₦airaland Forum

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bjay08:
it's her savings account over the years, she is retired...it was a 6 months statement. Nov to April..Or would it have been better as a one year statement? She moved the bulk of her savings to First bank after all the Skye bank problems awhile back.

In those six months, were there any credits to the First Bank account? How about debits? If yes, was this consistent with the income and expenses declared on the VAF? If no, then that’s a mistake on your part.

If the First Bank account had no extraneous credits/debits, and the Polaris account had only pension credits, and the debits to the Polaris matches what’s on the VAF, then you can file a complaint. Explain clearly the mix up with the accounts. You can also add the part about your father and siblings that they omitted.

A better advice for you is the following:

Wait till the end of the year and reapply for your mother. If you are fully sponsoring her, then present only the Polaris Bank account statement. Three months is enough. Declare her as retired. Let the only credits to the account be her pension and nothing else. Ditch the First Bank account.

For your father and siblings, submit their passport data pages, birth certificates for the siblings, and a consent letter from your father. Also submit a marriage certificate, if one exists. For the property documents, add original deeds from the government. If they are missing, then don’t mention them at all in the visa application.

If you do that, and if your own bank account as a sponsor is clean, then she has a high chance of getting the visa when she reapplies.

@bjay08

If I’m understanding your write-up correctly, the ECO mistakenly claimed the balance in the First Bank account as that of the Polaris account. They did not realize that you submitted two bank statements from two different banks. Even if that’s the case, I don’t think that error is enough to have your mother’s visa refusal overturned.

According to you, if the ECO had looked only at the Polaris account with 400k, they would have seen only pension payments consistent with what was declared on the VAF. While that might be true for the Polaris, what about the 4.1 million in the First Bank savings account that you submitted? Where did that money come from? Was proof submitted for the origin of those funds?

I think this is a case where, yes, the ECO made a mistake, but if you complain or file a PAP, they would probably deny it again and send you a better-worded refusal letter.

milekhuoba7:
Greetings leaders in the house!

Please I need your wise counsel...
I am about to apply for my UK Student Visa, and intend to stay with my kid sister who lives with her husband and two children, but I don't want to show that I have family members in the UK so it doesn't raise a red flag that I might not want to return after my studies.

So I plan to book two nights hotel reservation, while I also book for apartment viewing upon arrival.

Note: I am a first time applicant without any travel history, but my home ties is strong (wife, 3 children, employment and inherited house).

Thank you

Your worry is completely unwarranted. A UK student visa is not difficult to get. As long as you meet all the typical requirements, your visa will be granted. They don’t pay much attention to home ties or ties in the UK.

Be truthful when going about your application (and at the point of entry). You don’t want to receive a visa ban or deportation order because you told a lie based on an unfounded, irrational fear.

cowboyvs:
Hi guys, I just received my rejection letter from UKVI. Please can someone analyze this reasons for me and proffer solutions cos I am down cast right now cos I thought I did everything I was supposed to do. Thank you very much wonderful Nairaland family. I appreciate

This is one of the most detailed rejection letters I have seen. The ECO really had your time and decided to explain everything that was wrong with your application. There’s not much that we can add; the ECO was very meticulous in telling you what you need to do differently if/when you reapply. I believe the fixes you need to make are very obvious from that letter.

If you have more specific questions, feel free to ask, and we can give suggestions.

daism:
@giselle237: that’s just the truth and I can forward you her bank statement if you don’t mind. She’s into ASO EBi and has her shop in idunmota Lagos Island whilst she was granted visit visa when she 1st applied last year and she has been to Dubai, kenya, and Abidjan . The 250m is not profit made from business but income she gets from sales request and it’s accumulated funds not as if she gets huge fund at once even her bank statements comes in numbers of pages…

It’s only hard to believe but that’s the truth, she gets over 20m deposits in a month but most of the funds are for specific orders of ASO OKE either for functions or so , there are so many people with no registered business in the market that get as much credit

There are several things to note here. First of all, you keep emphasizing that she got a visa last year. Why didn’t she use it? If she had traveled and returned, her current application will be treated with less scrutiny.

