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Between 1999 - 2005, I lived in Nigeria but travelled in and out of the UK numerous times. In 2006 (I was 21 years old), I overstayed my visa by a month and left voluntarily (was not deported or forced to do so).

In 2006, when I arrived in Nigeria, a Nigerian immigration official backdated my arrival date in Nigeria to appear as if I did not overstay (fraud). When I went to renew my visitor visa at the UK Embassy in Nigeria, I was called for an interview. The official who interviewed me called the airline to confirm if I had arrived back in Nigeria on the date stamped on my passport and they said I didn't and the visa was refused.

In 2016, 10 years later, I applied for a UK visitors visa to visit my brother who is a British citizen. On the section where it asked if i have ever been refused a UK visa, I was quite vague about the 2006 event. It was refused due to previous travel history (they didn't elaborate), because I used a private bank statement while self employed, and for lack of ties to home country.

Now, in 2018, I want to re-apply in order to visit my brother and his family. My circumstances have changed significantly. My business is now formal with company bank statements for 2 years, I am married with children, and I bought a property outright and have title deed in my name (value £100,000). I also run a thriving business with a bank balance of more than £250,000 at any time and have travelled to a Schengen country and came returned to my country.

What are my chances of getting a visa again? Will an apology letter for the incident in 2006 help? Is there a way to motivate a new application?

Giorgio
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SAM
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    You'll need a lawyer. – mdd Nov 25 '18 at 20:18
  • Hi thanks, does such a lawyer have to be in the UK? – SAM Nov 25 '18 at 20:39
  • Check out this answer for ways of finding a good lawyer: https://travel.stackexchange.com/a/120271/32528 – mdd Nov 25 '18 at 21:00
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    Naija Sam, you can afford a lawyer. Get a good immigration lawyer. If you want to afford a reputable UK lawyer and pay couple thousand ££, better. However a good Nigerian attorney is also an option. I hope the second time (2016) you did not commit fraud because that will be a fresh ten years ban from that date. Finding a solicitor/immigration lawyer is the place to look. – Augustine of Hippo Nov 25 '18 at 21:48
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    It's even worse than the usual serial-refusals case, since there's a history of actual fraud here -- and what the applicant tries to brush away as "quite vague about the 2006 event" could easily be something that an ECO will view as "another deceptive application". – hmakholm left over Monica Nov 26 '18 at 02:02
  • @Giorgio it’s not a duplicate of the serial denials. This one includes fraud and the answers in the question you linked will not help. Actually he’s already satisfied the answer in that question ie changed his life circumstances, married, kids, own business etc. What he needs is professional help. – Augustine of Hippo Nov 26 '18 at 12:06
  • @HonoraryWorldCitizen I think OP may have been dinged for deception, not fraud, in 2016, perhaps under Para 3.6 of Appendix V, not good.The not-quite-dupe does have sound guidance which, at this juncture, OP might wish to follow. Applying two years on from a refusal for deception is unlikely to yield a positive decision and could trigger the 10-year ban. Consultation with a UK solicitor may help, but any reputable one would decline if there's no chance of success (immigration advice is regulated in the UK, so consulting one not in the UK is unlikely to be very useful). – Giorgio Nov 26 '18 at 13:08
  • @HonoraryWorldCitizen@giorgio what i mean by quite vague when I applied in 2016 is that i said 'the airline said i did not arrive on the date stipulated on my passport'. I used the word vague cos i did not admit or plead guilty. Not sure if that means its deception or fraud. – SAM Nov 26 '18 at 13:30
  • That would be deception; look on your document for the section(s) under which you were refused). If you had been honest, you might have had a chance, but now, you might not be and a second refusal could trigger a 10-year ban. Your UKVI immigration record is not very good: overstay, two refusals (albeit 10 years apart); not encouraging. Have a Skype conference with a UK immigration solicitor before deciding what to do (and not us random strangers on the internet, as helpful as we try to be). A UK ban can have a knock on effect on future travel plans elsewhere. – Giorgio Nov 26 '18 at 13:50
  • You need a lawyer. Trying to play semantics with visa officers never ends well. Let’s remember they hold all the power and being issued a visitor visa is a privilege. – Augustine of Hippo Nov 26 '18 at 13:51
  • Thank you very much guys, appreciate your advice, will most definitely get a lawyer . – SAM Nov 26 '18 at 14:15

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