₦airaland Forum

@Girlfio, how long overall did it take for them to process and return the visa after you sent your hubby's passport?

For those that asked offline, below is my timeline:

Applied - 24th April, 2013
Rejected - 5th July, 2013
Appeal submitted - 10th July 2013 (online)
Appeal confirmation received - 18th July, 2013
UKBA to review and respond by - 28th November 2013
Rejection overturned - 24th October, 2013

damyoyepitan: Ebeano ,,now dt av calld dem @ d leicester office,pls wats deir email address so I can mail dem to find out if my bundle has been sent down to sheffield for review ,cuS wen hubby called today ,they gave him my appeal number so I. Wanna mail dem to no d dates

This is their full contact:

First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber)
PO Box 6987
Leicester
United Kingdom
LE1 6ZX

Phone: 0044 0300 123 1711
Fax: 044 0 116 249 4192
Email: Customer.Service@hmcts.gsi.gov.uk

It is with indescribable joy that I inform the house that my wife received an email from Sheffield this evening advising that her refusal has been overturned!! We will be forwarding her passport to Sheffield first thing tomorrow morning via DHL. I thank everyone in this forum for all your advise, support and prayers. Above all, I thank God almighty for His grace and kindness. For those still waiting, I pray God will also intervene in your cases and grant you your heart desire in Jesus name. Amen!

@jenni1108 - A huge congratulations!!!!! I can only imagine how relieved you feel right now. Congrats again please remember those of us still waiting for our goodnews in your prayers. Congrats again!!!

loomjet: @ Ebeano49: Tk u very much for ur reply! Am about to get the housing report now and send it to shefield for my review! Will they see it as a new evidence which doesn't predate my application?

The inspection report is not a 'new' evidence. It is additional evidence to prove that you did have suitable accommodation when you applied.

Refer to this: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/policyandlaw/guidance/ecg/apl/apl7/

especially below extract:

There is a distinction to be made between new evidence and additional evidence.

New evidence:

New evidence which postdates the decision cannot be considered by the ECM. This evidence should be acknowledged in the Review and the ECM should indicate that this should be used to support a fresh application.

Examples of new evidence

These are common examples and are not an exhaustive list.

Unexpected increase in funds postdating the decision.
Sponsor obtains new employment that was not engaged in / expected at the date of decision.
An offer of accommodation which was not available at date of decision.
A new sponsor appears in the grounds of appeal. This is not reasonably foreseeable.
Additional evidence:

If evidence relating to the initial application is submitted with the appeal this should be taken into account by the ECM. The most common instances of additional evidence will be documents that the appellant omitted to include with the application.

Examples of additional evidence

These are common examples and are not an exhaustive list.

A bank statement issued after the date of decision that shows a satisfactory balance on or leading up to the date of decision.
Satisfactory evidence of accommodation submitted by the sponsor relevant to the decision.
Evidence of employment at the date of decision which was omitted from the original application.
A birth certificate evidencing the relationship of parties which was not produced at the time of decision.

loomjet: Please at Justwise , Girlfio and forum mate.... The second reason for my refusal was accommodation..... Please see below

You have stated dat u will reside with ur sponsor at her mothers house . you provided satisfactory evidence to show it is a 3 bedroom and is owned by ur sponsors mother. As a result of checks undertaken by this office i am aware from public records that four residents are listed on the electorial roll at the address where ur sponsor resides. you have stated that ur sponsors mother and father resides there however u have not mentioned the 2 other people. I attemted to contact your sponsor on both her landline and mobile to clarify this situation however i was unseccessful in gaining contact. Given that ur sponsor is not living at the property alone it is reasonable to expect u to provide evidence to show that the property is not overcrowed or that you additional presence there will not contravene public heath regulation. You have not provide this am therefore not satisfied u have adequate accommodation without recourse to public funds. I therefore refuse ur application.

