The UK government is implementing a new E-Visa system by the end of this year (2024), at which time the Biometric Residency Permit (BRP) cards for all visa-holders in the UK will expire. This includes international students, university staff, and faculty, as well as over 4 million other non-EU immigrants across the United Kingdom. A pilot program to test the process ran from May 2024 to the end of July 2024, resulting in mixed outcomes. Initial guidance from the Home Office indicated that emails would be sent to the email addresses that visa holders used to apply for their visa. As of early August, the Home Office has stated that this is no longer the case and people should sign up for their eVisa now, whether or not they have been invited. The information to connect an eVisa to a UKVI profile (and to create a UKVI profile if necessary) can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/get-access-evisa.
Although confirmations regarding eVisas connecting to profiles are typically sent within a few days, many people have had trouble ensuring that both their passport information and eVisa are connected to their accounts. This is important because new guidance was released for MPs on 18 Sept 2024, which states that if a passport is not connected to the UKVI account, affected people returning to the UK after 31 December 2024 may not be permitted to board their plane or be permitted entrance into the UK, even if they have the legal right to do so. This could be disastrous to the education of international students across the University and beyond. The system has been reported by the Guardian and to the MPs at Parliament as "glitching". Wait times of up to eight weeks between sign-up for the eVisa and connection of the profile, passport, and eVisa are being reported.
While these issues affect millions of people across the UK, there are specific situations that directly affect international students. Key concerns include:
1. Family Obligations: Many international students at all levels have significant responsibilities in their home countries. These may include caring for spouses, children, parents, or grandparents. The delays and uncertainties in proving their right to return to the UK force them to make an untenable choice between fulfilling their family obligations and completing their degrees.
2. International Research Requirements: Many PhD programs expect students to conduct research or attend conferences outside the UK. This international exposure is crucial for their academic development and the global competitiveness of UK universities.
3. Risk to Academic Programs and Careers: Without proper documentation proving their right to return to the UK, they face the very real possibility of being unable to re-enter the country. This would force an abrupt and premature end to their programs, resulting in significant personal, academic, and financial losses.
4. Impact on UK Research and Innovation: The uncertainty surrounding the eVisa system may deter talented international students from choosing the UK for their educational studies. This could negatively impact the UK’s standing as a global leader in research and innovation.
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The idea is to have a letter-writing campaign across campus, to encourage and assist people in sending letters to their MPs either via email or through the post. We would respectfully request that the deadline for the eVisa turnover be extended into 2025, and that those with the relevant documentation (ex. Biometric Residency Permits (BRP) / Biometric Residency Cards (BRC), etc.) be extended at least 6 months into 2025. This will give the Home Office time to rectify any glitches, systems issues, or backlog while allowing international students to prove their rights to enter, stay, live, work, and study until the eVisa system is fully operational and reliable.