Second, how did she get the visa last year? Are you submitting the same documents and declaring the same incomes and expenses? In other words, is it the same ‘profile’ that was submitted? If not, I’d advise you revert to what worked last year and stick to that.

Third, you have to understand that although you might be telling the truth, the only thing that matters is what you can prove. Because your wife is declaring a business revenue amount that likely puts her among the top 1% of Nigerians, her application would be subjected to more scrutiny, not less. Handwritten receipts are not going to work here. She needs tax documents, invoices, company bank statements reflecting the paid invoices, personal bank statements reflecting a salary paid to her by her company.

If she provides all those things, and if the story she’s telling has no contradictions, then I’m sure she can get the visa again.

oluwaVaz:
I just got denied uk visit visa 😭😭😭@cashmadam and gurus in the house pls help me 😭😭

I’m guessing you never read this thread before putting in your application. There’s nothing else to tell you that has not already been said here countless times. If you actually spend some time going through the thread, you will understand why your application stood no chance. Read through, and you will understand your many mistakes and know how to correct them in the future.

When you apply for a UK visa, you are paying money for them to consider you and your circumstances. If they deny your application citing circumstances that clearly do not apply to you, then it is an error on their part, period. It is not your responsibility to start guessing what the actual reason for the denial was; you only have what is written in their letter. If they quoted Cedis when you earn in Naira, that’s their error. If they said you are unemployed when you are, in fact, employed with proof, that’s their error. If they said your company has no online presence when it clearly does, that is their error.

Always complain and/or file a PAP. Stop taking these ECOs as infallible gods over your life. They are human, and a lot of them are, quite frankly, dumb as bricks. I’ve seen too many applications overturned at the complaint/PAP stage when the application is reviewed by a more senior (and sensible) person.

Don’t ever be discouraged to complain if you see that your application was clearly not properly considered. The worst that’ll happen is they’ll still say no. But they’ll give a more sensible reason, which can help you in future applications.

Busy2018:
I just got a denial response this night and the denial doesn’t make sense at all
I put my kids birth certificate and marriage certificate, the company’s website is done but the cac is active and we have a function instagram page. Can I appeal the decision

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 have applied to travel to the UK for a period of 4 days for the purpose of attending your sister's graduation. I have acknowledged that your sponsor is willing to provide adequate support for a limited visit to the United Kingdom; however, it is your circumstances and intentions which are paramount in assessing your application.
• You state that you are employed earning a monthly income of GHS 25,858.00-(£1,361.51 Oanda.com as on the 29/09/2024).
• You state that you have a husband and children in Nigeria. However, your family's wider social and economic circumstances are not demonstrated for me to be satisfied that visit is credible in relation to your wider circumstances in Nigeria.
• I have considered the various information submitted along with your application. I note that vou stated vou are employed with (JUST PAINT LTD), and I carried open-source checks, to which your company has no online presence. As such this casts doubt as to whether you are employed as stated and whether the declarations made in your visa application form are a reliable reflection of your current circumstances in your country of residence. As such, I am not satisfied that you have provided a reliable portrayal of your current personal circumstances nor satisfied that your intentions to visit the UK are as stated and that you will leave at the end of your visit.
In the light of above, I am not satisfied that your personal and financial circumstances are as stated by you. I am therefore not satisfied that you intend to leave the UK at the end of your visit and that you are genuinely seeking entry as a visitor.

This is a case that is perfect for a complaint. The very fact that they quoted Ghana Cedis instead of Naira is enough to conclude that your application was handled by an incompetent ECO.

Your company is active on CAC, and you have an Instagram page, yet they claimed “your company has no online presence.” Another factually incorrect statement. LOL.

Write a strongly-worded email to complaints@homeoffice.gov.uk ASAP. Be firm but respectful with your words. This application was clearly mishandled, and they must have a relook at it. Even if they are going to deny the application, they should at least give reasons that make sense.

Let us know how it goes, if you feel like.

adecoal:
Hello Guys,

I think I need help at this point. I applied for my mum’s visa back in March but it was refused because I said she was retired but in the actual sense she wasn’t retired she was just unemployed and that was an honest mistake. Then I corrected this in another application I made earlier this month as I thought it was an easy fix. I explained in the application and cover letter that it was a case of misprofiling.

