Navigating the UK’s transition to eVisas in 2026: A guide for employers and employees

The UK’s immigration system is now largely digital, which means many people must prove their immigration status through an eVisa rather than a physical BRP, BRC or passport vignette. If you are an employer, you should not rely on screenshots, email confirmations or old physical documents alone.

If you are an employee, you should check that your UKVI account works, your passport details are up to date, and you can generate a share code before you need it.

This matters because eVisas are not just an immigration admin change.

They affect right to work checks, travel, visa extensions, onboarding, HR records, sponsor licence compliance and day-to-day access to services. A small digital error, such as an old passport being linked to your UKVI account, can become a serious problem when you are trying to start a new job, return to the UK after travel, or prove your status quickly.

If you are unsure how your immigration status should be checked or updated, Athi Law’s immigration solicitors Sheffield can help you understand the practical steps and avoid unnecessary delays.

What is an eVisa?

An eVisa is an online record of your UK immigration status. It shows your permission to enter or stay in the UK and any conditions attached to that permission.

Instead of showing a physical document, you usually prove your status online through your UKVI account. This may be needed when you:

• Start a new job

• Prove your right to rent in England

• Travel in and out of the UK

• Apply to extend or switch your visa

• Access certain public services

• Show your immigration position to a university, employer, landlord or other organisation

The important point is that an eVisa is not a new visa category. It is a new way of proving your existing immigration status. Moving from a physical document to an eVisa should not change the conditions of your permission.

For example, if you already had permission to work full-time under a partner visa, the move to an eVisa should not remove that permission. But if your online record is wrong or inaccessible, you may struggle to prove your rights until the issue is resolved.

Athi Law has also written about Living on a UK Partner Visa: Work Rights, Travel, Immigration Health Surcharge and Public Funds Rule, which is useful if you need to understand what your visa allows you to do day to day.

Why the eVisa transition matters in 2026

By 2026, the eVisa system is no longer something employers and migrants can treat as a future change. It is now part of normal immigration practice.

For employees, the key concern is access. You need to be able to sign in to your UKVI account, view your status, and generate the correct share code when required.

For employers, the key concern is compliance. You must carry out right to work checks in the correct way. If you employ someone without completing the prescribed check, you may not have a statutory excuse if the person is later found not to have the right to work.

Civil penalties for illegal working can be severe, with fines of up to £45,000 for a first breach and up to £60,000 for repeat breaches. So, even if the worker genuinely has valid immigration permission, your business still needs to prove that the right check was carried out at the right time.

If your business sponsors overseas workers, this should sit alongside your wider immigration compliance process. Athi Law’s sponsor licence solicitors Sheffield can help employers review internal systems, right to work checks and sponsor licence duties.

What employees should do now

If you have an eVisa, do not wait until the day you start work or travel to check whether your account works. It is much better to find and fix problems early.

You should check:

• You can sign in to your UKVI account

• Your name and date of birth are correct

• Your current passport or travel document is linked

• Your email address and phone number are up to date

• Your immigration status shows the correct visa route

• Your visa expiry date is correct

• Your work conditions are correct

• You can generate a share code for the right purpose

The “right purpose” is important. A share code generated for a landlord is not the same as a share code generated for an employer. If you are proving your right to work, you must select the option for work.

If your immigration record appears incorrect, you should not ignore it. You may need to report the error through the correct Home Office process and keep evidence of your original grant of permission.

Athi Law’s article on What to Do if Your Visa Expires: Exploring Legal Options explains why acting quickly matters when your status or permission is unclear.

What employers should do now

Employers should update their onboarding and HR processes so that digital checks are handled properly.

A proper online right to work check usually involves:

• Asking the worker to generate a right to work share code

• Checking the code through the official GOV.UK employer checking service

• Entering the worker’s date of birth

• Checking that the photo matches the person presenting for work

• Checking any restrictions on work

• Saving evidence of the online check

• Recording the date the check was completed

• Scheduling any follow-up check before permission expires

It is not enough for an employee to show you their eVisa screen on their own phone. It is also not enough to accept a screenshot or a PDF that the employee sends you. To protect your business, you need to use the employer part of the

Home Office online checking service.

This is particularly important if you employ sponsored workers. Athi Law explains the importance of compliance in The Role of Immigration Solicitors in Sponsorship Licence Applications, which is useful for employers who want to understand how sponsorship duties continue after the licence is granted.

The difference between an eVisa and a share code

An eVisa is your digital immigration record. A share code is the temporary code you generate to prove that record to someone else.

Think of it like this:

Term	What it means	Who uses it
eVisa	Your online immigration status record	The visa holder
UKVI account	The account used to access your eVisa	The visa holder
Share code	A temporary code used to share your status	The visa holder gives it to an employer, landlord or other checker
Right to work check	The employer’s legal check through GOV.UK	The employer
Statutory excuse	The employer’s protection if the correct check was done	The employer

For employees, the practical job is to make sure your eVisa is accessible and accurate.

