The UK Visas and Immigration authority (UKVI) has informed us that there is currently a delay in producing Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) cards. This will affect any of our international students who are waiting to collect their BRP cards.
UKVI anticipate that cards will not be available for collection until at least three weeks from the start date of your visa, though they are working through the backlog as quickly as possible. The delay is due to a technical problem transferring data between their systems.
Don’t worry – this delay will not affect your enrolment at the University or your ability to stay in the UK. You can continue registering and studying as normal while you wait for your card to arrive.
If you chose in your visa application to collect your BRP card from our Student Services Centre, once the card has been delivered to us you will receive an email. This will have a link to book your collection appointment.
Please be patient and wait for this email – our Student Immigration team is dealing with a lot of enquiries at the moment, and we promise we’ll let you know as soon as your card arrives. You should not book a BRP card collection appointment using a link provided to another student, as you will not be able to collect your card.
If instead you chose to collect your BRP card from a Post Office, you will not be informed when it arrives. You will need to periodically go to the Post Office named in your decision letter or visa application account and ask if the card has been delivered yet. Due to the production delay, your card is unlikely to arrive for at least three weeks from the start date of your visa.
If you need to prove your immigration status in the meantime, it is possible to do this without a BRP card.
You should receive an email from UKVI confirming your BRP card delay – that email serves as confirmation that you hold lawful status in the UK. You can use it, along with the passport or other identity document you used in your visa application, to prove your status to:
- Landlords: Ask your landlord to use the Landlord Checking Service. Once the request is received, the Home Office will confirm your right to rent directly to the landlord.
- Employers: Ask your employer to use the Employer Checking Service. Once the request is received the Home Office will confirm your right to work directly to the employer.
- Government departments: If the NHS, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), a Local Authority or other government department wishes to confirm your status, they should contact Status Verification, Enquiries and Checking (SVEC) at the Home Office. They will know how to do this.
- Opening a bank account: The decision to open a bank account is a commercial decision for the bank in question. Not having a BRP card should not impact your ability to open a bank account.