I have no clue about spousal visa renewal. Please check the same info you did when you first got it. It's available online.

stefanimay:




Is there a different group for renewal of Spousal visa? If not can you please advise on what's needed for renewal. My 3yrs Spousal visa expires this year. Thanks.

Well understood. I have now responded appropriately. Please feel free to delete your previous messages so they don't connect the dots.

prettyirene:
i know you prefer we chat on the platform but Unfortunately some friends and family know my id on nairaland. Honestly i wont take your time. I just need some clarification with regards my conjugal status for uk visit visa application. I appreciate your favourable response. Thanks.

Hi ma'am,

It's always good to ask questions generally so everyone can chime in as I may not have all the answers.

1. You can but will need to explicitly explain this in your cover letter and also get a letter of intro from the company. Your cover letter should also establish who you are- What you used to do before this, what's your career specialty etc.
My husband's cover letter always addresses his degrees and what he's been doing for the past 20 years since he graduated from Uni. His entire career history is covered before he lands on the business he's running. So he establishes himself as an accomplished professional. Dwelling on the last year alone shows you have a job but no career. This is something people miss a lot.

2. 350k a year is 4.2m.
Your flight is likely to cost at least- 800k-1m
Your accommodation- Provided by family.
Your Food- Family, I guess
Transport- Budget about 10 Quid a day for a 14 day stay. That's 140 which is about 252k.
Your entertainment and shopping- Up to you but I would say at least 300-500 quid as a genuine visitor which is 540k to 900k.
Total comes to between 1.6m and 2m.
1.6m is 4.5 months salary which I think is okay for a holiday.
However, this means that your account balance has to have this total amount of 1.6m plus extra to cover your expenses for the new couple of months. I usually say at least 150%-200% of your travel budget. So, 2.4m- 3.2m.
The question is how does someone who earns 350k save 3.2m when the total annual salary is 4.2m. Does it mean you only spend 80k a month and save the remaining 270k? You need to show what you were doing even before consultancy started one year ago. What job, how much, what did you save etc.? Most people have jobs but no career. A proper career is a tie to your country. A job is not.

3. They should provide a copy of their British passport, invitation letter, home ownership/mortgage agreement and proof of relationship. I hope your "aunty" is a blood relative and you can prove this via birth certificates, pictures and evidence of frequent correspondence. BRP is biometric residence permit for those who are not yet British.

4. That is not a good thing and needs to be explained in your cover letter with justification. A company that doesn't pay ontime could be a risky place to work for and therefore employees are likely disgruntled and therefore not whole heartedly given to the job. So, your job may not be seen as a tie.

5. I am honestly not sure about this. But you could play it to your favour and declare that you have joint custody of your children and leaving them for a long amount of time will jeopardize your position with the courts. You are travelling during their summer holiday which is 6 weeks long as dad has custody for 3 weeks while you have 3 weeks, so you need to come back on time to take possession of your children. You can have a whole section in your cover letter that explains what you do for/with the kids and how they are your life, the custody schedule etc. and your plans to take them with you to visit their grandparents and extended family in another state over the Christmas holiday etc.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

Lucybabe81:
@Amelie T
Thanks for all you do. I will like to apply for UK visitor's visa 6months I need your input on the following questions.
1. I work with an NGO as a staff, our contract ended in December but was renewed this month but as a consultant for three months normally in the NGO our contract is renewed quarterly even if you are a staff but I have been with this particular organization for over a year. Do you think I can apply with this consultancy situation.
2. Can you educate me on disposable income and savings, my salary is close to 350k monthly I have a separate account where I save part of the money. But I want a clear explanation please
3. I have aunties who are UK citizens and they are ready to assist me with accomodations due to the current exchange rate. What documents should they provide. I have gone through the thread what is the meaning of brp
4. Our salary don't usually come on time as consultants, they could pay this month salary 2nd or more week of March. Will it affect my application.
5. For a lady who is currently separated and going through a divorce but has joint custody of her kids two teenage boys will her application be successful knowing that I don't have a strong family tie apart from my children who are in Nigeria.
I will appreciate your response on this issues raised. Thank so much for the work you do.
🙏

4.5 months, nonetheless. The cost of the date change and flexi ticket should be your smallest worry. Your priority is that she makes it through the border and is not deported or detained like some people. Do not complicate issues; it's best to spend the extra cash. If you want, you can make the date change the day she gets to your home. Goodluck!

[quote author=Kunleop post=128299658][/quote]

Thank you.

Its from february 28th to july 10th as the price of the ticket is very expensive and to also change it will be another cost.

That is reason i want to book the period straight.

Thanks

Hiya,

I don't do emails. It doesn't work for me so let's chat here. You can say everything without revealing your true identity. That's fine. I am happy to help.

prettyirene:
@Amelia T good afternoon. Please i sent you a pm this morning. Kindly response. I need to speak confidently with you. Its not an information i will like for public knowledge. Thanks for all you do.