The new application has been rejected and the reasons don’t make sense to me.
Firstly it states that there’s is not regular income coming to her account that’s false because I attached her bank statement that shows the weekly allowance I give to her. It ranges between 50k to 100k every week and that’s the only income that goes into her account. It’s also talking about her not having money in her account for the visit when we have clearly said I will be sponsoring the whole of her trip in the application form and invitation letter.

The second reason of ties, we attached her land documents and also got reference letter from our mosque stating she a volunteer ass well as consent letter form my dad.

I don’t know if this decision can be appealed but I don’t think this is fair at all.

Please I need advice

First of all, I think you should take a break from applying for your mom. Wait till December or early next year before putting in another application.

A major issue I see is the variation in the weekly allowance you send to her. My advice is to send her money once a month. Let it be the same amount, and let it be on the same date. Tell her to keep her expenses around the same amount for each month.

As sponsor, your own account should also be clean. Same credits and debits each month.

I don’t think the problem in this case was home ties, so you can attach the same land documents, consent letter, and letter from the mosque on her subsequent application.

tyrant25:
Hello guys, I got this refusal letter this morning. I need to know your thoughts. This is my third refusal, i made sure to address each reason on the previous denial on my previous 2 applications. I have been to Maldvies, Ghana, Seychelles, Mauritius, Qatar and South Africa.
Documents I attached to my application:
Employment Letter
6 months payslip
4 months bank statement
Land document (purchase agreement)
Leave Letter
Cover letter that included my itinerary
Pictures I took during my past trips

This looks like a case where an inexperienced ECO saw that you had been denied twice and immediately concluded that you should be denied again, even before reading your current application.

The ECO quoted your employment situation with your stated salary and expenses. What usually follows is them writing the problem they have with what you have declared, such as an unexplained credit or debit. In this case, nothing extra was said, because there was (probably) nothing to say.

This is very, very unfair. I encourage you to file a complaint with the Home Office as this rejection makes no sense. Either there were other issues which the ECO forgot to mention, or they did a terrible job in deciding your application. Even if the Home Office does not change course and grant you the visa, they might shed more light on what actually went wrong on this application. At least you will know what to do differently if you choose to reapply in the future.

For now, nothing the ECO has said actually helps you understand the problem. It is beyond ridiculous, and a complaint is necessary.

kentdealer:
Refusal!!!

First time of applying

Guru in the house please me what I can do to make it better in my next application, Obviously not this year again.

Document submitted:
E tax Certificate clearance Card: Lagos State

6 months' Personal account statement reflecting my monthly payment from my company account. Over 9.7m balance.

Mutual funds balance of 5.5m
CAC certificate
Invoices
Landed properties over 45m
Marriage certificate
Children birth certificate
Pics of my family
Clean personal account with no money lodgment. Just salary and monthly expenses were withdrawn. Additional incomes are from Interest on savings and mutual funds account.

This is an interesting case. I’m trying to understand what went wrong here.

Did you submit the company’s bank statement? I see you submitted invoices, but payment for those invoices should be reflected in the company’s bank account.

It looks like you were paying yourself 700,000 monthly as salary. Was the company making enough money every month to justify paying you a 700k salary? If yes, this should be reflected in the company’s bank statement. Again, did you submit that?

You submitted a tax clearance certificate. Did the amount paid in taxes in previous years imply that your company is profitable enough to pay you 8.4 million annually?

It’s always harder for self-employed folks. But if you provide answers to these questions, some people here might be able to help guide you for when you reapply.

Trust2021:
Good evening here, please I will like to ask a question if want to apply for UK visiting visa which bank statement is good and suitable most to submit (1) 6 month bank statement (2) 9 month bank statement (3) 1 year bank statement. Please I will like to know the best among the list because I heard UKVI now request for 1 year bank statement.

Whoever told you that should be ignored completely. There is nowhere public that UKVI has published a length requirement for bank statements for visitor’s visas.

Three months is usually fine. Anything more than six months is overkill.

