The United Kingdom has announced changes to its visa issuance process for individuals applying to work or study in the country, effective from July 15, 2025.
In a statement released by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) on Tuesday, the government revealed that it would stop issuing vignettes - visa stickers placed in passports - for some applicants.
The vignette previously served as temporary travel permission, allowing successful applicants to enter the UK and collect their full visa (Biometric Residence Permit) upon arrival.
Under the new system, eligible applicants will instead be issued a digital visa. This change means they will no longer need to leave their passports at the Visa Application Centre (VAC) while the sticker is processed.
''Instead, after submitting their biometric data, they will retain their passports and receive their visa details electronically via email or through an online account. From 15 July 2025, some customers applying to work or study in the UK will no longer get a vignette in their passport,'' read part of the statement on the updates.
This means you will get to take your passport home with you the same day as your VAC appointment.
The shift is part of the UK government’s broader plan to transition fully to a digital immigration status.
The changes come less than a month after the UK, on June 2, announced that expired biometric residence permits can no longer be used to travel to the UK.
Under this, people who hold biometric residence permits (BRPs)—plastic ID cards issued to non-UK nationals as proof of their immigration status - can no longer use them for travel if they have expired, even if their actual immigration permission (visa or leave to remain) is still valid.
Meanwhile, on July 1, the UK announced that it would not refund visa applicants from Kenya who have been rejected as they seek to go to the European nation.
Despite a massive uproar recently levelled at the UK over the dubious dealings of its contracted visa centre in Kenya, Deputy High Commissioner to Kenya Dr. Ed Barnett maintained that the UK would proceed with its no-refund policy for rejected applicants.
“There is no plan at present to provide full or partial refunds when visa applications are rejected,” Barnett stated.
“I think the culmination of having clear guidelines and encouraging those who are applying for visas is to read those (guidelines) and provide as much evidence as possible when setting out the application to increase the likelihood that it can be a success,” he added.