First of all, February to July is 5 months; not 4. That’s an awfully long time. I would advise you keep it to the minimum you absolutely can. You’ve gotten the visa so that’s good but let’s hope they don’t get strict at renewal point because the US does this; they question people who eventually stay longer than claimed on the form and they’re expected to provide a solid reason so be ready for that; incase the UK starts to track and audit these things.

Buy a flexible ticket with a one month return date and then you can change it.

Kunleop:
My mum was granted a 6month visit visa and she staying for 4month,

Can i book the flight from february to july for that period of 4month. Kindly note that i stated in the application that she staying for 1month.

@cashmadam, @giselle430@ AmeliaT.

Kindly advice if i can go ahead to book the flight for the 4month period or i should book one 1month.

Thank You

Kindly assist with this@cashmadan, giselle430 and Amelia T.

Thanks

No, you do not. Your US Visa covers you.

Uzzybekee:
hello all,

Please if one has a valid US Visa, do you still require a schengen transit visa to visit the UK? ( Flying KLM to UK)? Who has gone through this or someone please point me to where i can read up on the transit visa thing. i have been searching. Help me ooo

You can go ahead. My husband did 5 years after 6 months and so did two colleagues. Someone here also did 10 years after 6 months. You’ve gotten 2 X 6 months so you should be good.

Pay stubs in addition to the statement, please. Don’t risk it!

comfort207:
Hello people, I had a 6 months uk visa in 2023, used it and visited for a couple of weeks, 2022 the same thing, got 6 months visa, also used it to visit for a couple of weeks. based on visa cost and all, I think I want to apply for ten years visa. do you guys think I am qualified for it?
can one go from 6 months visa to 10 years visa? I read somewhere a while back that after 6 months, the next one you're eligible for is 2 years, but i saw a post here where one guy said he did 6 months and then did 5 years, so I'm wondering if i can do 10 years.
I do have a valid ten year canada visa(unused) in my new passport and an about to expire 2 year US visa(which i never used) in my old passport,
I have also had previous expired used Us visa's.

Also can i use pay stub in place of account statement?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Sorry about this.

Your brother’s income was too low during the first application. Basically 50k a month. And then he reapplied and his income is even lower; 20k. Apologies but how is this possible? Is he a student? The first time he has 400k in savings and now it’s depleted even further. Someone like that going to the UK is a massive flight risk. There’s no way he won’t be tempted to abscond or they may think you’re bringing him over to work for you. It just doesn’t ring authentic.

He didn’t establish what he does for a living. I noticed he quickly registered a business before applying but that’s not sufficient without transactions, a proper explanation. He’s too young to be idle and unable to explain and present himself properly. He’s not a retiree.

Apologies but your brother is a huge flight risk. Let him get his life in order- get a good job, build a sustainable business and travel to other countries first and then come back to apply in a year or two.

Stop going back unprepared; he’ll keep getting rejections.

Ola25363:
Good evening guys please I need your help .
Sometime last year I applied for a visiting visa for my junior brother to come celebrate my graduation with me in the Uk which was later prosponed . Unfortunately his visa application was refused base on the following

[b]REASONS FOR REFUSAL NRA v 1.0
You have applied for a visa to visit the UK.
In deciding whether you meet the requirements of Appendix V: of the Immigration Rules for visitors (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-v-visitor- rules), I have considered:
• your application and any additional relevant information you have provided with it
• your immigration history
The decision
I have refused your application for a visit visa because I am not satisfied that you meet the requirements of paragraph(s) V4.2 of Appendix V: Immigration Rules for Visitors because:
• You state that you are visiting the UK for 9 days to attend your brothers’ graduation ceremony.
• You state your UK sponsor will contribute an additional £3,000.00 towards the cost of your trip to the UK. I note the in to your
and to or not you I must be of your own as
in your and
• You state that you are self-employed with a yearly income of
NGN). You state you intend to spend £208.77 (200,000.00 NGN) during your visit to the UK. I am not satisfied you would be willing to spend such a disproportionate amount of your annual income on such a short visit to the UK. This damages the credibility of your application. I am not satisfied your intentions to enter the UK are genuine.
• You also state in your visa application that you have savings of £450.00 (431,080.00 NGN). The information you have provided does not demonstrate the source of these funds and I am not satisfied that they are available to you.[/b]



He reapplied this year and his application has been refused again .

On what? Read through the thread; that's why it's here. Read and ask specific questions.

chummygirl:
Can somebody please answer me.

I'm sorry to say this but the whole paragraph makes no sense. It is not cohesive and even a secondary school student would write better. Some of these agents are traps. I would advise you take over the application yourself and write something sensible. Please see example below that I composed for a colleague. In addition to that, please include a strong cover letter.

"I am a digital marketing practitioner who has worked across several multinational and pan African organizations. I recently transitioned from XX Bank Plc to YY Bank as I was poached for my excellence in digital transformation at XX. I also have freelance clients who I help manage their digital brand presence and therefore get paid for this as well.

The purpose of my trip is simply to join friends on a cruise from the UK. This is my second cruise with this group of friends as last year we went on a middle eastern cruise from the UAE to other countries.

