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Your immigration status: an introduction for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens (accessible version)

Updated 25 July 2022

This guide is for you if you have:

• applied to the EU Settlement Scheme
• successfully applied for a UK visa (including permission to stay) using the ID Check app or by visiting a Visa Application Centre or Service and Support Centre

Introduction

The UK’s immigration system is changing and so is how you prove your rights in the UK. It is becoming digital by default.

You will have created a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account when you applied for a visa using the ID Check app, or to the EU Settlement Scheme. You will use your UKVI account credentials to sign in to the online View and Prove service on GOV.UK, where you can access your online immigration status information – this is called an eVisa.

You will receive written notification of your immigration status, normally via email, if your application is successful. The written notification cannot be used as evidence of the right to work and access services, but you should retain it as confirmation for your own records, or for use when contacting the Home Office. This written notification will also tell you if you can use the View and Prove service.

There are some circumstances where an applicant cannot currently create a UKVI account. If this applies to you and you are given, or continue to hold, a physical document, for example a biometric residence card (BRC) or biometric residence permit (BRP), you will still be able to use some online services to evidence your rights, rather than having to rely on your physical documents. You must use the online right to work service to prove your right to work in the UK to an employer and the online right to rent service to prove your right to rent in England.

If you hold a BRC and haven’t applied to the EU Settlement Scheme, you should check if you are eligible to make a late application.

In the future, everyone will be able to register for a UKVI account which will also allow them to access the View and Prove service. Details on how to register for an account where you don’t already have one will be available on GOV.UK in due course.

How to prove your immigration status

As an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you will now prove your rights in the UK digitally, by using the View and Prove service on GOV.UK to generate a share code, instead of using physical documents. If you are a non-EU, EEA or Swiss citizen family member and you have a UKVI account, you can also use the View and Prove service.

If you were resident in the UK by 31 December 2020, but did not make an application to the EU Settlement Scheme by the deadline of 30 June 2021, your rights in UK law are not protected until you have made a valid application to the EU Settlement Scheme. Once you have made a valid application, your right to work, study and access benefits and services in the UK are protected until you receive a decision on your application, including during any appeal against a decision to refuse an application. This includes where you have chosen to make your appeal after an administrative review.

If you have an outstanding application to the EU Settlement Scheme

You will receive an acknowledgment once your application to the EU Settlement Scheme has been received, which will explain how you can prove your rights until your application is validated.

Once your application is validated, you will receive a certificate of application, which you can use to prove your rights. If you have been notified that you have a digital certificate of application, you are able to use the View and Prove service.

How to access the View and Prove service

If you have a UKVI account, you will have access to the View and Prove service which allows you to view the details of your eVisa, along with other services.

To sign in to view your eVisa, you’ll need:

• details of the identity document you used when you last applied (your passport, national identity card, or BRC/P)
• your date of birth
• access to the mobile number or email address you used when you last applied - you will then be sent a code for signing in

If you have updated your identity document or sign in details in your account since you last applied, you must use the updated details to sign in.

You can view your eVisa on any device, such as a mobile, tablet or laptop.

Signing into the View and Prove service allows you to:

• view your eVisa and check what rights you have in the UK, for example the right to work or claim benefits
• prove your status to others, such as employers, landlords or education providers, by generating a ‘share code’ which gives them time limited access to relevant data
• update some of your personal details, for example your passport number or email address

If you have not already done so, you should check that you can access the View and Prove service and that the information in it is correct. If any of the details are incorrect then you should contact the UKVI Resolution Centre.

How to use the View and Prove service to prove your immigration status

Stage 1: Creating a share code

Firstly, you will need to sign in the View and Prove service and then click ‘prove your status’.

You will then need to choose the reason why you are sharing your information, so that the person or organisation checking your status sees the correct information. The option you choose will determine what information is shared, it is therefore important you choose the right option. For example, selecting ‘to prove my right to work’ will only share the information that is relevant to confirm your right to work and selecting ‘something else’ can be used for other reasons, including proving your status to an education provider or carrier. You will then see a preview of the information that will be shared.

Once you have seen a preview of your status that will be shared, you click ‘create share code’. You will be presented with a share code which will be valid for 90 days. You will need to provide this share code, along with your date of birth, to the person or organisation with whom you wish to share your information. You can choose how to share your share code, for example by email within the service, printing the screen, writing down the code or telling them the code.

Stage 2: Checking status

The second stage is completed by the person or organisation checking your status. The checking services are only available on GOV.UK. How they check your status will depend on what check they are conducting. All checking services can be accessed in or out of the UK:

• employers: ‘View a job applicant’s right to work details’
• landlords and letting agents in England: ‘View a tenant’s right to rent in England’
• for any other check: ‘Check someone’s immigration status’

Once the checker has selected the relevant service, they then enter your share code and date of birth in order to view your status information and conduct their relevant check.

The share code can be used as many times as needed within the 90 days; however each share code is unique – every time you generate a share code through the View and Prove service it will be new. Generating a new share code will not invalidate any existing valid codes. Also, each share code can only be used for the purpose requested. For example if you generate a code for a landlord to conduct a right to rent check, that same code cannot be used to share with an employer to conduct a right to work check. If you need to share your status for another purpose you must generate a new share code, choosing the correct option for why you need to share your status.

At the end of the 90 days, your code will no longer be valid, and the person will no longer be able to access your information unless you provide them with another code.

