Nsiehi:


Please go to www.booking.com or airbnb to look for hotels or hostels. Many of these hostels abound in the UK and most western countries.
On booking.com website, input your location, dates of check in and check out, and the number of guests and click the search button. This is going to display all the properties (hotel, hostels, guest houses, apartments etc) that are registered with booking.com. You can apply filter by clicking on the hostel tab at the right hand column of the page, this will display all the hostels that are registered with booking in that area. Read reviews about the hostel, also note their rating, look at the pictures of each hostel, facilities available, such as free 24hr fast wifi, kitchen, free toiletries, balconies, receptions, extra rooms, free or paid parking space, breakfast and a lot more. Also check if they have free cancellation and other terms and conditions. Make your choice after your extensive search and comparison.

Nigerians erroneously think that the hostels are very filthy buildings meant for the lowest of the low, judging from what we have back home especially hostels in Nigerian universities. I have used hostels in most of my Europe tours and 95% of the guests I met there were from Europe, North America, South Korea, Japan, and China. You rarely come across people from 3rd world countries, I do not know their reason for ignoring hostels.
I will some pictures of some ares in one of the hostel. I took the pictures myself.

Thanks for this great enlightenment. Many that seek a UK visa as tourist, do not actually understand what it meant to be tourist. European tourist look for cheap accommodation (hostels) and even prefer to stay with strangers. However some of these hostels are not cheap and some may cost more than a standard hotel room. The only difference is you will have to share things. The bottom line is to make as many friends as possible on your tours, mix with local culture and have a good time. When I visited Ireland 4 months ago, I stayed in a Airbnb and my host offered to pick us at the bus station, abandon the whole house to us for a whole 2 days with well stocked kitchen for breakfasts, provided free bikes to ride into town and site seeing. All for 30 euro a night. Today we still chat and exchange emails. Anyway our skepticism of hostels accommodation is assumption that it does not demonstrate strong financial to the ECO. If you are genuine tourist, the ECO will see it from your travel history and not from your bank statement.

Bukola and Toyin Sakari are British Citizen by birth. They are also the 3rd family in Nigeria. So this gesture with Prince Charles is understandable.

[quote author=ijeshaoflondon post=72765158][/quote]

UKVi will not disclosed if your visa application was approved or refused. You will only know when you have collected your passport. Anyone telling you that you have visa or not is mere speculation. Good luck.

OMOLARAFE:


Thanks very much @ Justwise for your input. His ILR status is still very valid. The visa officer must have misread my statement about living together . I meant whenever he visits which is quite often.



Thanks very much for taking time to respond on my inquires.
To answer the questions;
1. Yes we have a court issued marriage certificate
2. Yes, he has documents to invite us but I will appreciate if you can mention the likes of documents he needs to send with the invitation
3. Please can you expatiate on this? Do you mean something like permanent residence/ILR or citizenship?
4. No, he did not spend over 2 years outside the UK at a stretch and any point in time. The VO must have read me out of context or I "mis-presented" the statement. What I meant was that we have a family home where we live together whenever he comes home (Nigeria) on visits. and in the last 3 or 4 years he has actually visited more than 7 times.
5. Home ties; I have a relatively good job (if that serves as a tie) , living parents and 2 undeveloped expanse of land, one current being used for farming
6. Thanks for the clarification as regards our baby.

I will attach the second refusal letter when I find it.
Thanks and God bless you.

Invite letter, copy of his passport datapage, utility bills, council bills, mortgage letter, 6 bank statement and payslips etc

Since you have explained his supposedly 2 years outside the UK, no need to worry about about his ILR. I guess you can give it a try and apply. Most importantly, you will need to proof relationship and that you want to take the baby to see her father. with emails, phone call logs, chats etc apart from the marriage certificate. Also the following documents will be useful: his previous flight tickets and boarding pass to Nigeria, photos as a family in Nigeria etc. On your own part, you woll need to proof that you will return after the visit. Employment letter, bank statement, properties, etc.

