Good afternoon, I am not sure that this is the right place for this question, but I always value the collective expertise of the BA forum so I thought I'd give it a try (plus I noticed a visa related question here a day or so ago anyway). The example I give is in respect of China but, as you’ll see, the scenario will apply in certain circumstances whatever the country.

My question relates to checking in at Beijing for a BA flight to London, the passenger being my wife. She is a Chinese passport holder and she also has Indefinite Leave to Remain ("ILR") in the UK. So far so good, but the issue that preoccupies me is that her ILR status is proved by her BRP (Biometric Residence Permit) which has a validity date of 31 December 2024. (Note that it is the card that expires, not her leave to remain). This is because the Home Office are moving to a E-visa arrangement to replace the "hard" BRP cards, with effect from 2025 and – for reasons that I can’t understand – decided a few years ago that all BRPs would carry an expiry date at the end of 2024 rather than being open ended as previously.

I am thinking ahead to our next trip to China and I am a bit concerned about what will happen to her at check-in to return from Beijing to the UK, in particular whether Timatic will block BA from checking her in. This scenario will obviously become more significant the nearer we get to the end of 2024, and will of course apply in every country and will concern everyone living here with ILR. I have no idea how the Home Office intend to roll out the E-visa and how this will filter through to check-in agents worldwide.

Just wondering if any of you have encountered this issue so far, and - if so - what happened. Thanks for any comments!