I think you are making this out to be far more complicated than it is. When you applied and stated the number of people living at the address, they usually verify this using records on the electoral roll. The roll indicated there are more people registered at the address than you have indicated. Now, it is usual that people move without updating the electoral roll and that was why they called your sponsor to clarify this. It wouldn't have been an issue if they had reached your sponsor and received above explanation. My name was still on my old address when my wife applied for her visa and they called me for clarification which I provided and accommodation isn't one of the reasons why her visa was refused.

I don't think you need the address or details from the relatives you've listed to prove anything. If this is for appeal purposes, then an inspection report showing the accommodation isn't overcrowded(this is never backdated and costs under £200, express service) and a cover letter explaining that the ralatives whose names are on the roll no longer live there, should be sufficient. Also, your sponsor should update the electoral roll to reflect the number of people that actually live in the property. This is done free of charge but takes about three months to be updated on publicly accessible database though.

It is advisable for your sponsor to make sure she's reachable throughout the application/appeal process.

Good luck

Girlfio.... I say a big Amen to that prayer o. Thanks for your soothing and reassuring words as always. The idea of this nightmare lasting beyond next month is freaking me out really, but I know God is in control.

I’m into my 14th week now and I’m beginning to worry myself sick! I have provided every conceivable additional document but still can’t quite put my mind at rest.

‘Evidence of Commination’ is the trickiest bit. We didn’t really keep in touch that much in the first few months after met. We had no idea we were going to get married! The few times I called were mostly from my office line and I obviously have no record of that. Going to my HR to ask for my call history will be me writing my own P45.

Will the fact that I didn’t provide much evidence from the first few months (4 months) of our relationship be an issue?

I have provided below but still feel unsure if they’d be enough:
1)My immigration stamps showing the dates I visited Nigeria (They asked for this in her refusal notice)
2)Rebtel call history from Jan 2011 to date (We speak for at least 1 hour everyday)
3)iMessage chat history from Dec 2012 to date (That’s how long she’s had an iPhone)
4)Skype Video call time logs and some Skype screen pictures (Dec ’12 to date)
5)Whatsapp chat history from September 2012 to date
6)Letter from Viber social app saying they are unable to provide my chat history as they don’t store it.
7)Our 9ja bank statements for the past 12 months showing the monies I credit to my wife's account every month for sundry expenses.

I think these should be enough for any sensible and humane person to overtune the refusal but then, not quite sure UKBA is either of these.

This is by far the most stressful thing I’ve been through so far and I trust that God’s will be done.

kay4kelvin: Hii house,plz am new on this thread,plz I seriously need ur advice on how to about an apeal on ban from the UK Embassy in Lagos.I kind of confused right now cos the ban was as result of a hotel reservation which was genuinely made and funds were taking.The British embassy claims to have contacted the hotel and was told otherwise.I called the hotel and they confirmed my reservation saying the Embassy did not call.

Your issue is with the hotel and not the embassy. If you are 100% sure that you legitimately booked a hotel accommodation, paid and received a confirmation, then contact the hotel and have them confirm that in writing addressed to UK High Commission, Abuja, Nigeria. With that, you can then apply for administrative review and will certainly be successful, if that's the only reason for the refusal/ban.

You have limited right of appeal appeal (polite way of saying no appeal), besides appeal will be pointless and waste of your time without the hotel's confirmation that your reservation is legitimate. Reach out to this thread for more guidance https://www.nairaland.com/823855/general-uk-visa-enquiries-part

@kim k's girl:

I assume you applied for visit visa, if yes, then ask the question here https://www.nairaland.com/823855/general-uk-visa-enquiries-part

People there are much more knowledgeable on visit visas

@comfortmuniru:

Don't forget to add clear pictures of Nigerian immigration stamps on your husband's passport showing the dates he entered/left Nigeria (I got caught out on this). If he does send you money, include evidence of this, if you can. The more the evidence of communication/relationship the better, provided they aren't contradictory. If you are using tenancy agreement, make sure that if it is a shared house/flat, it isn't overcrowded. Also a letter from the landlord confirming that he/she is aware and approves that your hubby will be living there with you can be handy.

