₦airaland Forum

Good evening everyone, I’m a bit concerned. There is a 55,000 Naira transaction reversal showing up in my salary account due to a failed transaction I was initially charged for in December, then refunded. Additionally, another 8,000 Naira transaction reversal is appearing as a credit, which occurred after I was first charged for a failed transaction when I used a POS machine to pay for fuel at a petrol station this evening. I honestly don’t understand why banks are still debiting customers for failed transactions in 2025! It makes applicants like us seem suspicious to visa officers. Given this, how would you suggest I explain these transaction reversals in my application? Is the explanation below in my cover letter satisfactory?

"On December 9th, 2024, I was erroneously charged 55,000 Naira following a failed transaction, and on January 7th, 2025, I was similarly debited 8,000 Naira due to another failed transaction. Both amounts were promptly reversed and credited to my account on December 10th, 2024, and January 7th, 2025, respectively. Please note that these reversals were simply corrections of the initial mistaken debits and do not represent any actual income or external funds. The amounts reflect error adjustments rather than additional income."

Has anyone been in a similar situation and still successfully obtained a UK visitor visa? Some of these UK visa officers can be wahala people and I honestly don't want to enter their wahala, so please advise. Hope to hear from some of you all soon.

Welcome back man and my deepest condolences for losing your uncle. How many months bank statements did you use for your visa application again?

davodyguy:
Happy new year to you all

Just returned from UK today.

Super tired.

Was a mixed holiday, as I lost an uncle on Christmas Day. First time experiencing how people pass away in the UK, going to Kings College Hospital to see the body moved to the Morgue. 😢 😭

Congrats! How long are you planning to visit and how much did you budget on your application (including flights)?

quote author=Demmybim post=133567164]

Yes visit visa first time.
Just chill till Tuesday cos my bio was 11t.
All the best brother[/quote]

Hi, I wouldn't advise using a mutual funds account just because the funds available for your proposed trip need to be liquid, i.e. the funds must be immediately available for you to utilize. However, in the case of mutual fund investments, these usually need to be liquidated, which can take a day or a few days. Since you have transactions that you can't easily explain in your 6 months statement, can you possibly provide account statements for the past three months, four months or five months then? In your case, it's obviously better to provide bank account statements showing liquid funds over a three-month period, four-month period or five-month period than providing a mutual funds account as POF. For instance, if you have a USD domiciliary account with at least $5,000, that will be good to show for a 1-week trip to the UK.

MsAnonymous:
Hello all my first time here.

My husband and I want to travel to UK to attend a church conference for 1 week. We won’t be going with our child.

Can we use a mutual funds account in my name as POF? It has enough money for the trip and more. Inflow goes in there every month as savings from us.
I have many transactions I can’t explain easily in my 6 months statement from my salary acct

Good morning and sincere apologies for the refusal letter.

First of all, did you properly justify what the credits were for? Even if these credits were transaction reversals, I believe it is important to provide documented evidence to prove that these credits pertain to transaction reversals just so you don't give any room for them to think that the funds came from questionable/unknown sources. This documented evidence can be a brief signed letter from anyone who can attest to the fact that funds were reversed to your account, due to a failed transaction you were debited for. I know it might seem strange getting documented evidence for this, but it's always advisable to justify every and any inflow (no matter how small) to reduce the likelihood of a visa denial.

I'm planning to submit my visa application in a few weeks, but before I do, I'm looking for how to properly justify a 55,000 Naira reversal, which was credited to my account, due to a failed funds transfer I was incorrectly debited for, then I'll highlight both the debited amount and the amount reversed in my account. As you can see, I'm taking the necessary precaution to prevent the risk of a visa denial even though I have a demonstrated travel history to the UK within the last ten years.

Secondly, since you mentioned living with your dad and siblings, did you provide any documentation at all to demonstrate family ties? For instance, even if you don't own any physical assets, a signed letter from your dad confirming family responsibilities, such as looking after your family's property in his absence, as well as a copy of his utility bill (showing proof of address) and his passport biodata page can help demonstrate ties to your family.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Jolene474:
I’ll do just that. Thank you.
Please this is the refusal note, kindly help me explain to the best of your ability what the ECO meant.
I believe they want a bank statement free from minor credits, even if it’s a bank reversal.
I don’t understand the income and family part.

Congrats on your visa approval! Would you mind sharing how long you are planning to visit London and how much you budgeted on the application for the duration of your stay (flights included)? This will help guide prospective applicants.

