ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The United Kingdom has launched a new e-visa facility for Pakistani students and professionals, according to which most students and professionals traveling to the UK will no longer need a visible sticker visa in their passports, effective from July 15.
The British government has introduced a digital immigration status, or e-visa, in place of physical immigration documents for most students and professionals.
An e-visa is an online record of an individual’s immigration permission to the UK, along with the conditions attached to it, which can be viewed by logging into a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account.
The e-visa is a modern system in the Border and Immigration System, which will make the visa process easier, safer, digital and more integrated. This system has already been successfully tested and millions of people are using it on specific immigration routes.
In this regard, British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said that these reforms to the UK visa system will make it much easier for students and professionals to prove their identity and visa status. This also has the advantage of allowing applicants to keep their passports, which will save them time.
The move from a physical document to an e-visa will not affect an individual’s immigration status or the conditions for entry or residence in the UK.
In addition, the categories of visa applicants for which e-visas are being introduced include students, including those on short-term studies of up to 11 months, Global Business Mobility Routes (such as Senior or Specialist Worker, Graduate Trainee, UK Expansion Worker, Service Supplier, Secondment Worker), Global Talent, International Sportsperson, Skilled Worker (including Health and Care Workers) and Temporary Work Routes (such as Charity Worker, Creative Worker, Government Authorised Exchange, International Agreement, and Religious Work Routes), as well as the Youth Mobility Scheme.
E-visa holders can make international travel easier by linking their travel document (such as a passport) to their UKVI account. Those who create a UKVI account will be able to securely show their immigration status to third parties in the UK, such as employers or landlords, through the ‘View and Prove’ service.
Those applying as dependents or primary applicants who will be applying for visa categories other than education or professional work (such as the General Visitor Visa) will still need a physical sticker visa. Similarly, those who already have a valid physical visa sticker do not need to take any further action.
This facility will soon be implemented across all visa categories, making the process of obtaining a UK visa even safer, easier, and more efficient.