I am fully vaccinated, and my cruise has already been fully paid for. My flight and hotel have also been booked but will be paid for once the visa is granted. I have no intentions to stay in the UK and have every intention to return to Nigeria to continue my work at YY Bank.

I earn a good living and will be able to sustain myself during this short trip and won’t need to rely on public funds.

My individual budget for the holiday
Flight - £1,000 Food- £300 Transport- £225
Entertainment/Shopping- £1000 Total Spend-
£2,517 (N2,528,150)"

toolluu:
Good evening, please an agent is helping with my mom’s visa application. Is the reason stated here enough. Looks mediocre to me. She’s retired. Any advice please?

I'm sorry about that. I think they don't trust that your business is legal and there's no way for them to state it. Luckily, you have multiple visas and access to other countries so enjoy! The UK is not the end all be all. I much prefer the US and the Caribbean.

After sometime, you can come back claiming one simple business; not multiple. Clean statements, active CAC, tax payments, audited financial accounts and a strong cover letter. I agree with @cashmadam that your use of superlative words like- "All the countries" "everywhere" "every other country" etc. may be off putting to them. I help my husband with his cover letters and applications and I always state the exact number e.g. 17 countries in Europe. "All", "Everything" are absolute terms that mean exactly that to the UK and if your declared travel history didn't match your statement, it could throw them off.

FYI, At my husband's first US visa interview, he was a first time traveler and someone ahead of him was a frequent traveler and the interviewer was asking him questions that he felt insulted by and the man started reeling out his travel history to Italy, South Africa and he brought out his bank statement which showed over 40 M Naira; my husband could see from where he was standing and this was years ago. My husband said he was nervous as he didn't even have up to 10% of that in his account. The man was still there being questioned when my husband did his interview, got approved and left. The interviewer did not find his cockiness endearing at all. One must be careful.

Wishing you the best!

talentarena:



So let me make this easy I did everything, I dedicated an account for this porpose, I handle all my visa my self and I know all that is required, its my 3rd application to the uk, and i have followed all the rejection letter to try to fix the issues they complain, I think this time was my tax cos I put everything I stated right, and i am not even trying to brag about my trip I am a tourist I mean like it's what I do, so I think the only issue was my tax, but I don't entend to try again, atleast my other visas can take me to every other country except the uk, so let's say I never got to visit the uk but I got to see every other dream country, except in the future if I can i invite I could try again but now, I guve up

Hello,

This is a very vague question. There is no such thing as a minimum amount. Let's separate the key themes here.

1. First question is if you meet the requirements for the 10 year visa. How many previous UK visas have you held? How many times did you use the visa? What's your travel history like? 5 and 10 year visas are for people who will do multiple visits.

2. So, if you have the credibility, you need to write a cover letter explaining this and also lay out your UK travel plans for at least the next one year. When you plan to go, the reasons and the duration for each.

3. Budget- Number 2 will determine number 3. Your budget for the trip should factor in flights, accommodation, food, transport, entertainment, shopping etc.; as may be relevant to your trip. You need to breakdown the budget in your application.

4. Your earnings. Budget should not disproportionately outweigh your earnings as that is a red flag.

5. Your balance should be realistic and not inflated; your statements should be clean and your balance must be at least 2X the budget for your next trip.

My friend earns 8m a month. His UK travel budget is usually about 3m for himself so his balance can be his monthly salary of 8m. One of my friends earns about 2m a month, her budget is about 2.5m usually and keeps a balance of 2 month salary in her account of 4m. So, it all depends. Someone who then earns 250k a month wanting to also spend 2.5m which is 10X their monthly salary and having a balance of 8m which they can't explain will look suspicious.

beautyuche:
Good morning Guru in the house what will be the minimum amount to have in my account to be able to process visiting visa better still a 10 year visa.

Please help

Please read through the thread. Everything you need to know is here and then you can come back to ask specific questions.

You need proof of the relationship- Marriage certificate, photos, correspondence, birth certificates of your children, tenancy agreement or property ownership with both your names.
Business reg documents, active on CAC, Business account statement, tax clearance, your personal statement showing regular remittances form the business account et al.

But you need to read through this thread; there's a lot of prework required. Goodluck!

mirob:
Good morning All.

Please I want to know how to go about this; my husband wants to fully sponsor my visit to the Uk for his PHD graduation in April, and the school has already given him ticket to invite his family.

We want to start the application this January, we have proof of relationship, my question is what documents do I need to present.

I was a fashion designer which i registered the business in 2022 but was not active , I later changed to a lingerie business which I do mostly online but I have a physical shop.
Do I need tax clearance for my travel or is it only for my husband since he is solely sponsoring the trip.

I want to stay for only 10 days.

Please what do I do so that they will not deny me this visa since this is my first trip out of Nigeria and I have never applied for visa to any country.

Thanks

I'm sorry to hear about your refusal. If your travel history is indeed as you said, you shouldn't have issues.

