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Okay first of all I might be wrong and may not have represented the case properly. What I am looking for is if there is any point in re-applying or should I just leave it.

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  1. I have given all the details of my Son who is in UK (Name, Address & Phone No). Although my trip was fully sponsored by my Daughter. Now is the Visa Officer right in declining this application and stating I have not provided enough information about my Son? Now I understand, he needs other details like his Passport Copy and Visa Info & Pay slips. I felt this is not needed as he is not the one who is sponsoring me, also he recently got the job, still lives with friends and he has no savings at the moment.

  2. Why is my Daughter Sponsoring my Visit?

We live together and support each other at times of need. Now, why is it too much of issue if my daughter is sponsoring my visit. I have done enough for my daughter while she was studying. Frankly I have no answer to this question.

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Edit 1 : Okay , let me put this the other way. If I submit the following when I reapply. Do I have a better chance to approval. I know no one can say for sure but yes we talking about the maximum probability.

a) Submit Sons Passport & Visa Copy [ NO Bank statement Or payslips as he is not the financial sponsor ]

b) Another Affidavit from my Daughter, stating She wants to sponsor my trip because I am very much interested in visiting UK and its the way she want's to give back .

c) A Full Itinerary this time covering all small details but no where mentioning I will visit my Son because I feel this is the Issue, the moment I mention, I want to visit my Son.

David Richerby
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Aisha
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  • You should include the actual grounds for refusal, found in the last paragraph. It wouldn't hurt to include the first paragraph either, about what you have applied for. – Gayot Fow Jun 02 '16 at 10:56
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    £2500 on a 5 day trip for one person? Wow. – CMaster Jun 02 '16 at 11:03
  • @GayotFow . That's done. – Aisha Jun 02 '16 at 11:06
  • @CMaster Thats includes about 1k for shopping was explained in Itinerary & expenses. – Aisha Jun 02 '16 at 11:09
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    Note that you apparently got hit with the full paragraph V4.2 (see it here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-v-visitor-rules). That's a lot of different objections to overcome. – CMaster Jun 02 '16 at 11:12
  • @CMaster, indeed, this application was misconceived. Worth answering from that perspective alone. – Gayot Fow Jun 02 '16 at 11:21
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    I'm not surprised that the ECO felt that your story doesn't sound plausible. To point out yet another issue, spending all of your savings so that someone can have a 5 day holiday in another continent is not supporting "each other at times of need". – djr Jun 02 '16 at 12:04
  • I love bureaucracy speech: ‘I am not satisfied you have provided a satisfactory explanation’ =D – Jan Jun 02 '16 at 12:22
  • The refusal mentioned visiting "Birmingham, Manchester and Scotland". The son lives in Birmingham, so that is explained by meeting him. Why Manchester? Is the OP especially interested e.g. in railway history? – Patricia Shanahan Jun 02 '16 at 15:15
  • @GayotFow Have you got anything to say about this, part from asking to consult a Solicitor. Joel says his answer is too optimistic ! – Aisha Jun 02 '16 at 15:41
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    @Aisha, it's not going to happen. Joel did a fine job of putting that point across and there's not much more I can add, if anything. – Gayot Fow Jun 02 '16 at 15:53
  • The entire premise of the trip, as seen by the officer, is problematic: you're unemployed, want to spend pretty much all your daughter's savings to come to the UK for five days, in order to see your son (who you'll soon see in India) for just a few hours, and visit four cities all a considerable distance apart from each other, leaving you very little time to do anything in each one, without providing a satisfactory itinerary for where you'll go, how you'll get there, and what you'll see. I would not re-apply unless you can show changed circumstances and a trip that makes logical sense. – Zach Lipton Jun 02 '16 at 16:25
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    @Aisha, something I forgot! Take care that you are now vulnerable to the legions of shady visa lawyers operating in South Asia. They will swallow you whole if given the chance. If you opt to use a lawyer, be sure they are regulated by the UK Law Society. – Gayot Fow Jun 02 '16 at 16:37
  • @ZachLipton I agree with you 100% . Exactly that's the reason in precise. Any ideas how a logical Trip would look like ? I though I will stay in London for 2 Days . Then visit Birmingham,Manchester & Scotland 1 day each, with a bit of shopping each day on side. I have used the word IF POSSIBLE, Visit BHM,Man & Scotland. Somehow the Visa Officer is more interested in my itinerary more than anything else. – Aisha Jun 02 '16 at 16:49