Make sure payslips are certified and stamped by his employer. Use original bank stament and if you have to print online, make sure it is certified and stamped at a branch.

Best of luck.

I sent my wife's bank statement to Sheffield by email yesterday and got a reply today confirming that the statement has been attached to her appeal. The somewhat surprising thing though is that their reply email was signed off my a named ECO and his exact address in Sheffield. Could it mean that my wife's appeal is now being reviewed This is the 11th week. God, I beg you to please take control.

@ Girlfio ... A very big Congratulations!!! Enjoy the well deserved good news and thanks for all your helpful advise to folks on this forum. Time to sit back, relax and enjoy your marriage.

Please continue to remember those of us still waiting for positive outcome in your prayers. Congratulations again.

adetorosey: Guys DHL is giving me problem oo. I sent my wife's doc since last week thursday but it hasnt reached sheffield yet. I am kinda apprehensive. Amybody in the house had issues with DHL before ?

Track it on their website using the reference number on the waybill. You'd see exactly where is it and you can call the applicable depot, if it is stuck somewhere. Lagos to London DHL express parcel usually takes just a day, so to Sheffield should be 2-3 days max.

bubblygirl78: Thanks everyone. Will do as advised.

@mrs. F. Really? Thot it even made it faster. Anyway no probz. Will go ahead. Thanksa lot.

Also, since I have an appeal pending, if the courtdate comes before I get my pp back do u guys think there is any point showing up for the hearing?

What do u suggest?

There's absolutely every point in attending your hearing and fully prepared. There's no guarantee the new application will be successful, no matter how well you think you've crossed all the Ts and dotted all the Is. My suggestion will be that you treat the pending appeal as your only option and be fully prepared for the hearing.

@ damyoyepitan. Sorry to hear about your refusal. All you can do now is to appeal or submit a fresh application or both. Do as Girlfio has advised and you'll be fine.

Online appeal is way faster and reduces the risk of your application being belayed by manual payment processing or even being lost all together.I appealed online and it was supper quick. This is what you need to do if you want to apply online:

1) Gather all support documents you have in Nigeria and send them, along with the notice of refusal letter, to your sponsor in UK. My wife sent me her's via DHL and it got to me the next day.

2) Your sponsor should log into this site and fill out the online form https://immigrationappealsonline.justice.gov.uk/IACFees. He'd be asked to pay online and after paying, there's an acknowledgement letter he'd have to print which has your application reference on it.

3) He'd then post all your support documents to the appeal office. The refrence page printed from the website should be on top of your documents to enable AIT to easily locate your online records. I will suggest he use Royal Mail's signed delivery service so that it will be delivered before 1pm the next day and he can track it and know time of delivery.

Goodluck

@Jeni1108, just as Justwise said, you do not have to hire a lawyer.

My brother was refused a visit visa in 2010 and I appealed and went to the hearing myself. It was just me and the judge in the court room as Home Office didn't even bother to show up. The whole thing lasted less than 15 minutes and I won!

I am currently awaiting ECM review and will be in court myself - if it comes to that. Nobody can tell the judge the pain I'm passing through right now more than me.

@ jenni1108 - That's what my MP said too. Apparently they have a special correspondence desk at Home Office that considers MPs' requests only. Mine has already written to HO and I'm keeping fingers glued right now and praying too. My MP didn't ask too many questions... didn't even bother to check the documents I went with. He said I should make sure I send all support documents to UKBA and he will be writing HO to insist it shouldn't take anything near 19 weeks to review my wife's application based on the additional support documents.

I'm going to Nigeria come end of August too. My third trip already this year! An expense and most importantly, flight fright that I can really do without!

girlfio: It might be worth asking to be copied in to the email that is sent by your MP so that you can chase up the response from the UKBA.

