If you currently hold or have applied to the UK Home Office for a biometric residence permit (BRP) but your contacts details or certain other details have recently changed, you may need to report these change of circumstances.
In this guide for BRP holders, we explain the process to report a change of address and other changes in circumstances which the Home Office must be informed of.
How to update your BRP
If you’re an overseas national in the UK with a BRP, or you’ve applied for a permit from either inside or outside the UK but haven’t yet received a decision on your application, you may be required to report certain changes in your details to the UK Home Office. How you do this depends on what changes you’re reporting and whether you’re overseas or in the UK.
In some instances, you may not need to apply for a new BRP, but rather you can simply report the changes by post or online so that these details can be updated accordingly.
When reporting BRP changes, you can complete the relevant online form or paperwork yourself. Alternatively, if you have instructed a legal representative, you can ask them to notify the Home Office on your behalf, although you must provide your representative with a letter of authority giving them permission to tell the Home Office of these changes.
Reporting changes of circumstances to the Home Office
As an overseas applicant, or a migrant currently living in the UK, you must notify the Home Office immediately of any change in circumstances that mean you no longer qualify for leave under your current immigration category.
You may also be required to report other changes in the information provided in connection with your BRP application, including:
- your personal details, such as your name, your nationality and your gender status
- your contact details, such as your address, email address and contact number
- your legal representative’s details or any change in legal representation
- your dependants’ details, including if you separate from your dependent partner or if any dependent children stop living permanently with you
- any criminal convictions, relating to both yourself or any dependants
- any other relevant information that you think the Home Office ought to know about.
BRP change of address process from within the UK
If you’re currently living in the UK or your application for a BRP was made in the UK, you can report a BRP change of address online. This could be where you gave a temporary address when you first applied from overseas or your address has unexpectedly changed since your arrival in the UK. Either way, you must report a change in contact details to the Home Office as soon as you have a fixed or new UK postal address.
When submitting a BRP change of address online, you will need to provide:
- your name, date of birth and nationality
- your old postcode, and your new address and postcode
- your identify document number, eg, passport or BRP number.
You will also need to provide a number of documents in support, to prove your identity and verify your new address. Copies of these documents will need to be scanned and uploaded as part of the online reporting procedure, although they must be valid and the scan must be legible. You will need one document as evidence of your identity, such as your passport or biometric residence permit. You will also need three separate documents showing your new address, that have been received within the last 3 months, including:
- a mortgage statement
- a bank or building society statement
- a credit card statement
- a rental agreement
- a utility or council tax bill
- a benefits statement.
BRP change of address process from overseas
If you’ve applied for permission to come to the UK through an overseas visa application centre, if successful, you will receive a sticker in your passport, sometimes called a vignette, and will then be able to collect your biometric residence permit on your arrival in the UK.
In these circumstances, where your details have changed whilst waiting for a decision in your home country, you will need to contact the centre where you applied to report a BRP change of address. You will also need to let them know of any other changes to your personal details, for example, a change of name because you recently got married or your reasons for travelling to the UK have changed. In some cases, you may be required to make a fresh application.
If you applied for permission to come to the UK entirely online, using the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ smartphone app to scan your biometric passport, you will not receive a BRP. You will instead be able to view and prove your immigration status digitally. However, you must still report a BRP change of address, or other relevant changes, using your online account.
Reporting other changes of circumstances
Any changes in the contact details for dependants or your legal representative, including a change of legal representation, can be reported online. You will need the name, date of birth and nationality of any dependants, or the name and address details of your representative.
To report other changes to the details provided in your BRP application since you arrived in the UK, you will need to complete the ‘Migrant change of circumstances (MCC)’ form. This could include if you separate from your partner, if any of your children stop living with you, or if you or any dependant is convicted of a criminal offence.
The MCC form will need to be completed, providing detailed information about the change in circumstances, and posted to the address on the form.