Merit23567890:
Visa Alert!!!!!
Biometric 19th Dec
Success mail 24th of December
Pickup 30th December

Standard application

God did it guys 🥰🥰🥰

Hello guys, please what's an appropriate way to justify/explain a transaction reversal of 55,000 Naira, recently credited to my salary account?

Congrats on your visa approval! Would you mind sharing how much you budgeted for application purposes and how long you're planning to visit London?

Oggg:
Visa alert for father, mother and 2 of my siblings.
5 years each.
Biometrics Dec 16th- Abuja.
Passport collection mail:- Dec 30th
Pick up: Dec 30th

Congratulations on your visa approval! Have you tried Turkish Airlines, Kenya Airways or RwandAir? Turkish Airlines was about 1.7m the last time I checked and Kenya Airways and RwandAir aren't more than 1.5m for a round-trip flight.

Would you mind if I ask how long you are planning to visit London, how much you budgeted on your application and your monthly income/disposable income, which led to a visa approval? I intend to submit my application next month, so this will guide me on an appropriate budget to use for my application. Thanks.

Oghosagracely:
Urgent!!!

Please am trying to book a ticket to UK..... to and fro is coming to 2.something million. Please is there a way to get cheaper tickets?
The France and Germany airline seem fae cheaper but I hear I'll need transit visa....please advise, do I apply for a transit visa? How long does it take to be out?
Has anyone also done medical insurance, how is it done?

Thank you

Congratulations on your visa approval! May I please know how long you are planning to visit the UK and how much (in pounds) you stated your brother-in-law will be sponsoring, and how much you stated as your total budget on the application for the duration of your trip (including flights)? Since you will be staying with your elder sister, I believe accommodation is already covered and hence you didn't budget for accommodation. However, for the benefit of those who are yet to apply, it'll be helpful to know how long you intend to visit and how much was budgeted on the application for the duration of your visit (including flights). I believe this will help guide prospective applicants. Thank you.

carnivorouschic:
Visa Alert!!!

Good evening everyone,

I have been meaning to post my update but I got carried away with the festivities.

I recently received my visit visa to the UK. My biometric was on the 4th of December. Collection email was received on the 20th of December, I went to collect my passport on the 23rd.

I mentioned that I intended to travel on the 26th in my application but unfortunately i have to postpone my trip because the flight fare was over my budget. I'm looking forward to traveling by March 2025.

Thank you to everyone who offered explanation and answered my questions. I also got additional assistance from a family member who travels frequently.

For my application, I mentioned that I work. I included my payslips for 6 months and 6 months bank statement for two of my accounts (one for salary, the other for other funds from my side hustle). Mind you my salary is not up to N300k. My purpose of visit was to visit my elder sister. My brother-in-law was my sponsor and he gave me invitation letter, council tax, payslips, tenancy agreement and bank statement.
I also used my husband, father and younger sister as my home ties. I only included consent letter from my husband and included his passport page and various pictures of me and my sister, hubby and entire family.

I hope this helps someone.

Compliments of the season 🌲🎁

Congratulations on your visa approval! May I please know how long you are planning to visit the UK and how much (in pounds) you stated your brother-in-law will be sponsoring, and how much you stated as your total budget on the application for the duration of your trip (including flights)? Since you will be staying with your elder sister, I believe accommodation is already covered and hence you didn't budget for accommodation. However, for the benefit of those who are yet to apply, it'll be helpful to know how long you intend to visit and how much was budgeted on the application for the duration of your visit (including flights). I believe this will help guide prospective applicants. Thank you.


 

carnivorouschic:
Visa Alert!!!

Good evening everyone,

I have been meaning to post my update but I got carried away with the festivities.

I recently received my visit visa to the UK. My biometric was on the 4th of December. Collection email was received on the 20th of December, I went to collect my passport on the 23rd.

I mentioned that I intended to travel on the 26th in my application but unfortunately i have to postpone my trip because the flight fare was over my budget. I'm looking forward to traveling by March 2025.

Thank you to everyone who offered explanation and answered my questions. I also got additional assistance from a family member who travels frequently.

For my application, I mentioned that I work. I included my payslips for 6 months and 6 months bank statement for two of my accounts (one for salary, the other for other funds from my side hustle). Mind you my salary is not up to N300k. My purpose of visit was to visit my elder sister. My brother-in-law was my sponsor and he gave me invitation letter, council tax, payslips, tenancy agreement and bank statement.
I also used my husband, father and younger sister as my home ties. I only included consent letter from my husband and included his passport page and various pictures of me and my sister, hubby and entire family.

I hope this helps someone.