Uchboggy:
Hi UK visa gurus,

please assist me with answers to the below question.

I currently reside in Norway, I have a USA visa and I was in USA this summer.

I plan to travel to Nigeria for Christmas with British airways from Frankfurt,

I want to know if I would need a transit visa since there would be a stop at heathrow airport in London

Note: I plan to stroll out of the airport to site see if possible

You will need a UK visa if you plan to leave the airport and stroll out, or if you will have to change departure terminal. My advise is to get a UK visa from Norway since you’re a resident there.

TroublemakerPro:
Goodday guys .
I applied for a visa and went for biometrics and submission of application on August 17.
I recieved a call on November 5 to come collect my INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT on Friday without stating if I got the Visa or not.

Please what should I expect.
Should I be bothered .

Thanks in advance

ekpotek
justwise

I have no idea what to expect. However you should prepare for the worst possible outcome.

qmd24:
I need help on this pls.

My wife applied for visiting visa about two weeks ago to come over this December and I saw two missed calls from Sheffield Centre today.

I tried calling back severally but not getting through.

What should I do pls.?

Just pray and hope for a successful outcome. You are unlikely to get through as they do not answer calls.

Demime:


I want to say a big thank you to Jennyhumphrey, ijeshaoflondon, just wise and all the gurus in the house. I got my 10 years UK visa but my brother was rejected for 6 months and it was his 1st time. I really need your advice on the solution to reapply for him as I really want to travel with him this December for the holiday. All advice is welcomed and will be appreciated. Please find attached his rejection letter.

1. No information on course of study. This will include school receipts, letter from HOD, school ID card, school photos, examination results, etc.

2. Who is funding your brother study? Sponsor bank statement and cover letter, specific transfer for school fees, school allowances from the sponsor's bank statement which will also reflect on your brother bank statement.

3. You are sponsoring your bother trip to the UK, but he has over N3 million in his bank account! Haba, how do you expect the ECO to believe him.

Your brother application was badly packaged but it is still redeemable, if you can attend to the issues raised by the ECO with the above documentation.

OMOLARAFE:
Hello Gurus in the house.
Please I need your expert views/inputs as regards the history of my previous visa applications and the new one I am about making.
My first family visit application to go visit my husband who is resident in the UK (we got married traditionally plus church blessing in January 2014 but no court (legal) marriage until October 2018)was denied in January 2017 reason given as in the attached document. So in my first application I referred to my husband as my "unmarried" partner.
I made another application in August same year (2017) and got a similar response. I can't readily place my hand on the refusal letter for now but will upload when found.
Now I want to attempt it again but this time around with our baby girl of almost 8 months old.
Your kindly advise is needed on what I could have been doing wrongly in the past applications and how to avoid another refusal.
Our baby was born in the US and I know she does not require a visa to go to the UK so my other question is do I include her passport in my own application as accompanying or make an application for her as well.
Thank you

Your refusal letter is well over 6 months. I would not dwell too much on it as the reasons are very clear. The question is have you rectified all the reasons stated by the ECO.

1. Do you have a court issued marriage certificate?
2. Do your husband have the necessary documents to invite you?
3. What is the current status of your husband's residency in the UK?
4. Did your husband actually spend over 2 years outside the UK with ILR?
5. Do you have strong home and financial ties to Nigeria?
6. You do not need to apply for your child or include her passport in the application, since the baby has a US passport. Just mention in your application that you will traveling with a baby and the baby is a US citizen.

princej78:
pls my people I need help before I make a mistake first I am using my business license and applying as a licensed business owner I have everything except my tax clearance which I dont have and my letter of introduction I wrote a request for a visa and how long I would be spending there and also explained about the lump sums that came in July and august with invoice receipts and also told them as a business owner I dont earn a specific amount of money monthly or annually I only earn money from my trading. now its nov 4th im confused should I print from may bank statement or from June ? did I do everything right opening balance from may makes more sense than opening balance from June oh and my closing balance 1.3m also July to august more than 8 million hit my acct tho I used it for the supposed business and backed it up with invoice receipts pls answer anyone and I have landed properties stocks document im submitting all that I am submitting this week

What is your main purpose of visit to the UK? Is it for business or pleasure?

