View and Prove Your UK Immigration Status 2026: Using the GOV.UK Service

Last reviewed: 14 May 2026 | Chandraketu Tripathi, finance editor

View-and-prove is the entry point. Every UK visa holder with an eVisa in 2026 reaches their digital status through the GOV.UK service at view-prove-immigration-status, sign in to confirm what the Home Office has recorded against their leave, and either generate a share code for a third party or use the service to update their own details. The interface is unglamorous, the sign-in elements are tightly scripted, and the data displayed is short, but the service is operationally critical: nothing else in the 2026 status architecture works without view-and-prove as the access point. This page is about what the service does, how to sign in successfully, what is displayed, and what to do when access cannot be completed through the standard route.

What this means for UK visa applicants in 2026

The service exists because the eVisa is a personal record held privately on the UKVI account. The holder, and only the holder, can sign in and see the full record. Third parties (employers, landlords, banks) see only the narrow subset they need, and only through a share code the holder generates. View-and-prove is the holder's window onto their own immigration record.

2026 has stabilised the sign-in elements. The standard sign-in requires three pieces of information: an identifier (the passport number on the account, or, for transitional holders, the BRP number), the date of birth and a verification code sent to the registered email or phone. The verification code is single-use and expires within minutes; the design intent is that even if a malicious party knows the holder's passport number and date of birth (both of which are not closely held secrets), they cannot sign in without access to the registered communication channels.

For the holder, view-and-prove is a routine service to use at three operational moments: when a new employer, landlord or other recipient needs a share code; when the holder wants to confirm leave details (expiry approaching, conditions check, dependant listing); and when the holder needs to update details on the account (passport renewal, change of address, change of email).

For the third party, view-and-prove is the entry point for the recipient's side of the check. The recipient uses a different URL but the same underlying service, entering the share code and the holder's date of birth to retrieve the relevant status subset.

How it works: the 2026 process

The view-and-prove flow has six stages from the holder's perspective.

Stage one is navigating to gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status. The service is accessed through the GOV.UK domain, not through any third-party portal; any URL that purports to be the UKVI account service but is not on gov.uk is suspicious.

Stage two is entering the identifier. The standard input is the passport number on the account, the same passport that anchors the eVisa. Where the holder is a transitional BRP holder who has not yet updated to passport-anchored access, the BRP number is the alternative input.

Stage three is entering the date of birth. The format is DD/MM/YYYY; the service validates the date against the record. A mismatch closes the sign-in attempt.

Stage four is the verification code. After the identifier and date of birth are entered, the service sends a single-use code to the registered email and phone (the holder chooses which to receive); the code is entered to complete sign-in. The code expires within minutes; if it expires before entry, the holder requests a new one.

Stage five is the status view. The signed-in account displays the holder's name, photograph (where available), the route on which leave was granted, the start date of the leave, the expiry date, the conditions attached (right to work, study, public funds), the dependants on the account where the leave covers a family, and any conditions or restrictions specific to the route.

Stage six is the action menu. From the status view, the holder can generate a share code, update account details, view help and support links and sign out. Each action opens its own flow within the same service.

What the service displays and how to read it

The status view is intentionally compact: a small number of fields with the operational information that matters for status purposes. The name and photograph are at the top, followed by the route name (Skilled Worker, Spouse Visa, Student, ILR, Settled Status, Pre-Settled Status, Graduate, Health and Care Worker, and so on). The route name is the legal description of the leave under the Immigration Rules, not a marketing label.

The leave dates are the start and expiry of the leave as granted by the Home Office. A 5-year Skilled Worker visa granted on 1 May 2024 will show 1 May 2024 to 1 May 2029. An ILR will show only a start date and no expiry, because ILR is indefinite. A Settled Status grant under the EU Settlement Scheme will show similarly.

The conditions list specifies what the holder can and cannot do under the leave. A Skilled Worker entry shows the sponsor and the occupation code; a Student visa shows the institution and study restrictions; a Spouse Visa shows the relationship route and any work conditions; a Visitor visa (unusual to have an eVisa for) shows the maximum duration of stay per visit. No recourse to public funds is a standard condition on most non-settlement leave and appears in this section.

