Employing someone with an eVisa

Employing someone with an eVisa requires the appropriate right-to-work process using their digital status, not merely viewing the person’s UKVI account. Check the employer-service result and address any identity or status-display discrepancy before relying on it.

Keep the employee’s account access private. The employer needs the prescribed evidence and permissions information, not the person’s password.

Understand what the digital record establishes

An eVisa is the Home Office's digital record of identity, immigration status and relevant conditions, such as permission to work or study. It is accessed through a UKVI account, which the holder can use to generate a share code. ^[1] The employer's task is to complete the prescribed right-to-work check, not to take control of that account or interpret a photograph of an old immigration document in isolation.

Ask the employee to use the official process and provide the right-to-work share code and required details. Explain that they should keep passwords, recovery information and one-time codes private. If they need assistance accessing the account, direct them to the relevant official support route. A helpful onboarding process can explain the steps without requiring the worker to disclose credentials to a recruiter or payroll administrator.

Use the employer check rather than the holder's screen

Access the official employer service and review the result generated from the share code. The employer guide states that viewing the individual's own side of the service is not sufficient to establish the prescribed check. ^[2] Save the employer result and confirm identity through the permitted process. A screen shared during a call may help explain an issue, but it is not a substitute for completing the employer workflow.

Record the proposed role and hours alongside the check so the conditions can be assessed against the work. Read the full result, including any restrictions and relevant dates. Do not infer that every eVisa permits employment simply because it is a valid immigration record. Different permissions can carry different conditions, and the employer must understand the result relevant to the actual job before confirming arrangements.

Deal with identity or display discrepancies

If the photograph, name, date of birth or status information appears inconsistent, record the issue precisely. Ask the holder to use the appropriate official correction or account-update process, distinguishing a changed personal detail from an error in the immigration status displayed. Do not edit the saved Home Office output to make it agree with the recruitment system or assume that an unexplained mismatch is harmless.

Keep the employee's explanation and relevant support correspondence in the controlled file. Handling an employee report of an eVisa error addresses eVisa error reports. If the problem prevents a usable right-to-work result, consult current guidance on the available verification route and obtain appropriately authorised immigration advice where needed. A pending correction request does not itself provide the employer with a completed check or settle what work the person may undertake.

Keep expired documents and current permission distinct

The replacement of physical immigration documents by eVisas means an old card's expiry should not be treated as the whole status assessment. The Home Office guide says a manual check of an expired biometric residence permit is not acceptable proof of right to work; the required online process must be used. ^[2] Equally, do not infer a current permission end date solely from the date printed on an old card.

Ask for the current prescribed evidence and preserve the employer result. Where a different acceptable route is relevant under the guidance, assess it on its actual conditions rather than creating a local workaround. Train HR staff to distinguish immigration permission, document validity and share-code validity. These are separate concepts, and confusing them can lead either to an unsupported start or an unnecessary obstacle for a lawful worker.

Connect the check to ongoing employment records

Store the result with the actual check date, identity confirmation and any restriction that managers need to apply. Identify whether a follow-up is required under the current guidance, including any relevant exceptions. Keep the full evidence secure while communicating only the operational information needed for the role. A rota manager may need a work limit without needing access to the employee's complete status profile.

See Using a share code for a right-to-work check for the share-code steps and eVisa employment check support to discuss employer compliance support. Confirm that any individual immigration advice is provided by an appropriately regulated or otherwise legally authorised adviser. If a status problem is urgent, make the relevant date and unresolved issue clear when requesting assistance, and obtain confirmation of the accepted instruction rather than assuming an enquiry has already been acted on.

Before closing onboarding, check that the saved evidence relates to the person who will actually start, that the role fits the conditions and that any outstanding correction is tracked. Keep a named owner for follow-up communications. This allows the employer to continue the process consistently if the original recruiter becomes unavailable or the employee later transfers to another team.

Illustrative scenario

A new employee has an eVisa linked to updated identity details. HR completes the official employer check and records a discrepancy for resolution rather than requesting unrestricted access to the employee’s account.

Preparation checklist

• Use the prescribed check route
• Review identity details
• Read permission conditions
• Escalate display errors