Fellow Forumites,

Please, I need your help abeg. I applied for a Family Visit visa to the UK last month and was denied. I am in the process of preparing my appeal. On the Home Office website, it explains the appeals process: I send my appeals package (IATF form and supporting documents) to the visa section that refused my visa, they forward the appeals package to some agency in the UK, the agency sends them a "Notice of Receipt" to indicate that they've received my appeals package and then an entry clearance manager reviews my case to decide whether I warrant a visa or whether he/she wants to uphold the initial refusal decision. My question is this: do I need to include my passport with all my appeals documentation? The Border Agency returned my passport with my notice of visa refusal. I've looked everywhere for an answer to this question but I keep coming up empty. What if I don't include my passport in the appeals package and they decide to grant me the visa? Where will they then paste the visa? Please help me out with this one guys.

Thenk you!

Elaineh:

Fellow Forumites,

Please, I need your help abeg. I applied for a Family Visit visa to the UK last month and was denied. I am in the process of preparing my appeal. On the Home Office website, it explains the appeals process: I send my appeals package (IATF form and supporting documents) to the visa section that refused my visa, they forward the appeals package to some agency in the UK, the agency sends them a "Notice of Receipt" to indicate that they've received my appeals package and then an entry clearance manager reviews my case to decide whether I warrant a visa or whether he/she wants to uphold the initial refusal decision. My question is this: do I need to include my passport with all my appeals documentation? The Border Agency returned my passport with my notice of visa refusal. I've looked everywhere for an answer to this question but I keep coming up empty. What if I don't include my passport in the appeals package and they decide to grant me the visa? Where will they then paste the visa? Please help me out with this one guys.

Thenk you!

Nope you do not need to include your passport.

As you rightly explain, your case will be reviewed by another Entry Clearance Manager and if initial refusal is upturned, then the BHC will notify you in writing of the decision then you have to begin another endless hide and seek game for them to invite you over to bring your passport for issuance.

At this point the ECO will again ask you to bring your most relevant and most recent documents for re-affirmation of your status and financial standing
- this re-affirmation really is something really they have no powers to do under the law after a determination is issued on thier initial decision, but hey they do it anyway and still continue to do it as nobody has yet tested their actions in court yet!-

Nutshell, do not include your passport, you will be invited over to turn it in if your appeal is sucessful.

Just an advice!
Visiting visas isn't so much expensive compared to some of the other visas category with application fees running into thousands of naira (say Tier 1 and Tier 2), if I may advise, rather than expend your energy on appealing and then waiting endlessly for months, why not just do this;
1.Put in a new application and make amends of the issue raised by the ECO, do this as soon as you can to your own advantage.

2. Under the additional information of the form, state that you applied for same visiting visas before and that for some unknown reasons the ECO missed key evidence supporting your application and itemized the documents you included and then go on to state that for the avoidance of doubt you have again included the most recent of these documents with your application form and that you do hope duly deligence and consideration will be given them in support of your application.

Lastly, make sure you have ALL the initial grounds for refusal in your first application is covered and if that is done you are very likely to get your visas issued provided you do not fall under the general grounds for refusals.

Thanks for your advice Omo_Tier! I'm 100% confident that I can resolve the initial concerns that were raised with the first application. Just to confirm, you think I'm better off re-applying than appealing? Does the appeals process really take long? Me, I was under the impression that it only takes long if the ECO upholds the initial decision and forwards your appeal to the UK for a court hearing?!

Elaineh:

Thanks for your advice Omo_Tier! I'm 100% confident that I can resolve the initial concerns that were raised with the first application. Just to confirm,[b] you think I'm better off re-applying than appealing? [/b]Does the appeals process really take long? Me, I was under the impression that it only takes long if the ECO upholds the initial decision and forwards your appeal to the UK for a court hearing?!

Yes you are better of re-applying than going through the lengthy appeal process. You will be looking at 4months at least before you come closer to resolving the issue.

justwise:

Yes you are better of re-applying than going through the lengthy appeal process. You will be looking at 4months at least before you come closer to resolving the issue.

And besides, even winning the appeal still does not guarantee a visa

Hey guys, so, I sent in my new application last week. I know for a fact that the Consulate has received the application package (online courier tracking says it's been delivered) so I'm wondering why they are yet to send me an email to confirm that they've received it and have started processing it? Whatagwan? They did so immediately the received my first application, is this a reason for concern?