Dependants are listed where the leave is a family route or where dependants have been added to a Skilled Worker, Student or other route. The dependant section names each dependant, their relationship to the principal applicant and their leave status. Each dependant has their own UKVI account for their own eVisa; the principal applicant's account does not give access to the dependants' accounts.

Where the holder has multiple grants of leave over time (an initial Skilled Worker, then an extension, then ILR), the account shows the current operative leave at the top with historical entries available through the history view. Old expired or superseded leave is not the operative status; only the current entry counts.

Updating details and the difference between view and prove

The update-your-details service is reached from the action menu within view-and-prove. The standard updates are passport renewal (update the passport number when a new passport is issued), email change, phone change, name change (where the holder has formally changed name and has evidence), and address change. Each update is processed by UKVI; some updates are instant, others require evidence and take 5 to 10 working days.

Passport updates are operationally important. The carrier-check service used by airlines for boarding clearance relies on the passport number on the UKVI account; an out-of-date passport details record can cause boarding refusal. Update as soon as the new passport is issued, and before any planned travel.

The distinction between view and prove is structural. View is a private action: the holder signs into their own account to look at their own status. Prove is a public action: the holder generates a share code from view-and-prove and provides it to a third party who runs the check on the corresponding recipient service. Both actions use the same underlying service, but they are separate flows with separate user interfaces and separate audit records.

Where the holder wants to print or save their own status for personal record-keeping, the view page can be printed or saved as PDF directly from the browser. This personal copy has no formal verification value for third parties; only a share code retrieved by the recipient on the GOV.UK service produces the formal check result. The personal print is useful for the holder's own files and for showing status informally where a formal check is not required.

When view-and-prove will not let you in: troubleshooting access

Sign-in failures fall into four categories. The first is mismatched details: the passport number, BRP number or date of birth entered does not match the record. Where the holder has renewed the passport recently and not updated the account, this is common; sign in with the previous passport number temporarily, then update details. Where the holder has typed the wrong date of birth, simply re-enter.

The second is no access to the registered communication channels. The verification code is sent to the email or phone registered on the account. If the holder has changed email or phone since registration and did not update the account, the verification code does not reach them. The fix is to use the alternative channel (email if phone fails, phone if email fails); where both are inaccessible, the account recovery route through UKVI customer service applies.

The third is an account that was never fully created. Some BRP holders started the account creation in 2024 but did not complete the verification step; their record exists in a fragmented state. The fix is to contact UKVI customer service to complete the account setup, providing alternative identity verification.

The fourth is a security lockout. Repeated failed sign-in attempts trigger a temporary lockout for the holder's protection; the lockout typically resolves after 24 hours, or the holder can use the unlock route through UKVI customer service.

For all four categories, the UKVI customer service contact route published on gov.uk is the escalation path. Where access is needed urgently for an imminent right-to-work check or imminent travel, the customer service team can provide manual status confirmation while account access is being restored.

Costs, timings and what to budget

The view-and-prove service is free. Sign-in is free. Account creation is free. Updates to passport, email, phone, name and address are free. Share-code generation is free. The recipient's check through the GOV.UK service is free.

Timings: a successful sign-in takes 30 seconds to 2 minutes including the verification code step. A passport details update is typically processed within 1 to 5 working days. An email or phone update is usually instant. A name change update may require evidence and takes 5 to 10 working days. UKVI customer service responses for account recovery typically take 5 to 10 working days.

Costs that surround the service relate to physical document fees outside the UKVI account: a passport renewal fee paid to the holder's national passport authority, photograph fees for new passport photographs, certified translation of name-change evidence. None of these costs is part of view-and-prove itself.

What to budget time-wise: a holder who manages their UKVI account proactively (updates passport at renewal, generates share codes only when needed, signs in once every few months to confirm record accuracy) spends 1 to 2 hours per year on the service. A holder who lets the account go stale and only signs in under operational pressure (right-to-work check failing, travel imminent, share code needed for landlord) may spend several hours catching up at the worst possible time.

Worked example: A long-term Spouse Visa holder checking leave expiry before applying for ILR

Consider Lakshmi, a 38-year-old Indian national living in Manchester on a Spouse Visa held since 2021. She received her initial Spouse Visa for 33 months from outside the UK in 2021, extended in-country in 2024 for 30 months, and is now 4 years and 10 months into the 5-year route to ILR. Her ILR application requires evidence that she has held continuous Spouse leave and met the absence rules.

