Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason his Department has reduced the validity of biometric residence permits issued to people granted indefinite leave to remain from 10 to six years; and if he will make a statement.

Under existing EU technical specifications, the UK is required to ensure that all Biometric Residence Permits in circulation after 31 December 2024 meet new EU encryption technology standards.

Therefore, anyone with indefinite leave to remain, issued with a BRP after 31 December 2014 is issued with a shorter validity Permit to ensure it can be replaced with a new document, free of charge, in time for the deadline. As the UK will have left the EU by this point, we are also considering how best to document migrants’ immigration status in the future border and immigration system.