For employers, the practical job is to make sure the right to work check is completed through the correct Home Office service and saved properly.

Common problems employees face with eVisas

The eVisa system can make status checks faster, but it can also create stress when something does not work as expected.

Common problems include:

• You cannot access the email address linked to your UKVI account

• Your phone number has changed

• Your passport details are out of date

• Your name is misspelled

• Your visa expiry date appears wrong

• Your work conditions are not displayed correctly

• You do not know which share code option to choose

• You are travelling and cannot access your account easily

• Your employer does not understand how to check your status

• Your immigration decision email does not match what appears online

If your issue affects your ability to work, travel or access services, take screenshots, keep decision letters, save reference numbers and seek advice quickly.

For partner and family routes, Athi Law’s partner visa services Sheffield can help if your digital status issue connects to a partner visa, extension or family application.

You may also find Athi Law’s guide to Extending a UK Partner Visa: Standard Route vs Long Route Comparison and Guidance helpful if your current permission is nearing expiry.

Common mistakes employers make

Many employer mistakes happen because staff assume digital checks are simpler than they really are.

The most common mistakes include:

• Accepting a screenshot instead of completing the online check

• Using an expired or wrong type of share code

• Forgetting to check the worker’s photo

• Failing to save evidence of the check

• Not recording the date of the check

• Missing follow-up checks for time-limited permission

• Assuming a previous employer’s check is enough

• Treating a visa decision email as proof of right to work

• Not training managers who recruit staff

• Failing to check work restrictions for students or sponsored workers

If you are a sponsor licence holder, these mistakes can feed into wider Home Office concerns about your compliance systems. Athi Law’s article on Understanding the UK Employer Sponsor Licence explains why employers need proper systems, not just a licence certificate.

How eVisas affect sponsored workers

Sponsored workers should be especially careful with eVisas because their permission is linked to a specific job, employer and Certificate of Sponsorship.

If you are a sponsored worker, check that your digital status matches your actual permission. You should understand:

• Who your sponsor is

• What role you are sponsored for

• When your permission expires

• Whether you can do supplementary work

• Whether you can change jobs without a new application

• Whether your dependants have their own digital status records

If you are an employer, make sure your HR records, right to work records and sponsor licence records are consistent. The worker’s job title, salary, work location and visa dates should be clear across your systems.

Athi Law’s article on How to Sponsor Foreign Workers Under the Skilled Worker Route explains the sponsorship process, while Top Mistakes to Avoid When Applying for a UK Employer Sponsor Licence highlights practical errors employers should avoid.

How eVisas affect travel

If you have an eVisa, you should check your UKVI account before travelling. Your current passport or travel document should be linked to your account so carriers and border systems can identify your permission.

Before travel, check:

• Your passport details are correct

• Your eVisa is visible

• Your visa expiry date is correct

• Your name matches your travel document

• Your contact details are up to date

• You have access to your UKVI account while abroad

• You have kept a copy of your visa decision email for your own records

You should not assume that an expired BRP will be enough for travel. The safer approach is to make sure your digital status and passport details are correct before you leave the UK.

If your immigration status is linked to family life in the UK, travel mistakes can be especially stressful. Athi Law’s article on UK Partner Visa or Fiancé(e) Visa: Which Route Should You Choose? may help if you are planning a family-based application or future extension.

What if your eVisa details are wrong?

If your eVisa details are wrong, you should act as soon as you notice the issue.

Mistakes can include:

• Wrong name

• Wrong date of birth

• Wrong nationality

• Wrong passport details

• Wrong visa expiry date

• Wrong work conditions

• Missing dependant details

• Status not appearing when expected

Keep records of what you see online and compare them with your Home Office decision email or letter. If the error affects your ability to work, travel, rent, study or access services, it may need urgent action.

Do not rely only on verbal explanations. Keep written evidence and reference numbers whenever you contact the Home Office.

Athi Law’s independent legal advice solicitors can help where you need clear legal guidance on documents, status issues or the consequences of signing immigration-related paperwork.

What if an employee cannot generate a share code?

If an employee cannot generate a share code, the employer should not simply proceed without a proper check.

Depending on the facts, the employer may need to:

• Ask the employee to update or recover their UKVI account

• Check whether the employee has used the correct share code option

• Use the Employer Checking Service if appropriate

• Keep evidence of any Positive Verification Notice

• Delay employment until the correct check can be completed

• Seek legal advice where the position is unclear

The correct response depends on the worker’s status and the reason the online check cannot be completed.

