8

enter image description hereenter image description here

A friend of mine has been refused a UK visitor visa. He is an African student studying in Russia who wanted to visit me for a week and I was going to accommodate his stay here. The reasons for the refusal appear to be due to the following reasons:

1) The origin of his funds is unclear from his bank statements. He brought money in cash from his home country and deposited this on arrival in Russia in 2016. So I'm not sure why this is being queried. What evidence is needed to show this? Bank statement showing deposit?

2) ECO is unclear how he maintains and accommodates himself in Russia. He maintains himself and pays for his student accommodation from his funds. What evidence is needed here? Receipt for accommodation?

3) ECO is not satisfied that he will return in light-of 1) and 2). He will return as he needs to finish his degree. Is this not satisfactory? They acknowledge that he enrolled as a student there. What evidence do they need to be satisfied?

4) ECO is not satisfied that he will be able to maintain himself for his trip and meet the cost of a return journey. I am hosting him so he does not have any maintenance or accommodation costs, which is actually acknowledged in the text of the letter by them, so I am not clear why this is an issue. He is buying a return ticket so why do they think he will not be able to afford this? He is bringing over £1,000 anyway, so this would cover a flight back. How much do you have to bring for a week's stay? He only needs some spending money for any shopping or sightseeing, travel dates, etc. I am accomodating him so there is no cost there. Again what evidence might satisfy them?

Any advice would be gratefully appreciated so that we can make a better visitor visa re-application.

user71982
  • 95
  • 4
  • Could you post a picture of the refusal letter with personal details blanked out? It does sound like he bought a very large sum in cash to have lived on it without further deposits for a year in Russia. Moving large amounts of cash can look suspicious. – user16259 Dec 31 '17 at 23:26
  • I have added the visa refusal letter now. I think he should have put take 300 and leave 1500 as he did not need so much money for his visit. 300 would be enough but then there is the issue about having sufficient money to fly back? So how much should he bring to UK for a week? – user71982 Dec 31 '17 at 23:34
  • 3
    While you await a response, you might wish to read this canonical respose which covers many of the issues, and hurdles that your friend has to overcome. Needing a sponsor raises the bar, as does weak documentation on the source of funds. Even more, he is not in his home country, so demonstrating significant ties is another complication. If this is the same person referenced in your earlier question, the ECO didn't believe his reasons to visit the UK, so his credibility has taken a hit, as well. – Giorgio Jan 01 '18 at 00:06
  • I also suggest this post: https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/66104/should-i-submit-bank-statements-when-applying-for-a-uk-visa-what-do-they-say-ab/66105#66105 – George Y. Jan 01 '18 at 00:43
  • Thanks user16269, Giorgio and George Y.. Reading all this and the things one must show makes me think it might be better for me to visit my friend in Russia? I am just concerned that we are likely to be refused again even with more evidence? – user71982 Jan 01 '18 at 00:55
  • 1
    That sounds like a better idea. Student in a foreign country with no right to work is a tough situation for UK visa, where they often refuse people who are employed in their own countries. If he was very rich, things would be easy, but since he isn't, that's tough. – George Y. Jan 01 '18 at 01:06
  • 9
    Visiting him in Russia or elsewhere may be a good plan. Fundamentally, he's submitted documents that show he has £1840 to his name, no other identified source of funds, and he wants to spend £1000 of it on a one week vacation to visit a friend, leaving him with £840 and no income to cover his expenses in Russia. That's a tough sell. – Zach Lipton Jan 01 '18 at 01:17
  • 3
    Something else here--it appears that he's planning to use most of his living funds on this trip. That would make me very suspicious if I were a visa officer. – Loren Pechtel Jan 01 '18 at 01:58
  • Loren.. yes I think he genuinely made an error with the numbers, He should have put a much lower figure down as he does not need 1500 for a one week visit and that would have left him with more to live on for his final term in Russia. – user71982 Jan 01 '18 at 02:08
  • Thanks again to all for your helpful comments.I wish you all a very happy 2018!!!! – user71982 Jan 01 '18 at 02:44
  • @user71982 Perhaps, but I'm not sure taking a few hundred pounds off the cost of the trip makes that much of a difference. He'd still be spending a substantial portion of his savings on the trip while having no documented source of income and no indication how he'd support himself through the final year of his studies in Russia. Showing a source of income (such as sponsorship from his family, with the bank statements and documents to back it up) could be more useful. In any event, happy new years. – Zach Lipton Jan 01 '18 at 03:32
  • Zach-- any idea how much would be expected for him to come to visit for a week so he does not pose a financial risk? He finishes his course in June and has budgeted that around £1800, maybe much less, would suffice for his accomodation and living costs. I can find out exact costs if needed. – user71982 Jan 01 '18 at 11:12
  • The instructive word in your question is an African student. It is common knowledge how ECO's view that demographic. – Augustine of Hippo Jan 01 '18 at 13:45
  • 2
    So he has £1840 and has budgeted £1800 for the semester? That doesn't even leave your much lower £300 estimate for the trip, much less the £1500 he claimed. How was he going to make up the difference? – Kevin Jan 01 '18 at 17:26
  • 4
    If this is the same person you were talking about getting some sort of marriage visa for, you've just entirely screwed your credibility. – nkjt Jan 01 '18 at 18:01
  • Kevin-He has 2 terms to go Jan- April and May- June. Each term costs about £1200 for tuition fees and £150 for hostel accommodation. His family will be sending him about £2000 each term so the balance he will use to maintain himself on for food, etc. Hope that makes sense? – user71982 Jan 02 '18 at 08:35
  • Having a large sum of money suddenly appear in one's bank account, without any proof of regular income is highly likely to be seen as funds parking by immigration officers. It's a process when a group of people try to immigrate illegally from a poor country, who don't individually have enough money to be eligible, but they pool all their money together in one's account, who applies for the visa, then passes all the money to the next one, who applies with the same money, and so on. Even if this is not what happened in your case, they will suspect it as they have seen many such attempts. – vsz Jan 02 '18 at 10:18
  • I do understand how it looks but this is how he is being funded by family in good faith. Its a shame that even genuine people are tarred with the same brush as others trying to illegally enter the country so cannot obtain a visa. – user71982 Jan 02 '18 at 11:30

