Common Issues With UK Visitor Visas
Many people want to visit the UK for short durations, for leisure (going on holiday, seeing your family), business or other reasons (taking part in a sporting event, to receive private medical treatment). For such a visit, you may need to apply for a standard UK visit visa, allowing you to stay in the UK for up to 6 months. But visitor visas can be refused. What are some common issues with applying for a visitor visa and how can you overcome them? When you make an application for a UK visit visa, you should avoid making any mistakes - otherwise, your application may be refused. This is especially the case currently; the UK government is committed to reducing the number of migrants to the UK, meaning that applying for a visa is becoming more restrictive and problematic. Due to this, it is important that - when you apply for UK visitor visa - you provide as much evidence as possible about your financial and personal circumstances so that Entry Clearance Officers are convinced when they consider your application that you are a genuine visitor. Some of the common issues that cause visitor visas to be refused are:
- You fail to produce correct and sufficient financial evidence. While applying you should include pay slips, bank statements and a letter from your employer to demonstrate that you are working in your country of origin.
- You fail to produce sufficient evidence which confirms your ties to your country of origin. You should produce evidence that shows that you own a property in your country of origin, letters of support from family and friends, or other documents which establishes the fact that you would not leave your established life in your own country in order to stay in the UK for longer than the 6 months allowed.
- You fail to explain the purpose of your trip. In the UK as a visitor, you are allowed to partake in some activities and prohibited or restricted for taking part in others. As an applicant, you must ensure that your proposed activities during your stay in the UK are consistent with activities permitted in the UK.
- You make simple mistakes in your application form. You must disclose details of previous immigration and minor criminal convictions if you have any; hiding any of these can lead to an allegation of deception. If this happens, you may face a 10 year re-entry ban in UK. All information in your application form should be accurate, so you cannot be accused of hiding any material.