Bambi222:
Hello Gurus in the house.
Please I am applying for a UK visitors visa for my mum and in the process of the filling the application, I am not sure of the duration of stay to enter.

For context my mum is looking to stay for about 2 months out of 6 months as I just put to bed but I am not sure the best or most suitable duration to enter on file.

Please any information regarding the process is welcome.

In my opinion, I’d advise you don’t put two months on the application form. Two to three weeks is fine. Maybe a month, max. When she successfully gets the visa (and crosses the border), she can spend two months.

topie2sure:
Hello house, please Aside one’s passport is there any document required to be taken along when going for biometric? All documents are already uploaded.

They sent you an email when you booked your appointment. It lists the documents you should take.

If I remember correctly, the only two things you need to take are your passport and appointment confirmation letter.

Document checklist and photocopy of passport data page used to be required by TLS, but VFS didn’t need them for biometrics. You can take them anyways, just to be safe.

lekefew:
I'm no expert by any means but I think the the rejection is simply based on:
1. She has no professional ties to Nigeria or you have not provided evidence that she does. She's retired which is basically same as being unemployed, bottom line, they both mean you currently don't have an income from a job (which will keep you in the country, in other words "Tie". Yes you submitted her previous payslips and letter of promotion, retirement letter and all that, but that only proves she had a job before, not currently. "Currently" is what they care about and proves professional ties.

2. She has no family ties or you have not provided evidence that she does. In the question in the application where you were asked if she has dependants. You chose no, which means she has nobody depending on her presence in Nigeria. Yes she has other children living in Nigeria like you said, but they're no depending on her. So in that regard, she has no "tie"

I know you said you uploaded land documents, I'm guessing the ECO just sees is like since she's missing family ties and professional ties, she could easily be moving abroad to stay with her sponsor. The fact that she has a land no longer holds much weight at that point, since it's not going anywhere.

This is my own opinion though, I try to think from the ECO's perspective when I look at rejections before concluding that rejection was baseless.

You are right to try to look at things from the ECO’s point of view. But in this case, the ECO has clearly misrepresented what was submitted on the application form. Unemployed is different from Retired — and the difference is not a small one. Retired implies pension income, which the Poster said they submitted evidence of. That’s a home tie right there. They also submitted evidence of rental income. Another home tie.

A lack of dependents in Nigeria is not a criteria to have your visa refused. I have no dependents — not married, no kids, no elderly parent that needs me — and yet, my visas have never been refused. Applied for my mother, who also has no dependents, and she too received her visa.

A lot of these ECOs are beyond incompetent, to say the least. Read some refusal letters and you’ll see fantastic errors, from grammatical blunders to downright misstating of facts. We should never take their words as gospel.

I cannot guarantee that the Home Office will backtrack and grant the visa, but I believe a complaint is in order in this case.

Knowlegeseeking:
Same issue with my mum's application which just came in today. second refusal. The first was in November 2023 inviting her and my twin for my graduation. My twin was her sponsor and she was only refused because my twin was refused. My twin applied again last October and got his visa. Came last December 2024, spent 3 weeks and went back to Nigeria. Re-applied for my mum earlier this month and just got another rejection for her with 2 flimsy excuses.

1. You state that you are Unemployed have no other source of income. In consideration of your family ties I note the statements made by you in your visa application whereby you mention there are no remaining dependants in your home country. This, in conjunction with the concerns relating to your economic ties stated above, gives me reason to further doubt that you will depart the UK at the end of the period stated by you.

First, in her application, we never stated unemployed. My mum is a retired civil servant of Lagos which we stated attaching all her employment letters, promotion letters to level 17 and retirement letter. We also attached her landed properties including the one she resides in, bank statement showing pension income and rental income from her properties and additional income she receives from us her children, all explained in the cover letter. Nowhere in her application did we state she has no remaining dependants in her home country. Infact, on her cover letter, we stated that she has three other children including my twin who is resident in Nigeria, attaching their passport as well.