1 Answers1

19

I suggest starting with this excellent post as it explains the role and purpose of statements. Regarding the rest of your questions:

He brought money in cash from his home country and deposited this on arrival in Russia in 2016 and so I not sure why this is being queried? What evidence is needed to show this? Bank statement showing deposit?

It is asked because UK wants visitors who have legitimate income. This is why they want to know the source of the income in the first place. An initial deposit statement (probably a series of statements) would support it, together with written explanation. But then he would face further issues:

He maintains himself and pays for his student accommodation from his funds.What evidence is needed here? Receipt for accommodation?

At minimum there should be some explanation of income and expenses. He is a student in a foreign country with no income. So naturally they wonder how could he not only support himself, but also visit UK? They also are probably like to ensure he doesn't receive "unexplained" income.

3) They are not satisfied that he will return in light-of 1) and 2) --He will return as he needs to finish his degree. Is this not satisfactory?

I know a few people myself who didn't finish their degree, and I presume they know way more than me. So no, just because someone is enrolled in university, doesn't mean he would return in time. In Russia a student can usually take a so-called "academical leave" to interrupt the studies for up to a year, if I remember.

4) They are not satisfied that he will be able to maintain himself for his trip and meet the cost of a return journey. ---I am hosting him so he does not have any maintenance or accommodation costs which is actually acknowledged in the text of the letter by them so I am not clear why this is an issue.

Sponsorship applications for friends are very weak. The post above - again - lists some reasons, and I will add a few more.

The weakest point of a "friend" type sponsorship application is their unreliability. We all know cases where friends turned enemies on a whim, in which case the sponsorship might naturally end, leaving your friend stranded in UK. Kicking out a family member on the street is much less likely (and even this occasionally happens!), but kicking out a mere friend is more probable, and UKVI would probably like to see that your friend can take care of himself financially in such case.

Finances seem to be the most important criteria for UK visa applicants, and your friend's situation doesn't seem to be good enough. Unsure a "better visa application" would make any difference until his circumstances changed.

George Y.
  • 21,966
  • 1
  • 42
  • 86