However, making claims like "all Schengen countries" 3 times sounds a little wild. This means you have been to every single one of the 27 Schengen countries, 3 times which is a total of 81 trips. Be careful when making sweeping and absolute statements. I hope you didn't write this on your cover letter and they found this arrogant and inaccurate. Nigerians tend to say things that aren't accurate and the UK will take it as misrepresentation. Just like someone saying the person who invited them is their Uncle. I am British and and an Uncle is your mum or dad's brother. But in Nigeria, an Uncle is basically any elder man in the family. In this particular woman's case, she meant her mum's cousin etc. and the UK disagreed with her on this.

From what I see, your finances do not match up with the persona you portrayed to them so they suspect you're a dubious character who has possibly charmed your way into other countries. That's my take. Clean up your business and personal finances, pay your taxes and present yourself accurately to them.

1 Pay yourself a salary into your personal account every month and that should be the primary income there. Obviously, the salary should be a logical amount that's healthy and not eroding your business revenue/profit.
2 You Should present the personal and business account but make sure your business account is active on CAC.
3 Do not resort to inflation, sending through large deposits within the six-month period.
4 Spend as you normally would in your personal account, leaving some each month so that is accumulated to a healthy balance.
5 Review the statement first before you indicate your income, expenditure, and budget. Make sure the annual income matches the statement income. Annual income should ideally be X2 of your 6month statement. The expenditure should also follow the same principles.
6 Budget for the trip should ideally not exceed 2 months’ income. There is no hard and fast rule about this, but people have been rejected for a budget that was X4 their income. Ensure your taxes are paid.
7 However, ensure this budget covers your entire trip. Breakdown flight, accommodation, food, transport and a little bit for shopping and entertainment (not mandatory).
8 I personally advise that you try to ensure that the available balance in your account is 2X the budget for the trip. Because they expect that you have funds to go back to when you get back home. So, you can use your available balance to work backwards to see the budget you have available for the trip and therefore the number of days you can afford to stay.

These are my thoughts and of course there have been exceptions to the rules, both positive and negative. All the best! Please note that the next application has to be thorough cause they'll find something else to pick on next time.

talentarena:
I have given up on uk visa, I have canada and been to canada 4 times, been to France and all scheghen countries 3 times, been to turkey, have valid USA, valid France, valid turkey, have a business, earn salary, and these people still denied me, talking a bout tax...

I believe that others gave very detailed information already which I agree with. They had said send substantial maintenance to your mum monthly etc.
Please follow the previous guidance already shared. You’re the sponsor but there also needs to be some money in her account.

Do not rush to reapply. Correct these things over the next 3-6 months and then go again.

brainhack201:

I just want to ask did my mum need to have any money in her account?
Cos I'll be the one sponsoring her visit, I've got £5k saved already for this.

Hiya,

I can see you’re trying to email me. I don’t do emails. Please reach out here. Happy to help.

brainhack201:
Hello everyone, My mum visit visa was just refused yesterday. I stated on the application me and wife are the one sponsoring her and we attached our bank statements with savings of £3k for her needs.
She's a petty trader though, she sell in a very small scale which I mentioned in the cover letter attached.
The money in her bank statement is mainly money I sent her every month or weekly for upkeep and other allowance.
Please we want to put in another application for her as soon as possible, if you anybody can point me to what I need to do correctly to avoid another refusal please.
We really need her to come because my wife as to resume work as her maternity leave is coming to end very soon.
Any help will be appreciated guys.
Thank you. I attached the refusal screenshot In the post.

Apologies for the late response. I started replying to you in the early hours of the morning and fell asleep. You’re most welcome.

I do this exact same thing you do, however the money for the trip has to be accessible. My husbands friend was rejected because he added an investment account as his proof of funds and they said the funds there aren’t readily available to him. So, it depends on how accessible it is. You can put both accounts and include a letter from the investment holding to state that you’ve indicated interest in pulling out X amount from your investment for a trip and this is possible and the investment is immediately liquid upon instruction. But you should ideally make sure you have a long term statement for this.

I would rather you have the amount you need liquid in your account as cash with a bit extra and still add the investment account statement to show large holdings and a tie to Nigeria. In your cover letter, you should even explain this your monthly movement. I.e income is 3m Monthly, 500k is kept in the account to manage operating expenses while 500k is saved here (add proof and the balance of 2m is invested here (also adding proof).

If your husband is a frequent traveler and his business a high volume one, he should be fine. My husband runs a similar business and never has to “clean” his account. There are frequent daily transactions ranging from 5 to 7 figures based on nature of his business but they can see the trend. So, if his business is doing well and he has travel history, it should be fine.

I hope this helps and I pray you land the visa!