Yes, he did say he will send me a copy of the letter to UKBA. God will indeed fight our corner. This process is completely demoralising.

@jenni1108 - It is possible to speed the review up and an MP can help. I actually met my MP on Friday and he was amazed to learn that Home Office (UKBA) is going to take 5 months (19 weeks) to even look at the additional documents they asked for. He promised to write them today demanding they review/consider my appeal urgently. I'm hoping and praying this works!

I think the MP route is pretty much the only way to quicken ECM's review because even AIT can't do anything until the 19 weeks is up.

mato-justo:
@Ebean49,just want to ask this,do u mean dat if u have been given Appeal number,that ur Appeal have been logged into their system for processing?

That's correct. It means they have received your appeal and processed the payment. Next is to put your appeal documents together and send them plus IA10 form to UKBA for ECM's review which someone could sit on for no reason. An email/call will make someone check the status of your documents and stuff to make sure it is not being delayed unnecessarily.

I emailed them on 17th and they replied on 18th saying my appeal was sent to UKBA on the same 18th. That could be a coincidence but calling and emailing them didn't cost me anything.

loomjet: Am so worried right nw! Sent my appeal from nigeria thru tnt and it was delivered on the 5th of july! Its 2weeks nw and I haven't heard anytin.

I feel your pain my dear. I really do but there isn't much we can do now but just wait and see and pray.

You can have your sponsor call AIT to confirm they've received it, provided he/she is a named representative. He/She should select option 3 as that is for general enquiries. There they can check if it has been logged in their systems. If it has, they can even give you the appeal number and with that, you can email them to confirm when they sent your bundle to UKBA as you want to chase UKBA for expedited review. This is exactly what I did. Not sure it made any difference but I understand one week turn around at AIT is quite quick. Good luck.

Thanks Guys. I appreciate the kind and encouraging comments. God knows our cause is just and He will intercede for us in all our cases.

Got confirmation email from AIT today saying my appeal bundle was sent to UKBA yesterday - 18.07.13 (exactly a week from my appeal date) and UKBA has until 28.11.2013 to review it... yes, NOVEMBER... five flipping months!! :'

jenni1108: would anyone advise me what i say in an email to my MP or do i need to write a letter to the London address

I'd suggest you book an appointment to see your MP in person. They have surgeries locally about one or two days a week and any constituent can book an appointment. There's nothing like a face to face conversation. Search for your MP here using your post code http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/

I'm booked in to see mine this Friday. I'd advise you do the same. Good luck

windseeker: I had been really anxious reading this forum but I'm happy to say my spouse visa has been issued, which is such a massive relief. Best of luck to Ebeano and others on your appeal.

Congrats buddy! I am very happy for you!! God does work wonders!

I filed my appeal online yesterday and Royal Mail has delivered my support documents today. I provided all the documents they requested and I am meeting my MP on Friday for his help in asking for expedited hearing.

Not sure I can wait for even 3 months for this nightmare to end!

Congrats again and God bless!

target007: Here you go check= http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/general-info/administrative-review/

Note the statement in the 3rd paragraph:'However, all applicants can apply for an administrative review, which is a mechanism for reviewing refusal decisions.'

please fill out the form and explain that

1. you have your original marriage certificate but was mistakenly excluded

2. Your payslips may have been lumped up with other supporting docs so the ECO found it difficult to make out which is the correct payslips

3. That you have now retrieved all your communication with your spouse via the Skype helpdesk which you were not aware that you can be able to retrieve before.

Explain to him/her to re-consider your application in the light that you will now make sure the supporting evidences will be properly package this time around in order for the ECO to sort them without any issue.

I believe it will work ... just try it ... you have nothing to loose.

Send the application back with your VAC Ref No. Sheffield Visa Section with the attention of the ECO that worked on your last application.

Thanks immensely. Yeh, nothing to lose at all! I will give this a go! Thanks again o

target007: @Ebeano49...I will suggest that you go the way of appeal. You don't need to waste another N222,000 + Postage cost and other logistics.