Compliments of the season 🌲🎁

Yes, I'll be submitting at the end of January, so the full three-month period is captured.
Thanks.

naivasha:
Yes, adding your father's biodata page sounds like a good idea as it will give a bit more credence to the signed letter.

And yes, your explanation on the bank statements makes sense. Although I want to add that from what I have seen, a zero naira bank account balance is not really a problem. The cashflow seems to be what they prioritize. Anyways, at this point it looks to me like you are good to go. I presume you will be submitting at the end of January in order to include the full three months?

Thanks for your response. Regarding the additional documentation for my father, I can also attach a copy of his passport's biodata page, which has a photo of him, date of birth, etc. My birth certificate is really just to show his relationship to me as my father.

Secondly, I want to exclude account statements for earlier months because in September and October, there were a few days where my bank balance dropped to 0 Naira, due to a funds transfer between multiple accounts and also due to inflated expenses as a result of car repairs, etc. Hence, to limit the amount of explaining I will need to do on the cover letter if I provide account statements for earlier months, I just felt that it would be better to only provide account statements for the most recent three-month period, i.e. November, December and January. Hope this makes sense?

naivasha:
Season's greetings to you.

In my view, your documentation is well thought through and I would say you have a very good chance of getting the visa.

Regarding your bank statements, UKVI's website doesn't officially specify how many months to provide but generally it is seen as good practice to submit six months. Personally I would have no problems with submitting three months if I was applying and that was all I had available to me. However experience has taught me that I should not give whoever is reviewing my application any excuse to deny me the visa. If providing six months of statements strengthens the proof of financial evidence better than three months then I will provide six. I think I understand your reasons for using Nov-Jan but I don't see any harm done if you include Aug-Oct. Besides the change in income is there any other reason you want to exclude them?

Finally, are you including any photo identification or additional documents for your father? Because if I put myself in the ECO's shoes I would be asking what connects the birth certificate to the signed letter if you understand what I mean.

Wish you all the best.

Merry Christmas Everyone,

So I have finalized documentation and intend to apply for a UK tourist visa next month (January) to travel to the UK in March just for one week to celebrate my girlfriend's birthday. Please find below my attached documents:

Attached Documents
 Travel Documents: My passport biodata page and copies of previous United States and United Kingdom study visas issued within the last ten years.
 Financial Evidence: Stamped salary breakdown (showing prior and current total renumeration), email receipts confirming salary increments, recent pay slips from employer, Naira salary account statements, and Standard Chartered Bank United States Dollar (USD) savings account statements for the most recent three-month period.
 Accommodation and Travel Details: A detailed travel itinerary & budget breakdown, invitation letter from my host and her supporting documentation (passport biodata page and recent utility bill)
 Employment Details and Economic Ties: A letter of introduction from my employer, an employment confirmation letter and a signed leave approval letter from my supervisor, which all prove my economic ties.
 Evidence of Family Ties to Nigeria: My birth certificate and a signed letter from my father who I reside with, confirming family responsibilities.
 Additional Information: A copy of my host's Nigerian visa sticker proving that she has visited me in Nigeria and photos, proving our relationship.

Regarding financial evidence, since my salary increased effective from November 1st, I only intend to submit my salary account statements, pay slips and USD savings account statements for November, December and January, since this three-month period reflects my current income and spending patterns, and provides an accurate representation of my ability to support myself during my stay in the UK. My net monthly salary is 881,633.50 Naira (454.15 GBP). However, in November and December this year, I received additional end of year allowances from my employer, which boosted my November inflows to 1,324,341.83 Naira (682.20 GBP) and December inflows to 2,038,233.50 Naira (1,049.94 GBP). All of these inflows are explained in my cover letter. With that said, I currently have at least $1,500 sitting in my salary account and at least $7,500 in my USD savings account, so a total of at least $9,000 to show as funds.

Regarding my travel budget, I am budgeting about 520 GBP for a week (excluding accommodation which will be covered by my host and excluding flights), then a total of 950 to 1,000 GBP for a week (including flights). 

I understand there are some instances where applicants have been granted visas with three months account statements, so I hope submitting account statements for a three month period won't result to a visa denial, especially since I have a valid reason stated in my cover letter for submitting bank statements for the most recent three month period and have been issued UK study visas twice within the last ten years, demonstrating travel history.

Based on the documents listed, my financial circumstances and my travel budget, do you think I have a strong chance? Looking forward to feedback from applicants who have been successful, particularly those who submitted bank statements for three months and were granted visas.

