British Home Office to Eliminate Biometric Residence Cards for Nigerians

The British Home Office will discontinue biometric residence cards (BRCs) and biometric residence permits (BRPs) for Nigerian residents in the UK effective December 31, 2024. This change is part of the UK’s broader initiative to replace all physical migration documents with digital versions.

The new eVisa system, which has been prominently promoted throughout 2024, will fully replace the existing hard copy visa regime by the end of the year. According to the Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom (CANUK), Nigerians currently holding BRCs and BRPs will transition to the eVisa, eliminating the need to carry physical documentation.

The eVisa will serve as an online record of an individual’s immigration status and conditions of stay in the UK. CANUK’s Publicity Secretary, Rose Graham, and Assistant Publicity Secretary, Mohammed Yiosese, clarified that Nigerians affected by the change will need to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa. They emphasized that updating from a physical document to an eVisa will not alter the immigration status or conditions of stay.

During a recent meeting with Nigerian community leaders, Home Office officials assured that the new system would not impact the validity of immigration statuses. The Home Office also highlighted that while the eVisa will be the primary documentation, individuals will still need to carry their current passport, which must be registered with their UKVI account.

For those with BRPs or other physical immigration documents, including passports with vignette stickers or ink stamps, the Home Office advises visiting http://www.gov.uk/evisa to create a UKVI account and transition to the eVisa system. The eVisa will be linked to the passport in the UKVI account and remain valid even if the passport expires.

CANUK, established by the Nigerian High Commission in 2005, aims to unify Nigerian groups in the UK to represent their welfare, views, and community interests effectively.