Where we provide automatic access to your immigration status

As part of our wider reform of the immigration system, we are increasingly enabling some Government departments and public authorities to be able to automatically access immigration status information. Currently, this includes the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and NHS England and Wales. The Borders, immigration and citizenship privacy notice provides information about how we share data with other Government departments.

Where this is the case, you do not need to share your status to be able to access these services. Organisations will confirm your identity and then be able to access the information directly. If the organisation does need to see your status, they will inform you and you will be able to use the View and Prove service to share your immigration status information with them. If you hold a physical document such as a BRC/P and do not have access to the View and Prove service, you can prove your status using your physical document.

Travelling in and out of the UK

As an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you will continue to be subject to identity and security checks at the UK border. As is the case today, you may be asked about the purpose of your journey to the UK. Border Force staff can check whether you have status or have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme by using your travel document if it is linked to your UKVI account or conducting further checks if you travel on an alternative document.

You can continue to use e-passport gates (if using a full biometric passport) and existing lanes. This will be kept under review.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens require a passport to enter the UK. You can also use your national identity card to enter the UK until at least 31 December 2025 if you:

• have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

• applied to the EU Settlement Scheme (other than as a joining family member) but have not received a decision yet

• have an EU Settlement Scheme family permit

• have a Frontier Worker permit

• are an S2 Healthcare Visitor

• are a Swiss national and have a Service Provider from Switzerland visa

If you have status under the EUSS or a frontier worker permit and you hold a national identity card that you intend to use for travel, you should ensure that the identity card is registered to your UKVI account.

When crossing the UK border, information will be checked digitally on arrival, and those with a UKVI account will not routinely need to prove their status. To prevent unnecessary delays at the border, it is important to ensure the document you travel on is registered to your account, which you can do by updating your details if you intend to travel on a different document (for example a new passport). When you tell us of a new document your old document will remain linked to your account, and where still valid you can use either document to travel. For example, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who applied using a passport may also hold a national identity card. You should tell us about your identity card if you wish to use it for travel purposes or alternatively travel using your passport. If you have told us of a new document but are still awaiting confirmation that your account has been updated, you should carry your old document as well.

If you are given or continue to hold a physical document, for example a BRC/P, you should always carry it with you when travelling, as you will need to show this to the carrier you are travelling with and may be asked to present it at the UK border.

Updating your details

It is important that you keep your personal details on your UKVI account up to date, and that you inform us if your travel document changes, so you can continue to access your account and to avoid any unnecessary delays at the UK border.

You can update your details through the ‘update your UK Visas and Immigration account details’ service or by using the ‘update details’ function in the View and Prove service.

You will need to update your details if there are changes to:

• your ID document, passport or travel document
• your account sign in details (email address and phone number)
• your name or nationality

If you have used the ‘update details’ service to update the details of your ID document or sign in details since you last applied for a UKVI account, you will need to use these updated details to access your account.

You can also use the ‘update details’ service to tell us about a change to your address or contact details (if these are different to your sign in details).

If you have a BRC/P, find out how to update your details on GOV.UK.

Irish citizens

Irish citizens’ status continues to be protected as part of Common Travel Area Arrangements. Therefore, Irish citizens do not require permission to come to or stay in the UK (except in very limited circumstances), and therefore are not eligible to apply under the new points-based immigration system. They do not have to apply for status under the EU Settlement Scheme, but may if they wish to do so, meaning they can also use their settled or pre-settled status to prove their rights. Irish citizens can also continue to use their passport or passport card to prove their rights in the UK.

Those with indefinite leave to enter or remain

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens with indefinite leave to enter or remain will need to evidence their rights in the UK in the same way as non-EU, EEA and Swiss citizens. You can do this by relying on Home Office documentation such as an endorsement / vignette in your passport stating ‘indefinite leave to enter or remain’ or ‘no time limit’, or a valid BRC/P. If you need to evidence your right to work, the endorsement/vignette must be in a current passport.

If you have a valid BRC/P, you must use the online right to work service to prove your right to work in the UK to an employer and the online right to rent service to prove your right to rent in England.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who do not have a BRC/P or endorsement / vignette in a current passport confirming their status, can either:

• apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to get settled or pre-settled status. The deadline for applying for most people was 30 June 2021. You can still apply if that deadline did not apply to you, or you have ‘reasonable grounds’ for not applying by the deadline.
• apply to the Windrush Scheme to get proof of their status

Applications for either scheme are free of charge.

Help accessing your immigration status

If you need help accessing or using the online immigration status services, you can contact the UKVI Resolution Centre:

• Telephone: 0300 790 6268

Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 8pm UK local time

Saturday and Sunday, 9:30am to 4:30pm UK local time

Find out about call charges.

If you cannot contact UK 0300 numbers, use +44 (0)203 875 4669.

The Resolution Centre provides telephone and email support to all account holders using the online immigration status services, and BRC/P holders using the online right to work or right to rent services.

This includes supporting users through the online journey:

• helping them to access or recover their account
• helping them to update their personal details
• sharing status on behalf of account holders if they are unable to do so themselves

The Resolution Centre will also be able to assist users who are experiencing technical issues with their online immigration status, and where necessary, enable account holders’ status to be verified through alternative means.

If you need access to a device or the internet, many local libraries have computers where you can access the internet and in some locations, printing facilities. Please visit your local library to access these facilities.

If you, or someone you are helping, need an offline version of this guide, it can be printed from GOV.UK.

How the Home Office protects your data

You can find information on how the Home Office uses and protects your personal data by reading the following privacy notices:

• Borders, immigration and citizenship
• View and Prove