The United Kingdom’s government on Tuesday launched e-visas for Pakistani students and workers as part of an “enhanced” border and immigration system.

The announcement came just a day after the two countries formally signed the Trade Dialogue Mechanism Agreement and decided to establish the UK-Pakistan Business Advisory Council to institutionalise bilateral economic cooperation.

In a statement today, the British High Commission (BHC) in Islamabad said: “The UK Government is replacing physical immigration documents for most student and worker visas with a digital proof of immigration status, an e-visa.”

British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said on X that the facility was for “most students and workers applying for more than 6 months”.

An e-visa is an online record of a person’s immigration permission in the UK and will make the visa process easier and more secure, the BHC noted in its statement.

“E-visas are tried and tested, with millions of people already using them on select immigration routes,” it highlighted.

Students and workers who intend to stay in the UK for a period longer than six months will be eligible to apply for the e-visa. The UK government plans to expand the scheme to all visa applications, according to the statement.

In 2024, the UK government announced that the country’s immigration system was transitioning to a fully digital format, replacing physical documents with an online immigration system.

The BHC outlined the following eligibility criteria for the e-visa:

• Students, including short-term study for 11 months
• Global Business Mobility routes (specifically, Senior or Specialist Worker, Graduate Trainee, UK Expansion Worker, Service Supplier, Secondment Worker)??
• Global Talent???
• International Sportsperson???
• Skilled Worker (including health and care)??
• Temporary Work routes (specifically, Charity Worker, Creative Worker, Government Authorised Exchange, International Agreement, and Religious work routes)?
• Youth Mobility Scheme??

Applicants applying as dependents or for visas other than study or work, eg. general visitor visa, will still need a physical visa, the statement noted.

Those with existing in-date physical visas do not need to take any action.

Marriott noted that the changes were set to make the visa process simpler for students and workers. “It also means applicants can hold onto their passports, saving time,” she pointed out.

She clarified that updating from a physical visa to an e-visa will have no impact on a person’s present immigration status.

“Holders can link their travel document (such as passport) to their UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) account to facilitate straightforward international travel,” the statement read.

The UKVI — introduced in 2024 — is an account that visa holders staying in the UK for longer than six months are required to create. It serves as an online record of people’s immigration status.