Nnekkyneks:
Wow Amelia T God bless you for taking out time to respond with clearity and details. This has answered some of my questions like point 1
So my understanding is that i should have at least 1.8 or 2x the cost of my trip in my account. In my situation I usually move any excess to an investment account and leave only funds for running expenses. My question is this
Do i now leave the amount in my account as against moving it out to build up to the cost for the trip?
Point2
My husband ( the sponsor for the kids) has to provide a bank statement with 1.8 or 2× the cost of the trip plus pay slip etc.
My question is what if its a savings account with large sum savings and being an entrepreneur i wud rather not submit any documents relating to his business or even salaryaccount.
Pls i will appreciate advice.
Pls bear with me with all these questions my last refusal in 2021 scarred me and so much was spent for the application and was denied.
So i want to get it this time.
Thank you all

Hiya,

You’re welcome.

1. Provide this in the “other info” section of the form and in your cover letter.
2. You can put accommodation in your own bit but on every child’s application, include that accommodation is not part of the budget as it’s already been provided for by mum. Or if you don’t have enough funds in your account to absorb this, this can be part of the cost your husband sponsors and he explains this in his sponsorship cover letter and you split the cost evenly across the three kids and explain in their own forms.

Accommodation: £500 (2 bed short let to be shared with two other siblings and mum). Total cost is £1500, so cost is split equally between applicant and two other siblings. It should also be stated on dad’s letter.

3. It’s just better to do one overall one for the kids stating all three names, ages, what they do in school, how happy they are in Nigeria with both parents and extended family. The itinerary for the trip, the budget etc and put a copy in each of their applications since they’re minors. When their school vacation is Ns why they’re traveling. Guardian should be able to do the letter.

4. Closing balance has to be more than your budget for the trip. If the budget is 2.5m, I suggest you have ag least 4m. And this 2.5m shouldn’t be Herculean compared to your monthly income. Remember not to pad your account with large deposits and ensure it is clean etc.

The four of you is fine. As long as the application is tight and there are enough funds.

Your husband is an entrepreneur, he should submit both business and personal statements as well as business docs. Make sure his CAC is active. A copy of his own passport and UK visa as well.

Nnekkyneks:
Thanks alot its true no need to complicate things and you r right it not help the application in any way. Thanks

Hi Amelia thanks for your quick response. I also want to ask where will provide the break down for the budget? Is it on the application form or the cover letter
2) As the only adult applying my breakdown should include the cost for accommodation?
3) will there be a cover letter for each Child?
4) Should the closing balance in my account include the amount required for trip as budget.
I remember applying for my husband once and they denied him because he didn't have enough as closing balance??
My plan is to sponsor myself then my husband sponsors the kids so on my application am sponsoring myself. Hubby sponsoring the kids. Is that a good idea
Another option applying alone get the visa then apply for the kids.
I feel like it's easier when it's you. Pls advice

Hiya,

I’m guessing these are reasons from a previous refusal? If so, I suggest you read this thread thoroughly to get all the pointers you need beyond these four questions because many people fix refusal reasons and the embassy digs up new ones. So, you need to be beyond versed:

1. If you’re a first timer, I advise you make a clean 6 month bank statement available. Not 2 months; not 3. The only deposits in there should be your salary (if you’re employed or the salary you pay yourself is you’re an entrepreneur. If the latter, also add your business account statement and ensure your business is active on CAC. Your personal bank account should contain at least 1.8-2X the cost of your trip as they must see that your balance has enough to sustain you on your trip and upon your return to nigeria. Do not resort to inflation by sending large amounts to “buff up” your account. It will be flagged.

2. Cover letter from sponsor, their clean bank account with sufficient funds for your trip and their own expenses and means of income e.g pay-slips and work contract.

3. Sibling ? Birth certificates, pictures and correspondence.
Friends, cousins, other family members? Letter explaining the connection and pictures and correspondence.
Mentor, boss? Employment letter, Cover letter explaining connection and pictures, correspondence and proof of similar situations from the past.

4. A copy of their British passport data page or their Nigerian passport plus Biometric residence permit which shows validity for the duration you want to visit for.

Ciao!

Drphade:
Please to the gurus in the house, how do I show evidence for the following in my application for 6 months visa

1. Evidence of funds avilable to you, and which are clearly accessible by you

2. Evidence of support you will recieve from your sponsor including details of what support is being provided and how

3. Evidence of the relationship, if any, between you and your sponsor

4. Evidence that your sponsor is not, or will not be, in breach of UK immigration laws at the time of your visit

oh wow! Just put the budget for you and your three kids.

You do not need to add your American son’s details. It is not going to strengthen your application in any way. Please keep it simple. Don’t include him or you need to account for more money. Just you and your three applicant children. I don’t see why you need to include his passport for any reason.

Nnekkyneks:
Wow thanks alot this reqlly helps.
My husband is not going on the trip with usthis time even though he has a 2 year UK VISA. It’s just me and 4 of my kids . The one who is a US citizen wont b applying but will be travelling with us. Thats y i was asking if i should include him in the budget because i will provide his passport details even though he is not applying and i will also have to disclose he is travelling with us. So we are 4 applying me and 3kids

Sorry to hear this. Quite a few people have faced the same situation. If you read back a few pages, you’ll see.

It’s unfortunately a visa refusal. Others were previously advised to send a paid email. So, please do that.