Was the reservation with British Airways free or did you have to pay for the reservation?

davodyguy:
Doesn't matter.

I used British airways for reservation and used another Airline to the UK

Wow, your expenses are already crazy! How long are you planning to stay? One week? I believe you could've saved a lot more if you had used the train though, but since you didn't travel alone, I get why the budget stated on your application was as high as 6 million Naira sha. For me that's planning to travel alone, I think 2 million to 2.5 million Naira (1,022 GBP to 1,278 GBP) for a week (including flight and excluding accommodation) should be fine.

I earn about 882,000 Naira each month, but my December salary is always at least 1.4 million Naira, due to end of year allowances received.

davodyguy:
If you read my post above, you'll understand.

Taxi from Gatwick to my abode cost £120
Meal at Burger King for 3 cost $51 using a Dollar card to pay.

Already spent almost £300 in a single day

Glad to hear you arrived safely bro. May I please know how much you budgeted on your visa application (including airfare)? Would you mind sharing so I can use this as a guide to budget appropriately? Thank you.

davodyguy:
Arrived this morning.

After short rest, decided to do some food shopping.

Went to Lewisham and you'll think you're in Idumota, Oyingbo, Mile 12 Market.

Blacks every and dominated by Nigerians.

Yes, I'm well aware. It's really just to show my flight itinerary and intended travel dates using the cheapest flight ticket. If my visa is granted, I'll then book my flight on another airline.

giselle237:
You are aware that you can’t use Air France/KLM without a transit visa? Unless you have a UK BRP, or a visa for the USA, Canada, or Japan, you’ll need to apply for a transit visa. .. this information is privy to everyone.
Good luck with your application honestly! Just a reminder again, I’m not an ECO. None of us is.
Cheers.

Expenses usually vary per day though, so if I spend only 40 GBP in one day, that doesn't mean I'll spend exactly 40 GBP the next day, since there are activities I may want to do or restaurants I might want to visit that will make me spend 130 pounds in one day for instance.
I'll just budget like 521 GBP for a week of living expenses (excluding accommodation covered by my host) and then like 500 and something pounds for a round-trip flight on Air France/KLM to minimize my costs. Hence, total budget (including airfare) will be between 1,000 and 1,050 GBP (at most), which should be reasonable for about a week.

giselle237:
You are not understanding that is possibly why you are not getting any response from the house.
There is no hard and fast rule and you can not write to an ECO that they didn’t refuse another person’s visa with a budget of £900 so they can not refuse yours. Can not and will not work.

1. Flights:- Check the flight options for a return ticket within your travel dates and add the amount. As long as it is not Air France/KLM- … no 500 return
2. Feeding:- sample case scenario for 7 days trip at £30 per day = £210
3. Transport/Miscellaneous/shopping :- 7 day trip - sample case scenario- = £200

Total of no 2 + 3= £410. Find a return flight, add to £410 to see what your options maybe.
Again, this is solely a sample . Have yours and write your explanation in your cover letter or the additional information section of the visa form if you need to make anything clearer to the ECO.

Good evening everyone. Has anyone on here been granted a UK visitor visa based on a total budget of 900 GBP to 1,000 GBP for a one-week trip to London (excluding accommodation and including airfare)? For those of you who have been granted visas, how much did you budget on the application? It'll be very helpful to know. Thank you.

What do you mean? I have $7,500+ in savings, but only planning to spend between 900 GBP and 1,000 GBP for a week in London (including airfare and excluding accommodation). How much do you recommend as a realistic budget then?

giselle237:
It seems you might not be fully prepared to apply yet.

Good afternoon everyone. Has anyone on here been granted a UK visitor visa based on a total budget of 900 GBP to 1,000 GBP for a one-week trip to London (excluding accommodation and including airfare)? For those of you who have been granted visas, how much did you budget on the application? It'll be very helpful to know. Thank you.

Is 600 GBP all you have in total as savings? If so, then I can tell you authoritatively that your application will be refused because it's not sensible to plan to spend your entire savings in a week.

Investorvibess:
I want you too understand something about all this I am saying …

I earn 1500 GBP in a month
250 GBP in a month
600 GBP Savings
600 GBP for the Trip

Accommodation booked and with proof

Ok, this makes sense then. Well, I guess it's a safer approach to only budget for living expenses in the application, then clearly state that the budget excludes the cost of airfare, which will be covered separately if the visitor visa is granted. I'll be really surprised if they reject your application for not including the cost of airfare in your total budget.

Investorvibess:
Do you know if my balance on my bank statements already covers my flight …..

