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I applied for my parent's UK visit visa couple of weeks ago and their visa was refused. They are both retired. My dad retired more than 20 years ago and my mom retired around 15 years ago. They have savings in fixed deposits which they showed. My sisters look after them financially, so one of my sisters wrote a letter explaining this and this was also explained in the cover letter of my parents. I couldn't put 0 in the box for their spending so I put 10 LKR. As they are elderly, there's not much evidence to give to show their ties to Sri Lanka.

I gave a cover letter stating I will be responsible for all of the expenses including their travel tickets, employment letter, bank statements of both savings and current accounts (to show my salary).

We provided doctor's letter where my father attend clinics every 2 months, hence the travel period was limited to 2 months. But, seems it was overlooked as none of this is mentioned in the refusal letter? We also provided translated deed of their house which they both own jointly.

I am not sure how I can demonstrate that they are retired or how to go about reapplying for them. Any help much appreciated.

UK visa refusal on V 4.2 a + c (and sometimes 'e')

this question answers my query to some extent, but does not cover anything regarding refusal based on they didn't prove they are retired.

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Amila
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  • Thanks @mlc. It answers to some extent, but the refusal is based on what they say "Key information" i.e. they say we have not demonstrated that my parents are retired. So I need to find out how I'm going to address that. Because of this, the above link does not answer my issue in full – Amila Jul 01 '23 at 02:12
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    If your sisters are paying their bills you need to document all that. If money goes from their account to your sister who then pay the bills, or the sisters give them living expenses, all that needs to be documented. – mkennedy Jul 01 '23 at 02:22
  • @mkennedy most of the bills are paid by cash so can't prove who paid them and any other expenses they handle, also done through cash. So other than my sister writing that in a cover letter (which we did), there's no other way to prove it. As with elderly anywhere, for them, cash is still king. – Amila Jul 01 '23 at 02:34
  • We used VFS scan service. What are the chances that they didn't scan all the documents correctly as the refusal letter does not mention anything about the letter from my sister. – Amila Jul 01 '23 at 02:38
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    "As with elderly anywhere, for them, cash is still king" All very well, but as we note here HMG's approach is that "Genuine visitors to the UK fit a profile that is not entirely cash based". Whilst I've voted to close this question as a duplicate, one piece of advice is to spend 6-12 months moving your parents to a documented lifestyle. Have them pay their own bills from their own bank account, using money your sister sends from her bank to theirs. Establish the paper trail that HMG needs to see. – MadHatter Jul 01 '23 at 06:15
  • That I’m afraid I don’t have time for. My dad will be 80 next year. Won’t be able to get travel insurance or will be very expensive. The main point case officer has made is they have not demonstrated they are retired. So without having an answer to that, how can you vote for this question to be closed? – Amila Jul 01 '23 at 07:29
  • Do your parents have any previous travel history, especially to the UK (or an equivalent such as Schengen)?Assuming their age alone makes it credible they are retired, UKVI want to see evidence of their income (from their fixed deposit/your sister) and their outgoings (from their own bank account), so I second the comment from @MadHatter . One further thought, altho not a mandatory requirement for a UK visit visa, given your father’s age and stated medical needs, did you arrange appropriate health and travel insurance? – Traveller Jul 01 '23 at 07:34
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    @Amila read what the ECO wrote: "I am not satisfied you have adequately demonstrated your current circumstances or how you support yourself in your country of residence" and "I am not satisfied you have demonstrated the financial ties you have to your country of residence that will ensure you leave the UK". You're right (s)he would like to see some proof that your parents are retired, but that's by no means the main point (and also why it's in my view a duplicate). – MadHatter Jul 01 '23 at 07:43
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    @Amila The main point is not really about whether they are retired (at 80 that’s pretty self-evident), it’s about their financial circumstances. TBH if their profile is 80, never previously travelled, cash-based finances, and family in the UK, you are possibly not going to succeed in getting them a visa. – Traveller Jul 01 '23 at 07:43
  • I have got quotes for travel insurance but did not pay for them or include them in the application. No travel history to UK or Europe. They haven’t travelled outside of the country in the past 10 years. Their age should have been enough to say they are retired, but don’t understand why the case worker has highlighted that. Their FD only pays at maturity, so have another 6 months wait for that. So is it ok if I show credit bank paid 6 months ago? – Amila Jul 01 '23 at 07:50
  • @Amila You need to document what their income is and what their outgoings are. Bank statements up to 1 year old at the application date are allowed but showing the credit from 6 months ago won’t suffice to prove their outgoings if your parents operate in cash. Apart from their property, what are their ties to Sri Lanka that would compel them to leave the UK? Be very careful to get the details & supporting evidence 100% correct if you are intending to reapply quickly, or you’ll just get another refusal. – Traveller Jul 01 '23 at 08:19
  • Thanks @Traveller, my dad attend health clinic every 2 months and has been doing this since 2013. We included a letter from the doctor stating this. My two sisters live in Sri Lanka, so that is the immediate family tie. For my mum, there’s not much else we can show unfortunately. I think it’s best if I hire an immigration lawyer. – Amila Jul 01 '23 at 08:36
  • @Amila I’m not sure an ECO would consider your two sisters a compelling reason for your parents to return home unless your sisters are dependent on your parents, which does not seem to be the case. But yes, IMHO your best bet to try to avoid a second refusal is to get professional advice. Or for you to visit them. – Traveller Jul 01 '23 at 13:08
  • Thanks @Traveller and MadHatter for your advice. Visiting them is a big expense as a family during summer school holidays. So already made arrangements with a visa adviser. Will see what they say. – Amila Jul 01 '23 at 20:48

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