Trichia:
I received a collection mail from TLS on the 29th Dec and i went for my passport and there was no visa on my passport. I have also checked my inbox/spam repeatedly and there is no refusal mail either. please what does it mean or what should I do immediately ? Has anyone experienced this situation. Please help

You’re welcome. I guess you’re confident that it’s a mistake then please try the below. This is what my colleague used. Or you can try the paid emails as well. Draft a very strong cover letter addressing each of the refusal points and pointing them to exactly where the information is within the supporting evidence you submitted. Goodluck! Let us know how it goes.

BiyiTudors:
Thank you so much Amelia for your taking time out to offer your most valuable contributions. Interestingly I did everything you mentioned about the accounts but I provided just 6 months bank statements.

How do I go about writing back to the embassy for a reconsideration?

Hiya,

Sorry about your refusal. A few thoughts.

1. If you are claiming to run a business, include business reg documents, ensure it is active on CAC, Include the business bank statement and pay yourself a fixed salary from the business into another account. You can submit a personal account where your employers pays you and another where your business pays you. There should be no other deposits whatsoever.

2. Your USD account is not clean, they said. Ensure it is clean. They also want to know the source of your funds. If you think they've made a mistake, write back.

3. You also stated almost 10k in GBP savings. Did you provide proof of this? You also need to explain this as you earn N630k a month so saving up over 10m is a herculean task and you need to explain the source of funds for this and perhaps include a longer duration statement. Whenever, we add our forex savings statements to applications, we always ensure we provide at least a 12 month statement to show that the funds have been there for ages and not just banked there to deceive them.

4. Provide evidence of ties- Family, dependents etc.

A Nigerian colleague of mine was refused about 7 months ago for two reasons- She didn't provide evidence of a relationship with the person who invited her and her employer was inactive on CAC. Employer being a huge British multinational that even has a partnership with the UK Government. She wrote back to contest it and so did the company secretary and the decision overturned and visa granted. So, if you are sure of yourself and the below, please write in to indicate they made mistakes.

BiyiTudors:
I was just refused a UK visa, is there anything else I can do?. There were no other income asides from my salaries in my Naira or Dollar accounts and I included an explanation letter stating my incoming salary transactions each month of 450,000 and 180,000. Yet I got this refusal reply:

“The decision
I have refused your application for a visit visa because I am not satisfied that you meet the requirements of paragraph(s) 4.2 of Appendix V because:
• You have applied to visit the UK for 11 days for tourism.
• In support of your application you have provided your employer letter, pay slip, bank
statements and hotel booking.
• You state you are employed and self-employed with earning monthly income of 450000.00 NGN (£391.25 exchange rate at £1 = 1,150.16 @ www.oanda.com on 27/12/2023) and with annual income of 2160000.00 NGN (£1,878.00), you declare monthly expenditure of 90000.00 NGN (£78.2501). You state your trip to the UK will cost you 2000000.00 NGN (£1,738.89).
• I note you have provided personal statement from First Bank with account ending 3762. I note that your salary reflects in your bank statement. I note other than your salary there is unexplained transactions going through the account. The origin of these fund is unknown. Therefore I am not satisfied you have sufficiently demonstrated your financial circumstance or this funds will be available for the purpose of your trip.
• I acknowledge you have provided your personal bank statement in support of your application. However, the information provided that not demonstrate level of income your business generates or the level of income the business receives. I am therefore not satisfied that you have demonstrated your own personal circumstances or that they meet the requirements of entry clearance as a visitor.
• I note you have provided personal statement in USD from First Bank with account ending 8945. There are several unexplained transactions going through the account. The origin of these funds are unknown. Therefore I am not satisfied you have sufficiently demonstrated your financial circumstance or this funds will be available for the purpose of your trip.
• You also state in your visa application that you have savings of £9243.35. The information you have provided does not demonstrate the source of these funds and I am not satisfied that they are available to you.
• The documents you have provided do not demonstrate you hold any, assets or property in your country of residence. Nor, have not demonstrated strong family, social or economic ties to your country of residence which would satisfy me that you intend to leave the United Kingdom on completion of a short visit. On the evidence before me,
OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE

OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE
and the balance of probabilities, I am not satisfied that you have accurately presented your circumstances or intentions in wishing to enter the UK.
• Given the above I am therefore not satisfied that you have demonstrated your circumstances are as declared, which leads me to doubt your intentions in travelling to the UK. I am not satisfied that you are genuinely seeking entry for a purpose that is permitted under the visitor route and that you will leave the UK at the end of your visit. Your application is therefore refused under paragraph V 4.2 (a) and (c) of the immigration rules.

Hiya,

You say you have a family of 5 but 1 of your kids is American. So, he does not need to be on the application. So, I'm guessing it's 4 people then? 2 adults, 2 children. It's unrealistic to think the budget for all of you will be the same. I think your application should reflect reality and not coaching. Also, you do not just share a blanket figure. You must include the budget breakdown.

