UKVI launches Super Priority Visa service in Hong Kong 

Customers applying in Hong Kong can now choose to pay a fee to get a quicker decision on their visa applications. 

The Super Priority visa service costs £1,000 and should ensure that applications are processed by the end of the next working day after the biometrics appointment has taken place. 

If the appointment falls on a weekend or public holiday the processing time is generally two working days.