I will advise that you submit your appeal and at the same time ask for a review of your rejected application by the ECO that signed your rejection letter. Just explain to him/her that it was a mistake from your part to have misplaced the documents that you already do have them and included them, stating that you do not intend to confuse him/her.

Now try to get a folder file with dividers and properly divide all your supporting document into sections ( you can follow the way I stated them in my post earlier on) and ask him to reconsider your application in the light that you have now corrected all the highlighted errors by the ECO.

Now if he accepted your application, it will be faster and no need for appeal. If he rejected it ... he will advise you to go and appeal and you've already done that, so no lost from your own part. Although I must say if you use wisdom to express your review covering letter smartly hardly will they reject a review. Just give it a try, it's worth it

Thanks Target 007. How do I go about asking for the review? What address do I use and so on. Thanks again for your advise. The folder option is very sensible and I will definitely be doing that.

windseeker: @Ebeano49 sorry to hear your update. Could you please tell me if you received a notification from VFS today or you had to email them as well to find out? As mine is due around the same time.

Thanks everyone for your kind words and prayers. God will surely intervene in all our appeals. Amen!.

@ Windseeker - VFS' website tracker was updated in the afternoon of Wednesdday - 3rd, then my wife received a text in the night of same day that her application is ready for collection.

Guys - I plan submitting my appeal on the 3 issues they raised with these supporting documents.

1 - The original marriage certificate. We always had it but thought the photocopy will do. We obviouly know better now so will put the original in the appeal.

2 - Payslips. I have got my company to authenticate all 6 payslips again and they are doing that that. They are already on company letter headed slips tho.

3 - I now have our Rebtel call history for almost a year. We've only used skype for about 6 months and I have the call log now. My whatsapp crashed four months ago and I only have history from November last year. I am requesting my Viber call history but havent got that yet. I also have a few calling cards I used in the past. We recenly chat most on iMessage
but chat history there can't be downloaded (I don't mind sending them my iPhone, if thats safe?)

Not sure of anything more to add.

A friend is advising I submit a new application instead of appeal as that would be faster. Is there any sense in doing this? Don't want to further complicate my issue.

mato-justo:
@Ebeano49,is even more good to submite it over there ,becos it make it more easy,as for the payment to be paid and also representing her in court for the Appeal,so that u mail speak ur mind and also back up all the grounds hold against ur wife.but pls b4 sending the Appeal make sure u find enough Evidence to backup that Appeal for u to have upper hand in dat case.the Lord will surely see u through.4rm mato-justo.

Thanks a lot. Yes, I will submit an online appeal as soon as I receive the documents from home. I'm working on the chat history thing. Just checked Skype and it does have time stamp record of our video calls; will get that printed. Viber help desk said they will send me list of all calls from beginning to date. I'd see if whatsapp helpdesk can help too. Hopefully these will be sufficient. Can't believe I'm having to do this to prove my wife is my wife. I find it crazy and somewhat humiliating!

Unfortunately for us my wife's application was refused!

Reasons:

1 - She didn't include the original marriage certificate; she submitted a photocopy.

2 - We didn't include all past 6 months payslips. (Incidently they retunred the application pack and right in there are my 12 payslips AND P60).

3 - We didn't include 'enough' evidence of contact. (I was only able to retrieve 3 months chat history from whatsapp and few Skype conversations. I mainly do Skype video calls with my wife and Viber voice call when data connection is too poor for skype, not quite sure how to retrieve 'enough' evidence right now).

I am too tired and dejected now... don't know what to think/do!

@ Justwise and all,

I have asked for the rejection pack to be sent to me so I can submit an appeal from here myself. Hope that's OK? Does she have to submit the appeal herself?

target007: Wow! Well congratulations in advance ... I hope it is good news indeed for you.

Thanks o. Not quite sure why I'm nervous about it though. I hope it is all OK! Will keep you'll posted