eVisas to new biometric UK customers

The British government expanded eVisas to new biometric customers, replacing physical documents with an online immigration status, the British High Commission in Islamabad announced on Friday.

The high commission said in a statement that biometric residence permits (BRPs), vignette stickers in passports or 'wet ink stamps' were among some of the physical documents that would no longer be needed.

"If you are granted a visa to stay in the UK for longer than 6 months - for example to work or study - you will now need to create a UKVI online account to access your eVisa. The account acts as an online record of your immigration status," the statement said.

For those granted a visa to stay in the UK for less than 6 months, for example as a tourist, the UKVI account would not be needed. The statement said that the process was free, secure, and straightforward. The account could be created by visiting the high commission website: gov.uk/eVisa.