For any criminal convictions, you will need to provide full details of the offence, the name of the court, the date and place of sentencing, and the sentence imposed. For relationship breakdowns, where your relationship with your dependent partner has permanently broken down, you should provide details of the date that you and your partner ceased living together and, if possible, the address that your partner is now living at. Similarly, if a dependent child that travelled with you to the UK is no longer living with you in the UK on a permanent basis, you should notify the Home Office of when they moved out and their new address.
If your partner or child ceases to be eligible for leave as a dependant due to the change in circumstances, their existing leave could be curtailed. They may be required to leave the UK or take steps to regularise their stay by applying for leave under a different immigration category.
When will you need to apply for a new BRP?
You will typically be able to notify the Home Office of any change in circumstances using an online or postal form, without applying for a new BRP. However, if you’re in the UK with a BRP, you must apply for a replacement without delay if any of the following apply:
- you change your name, for example, if you’ve got married
you change your nationality - you change your gender, legally or permanently
- your facial appearance changes significantly
- a change of date of birth, for example, if it was wrongly entered.
To apply for a replacement BRP, you will need to fill in an online application form and provide documentation in support, for example, a marriage certificate. You will also need to pay an application fee and you may need to have your biometrics taken again. You should also apply for a replacement if your BRP has been lost, damaged or stolen.
If you’ve recently received your BRP and believe that a mistake has been made relating to your personal details as shown on your permit, including any spelling mistakes, you will not need to apply for a replacement, but you must report this immediately online. If a mistake has been made, the Home Office will rectify the error and issue you with an amended BRP.
How much does it cost to update or replace a BRP?
There’s no fee for reporting a change of circumstances, although there will be a £56 fee if you’re required to apply for a new permit, plus £19.20 to register your biometrics. When you apply, you’ll be asked to make an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point to provide your fingerprints and a photograph.
How long does it take to update or replace a BRP?
If you’re reporting a BRP change of address online, or any other details that can be updated online, you can expect your update to be processed within as little as 3 days. Having completed the online form, unless further information is required, your details will be updated within 72 hours of submitting the information online, although these changes may take slightly longer due to increased demand and delays due to COVID-19 restrictions.
If using the MCC form to report a change of circumstances, or applying for a replacement BRP, the process may take several weeks.
Why is it important to report any Home Office change of circumstances?
If you’re granted permission to come to the UK, you have a number of key responsibilities as a BRP-holder. This not only includes complying with the conditions of your stay, but reporting certain changes to the Home Office, including a BRP change of address. If you fail to comply with your reporting requirements, you may be subject to a financial penalty. This could also result in any outstanding application being refused, or your leave being cancelled or curtailed.
If you have failed to provide the Home Office with an up-to-date correspondence address or contact details, this could also mean you miss important notifications which require you to take action within a specific deadline. This could, in itself, negatively impact any pending application or result in your existing permission to stay in the UK being shortened.
The rules in the UK relating to migrant change of circumstances are many and varied, with different procedures depending on the type of change that you’re required to report. By securing expert advice from an immigration specialist you can ensure that you report any changes to the Home Office in the correct way, with the right documentation in support. In this way, you can feel confident that you will remain compliant with the law at all times, fulfilling your important obligations as a BRP applicant or existing permit-holder.
BRP Change of Circumstances FAQs
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Legal disclaimer
The matters contained in this article are intended to be for general information purposes only. This article does not constitute legal advice, nor is it a complete or authoritative statement of the law, and should not be treated as such. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information is correct, no warranty, express or implied, is given as to its accuracy and no liability is accepted for any error or omission. Before acting on any of the information contained herein, expert legal advice should be sought.
Author
Gill Laing is a qualified Legal Researcher & Analyst with niche specialisms in Law, Tax, Human Resources, Immigration & Employment Law.
Gill is a Multiple Business Owner and the Managing Director of Prof Services - a Marketing & Content Agency for the Professional Services Sector.
