UK to replace physical biometric immigration cards with e-visas
By 2025, Britain is set to ditch physical immigration status documents such as Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) and Biometric Residence Cards (BRCs) in a bid to make its borders digital, which is in-line with developed countries like Australia.
Presently, students, workers, immigrants and their dependents from non-EU countries residing in the UK are eventually issued Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs), cards which are proof of their immigration status in the country. Much like e-Passports, these plastic cards contain a chip that can be used by a Border Force officer to cryptographically verify the authenticity of the document itself and a person's identity via biometrics (facial photograph and fingerprints) stored in that chip.
Some developed nations such as Australia, much like the UK, also collect biometrics from immigrants but in contrast, do not issue physical cards or in-passport vignettes (physical visa stickers and stamps). Instead, applicants are granted an e-visa that can be verified online and serves a digital proof of their immigration status.