Tintas:
@justwise and ekpotek n others, if a one man business can’t pay himself a fair salary? Do you suggest the submission of both business account and personal account irrespective of their balances at the time of printing. Thanks

The statement you submit depends on the purpose of the visit. If its business, submits business account, if its personal, you submit your personal account.

carnal:
pros in the house, is it possible for one to apply for a UK visa -tier 4 from united state, a nigerian citizen or the applicant must return to Nigeria?

If the applicant has a valid residence permit in the USA, the applicant can apply from the USA. No need to return to Nigeria

Meziea:
Please I just summited my application for a tourist Visa to uk but just discovered now that I put the date of travel on the application 14. Dec to come back 20 dec but on the hotel it’s was 14 November instead of dec and I also discovered that the hotel have been cancelled what are my chances of getting a visa ?

Only the ECO can say. However, many have been denied based on the inability of the ECO to confirm their hotel booking

Tintas:
Greetings Great people, does a one man business owner need to pay himself or herself monthly salary?

So what will happen in a bad month where you do not make any profit? Would you still pay yourself a salary? Think?

tasho105:
I am somehow sceptical about the hostel booking.

Gurus in the house shold pls clarify on this...

There's nothing wrong in using hostel booking. In fact, booking a hostel gives you an advantages as a tourist. Most genuine tourists try to save money during their visit. If you're still not comfortable, you can try a 5 star hotel instead.

arro:
Please house, I need help as a matter of urgency, I got UK visa tourist visa for 180 days, since April to Oct, but I did not use my visa until last date of sept and I only spend 14 days.
But now I want to apply for 2 years, since I was the only person that went for the visa application, now I want to apply for family trip for tourist visa, 2yrs for my self, then maybe 6month for my wife and child.

Sure, you can do that.

mex551:
@ekpotek, @Justwise, please respond to the question abov

The issues you need to address apart from your budget is why do you want to visit the UK? Where your previous visit to SA on tourism? Why do you want to leave your family behind and travel on your own?. These are what the ECO will be looking at. Your finances and home ties are strong, however, you need to convince the ECO of your real intention. Setting aside N250,000 on a monthly basis for next 4 months does not show consistences on your spending pattern and the ECO will detected that you just did this to apply for a visit visa!

Orjforlife:
I don't think he should be discouraged ...i work in a mfbank and a colleague just returned from his vacation to the uk...he is a 1st time traveller, submitted all his employment details plus other required docs and was given a 6months visa

Yes. UKVI accept statements from Microfinance banks

Chibabe4Christ:
Happy weekend my people!!!!!! Please I would like to know the kind of visa that is suitable for a day paid course and other corses with different dates but free coures that fall between 3weeks. Secondly I want to apply for 2years visa after I had gotten the first UK visa they gave me 6months which expired April this year and now I want to renew for 2years but they say I need to go for tuberculous test if I will be staying for more than 6months. My concern is this, if am going for a course which I will spend just three weeks and come back, do I still need to go for the test since am applying for 2 years.
Thirdly, is it wrong to tell the embassy that I will stay in my cousin's house for the period of the course.

Thanks for your usual coroperation.

1. You do not need a TB test for a UK visit visa
2. Yes, you can apply for 2 years, since you were once approved for 6 months. It's the natural thing to do. The duration of your intended course is not important. What's important is that you meet the requirement for a visitor visa to the UK based on your present circumstance.
3. Yes, you can stay with a cousin as long as your cousin can provide documents like: passport data page, utility bills, mortgage bills, council bills, and a letter from your cousin accepting to accommodate you in the UK when you visit.

sgtponzihater1:


I heard their cloths don't last at all.