1 Answers1

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With visa refusals, there is no point re-applying unless you are able to change the part of your application (or its supporting documents) that got you refused in the first place, or else you will face the same result.

However it is entirely possible that you can be successful when re-applying if you give the ECO what they want.

Looking at the images of the refusal notice you have provided, it's very clear why you have been refused. For your next application, make sure the include the following:

  • Be consistent in your purpose for the trip. You can't say you wish to visit your son when you will only be spending a few hours with them. Whether or not he visits you later in India is completely irrelevant. If you are going to visit your son, make sure you are visiting him for a significant portion of your trip, otherwise do not mention it as your main reason, instead:
  • Write and submit a travel itinerary. It does not have to be super specific, just what you plan to do each day.
  • Give more details about your son, and ask him to write you an invitation/sponsor letter. Mention if he is a British citizen, and if not, under what premise he is residing in the UK. Mention his job/occupation. Read this answer if you want to know more about what he should include in his invitation letter.
  • If someone is financially sponsoring you, they need to write a letter that explains to the ECO why and how they will be doing this, in addition to the bank statements that you have provided, for example, she could mention that you have been eager to visit the UK for quite some time, and that since she supports you financially and wants you to enjoy yourself, she will be providing you with X GBP that she has been saving for a while for this purpose, perhaps have your daughter mention that paying for your trip is her way of giving back to you for all the support you gave her during her studies.

Being refused a visa is frustrating and upsetting, but you must understand the fault lies with you, and there are clear and defined things you can change to improve your next application, which can be successful.

Good luck for next time.


To expand on CMaster's point about paragraph V4.2 (Appendix V, Immigration Rules), which states the following:

Genuine intention to visit

V 4.2 The applicant must satisfy the decision maker that they are a genuine visitor. This means that the applicant:

(a) will leave the UK at the end of their visit; and

(b) will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK their main home; and

(c) is genuinely seeking entry for a purpose that is permitted by the visitor routes (these are listed in Appendices 3, 4 and 5); and

(d) will not undertake any prohibited activities set out in V 4.5 – V 4.10; and

(e) must have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to their visit without working or accessing public funds. This includes the cost of the return or onward journey, any costs relating to dependants, and the cost of planned activities such as private medical treatment.

For point (a): You need to prove that there is something compelling that will make you leave the UK at the end of your visit and return home. To this end, mentioning that you will 'only spend a few hours' with your son probably did not help. Things you can show to prove you will return home include (but are not limited to): family dependents, a job, property/asset ownership. Try and prove these to increase your chances.

For point (b): Is related to (a), but not the same, it has more to do with people making multiple visit visa applications within a short persion of time, which would lead the ECO to believe you plan on spending most of your time in the UK. I have no reason why CMaster or the ECO would suspect you of falling under this category unless you've made multiple visits to the UK in the recent past.

For point (c): This means that the ECO needs to be satisfied that the reason you are actually coming to the UK for is the same as the reason you say you are coming to the UK. To convince the ECO of this, you will need to give a strong 'main purpose' of your trip, and stick to it in your itinerary.

For point (d): As long as you avoid acting suspicious, and maintain consistency in your application, this should be fine.