2. Second reason was "You have indicated that your sponsor will pay £1,500 towards the cost of your trip. In support of this you have provided a bank statement from Lloyds Bank (account number ending in 2463) However, the funds are regularly depleted indicating that your sponsor utilises nearly all their income each month. For example, as recently as 27th March 2025 the balance of their account was £0.50. I am therefore not satisfied that your sponsor can and will provide you with support for the intended duration of your stay. Your application is therefore refused under paragraph V4.3 (c) of the Immigration Rules"

This is another nonsense because the six months bank statement i submitted alongside with six months payslips shows steady savings into my moneybox simple saver and cash ISA accounts with balance of over 10k pounds (i attached these account statements as well). The EO just picked that date out of the 6 months which is ridiculous as that same statement shows a balance of almost 3k balance as at 31 March.

I have drafted a response to send to complaints@homeoffice.gov.uk highlighting these discrepancies.

Should i go this route or through PAP? it's okay to refuse an application but not on flimsy excuses that were evidently provided for.

Send the email to the Home Office Complaints Team. Make sure you highlight the incompetence of the ECO, who deemed your mother unemployed when you never claimed that.

owiatjuoreda:
Hello all
Please help my parents Uk visit visa was rejected for the second time, first time was income discrepancies, the second time we explained and submitted a lot of documents, when I say a lot it was a lot!!! Now they say CAC is not active but it is active we even submitted a screenshot showing its active. What can we do without starting the process all over again. No rights to appeal or administrative processing.

Are you sure it is active? And most importantly, are you sure it was active on the day the application was considered? If the answers to those questions is yes, then you should file a complaint with the Home Office.

Send an email to complaints@homeoffice.gov.uk. Explain that the ECO falsely claimed that your CAC was inactive. Mention that you submitted a screenshot proving it was active. Attach the screenshot to the email.

The Home Office will respond. Let us know what they say, if you feel like sharing.

Adunnishugar:
Visit visa approved for my mother in law
Standard application
Biometrics: 10th April
Decision received: 24th April
Collected: next day



My question now is. Please is it okay to apply for a visa for my younger sister just few weeks after my Mother in laws’s application. I will be sponsoring my sister and using the same account for POF. Their trip would not be clashing. My sister would arrive after my MIL has returned

I don’t see why not. Your sister’s application would be considered on its own merits and based on her own circumstances. As I’m sure you know, it’s not so much about the sponsor — what matters most is the individual who’s applying for the visa.

I did something a little bit similar to what you’re planning. I applied for my visa and got it. Two weeks later, I fully sponsored my mother’s application and provided the exact same bank statement I submitted for my own application. But I also submitted documents that painted my mother’s own circumstances in Nigeria to show why she won’t be running away to the UK. Her visa was also granted.

donfelix4sure:
I need advice from experienced people before I continue with my application, please.
I want to attend a one-week conference in the first week of July. I am a student member of the society, and I have received a travel grant from them, which will cover my accommodation, meals, and round-trip airfare.
I am applying as a student because I am currently pursuing my PhD in Nigeria. Although I also work, my office will not give me a letter, even though I plan to officially apply for leave.
Do I still need to show my bank statement? I don’t have major savings there.
I really need guidance. I thought this would be a simple process, but now I’m feeling scared because of the things I’m reading here.
Make una guide me abeg.

I’ve responded a few times to people who were in similar situations as you.

Since you are going to be fully sponsored, you’ll need to explain your relationship with the sponsor and why attending the conference is important to both of you. Why is the Society sending you? What’s the benefit to them? Why you and not somebody else in the Society?

Even though you are being fully sponsored, your own circumstances in Nigeria must be fully and accurately painted.

Submit evidence of your PhD studies. This shouldn’t be too hard for you to figure out.

Submit evidence of your employment. Why won’t your office give you an introduction letter? That sounds weird to me. But if they remain hesitant, submit your original employment letter and leave letter. Submit any promotion letters you have, as well as salary increase letters, if applicable.

Submit your bank statement, and let it be clean. This is probably the most important thing. Let the only credits to your account be your salary from your employer, and let your monthly expenses match what you put on the visa application form.

Hope your Employer’s status on CAC’s website is Active? If not, try to get that sorted, if you can, before submitting your application.