So, here are my thoughts-
Husband: Flight - £1,000 Food- £300 Transport- £200 Entertainment/Shopping- £1000 Accommodation for the whole family- This depends on how many days and how many rooms- I am guessing it is a 2 bed Air B&B for 2 weeks. You can get one for £1500. His application should therefore mention he is getting a place for the entire family.
Total Spend- £ 4,000. Then convert to naira using Oanda rate.

You aka mum: Flight- £1,000 Food- £300 Transport- £200 Entertainment/Shopping- £1000 Accommodation- You can mention that this is provided for by your spouse already.
Total Spend- £ 2,500

Kid 1- Flight- £1,000 (Depends on their age so verify this). Food- £200 Transport- £50 (It depends on where you are going and age of child. Transport for London is free for kids of a certain age; so if this is relevant to you, take note). Entertainment/Shopping- £500 Accommodation- You can mention that this is provided for by dad already.
Total Spend- £ 1,750


Kid 2- Flight- £1,000 (Depends on their age so verify this). Food- £200 Transport- £50 Entertainment/Shopping- £300 (Probably less if the child is younger or whatever the case may be). Accommodation- You can mention that this is provided for by dad already.
Total Spend- £ 1,550

A real budget will reflect actual peculiarities. E.g. Flights- kids under 2 only pay taxes. 2-11, pay slightly less than adults.
You might be one to spend more on entertainment for the kids and less for yourself or the reverse. More on shopping for yourself, les for the kids etc. Budget per child also differs depending on their age and their requirements. So, using a blanket amount doesn't reflect reality.

If dad is not travelling or applying then he has no business in the budget. So, the accommodation should be within your own budget. The budget is only for applicants. Don't complicate things by mentioning your other child's budget etc. The sponsor's account should be clean too; to prevent any issues. He can provide a cover letter of authorization and sponsorship stating how much he is supporting with, the breakdown of the budget and any unexplained deposits in the account.

I hope this helps!

Nnekkyneks:
Thanks alot for ur response. I am not staying with family or friend so I will stick to 2.5m per person.i don't want to be sole sponsor i don't hv that kind of money.
Pls i also want to know if sponsors bank statementhas to have a cover letter to explsin [s][/s]


funds

Oh yea. You’re right. His first application, I hadn’t discovered Nairaland and was worried about his statements and not including property docs. But he got it; possibly due to the overall strong application. We thank God for favour.

However, overall it’s always better safe than sorry.

Newbiein2016:
Congrats & absolutely agree re: how thorough the bank account checks are.

I had a very convoluted personal account & I rem Giselle suggesting to wait for 6months. Due to the urgency of the trip, I decided to apply with the chaotic bank statement & got the visa really fast (last year visa TAT was about 2 - 3months).

*Visa Alert*
For my husband
Biometrics- Wed 13 Dec
Moved to DMC and received by DMC- Wed 13 Dec
Collection email, Returned and received at VAC- Fri 29 Dec
Picked up- Today, Tuesday 2 Jan 2024.

5 year visa. Only one previous UK Visa held for 6 months which was used twice. But he has a current US Visa (third one) and has travel history to over 20 countries; mainly in North America.

Docs submitted
1. 2 page cover letter explaining what he does for a living, number of staff he employs, his travel history, what I do for a living and why he wants a 5 year visa. He also said, “since my last application the following things have changed and he mentioned the growth of the business in staff strength and revenue, the additional countries he’s been to”. He discussed recently acquired property and the rental income from the property.
2. Business reg docs- CAC etc. Business is active on CAC website.
3. 6 months Business account statement (balance of just 1m but over 60m volume of transactions in the period)
4. 6 months Personal account statements- 2 banks (he has different moneys in and out. We have never cleaned up the account because he’s an entrepreneur so it’s not that easy). I find that they are very strict with this only with people who don’t have solid ties and travel history. Balance of circa 3m.
5. 1 year joint usd savings account and letter from the bank explaining all our holdings and fixed deposits with them.- Over $30k
6. Documentation for the house we own with contract of sale, payment receipts for the home, payment receipts for the deed, change of ownership etc.
7. Copies of previous visas to US, Morocco, UAE etc.
8. Copy of our marriage certificate, a copy of my British passport.

*Application details*
Reason for trip- visit family and visit tourist sites. Duration stated for visit is 15 days with a mention of subsequently visiting multiple times a year.
Budget for the trip- Flight - £1,000 Food- £300 Transport- £225 Entertainment/Shopping- £1000
Total Spend- £ 2,517 (N2,528,150) We used the Oando Converter. *Only just noticing there was even an error in the summing of about £ 8. Please be more careful
Didn’t include accommodation costs as we’ll be staying with family.
Refusals declared- a UK refusal almost 20 years ago when he just graduated.

Goodluck, guys!

Hopefully, this week. When did you do your biometrics?

Beautynm1:
Hello everyone before the holiday I did an enquiry which says awaiting decision and just yesterday after the holiday as about 2pm I did another enquiry and a message was sent around 3pm that decision has been made on my application so now how long will it take to transfer my application to VAC ?