For point (e): This has to do with your daughter sponsoring you, and frankly, I think the weakest point in your application. Your daughter is spending most of her entire savings on this trip for you. You either need to (with her) come up with a really compelling reason as to why she is spending 90% of her savings on you, or either find another sponsor, or show that your daughter actually has more savings than just £3,000. My suggestion would be to say that:

  1. You've been planning this trip for a very long time
  2. You will be shopping in the UK and bringing stuff back for your daughter (which would help justify why she is giving you so much money)
  3. She is repaying you for your kindness and support during her studies

Now keep in mind, the refusal letter does say that any future applications you make will be considered on their individual merits, however I'm fairly certain that there's a possibility they will look at previous applications made and see if you're changing your application falsely simply to get a visa (just a hunch, no proof for this), so be careful not to alter your application in such a way that seems suspicious.

Also remember, even if you change everything to what you believe is perfect, it is entirely possible that you will get refused again due to the reason I spoke of in the previous paragraph, or different reasons entirely. It is completely up to you to decide whether is is worth the effort and money to make another application.

I hope I've helped. (Please keep in mind, however, that I am not an ECO, IO or immigration specialist. If you would like professional advice, please contact a solicitor! It will prevent bad immigration history and personal stress and grief.)

Joel Damien
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    Will you address this part? "is there any point in re applying this or should I just leave it." – Gayot Fow Jun 02 '16 at 11:19
  • That is up to the OP imo. I have given tips on how the OP can improve their application to increase the chance of being successful if they re-apply, however it is up to them to justify whether or not they can/will make those changes, and whether or not they find paying for another application worth it. – Joel Damien Jun 02 '16 at 11:22
  • Thanks. 2 For the next time, if I completely remove my Sons details like stating I am not planning to visit him. Now again the visa officer may question why I am not visiting my Son ? 3 I have already explained the reason my daughter is sponsoring this visit as I am very much interested in visiting Uk. Still visa officer is not satisfied, Can there be any better answer for this ? – Aisha Jun 02 '16 at 11:23
  • I agree, if you completely remove your sons' details it might look a bit suspicious. I suggest you keep them in there, instead you mention the main reason for your visit is tourism, and adjust your itinerary to primarily show you kind of tourist activities you will be taking part in. As for the reasoning, perhaps have your daughter explain that this is her way of paying you back for supporting her during her studies? – Joel Damien Jun 02 '16 at 11:27
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    @Aisha note what I've said above - you were apparently refused on all 5 parts of V4.2. You're going to have to do better on all of those to get accepted – CMaster Jun 02 '16 at 12:29
  • @CMaster Yes, Sure. Well at the moment, I am looking for more convincingly reply as why daughter is sponsoring this and also why my son is not sponsoring me, as he is the one in UK at the moment and he is supposed to do it speaking realistically . – Aisha Jun 02 '16 at 12:38
  • @CMaster I've updated my answer. What do you think? – Joel Damien Jun 02 '16 at 13:55
  • @Aisha just added more info relating to Paragraph V4.2 for you. – Joel Damien Jun 02 '16 at 13:56
  • @JoelDamien Thanks .I have accepted this answer now. I thinks it answers most of my points. I shall hope for best and apply once again. – Aisha Jun 02 '16 at 14:06
  • @Aisha wish you the best of luck! – Joel Damien Jun 02 '16 at 14:08
  • @Aisha it's been brought to my attention that my answer might be a bit over-optimistic and might have given you false hope, so I'd like to advise you to see a solicitor about this matter. They have much more experience and a legal understanding much better than my own. As you know, multiple refusals will look bad when traveling in the future, so just to be on the safe side you might want to contact an immigration lawyer/solicitor :) – Joel Damien Jun 02 '16 at 14:57
  • OMG why is it so difficult – Aisha Jun 02 '16 at 15:33
  • It does suck, but that's the way it is and we have to go by the rules. I just don't want to give you false hope and if you end up with another refusal, it will make it much harder for you to get visas in the future, which is why I'm recommending the solicitor, just to be safe... you know how the say "better be safe than sorry". Still, I wish you the best of luck with whatever you chose to do. – Joel Damien Jun 02 '16 at 15:38