Fair enough, but you can't budget expenses based on just your bank statement balance without also factoring in living costs in the UK. If you're budgeting at least 500 GBP (cheapest airfare from Lagos to London) for a round-trip flight from Lagos to London, does this mean that you're only budgeting about 100 GBP for living expenses for a week? This doesn't seem quite realistic to be honest.

Investorvibess:
I already booked my accommodation ….stated it on my application ……I budgeted my expenses base on my bank statements balance i submitted and I stated my savings …. Waiting on decision mail …

If your disposable income is 250 GBP each month after earning 1,500 GBP each month, then your expenses must be very high o.
You didn't include the cost of accommodation and airfare in the 600 GBP you budgeted for a week in London, yet you still got the visa? How were you able to get away with indicating only 600 GBP as your total budget for a week in London when the cheapest round-trip flight ticket from Lagos to London today is at least 500 GBP?

Investorvibess:
250 GBP each month
I earn 1500 GBP each month
Planning to spend 600GBP for my Trip

Hi, out of curiosity, how much did you budget for a week in the UK and what's your disposable income like? Please provide a range.
All the best as you await a decision.

Investorvibess:
Who else did biometrics on 28th nov and as received decision mail ? Please kindly respond to this message thank you

Has anyone recently been granted a UK visitor visa after stating a total budget between 900 and 1,000 pounds for a one week visit (excluding accommodation and including flights)? For those of you who have recently been granted UK visitor visas, what budget did you indicate for one week? I know this will obviously vary based on individual circumstances, but please provide a reasonable budget to use as a guide based on current living costs in the UK, in order to prevent the likelihood of stating an unrealistic budget.
Please assume the applicant in question has a monthly disposable income of at least 600,000 Naira. Thank you!

Please re-read my initial post. I never stated that monthly living expenses amount to 700,000 to 900,000 Naira. Instead, I inquired about a reasonable budget for someone with a monthly disposable income within that range. Additionally, this calculation is incorrect. My annual allowances are not distributed monthly; they are one-time payments received only in November and December each year. To accurately determine my total and average monthly income over a three- or six-month period, you need to include each allowance received in November and December alongside my net monthly salary received in November and December, as well as my net monthly salary received in the remaining months.

giselle237:
There’s no guesswork involved here:
- **Salary:** 882,000 Naira
- **Annual Allowance:** 1,600,000 Naira (average of 133,300 Naira)
- **Total Monthly Salary:** 133,300 + 882,000 = 1,015,300 Naira

**Living expenses monthly:** Ranges from 700,000 to 900,000 Naira, with an average of 800,000 Naira.
- **Disposable Income Calculation:** 1,015,300 - 800,000 = 215,300 Naira

A disposable income of 215,300 Naira, based on general economic views, isn’t realistic for a short holiday. Even x 3 this amount. However, when viewed against a 1 million Naira salary, it feels very okay for such an individual to invest on a vacation.
So, I’m curious about the response you’re seeking. If we're assessing it superficially, 215k in disposable income may seem insufficient, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all rule.
Please budget your application according to YOUR circumstances and let the visa officers evaluate it from there. Additionally, there are websites where you can check flight prices; if you find a return flight for 900 pounds, feel free to screenshot it and include it as evidence in your application.
There is no UK visa officer on this thread and remember , there’s no universal standard. Good luck.

I know circumstances tend to differ, but I am only asking for a range that would very likely be considered acceptable to any UK visa officer, based on a monthly salary of about 882,000 Naira, total annual allowances of about 1.6 million Naira and a monthly disposable income between 700,000 Naira and 900,000 Naira. Hence, will it be reasonable to budget between 900 and 1,100 pounds for a one-week trip to London (including flights but excluding accommodation)?

giselle237:
Hi, I am uncertain what response you are hoping for as circumstances differ.

For those of you who've been granted a UK visitor visa, how much (in Pounds) did you state as your total budget for one week in the UK (excluding accommodation)? To maximize the likelihood of being granted a visa, what's a reasonable/conservative budget (in Pounds) to state for a one-week visit based on a monthly salary of about 882,000 Naira, total annual allowances of about 1.6 million Naira and a monthly disposable income between 700,000 Naira and 900,000 Naira?
Your response will be highly appreciated please.

For those of you with an average monthly disposable income in the range of 600,000 Naira to 800,000 Naira, who have been granted a UK visitor visa, how much (in Pounds) did you state as your total budget for one week in the UK (excluding accommodation)? Urgent response needed to guide my application. Thank you in advance!