3. Oh wow. So you used personal accounts and not a business account? Hmmm. I’m honestly not sure about this. @hunee please shed some more light.

I’m not sure it shows you to be a legitimate business owner who pays himself a salary. I would honestly prefer you clean up the accounts and come back in three months to avoid the taint in your record.

Or are you going for something urgent?

5. Awesome!

8. Well done!

You’re most welcome!

Arry110:
3. The issue is that I have 2 personal accounts and the mistake I made is that I just use the 2 for business, do you know how I can explain this in my cover letter, and if I want to explain the lump sums in the other it would be a collective explanation cause it’s over 200 pages of bank transactions (6months too)
And I never paid myself salary , I put back whatever I made into my business most times

5, yes I included them, even visits to the family of my aunt and uncle but didn’t want to post the lower part of the itinerary here cause it contains their address.
The issues with my bank account is my biggest worry

8, yes I did my research well, I even discovered the London Eye would be closed at the time of my arrival, that’s why I included only the London eye river cruise


You’ve been of great help to me , thanks again

1. Well done. Fix the CAC issue urgently.

2. You can worry about tax later. CAC is the most pressing concern.

3. I noted that you did include an explanation for large deposits. I hope you included your own personal account and not just business. If it was just business, I seriously advise that you get your personal account statement, Explain any discrepancies and upload. You can’t float with just a business account. Many times, they have rejected people for this and say “while we note that your business account has a balance of 10m, we do not believe that these funds are accessible to you for personal use. If you can’t submit your personal account because it’s not fit, I advise you immediately withdraw, postpone your ticket and get your personal account in order and reapply in March. Or what do you think @hunee and @giselle?

4. Okay. Evidence of your relationship with your siblings, any property, the impact your business makes, charities, Church etc.

8. Nice itinerary. Well done. I however think it needs to be more realistic. There’s no time accounted for shopping, meeting up or visiting markets, meeting people? No lie-ins ? I also trust that you verified the prices of these tours you included and these aren’t old? Did you also check that they’re all open the time of the year you want to visit ? Some activities are closed over winter and many of them not frequented during winter due to the harsh weather conditions. Be mindful of that.

Arry110:


Thank you so much
Omo I’ve already applied and I’m even on my way to Lagos for biometrics tomorrow, my flight leaves by 12
1. My business was registered in 2019, I was 18 by then but i discovered yesterday that my cac account is inactive as I’ve never made annual returns, with this short time frame my plan is to work on it immediately after my biometrics (I don’t mind paying extra to fast track it at cac)
2. Number 2 issue is that I’ve never paid tax before, please can you tell me how to do it let me see if I can pay it today
3. Wish I had done this earlier
4. I’m working on this, I don’t know if I have strong family ties here, my parents are late and were buried in the US, I have 4 siblings, 1 is in the US and 3 of us are here
8, I only put 9 days in my application and also made a detailed itinerary

Hiya,

There is no passport control when you leave the UK. Instead, the airlines send Advanced Passenger Information (API) to the Home Office. API is given to airlines by customers when booking their flights and/or checking in. The airline also sends the final manifesto to the Home Office and it’s noted in your records. That’s what matters. The stamp is immaterial. The US doesn’t even stamp passengers in anymore. Your electronic footprint is more important.

jimcykhan:
Hi
Please how do the UK border police track immigration history. I noticed passport are stamped and fingerprint is taking on arrival. However, on departure there's no checks by border police and no stamp also on passport.

How do they track individual immigration history?

Thanks

Hiya,

Looks like you’re doing well for yourself but to have a Straightforward application, I’d like to advise the following:

1. Register your business if you haven’t already.

2. Open a business account and use this for all your business transactions. Make sure they’re clearly documented, you pay tax etc.

3. Maintain a clean and separate personal account where you will pay yourself a standard monthly salary from the business. Make sure there are no other deposits into this personal account. From this personal account, make your personal expenditure and make sure you’re saving an amount monthly, let’s assume 30%. You can leave the 50% in the account monthly or transfer to a savings account.

So, imagine you pay yourself 1m a month and you spend 500 monthly and the other 500k is left there, then after 6 months, you’ll have 3m.

4. Provide a strong cover letter explaining the nature of your business and the transactions, how much you pay yourself, your family ties etc.

5. Add all your supporting evidence for the business.

6. Add evidence of ties to Nigeria.

7. To increase your chances, you may want to travel somewhere else first. E.g. Kenya, Morocco, South Africa etc

8. For this First time trip, don’t plan to stay more than 2 weeks. Because this impacts the budget you need to take. I’m not sure why people plan/declare long stays. I’ve lived in Nigeria for 10 years and have never been out of the country for more than 4 weeks at a time. No productive person plans to vacation for such long periods unless retired or faced with extenuating circumstances.

Do all this and I believe you can apply in another 6 months just to be on the safe side.

I hope this is helpful! Goodluck !

Arry110:
looking toward to a reply from anyone pls
Thanks in advance