Free eVisa Setup Support Ends Today - Where to Get Help If You Still Need It
31 Mar 2026
If you or a family member still hasn't set up a UKVI account or accessed their eVisa online, the free community support that was available until today has now ended. The Home Office updated its guidance on 31 March 2026 to confirm that government funding for the organisations providing that help came to an end today.
Since September 2025, a £400,000 pot of government funding supported 25 national and local organisations — including Migrant Help and Citizens Advice Scotland — to help people create their UKVI account and link their biometric residence card (BRC) or other immigration document to an eVisa. That scheme is now closed. The eVisa system itself has not changed — your digital immigration status remains valid — but the dedicated free support organisations no longer have funding to assist you.
If you still need help accessing your eVisa, you have two main options. You can contact a regulated immigration adviser for free guidance through the Immigration Advice Authority's adviser finder at find-an-adviser.oisc.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can contact UKVI directly — the online contact form is at gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-outside-uk. If you have a specific technical problem with your UKVI account, there is also an online error-reporting tool linked from the eVisa guidance page.
This is particularly relevant for BNO holders who arrived more recently, or for older family members who may have relied on Hong Kong community organisations in their area for help with the digital setup. If you know someone in that situation, today is a good day to check in with them.
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