You heard wrong!!! Anyway, you can also try Mark and Spencer

sgtponzihater1:
Kindly assist me with affordable places to shop in London. For both male and female cloths, especially discount shops., and where to get the best chocolates at affordable rates.

Try any Primark store. Its the cheapest place to buy cloths in the UK. That’s where Nigerian buys all the cloths you see in Balogun���.

tasho105:
Many thanks for your response @ijeshaoflondon,ekpotek and other gurus that are yet to respond

1. I am spending 800k for the trip. I work as a marketing executive with a salary of 350k per month after tax.
I have a balance of 2.5m being my annual commission and bonus paid in by my employer last week,thinking of printing statement next
week.

2. will go to my bank for the visa fee payment

3. For the cover letter, Let me share the points i have been writing on so i can get a proper guide...

i. 5 times cash deposits of 500k in my salary account, same day cash withdrawals of same in 2 bits.

ii. my other regular income is 75k which comes from a space i rent out for business. it comes into my savings account directly from the source every month. This account has day to day credits transactions as i use the account for other side biz and also some of my wife's customers also pay into the account.
We basically use the account to sort the family bills and to cater for the family daily needs, hence the daily debits. Both the credits aand debits transactions are between 5k to 150k. So the statement balance is less than 100k
Not yet sure i'm going to include this statement/biz as it seems too complicated to explain.

iii. Unused expired US visa - reason: was seriously ill for almost 1 year so i couldnt afford the trip, BUT said in my cover letter that i was busy with work. PLS ADVICE

iv. my intl passport which was mistakenly double stamped the departure stamp at MMA on my way to Houston in 2015 with family. one of the stamps was electronically cancelled by immigration upon arrival in Nigeria.

v. 2 properties i bought with the name of my 2 sons like 5 years ago (do i need to explain the source of the funds used to buy the property in the cover letter.

I really hope i'm not missing out any info needed for the cover letter or some points are not necessary to be in the cover letter.

NB
i have a company basically registered for general contracts but we have not done any contract for more than 4 years BUT my other income of 75k monthly is being done with the company name, payments go into my personal savings account.
I have all invoices/receipts, MOUs and other papers in the name of the company.
Sceptical about putting this biz in my application as the coy's tax is not up to date. Pls advice

1. That’s good financial ties
2. Yes do that
3. You do not need to complicate your application by bringing in side business that you will find difficult to explain. Your income level and closing balance in your salary is good enough. Just explain irregular deposit in your salary account. Your unused USA visa has nothing to do with your application. So there is no need to offer an explanation.

Motol:

Well I applied for an Irish visa 3weeks ago and was called by the ups courier service that my package is ready with them for collection. Am not around to pick it up yet until next week when am back in Lagos. My question is ..I thought Ireland visa takes 8weeks to process..why did mine take exactly 3weeks. It was received at the embassy on 4th of October 2018 and got a mail that my processed visa has been dispatched from the embassy on 25th October. I hope it's positive news tho..lol..I have traveled well in the past to UK and am married to a UK citizen and resident.




Oooh but it’s still same.
Just tell them your spouse will join in Ireland and apply for the visiting visa with your P, your spouse P and your marriage certificate.
They may request for Hotel reservation

The visa has been approved. Your UK travel history and been married to a UK resident counted.

kokoli:



Thanks Ekpotek. If i decide to go the route of printing bank statement for 4 years, am thinking of getting my office to issue letter stating that I have been running that exclusive investment for staff for that lenght of time and that the funds are readily available

Sure you can also add that. The more documentation you have to enable you explain and address the concern raised by the ECO, the better.

