> It just didn't occur to me that one of my responsibilities (?) would be to keep up with current immigration legislation, just in case the rights I was initially awarded indefinitely would suddenly be changed in a way which is disruptive to my life. It kind of scares me to think that things like this can be changed on a whim. I don't really know what to think.
Life involves keeping a lot of different paperwork up to date: driver's licenses, passports, tax filings, car registration, etc. If you're an immigrant, keeping up those documents is a part of that too. I'm a naturalized citizen in the U.S., so I know dealing with the paperwork can be a pain. But the U.K. didn't pull a fast one on you. The BRP doesn't change your right to work--it's just a document you need proving your right to work. There are also other documents you can use: https://www.kent.ac.uk/hr-managementinformation/documents/el... (page 4).
And the BRP is not new. They've been rolling them out since 2008: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm.... All the U.K. changed this year was the policy of accepting an ILR stamp on an expired passport as an acceptable proof of work authorization. You can still transfer that stamp to a new passport and use that as acceptable proof, without getting a BRP.
Note: In the U.S., and probably in the U.K., even citizens have to have some sort of work authorization documents: http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-9.pdf. Usually a passport, or drivers license + social security card.
Life involves keeping a lot of different paperwork up to date: driver's licenses, passports, tax filings, car registration, etc. If you're an immigrant, keeping up those documents is a part of that too. I'm a naturalized citizen in the U.S., so I know dealing with the paperwork can be a pain. But the U.K. didn't pull a fast one on you. The BRP doesn't change your right to work--it's just a document you need proving your right to work. There are also other documents you can use: https://www.kent.ac.uk/hr-managementinformation/documents/el... (page 4).
And the BRP is not new. They've been rolling them out since 2008: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm.... All the U.K. changed this year was the policy of accepting an ILR stamp on an expired passport as an acceptable proof of work authorization. You can still transfer that stamp to a new passport and use that as acceptable proof, without getting a BRP.
Note: In the U.S., and probably in the U.K., even citizens have to have some sort of work authorization documents: http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-9.pdf. Usually a passport, or drivers license + social security card.