Lakshmi signs into the view-and-prove service. She enters her current Indian passport number (renewed in 2023, updated on the account in 2023), her date of birth and the verification code sent to her registered email. The account displays her current Spouse Visa leave with the expiry in two months, the conditions including the no public funds restriction, and the dependants section (her two children are listed). The historical entries show her initial 33-month grant from 2021 and her 30-month extension from 2024.

She uses the print-and-save function to save a PDF of her status for her own ILR file. She does not generate a share code because she is the only person who needs to see the status at this point. She decides to apply for ILR three weeks before her current leave expires; section 3C leave will protect her status during the ILR application, and the ILR grant will replace the Spouse leave with indefinite status.

Two weeks after submitting the ILR application, the leave on her account is shown as in-time with a pending application flag. After 8 weeks of standard in-country processing, the ILR is granted and her account is updated to show Indefinite Leave to Remain with no expiry. Her Spouse Visa entries move to the historical section; ILR is the operative status from the grant date.

Getting regulated help: OISC, IAA and SRA advisers

Using the view-and-prove service does not require regulated advice. The interaction is between the holder and the GOV.UK service. Regulated advice is appropriate where the status displayed does not match what the holder expected (missing leave, wrong expiry, wrong conditions), where the underlying leave is in doubt (overstaying may have occurred during a transition period), or where the holder is preparing an application that depends on the leave being correctly recorded.

A Level 1 adviser can confirm whether the status displayed matches the original Home Office decision letter. A Level 2 adviser handles cases involving prior refusals, paragraph 320/322 character concerns, or complex variation of leave history.

Verify any adviser's current authorisation on the OISC register at oisc.gov.uk/register or the SRA register at sra.org.uk/consumers/register.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

The view-and-prove service produces a small set of avoidable mistakes. The first is using a URL that is not on the GOV.UK domain. Phishing sites and unofficial services have been observed mimicking the view-and-prove interface; entering passport number and date of birth on a non-GOV.UK site can compromise security. The fix is to type the URL directly or use a verified bookmark.

The second is failing to update the passport details when the passport is renewed. The account holds the passport number that anchors the eVisa for carrier checks; an out-of-date number can cause boarding refusal. The fix is to update the account details as soon as the new passport is issued.

The third is letting the registered email or phone go stale. If the holder changes email provider or phone number without updating the account, the verification code does not reach them at the next sign-in attempt. The fix is to update the email or phone immediately when it changes.

The fourth is signing in repeatedly with wrong details and triggering a security lockout. The system tolerates a small number of attempts before locking the account for 24 hours. The fix is to verify the details (especially date of birth format DD/MM/YYYY) before attempting, and to use the account recovery route if access is genuinely lost.

The fifth is treating a printed view of the status as a third-party verification. The printed view is the holder's personal record; it does not produce the GOV.UK service check result that recipients (employers, landlords, banks) need for their compliance frameworks. The fix is to generate a share code for any third party who needs verified status.

The sixth is checking the account only under operational pressure. A holder who first signs in when an employer's right-to-work check has failed is solving the problem under time pressure. The fix is to sign in periodically (every 3 to 6 months) to confirm the account is current and the leave details match expectations.

How Kaeltripton verified this article

The view-and-prove sign-in process, the status display layout, the update-your-details flow, the troubleshooting routes and the customer service escalation path described in this article are drawn from the GOV.UK view-and-prove service pages, the eVisa transition guidance, the UKVI customer account guidance and the published UKVI customer service contact pages. The right-to-work and right-to-rent recipient services are referenced through the published Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 framework and the Immigration Act 2014 framework. The OISC tier framework is drawn from the Immigration Advice Authority's Code of Standards.

No service feature, timing or sign-in element on this page has been estimated. Where the GOV.UK service interface has changed since the last review, holders are referred to the live service for current confirmation.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• GOV.UK - View and prove your UK immigration status
• GOV.UK - UK eVisa: digital immigration status
• GOV.UK - Update your UK Visas and Immigration account details
• GOV.UK - UK Immigration: ID Check app
• GOV.UK - Contact UK Visas and Immigration
• GOV.UK - Prove your right to work to an employer
• GOV.UK - Biometric residence permits: eVisa transition
• Immigration Advice Authority - Immigration Advice Authority (formerly OISC)