kokoli:
My visa application was refused. I have attached the letter. Their reason for the refusal was unexplained deposit. The said deposit was a MATURED fixed deposit on my salary account which has been running for over 4 years.I presented one account statement only which is my salary account and also doubles as my savings account as well. There is a special high yield investment designed exclusively for staff.it is on a 30 days basis after which I increase the amount monthly from my salary. what baffles me is that I included a cover letter explaining the origin of the funds. The last MATURED amount of about 8m waa the only one used as reference point. I explained All the other inflows but ommitted that one even though I used a pen to include it on my application form but Unfortunately only the first page of the application form is now scanned at TLS. Could the refusal have been because I failed to explain that fixed deposit MATURED amount because I have similar inflows In the 6 months account statement provided which I clearly explained as MATURED fixed deposit which matures monthly and is rolled over while Increasing the principal amount. how do I prove the origin and source of funds as the funds in question have been running through my account for over 4 years. The funds have accumulated over the years as I save monthly and add to the fixed deposit. proving it will require account statement of over 4 years.. kindly advice.

If the ECO did not buy your explanation. Then you need to provide a full 4 years bank statement showing how the fixed deposit started till date. Another Remedy. Separate your salary account from your fixed deposit/savings. Run the account for 6 months and reapply.

Amolad111:
My gurus in the house - Justwise, Ekpotek and others, please i need your opinion on this issue.

I applied for Visit visa with my wife and son last April but was refused on the basis that i did not state what we intend to do during our stay and i did not show much ties to the country. However, these were stated clearly with evidences in the application as my two other kids are staying back in Nigeria. i travelled alone to African country to use my leave then.

I want to apply for myself alone now to go for my vacation next March. Is it not too early to apply now based on the refusal in May this year? So as not to show desperation? i intend starting the application by December (3 month to intended time of travelling).

Thank you all as i expect your responses.

The rule is to apply 3 months before your travel date. So December is fine.

tasho105:
Hello my peeps.
Respect to all the gurus in the house.

I am in the process of applying for 6 month uk visit visa and the application process seem too complicated unlike US visa which i did myself.

My questions:

1. is it possible for me to do UK visa application by myself without a visa agent?

2. I have completed the online form...stuck on payment. i have GTbank naira master card, can i pay with it and how much with their charges.

3. I have been on my cover letter for almost 2 weeks now, seems one needs a pro to handle it. pls i need a guru in the house that can help with this for a fee

1. Yes
2. Ask your bank
3. The cover letter is for you to provide additional information not entered in the application form. If you do not have any, there is no need for a cover letter.

Johnokafor10001:
hello , i just got an email from the embassy requesting for more document for my visa application , they requested for my cac and some other business document , do i stand a chance with this ?

SCAM. UKVI will not make such a request for a visitor visa. Many been refused for not submitting sufficient documents. Why will yours be an exception? If UKVI want to make any clarification from a visitor visa applicant, you will call for an interview.

aktai:
Thanks for the response, I shared the story before applied for the visa, I needed opinions before applying. The monthl salary was not 2 million, I get paid based on contract won and making sales for the company as an Executive Director. I was not salary based, I receive based on commission on project but when I summed up what was entering from the company monthl it varies but I was able to calculate 2 million and less some other months based on the project that was carried out. What do you suggest I do in this situation?

If you are thinking of reapplying. You will need to provide documentation of each contract won in the last 6 months and documents from Fabex paint showing approvals of agreed payments into your account. These documents should clearly reflect in details how your commission was paid by Fabex Paint. Since you are an executive director and you and not on a salary, you should revised the online application form on Finance to reflect that.

aktai:
Hello house, I was refuse and I have attach the refusal slip. Kindly help me out on what to do. Thanks

First issue: Your uncle refer to you as his cousin. Why? You are either his nephew or niece.

Second issue: Earning of N2 million salary per month. That is high even for people working in international oil and gas industries. I dont know if any one in a paint industry can earn this fabulous salary.

Third issue: Fabex Paint? Who own it? Is it a limited liability company? What is your position?

The ECO does not believe this company can be paying you that much of a salary per month as stated. These ECO lives in Nigeria and knows the salary ranges for many employment sectors. The ECO has concluded that those purported transfer from Fabex paint is unbelievable and suspicious.