If you receive a visa to visit the UK then you need to make sure that your visa is activated to meet all immigration regulations. Here we are going to talk about what your visa is, why should you activate it, and what happens if you do not activate your visa when you enter the UK.
What Is Your Visa Activation Mean?
Once you have the visa active, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) records your arrival in the UK. This includes taking note of when, where, and what visa you got. The activation makes the UK government monitor your coming for work or education.
How To Grant Your Visa At the UK Border.
You’ll go through several screenings at the UK border. Here’s what happens:
- Show passport/visa: They’ll need to see your passport and it’ll have a visa vignette (sticker) or a digital immigration status.
- Visa activation: If you prove that you are who you say you are, and you have a valid visa, then the border officer will activate your visa. If you’ve got a visa vignette, the agent will stamp your passport. If you have a digital status, then the gates for ePassport allow a speedier entry.
- If coming from Ireland: If entering the UK from the Republic of Ireland, there may not be a border guard at your side to stamp your visa. If this is the case, then be sure to retain travel documentation (eg, a boarding pass) showing when you got to the UK.
- Pick up your biometric residence permit (BRP): If your visa is a vignette, you will have to pick up your BRP on arrival. The BRP will let you in and out of the UK, and fingerprints will be checked on each return trip.
What If You Didn’t Put Your Visa On In The Correct Way?
This can become problematic later if your visa does not get activated on arrival. Here’s what could happen:
- Badly activated or stamped when you get it: If you haven’t activated or stamped your visa when you get it, it will confuse your immigration status. This could come in handy should you wish to work or extend your visa again.
- Arriving too early: If you are arriving in the UK before your visa start date (eg, before the visa start date for your Skilled Worker visa), you will not be permitted to work or reside in the UK legally. And that can affect your employer, who would be breaking the law to have an “illegal worker”. The sponsor license of the employer can be suspended or canceled.
And What If You Come Too Late?
You can’t legally work or study in the UK if you come to the UK before the start date of your visa. Well here is what you have to do:
- Take a flight from and back into the UK: You will have to take a flight from and back into the UK after the date of your visa commencement for your visa to be valid. That means UKVI gets the correct entry recorded, and you can begin work or study legally.
Employer Responsibilities
You – as a sponsoring employer – need to ensure that your foreign workers come to the UK while their visa is valid. The employer must check the employee’s entry date so that they are on time under immigration regulations. And if someone gets in early, you could get fined or a lower sponsor license.
So before entering the UK, you should have your visa authorized and activated. Talk to an immigration attorney if you are confused about when you should go or if your visa has been activated correctly. They can help guide you in the right direction if you are coming too early or you are confused about your visa status.
Likewise, if you are an employer and find out that one of your sponsored workers came to the UK before the start date of their visa, Law and Visas will advise on what you can do to comply and not get fined.
