UK eVisa for Pakistani Students: Replacing the BRP in 2026
Table of contents
- What is a UK eVisa, and what happened to the BRP?
- Does this affect a Pakistani student applying now?
- How do you create a UKVI account, step by step?
- What documents and details do you need?
- How do you prove your status with a share code?
- What does the switch to an eVisa cost?
- How long does the eVisa take to appear?
- What are the deadlines you cannot miss?
- What goes wrong most often, and how do you avoid it?
- A realistic timeline with dates
- Key takeaways
- Frequently asked questions
What is a UK eVisa, and what happened to the BRP?
An eVisa is an online record of your UK immigration status. It sits inside an account called a UKVI account, and it shows what permission you hold and the conditions attached to it. There is no card. You view it by signing in, and you prove it to others with a code.
For years, anyone granted a UK visa of more than six months received a Biometric Residence Permit, the plastic card with a photo and a chip. That card is finished. The Home Office stopped producing BRPs after 31 October 2024, so any Student application decided after that date comes with an eVisa and no plastic card. Cards that were already in circulation were short-dated, and most of them showed an expiry of 31 December 2024 even where the underlying visa ran much longer.
This trips people up, so read it twice. Your BRP expiry date was never your visa end date. A student granted permission until 2027 could hold a card stamped 31 December 2024. The card expired. The permission did not. The eVisa is how that permission is now recorded and shown.
Vignette stickers, the visa pages glued into a passport, are going the same way. Physical documents are being retired across the board and replaced by the digital record. UKCISA, the national body that advises international students, sets this out plainly on its eVisa guidance for students.
Does this affect a Pakistani student applying now?
Yes, and the effect is simple. If you are applying for a first UK Student visa from Pakistan, you will not be handed a card at the end. Your grant is an eVisa. You create a UKVI account, link your passport, and access the eVisa before you board your flight to the UK.
The old routine of collecting a BRP from a UK post office in your first ten days is over. There is nothing to collect. What replaces it is a short online task you do from home in Lahore, usually while your visa is being processed or just after it is approved.
New applicants from outside the UK
When your entry clearance is approved, the Home Office tells you by email to set up or check your UKVI account. You use the ID Check app on a phone to scan your passport and confirm your face. The eVisa then appears in the account. Airlines check that your passport is linked to a valid eVisa when you travel, so this step is not optional.
Students who were already here on a BRP
If you studied in the UK on a BRP and are extending, switching course, or moving to the Graduate route, you now work entirely through the online account. Our guide on how to get a UK Graduate route visa after studying covers that next step for those staying on to work.
How do you create a UKVI account, step by step?
The whole thing takes most students under half an hour on a phone. You do it once. After that you sign in whenever you need to view or share your status.
- Go to the official page. Open gov.uk/get-access-evisa and start the account creation. Never use a paid third party site that copies the form. The real service is free.
- Download the ID Check app. Install "UK Immigration: ID Check" from the App Store or Google Play on a phone with a working camera.
- Enter your details. You give an email address and a mobile number you can actually receive messages on, because the account uses two factor codes each time you sign in.
- Scan your document. Use the app to scan your current passport, or your BRP if that is what you have. Then take a selfie so the Home Office can match your face to the document.
- Wait for the confirmation email. A second email confirms the eVisa is live in your account. Then sign in and check every detail.
What documents and details do you need?
Nothing exotic. The list is short, and most students already hold everything on it.
- A current passport, or a BRP, to scan and prove who you are.
- A reference number if you use a passport: either your BRP number, or your Home Office reference, sometimes called a UAN or GWF number, from your visa emails.
- An email address you check often.
- A mobile number that can receive text codes. It does not have to be a UK number.
- A smartphone with a camera for the ID Check app. If you do not own one, a family member's phone works.
If you cannot find your Home Office reference number, the account service has a built in "Request your reference" step that helps you retrieve it. Citizens Advice explains that fallback on its getting an eVisa page, which is a useful plain English companion to the official guidance.
Stuck on the ID Check app or a mismatched detail? Send us the screen you are on. Our UK team has set up hundreds of these accounts and can usually spot the issue in minutes. WhatsApp +92 321 4656927 or call +92 321 4656927.
How do you prove your status with a share code?