Masorich:
Hello everyone.
Just needed to put this out there. If your visa application is being sponsored (by parents, children or office), there is no need to attach your own bank statement. They would focus on yours especially if there are discrepancies. The sponsor’s bank statement would suffice.

This is bad advice!

While there are some instances where you can get away without attaching your own statement, more often than not, you will get a refusal. The ECO will say something along the lines of: “While I see your sponsor is willing and able to sponsor your trip, it is your own circumstances that are paramount in making a decision on your visa application.” They will then go ahead to mention the issues with your bank statement (or lack of one) and then deny the application.

Always, always, always include your own statement, even if you’re being sponsored. Let that statement be clean. No extra credits or debits that are different from what you stated on your application.

I recently applied for my parent and elected to sponsor the entire trip. Still, I attached my parent’s bank statement, even though the closing balance was around 200k. I also attached my own statement that showed I had more than enough to cover the trip. The visa was granted.

cbn4main:
Good afternoon great minds.
I have a little concern I wish people who have had similar experience to help me with.

My MIL already has utilised her uk 6months visa last year when she spent 5 months in the UK.
Now, she has a two years visa and this is how she intends to use it:


First visit: Spend 5 months 3 weeks in the uk, return to Nigeria and stay for 6 weeks.

Second visit: Spend 5 months 3 weeks in the UK, return back to Nigeria and stay for 8 weeks

Third visit: Spend 5 months 3 weeks in the week , then return back to Nigeria and spent 3 months, then apply for visa renewal.

In accordance with the rule, would these be considered "frequent visits" and make her visa renewal difficult and possibly not be allowed entry at the POE?
I would appreciate responses.
Thanks

Your mother-in-law is planning to abuse her UK visit visa. Even if her visa is not canceled, she would almost certainly have trouble at the Border during one of her visits. And if she miraculously makes it through the border each time, when she applies for her next visa, there will be trouble.

I know of someone who has an American passport and was doing something similar to what your MIL is planning. Even though Americans can use the e-gates, this person was flagged one time at the airport and was denied entry. They put him on the next plane back to the US. This is someone that does not even require a visa to visit the UK.

Bottom line is a UK visit visa is not a way to live in the UK. You cannot abuse the people who granted you a visa and hope to go scott-free. It might work for some time, but they will eventually stop her from coming to the UK, either through a refusal of entry or refusal of her next visa application.

babybubu:
Good day everyone, Pls I am finding it difficult to calculate just how much to place for my month expenditure if I want to indicate a 20M yearly earning while filling my online form, I know the consular do rigorous calculations when it comes to finances and I do not want to make any mistakes, Please can anyone here assist me with a monthly figure that would be reasonable within the 20M amount stated, If I need to increase the yearly earnings amount so the monthly figure for the expenses can seem reasonable pls kindly indicate a suitable figure for both yearly and monthly. Thanks

You are worrying about the wrong thing.

You can declare whatever income and expenses you want. Your lifestyle and reality is unique to you; entry clearance officers do not make “rigorous calculations” about your finances.

The important thing is that you provide evidence to back up whatever claims you make in your application. Declare any amount you want for income and expenses, but your bank statement MUST match whatever it is you have declared. Otherwise, expect a refusal.

LopzyYetty:
A very funny question here, around what time of the day does VFS send collection email. I know TLS always did in the evening. I am kind of desperate, the flight has been booked and I don’t want to adjust it. I am just hoping on today or tomorrow. I sent paid mail Last Wednesday and decision has not been made. I sent another this Monday and decision has been made. Biometric was done 14th of March. I am actually used to the application being out in 5-6 working days, reason I booked flight. Things seem to have changed.

I’m not sure if VFS has a typical time of day for sending collection emails. Mine came in the afternoon, but I’ve also seen some sent in the morning. Note that you can only pick up between 12pm and 3pm on weekdays.

Yesterday and Monday were public holidays, so VFS staff did not work. If your visa was recently approved by UKVI, VFS might not have had the chance to print your vignette and process your passport. Hopefully, they’ll get to it by tomorrow.

lawrins8:
Thank you for your response. Please are they going to respond to the email and is it possible they overturn the decision? Thank you.

