I have ILR but no eVisa. How do I switch my old documents over? (No Time Limit application)
If you hold Indefinite Leave to Remain but the only proof you have is an old stamp in your passport, a vignette sticker, or a letter from years ago, you may have found that you cannot set up a UKVI account or see an eVisa. The good news is that your status has not gone anywhere. The issue is proof, not entitlement, and there is a clear route to fix it: a No Time Limit, or NTL, application.
This comes up a great deal in our work, particularly with people who settled some years ago and have simply never needed to update their paperwork. Many of them hold older paper documents from routes. Here is what the situation is, why it matters now, and how the NTL application works.
Why this matters now
The UK has moved to a digital immigration system. Since the start of 2025, physical proof of status, including biometric residence permits, ink stamps in passports, and vignette stickers, is no longer accepted as evidence of your immigration status at the UK border. Your status is now held and proven digitally, through an eVisa that you access using a UKVI account.
An eVisa is also what you use to prove your right to work to an employer and your right to rent to a landlord, by generating a share code from your UKVI account. So even if you do not travel often, having your status in digital form has become the practical way to evidence it in everyday life.
The key point: your ILR itself does not expire just because your documents are old. But if you cannot prove it digitally, you can run into real difficulties at the border, at work, or when renting. An NTL application is how you bring your existing status onto an eVisa.
Does this apply to you?
An NTL application is designed for people who already hold settled status but cannot create a UKVI account in the usual way. You may recognise your situation here if you hold ILR and your proof is any of the following:
A wet-ink stamp endorsed in a current or expired passport.
A vignette sticker or a Form for Affixing a Visa (FAV) in your passport.
An older Home Office letter confirming your settled status.
No physical document at all, for example because it was lost or stolen, or you never received one.
It also covers certain people who never held a biometric residence permit, and some non-EU nationals who were granted settlement under the Immigration Rules rather than the EU Settlement Scheme.
What a No Time Limit application actually is
It helps to understand what you are really applying for. An NTL application asks the Home Office to confirm that you still hold Indefinite Leave and to record that status digitally, so that you can access an eVisa. The application itself is currently free to make.
Here is the part that is important to be honest about, because some guides gloss over it. An NTL application is not simply an administrative swap of one document for another. It is a review of your status. In practice the Home Office is confirming three things:
That you were granted Indefinite Leave in the first place.
That your leave has not lapsed since then.
That there are no grounds to revoke it.
For the vast majority of people who have lived here continuously, this is straightforward. But it does mean the application should be prepared with care rather than treated as a formality, which is exactly where good preparation pays off.
The two year absence point to watch
This is the single most important thing to understand before you apply. Indefinite Leave can lapse if you spend more than two continuous years outside the UK. Because an NTL application reviews your status, this is the stage at which a long absence can come to light.
If you have always been resident here, this will not affect you. If you have spent extended periods abroad, it is worth taking advice first. Where ILR has genuinely lapsed through absence, the NTL route is not the answer, and a Returning Resident visa, which is made from outside the UK, may be the correct application instead. Getting this distinction right at the outset saves a great deal of difficulty later.
What you will typically need
The exact requirements can vary and the process has been evolving as the digital system beds in, so it is always worth checking the current position before you apply. As a general guide, you will usually need to:
Be physically in the UK when you apply.
Have previously been granted Indefinite Leave, with no pending immigration application outstanding.
Provide photographic identity evidence, such as a current passport, and explain any legitimate change of name, gender or nationality with supporting documents.
Submit whatever proof of your ILR grant you hold, including current and expired passports containing stamps or vignettes, and any old Home Office letters.
If your ILR was granted more than two years ago, show evidence of your continued residence in the UK, and account for any single absence of more than six months.
Useful residence evidence includes things like council tax statements, utility bills, bank statements, payslips, your UK driving licence, or letters from your GP. If you genuinely have no documents proving your ILR, that is not necessarily fatal. The Home Office can also check its own internal records, so the process is to some extent a joint exercise between you and the caseworker.
Can I travel while my application is being decided?
Yes. Unlike some in-country applications, an NTL application is not treated as withdrawn if you travel outside the Common Travel Area while it is pending. So you can submit it even if you have trips planned. As for timing, the Home Office aims to decide these applications within around six months, though this is only an estimate and the actual time can be shorter or longer.
When NTL is not the right route
An NTL application is not for everyone. You should not use it if you are a British or Irish citizen, as you are generally outside immigration control. It is also the wrong route if you hold settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, permanent residence as an EEA national, or status under the Hong Kong BN(O) route, because those statuses are proven digitally in a different way. If you are unsure which category you fall into, that is worth clarifying before you apply, since the wrong application can simply be voided.
Is a No Time Limit application free?
Yes, it is currently free to make an NTL application.
Do I need to apply if my ILR is still valid?
Your ILR remains valid, but without digital proof you may struggle to evidence it at the border, at work or when renting. For most people with only legacy documents, applying is the sensible way to secure that proof.
I have lost the passport with my ILR stamp. Can I still apply?
Yes. You can explain that the document was lost or stolen, provide whatever other evidence you have, and the Home Office can also check its own records. We can help you trace your records.
What happens after a successful application?
Your status is confirmed and you are given access to an eVisa through a UKVI account, which becomes your digital proof of settled status going forward.
Still holding old paperwork and unsure where to start?
At Point B Legal we help settled residents move their status onto an eVisa cleanly, and we check for the issues, such as past absences, that can complicate an NTL application before they become a problem. As an IAA regulated firm led by a former UKVI Officer who worked in Assessment and Verification, we bring an insider understanding of how these applications are assessed.
This article is general information about UK immigration, not legal advice for your specific situation. The digital immigration and eVisa system is still developing and the rules and requirements can change, so always check the current position and seek advice on your own circumstances before applying. Point B Legal Ltd is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority.
Comments