Once your eVisa is live, you no longer wave a card at a landlord or a university officer. You give them a code. They enter it on a government page and see your status for a limited time.
You generate the code inside the view and prove service in your account. A share code you generate in the view and prove service stays valid for 90 days before it has to be refreshed. If the code is not used inside that window, you simply make a fresh one. There is no limit on how many you create.
You will need a share code at several points as a student: your university checking your right to study, a landlord checking your right to rent, an employer for a part time job, and sometimes a bank opening an account. Each organisation gets its own code. For the work side of this, our guide on whether Pakistani students can work part time while studying in the UK explains how the right to work check fits in.
| Who needs it | What they check | Where you get the code |
|---|---|---|
| University | Right to study and visa conditions | View and prove, general share code |
| Landlord | Right to rent | View and prove, right to rent code |
| Employer | Right to work | View and prove, right to work code |
| Bank | Immigration status | View and prove, general share code |
What does the switch to an eVisa cost?
This part is short and it is good news. Creating a UKVI account and holding an eVisa is free, with no application fee and no separate decision. You do not pay to create the account. You do not pay to hold the eVisa. You do not pay to generate a share code.
The costs on a UK Student application sit elsewhere, and they have not changed because of the eVisa. You still pay the visa application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge, which are separate charges on the application itself. Our breakdown of the UK Immigration Health Surcharge for Pakistani students covers that cost in full, and the wider cost of a UK student visa from Pakistan sets out the rest.
The one place a cost can appear is if you get stuck outside the UK, cannot access your eVisa, and need a temporary way to travel. A separate government fee applies to that emergency route. It is rare, and it is avoidable by setting the account up in good time rather than the night before a flight.
How long does the eVisa take to appear?
Usually not long. After you finish the ID Check step, the Home Office emails you when the eVisa is ready to view. For most students that is a matter of days. It can take longer in some cases, so the honest advice is to treat it as a task with a buffer, not something to rush on the day.
Do not leave it to the last week. A student who sets the account up as soon as the visa is approved has time to catch any error, link the passport, and test a share code long before the flight. A student who leaves it to the airport week has none of that room. The system is still newer than the old card, and small technical snags do happen.
What are the deadlines you cannot miss?
Two dates matter for anyone holding an old BRP, and both are set by the transition rather than by your own visa.
If your BRP was short-dated to expire on 31 December 2024, you have until 30 June 2026 to create your UKVI account and move to an eVisa, as of 2026-09-22 on the Home Office guidance at gov.uk/get-access-evisa. Miss that window and you make life harder for yourself, because proving status without either a valid card or an account gets slow.
You can set the account up with an expired BRP for up to 24 months after the expiry date printed on the card, or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first, as of 2026-09-22 per gov.uk/evisa. That gives a little breathing room to people who still have the physical card, but it is a hard stop, not an open ended one. After it, the card is no use for setting up the account.
And keep the card safe even once it has expired. Not reporting a lost or stolen BRP to the police can bring a fine of up to GBP 1,000, as of 2026-09-22 on the Home Office BRP page at gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits. Beyond the fine, holding on to the old BRP can help future applications, so file it away rather than throwing it out.
What goes wrong most often, and how do you avoid it?
The eVisa itself is not complicated. The mistakes are almost always about timing and detail, and every one of them is avoidable.
- Leaving it to the last minute. The single most common problem. Set the account up when your visa is approved, not the week you fly.
- Building the account on a BRP and forgetting the passport. If the passport is not linked, an airline cannot confirm your eVisa at check in. Add it and let it link.
- Using an old email or phone number. Sign in needs a code sent to your details. An abandoned email locks you out. Keep them current.
- Assuming an expired BRP means an expired visa. It does not. Check your decision letter for the real end date.
- Paying a copycat website. The account is free on GOV.UK. Any site charging you to create it is not the real one.
- Ignoring an error on the eVisa. A wrong date or status can stop you boarding. Report it early through the official tool and tell your university.
If your wider UK application still feels uncertain, the eVisa is only the last mile. Getting the visa itself right comes first, and our step by step guide on how to get a UK student visa from Pakistan covers the full journey from CAS to decision. For the document that unlocks the whole thing, see what a CAS letter is and how to get one.
A realistic timeline with dates
Meet Hamza, a Lahore student starting a master's in Manchester in the September 2026 intake. Here is how the eVisa fits into his year, with dates.