Yes, they will definitely respond to the email. They might overturn the refusal, or they might uphold it and cite a different reason. There’s really no way to know what the outcome will be. But they will provide an answer.

lawrins8:
Good morning house. Please I have a friend that applied to visit the UK and presented all the document for her additional income. She has a two bedroom flat generating N720,000.00 per annum apart from her salary and submitted the property document including the power of attorney between her and her estate agent with rent disbursement analysis. Please what can she do? I will also upload the page of the form where I explained everything detail.

If your friend submitted property documents that CLEARLY show she earns 720k in rental income, then she should lodge a complaint with the Home Office before reapplying. She should explain that she provided information which the ECO is claiming was not provided. That’s unacceptable.

Email them at complaints@homeoffice.gov.uk.

milekhuoba7:
Hello everyone, please I need guidance on my UK study visa application. I am currently teaching in a private school, and I got an offer to study a PGCE course. I have a study gap of 15 years which I have spent teaching. The explanation for my study gap was I need to start a family while I also again practical teaching experience to aid my future academic goals. Now, I have a family. Is this a cogent reason? and does my family constitute home ties including my teaching job in which my net salary is N246k

Thank you

A UK student visa is usually pretty easy to get. Once you have a valid admission offer, valid CAS, and meet the financial and English language requirements, your visa will almost certainly be granted.

In your case, you should explain the 15-year study gap. Just say the same thing you’ve just said to us and add evidence. Provide proof of your employment as a teacher and recent pay slips when you submit your application.

If the ECO requires any further information, they will send you an NSF email asking for what they need. They might also ask for a virtual interview, but this is not too common.

Whatever the case, your visa will almost certainly be approved. It’s actually rare that a student visa is denied. A few years ago, the High Commissioner to Nigeria said the acceptance rate for student visas was about 95%. Let that statistic put your mind at ease.

Michellasilva:
Please does the public holiday on Monday and Tuesday affect UKVI working days?

No, public holidays in Nigeria do not affect UKVI’s processing time. VFS won’t be open for submission or collection, but this has no bearing on UKVI’s processing of your application.

Visa Alert!

Five-Year Visit Visa. Standard Application.

Biometrics: 05/03/2025

Collection Email: 14/03/2025

Picked Up: 14/03/2025

I had a six-month visa last year which I used once. Decided to go for five years because I don’t want to reapply for a long time. Won’t be seeing VFS or UKVI till 2030!

MsAnonymous:
Pls I got a mail that a decision has been taken on my visa, how do I know which decision? or it it until I go and get the passport back?

What date did you do your biometrics?

Your visa has most likely been granted. You’ll confirm when you pick up your passport.

At this point, I no longer feel bad for the people who are still allowing these rogue agents run applications for them. Even if you don't know how to go about the visa process, all you need to do is apply small wisdom when speaking with these agents, and you will definitely see that most of them are utterly clueless and, therefore, useless.

Imagine the agent above submitting that kind of application for a client. Did you really think that visa was going to be approved? Giselle is telling you all the problems with the application; instead of you to accept your ignorance and failure, you are proudly declaring that you will reapply for the unwitting client and add another refusal to their record. Have you ever even gotten a UK visa before? You made "mistakes" that nobody familiar with UKVI should make. I just hope nobody is actually paying you for your services. They might as well pack the money to Third Mainland Bridge and spread it over the lagoon.

It's truly despicable what some of us are doing in the name of business. And to those who see visa applications as herculean tasks that they must get someone to do for them, I say this: just know that you risk permanently damaging your immigration record with these frauds that parade themselves as agents.

Ashirioluwa:
A 6-month bank statement is the standard requirement for a UK visa, but I have seen people whose visas were approved even though they used bank statements with shorter durations.

But note that what works for A might not necessarily work for B.

This is not true. There is nowhere that UKVI or the Home Office has published a “standard requirement” for how many months your bank statement should be. People just go with six months because the immigration authorities of some other countries specifically ask for that. So it became a rule of thumb, so to speak.

Having read through many, many refusal letters, I am yet to see anyone where the ECO highlighted the length of the bank statement. It’s always the content of the statement that matters.