For example, someone may have an outstanding in-time application and may be able to prove their right to work through a different Home Office process. Another person may have no valid permission at all. Employers should not guess.

Athi Law’s article on How to Support Employees Applying for Skilled Worker Visas is useful for employers who want to support staff without creating compliance risk.

Why this matters for HR policies

The transition to eVisas should be built into your HR policies. It should not be left to individual managers to work out at the last minute.

Your policy should explain:

• Who is responsible for right to work checks

• When checks must be completed

• How share codes are requested

• How online checks are saved

• How follow-up checks are diarised

• What to do if an employee cannot access their eVisa

• What to do if the online record looks wrong

• How sponsored workers are monitored

• How personal data is stored securely

This is particularly important for businesses with high staff turnover or multiple sites. If different managers are handling recruitment in different ways, your compliance position can become inconsistent.

Athi Law’s article on How to Manage Your Sponsor Licence During Organisational Changes is worth reading if your business is growing, restructuring or changing key personnel.

A practical checklist for employees

Use this checklist before starting a new job, applying for an extension or travelling.

• Check your UKVI account login details

• Update your email address and phone number

• Link your current passport or travel document

• Check your name, date of birth and nationality

• Check your visa expiry date

• Check your work conditions

• Generate the correct share code when needed

• Keep your Home Office decision email

• Save evidence of any online error

• Get advice if your status does not look right

This is also sensible if your immigration status is connected to a relationship or family route. Athi Law’s articles on Family Visa Applications: Essential Steps for Bringing Loved Ones to the UK, Navigating the Family Visa Application Process and Children as Dependants on a UK Partner Visa may help you understand how wider family applications can affect planning.

A practical checklist for employers

Use this checklist when reviewing your right to work process.

• Train staff on digital right to work checks

• Use the official GOV.UK employer checking service

• Do not accept screenshots as proof

• Check the worker’s photo

• Check the worker’s restrictions

• Save the online profile page

• Record the date of the check

• Diary follow-up checks

• Keep records securely during employment and afterwards

• Review sponsored workers separately

If you are applying for a sponsor licence or already hold one, Athi Law’s articles on Tips for a Successful Sponsor Licence Application, Case Studies: Successful Sponsor Licence Applications Explained and Key Updates and Changes to Sponsor Licence Requirements provide useful background.

How eVisas can affect wider legal planning

Immigration status rarely sits in isolation. It can affect work, housing, family life, business plans and financial decisions.

For example, you may need to prove your status when accepting a job, renting a home, applying for a mortgage or travelling for family reasons. If your UKVI account is inaccessible at the wrong moment, the problem may affect more than one part of your life.

This is why it can help to deal with immigration status as part of wider planning. Athi Law can also assist with conveyancing Sheffield, commercial conveyancer support, independent legal advice mortgage, family law solicitors Sheffield, child custody solicitors, divorce solicitors sheffield uk and conveyancing solicitors west Bromwich where your legal needs overlap.

FAQs

Do I still need my BRP in 2026?

Most people now prove their immigration status digitally through an eVisa. If your BRP has expired but your immigration permission continues, the key issue is whether you can access your UKVI account and prove your status online. You should keep old documents for your records, but do not assume an expired physical card will be accepted as proof in every situation.

Can an employer accept a screenshot of my eVisa?

No, an employer should not rely on a screenshot alone. For a right to work check, you normally need to generate a share code and the employer must use the official Home Office online checking service. The employer should then save evidence of the online check.

How long does a share code last?

A share code is usually valid for 90 days. It must also be generated for the correct purpose. If you need to prove your right to work, you should generate a right to work share code rather than a right to rent or general status code.

What should I do if my eVisa shows the wrong details?

You should take screenshots, keep your Home Office decision email, check whether your UKVI account details need updating, and report the error through the correct Home Office route. If the error affects your work, travel or access to services, you should seek advice quickly.

Can an eVisa problem stop me working?

It can cause practical problems if you cannot prove your right to work. You may still have valid immigration permission, but your employer needs to complete the correct check before you start work or continue working where a follow-up check is required. If your account is inaccessible or your status appears wrong, you should act quickly.

What should employers do if the online check does not work?

Employers should not guess or rely on informal evidence. Depending on the situation, the employer may need to ask the worker to generate a new code, use the Employer Checking Service, wait for a Positive Verification Notice, or seek legal advice.

Speak to Athi Law about eVisas, right to work and immigration status

The move to eVisas should make immigration status easier to manage, but only if your records are correct and your checks are done properly.

If you are an employee, Athi Law can help you understand your digital status, visa conditions and next steps if something appears wrong. If you are an employer, Athi Law can help you review right to work checks, sponsor licence compliance and internal HR processes.

For clear, practical support with eVisas, right to work checks and UK immigration matters, contact Athi Law today.