- 10 June 2026: Hamza receives his CAS from the university and submits his Student visa application, giving biometrics at the visa application centre in Lahore.
- 1 July 2026: His visa is approved. The email tells him to set up his UKVI account. No card is posted, because none exists.
- 2 July 2026: He downloads the ID Check app, scans his passport, takes a selfie, and creates the account at gov.uk/get-access-evisa in about twenty minutes.
- 5 July 2026: A confirmation email arrives. He signs in, sees his eVisa, and checks that his name, date of birth, passport number and permission dates are all correct.
- 6 July 2026: He generates a share code for the university and one to keep for himself, and saves a screenshot of the eVisa.
- 2 September 2026: He flies to Manchester. The airline confirms his passport is linked to a valid eVisa at check in. He lands with nothing to collect.
- Week of arrival: The university checks his status with the share code at enrolment, and his letting agent does the same for his flat.
Notice what is missing from that list. No post office queue. No plastic card. No ten day collection deadline. The work moved online and moved earlier, which is easier once you plan for it.
Key takeaways
- The BRP card is gone. Every UK student now proves status through a free digital eVisa in a UKVI account.
- A new Student grant from Pakistan comes as an eVisa. You set up the account and link your passport before you fly.
- An expired BRP does not mean an expired visa. Check your Home Office decision letter for the real end date.
- Prove your status with a share code from the view and prove service. Each code lasts 90 days.
- If your BRP expired on 31 December 2024, create your account by 30 June 2026, and use the card to build the account only until 31 December 2026.
- Set the account up early, use your passport, and keep your email and phone number current.
Frequently asked questions
Is the eVisa the same as my student visa?
No. The eVisa is the online record of the permission you were already granted. Your Student visa is the permission itself. The eVisa is simply how you now view it and prove it, in place of the old plastic card.
I am applying for my first UK Student visa from Pakistan. Will I get a BRP?
No. Since BRP production stopped after 31 October 2024, a new Student grant comes as an eVisa. You create a UKVI account and access your eVisa before you travel.
Does the eVisa cost anything?
No. Creating the UKVI account and holding the eVisa is free. You still pay the normal visa fee and Immigration Health Surcharge on the application itself, but the eVisa adds no charge.
How do I prove my status to my university or landlord?
You sign in to your UKVI account, open the view and prove service, and generate a share code. You give that code to the university, landlord, employer or bank. The code lasts 90 days.
What if I already have a UKVI account from my visa application?
Many students set one up during the application using the ID Check app. If you already have an account, you do not create a second one. You sign in and check that your current passport is linked.
My BRP has expired. Has my visa ended?
No. A BRP expiry date is not your visa end date. Many BRPs were short-dated to 31 December 2024 while the permission ran for years beyond that. Check the decision letter the Home Office sent you for your real permission end date.
Can I travel to the UK on an expired BRP?
No. From 2 June 2025 you can no longer travel using an expired BRP. You need a UKVI account with your eVisa, and your current passport linked to it, before you fly.
Which passport should I use to create the account?
Use your current passport if you can. That way you only need to show one document at the UK border. If you set the account up with a BRP number, add your passport afterwards.
How long does the eVisa take to appear after I set up the account?
It is often ready within a few days, though the Home Office says it can take longer in some cases. Set the account up early rather than in the week you plan to fly.
What if there is a mistake on my eVisa?
Report it through the online error service on GOV.UK, and tell your university sponsor. Common errors are a wrong date of birth or a status that does not match your grant. Do not travel until a serious error is fixed.
Do I still need to keep my old BRP card?
Yes, keep it even after it expires. The Home Office advises holding on to it because it can help with future immigration applications and your own records.
Can Borders and Bridges help me set up my UKVI account?
Yes. We walk our UK students through creating the account, linking the passport, and generating the first share code for their university, as part of the pre-departure support in our UK student visa service.
Moving to the UK this intake and want the eVisa handled without stress? Borders and Bridges is an ICEF and British Council verified consultancy in Johar Town, Lahore. We support our UK students through the visa itself and the UKVI account that follows, from CAS to the day you land. Talk to a UK adviser today.
WhatsApp +92 321 4656927 or call +92 321 4656927. You can also contact us here to book a session, or read our full guide to studying in the UK from Pakistan.
