₦airaland Forum

Thank you for your insight Cyberknight.

I didn't know the term was derogatory. I thought it was just used to describe babies born within twelve months of eachother. I am talking about myself and so, i wouldn't have knowingly used a derogatory word to describe my situation.

I have checked the NIS and based on the next available biometrics date, i wouldn't be able to complete biometrics and get passport for the newborn within a month.

Can i use the emergency travel certicate and then get the passport done in Nigeria before flying back?

Thank you.

Cyberknight:
Just so you know, the term you used to describe the children's age gap is considered derogatory.

1. I think you can get a fit to fly letter at 32 weeks and up to 35 weeks or so. You need to check with the airline she'll use as their policies may differ.
2. You can travel with a 1 month old baby. Yes, the baby needs to have a passport.

Good luck to you both. A family member had children 15 months apart (in Lagos, both holding down jobs, family not present) and we all ultimately had to pitch in with what became a small-scale community project to get them over the hump.

Dear Elders and my intelligent community,

Please i need clarification on the following.

1. What do you think about a 6 months pregnant women traveling to Nigeria from UK and returning at 8 months. This is because she is on maternity leave and would be having an irish twins. She has a 9 months old baby and it is getting harder to take care of herself with pregnancy and taking care of an active 9 months baby.

2. Can one travel with a one month baby to Nigeria. Does the baby need to have a passport before traveling out of the UK. The baby will be put on the parent's visa once born but she would like to go back to Nigeria to be taken care of after birth. What are the things she has to put in place for this to happen.

Thank you.

Good day people,

I have been trying to renew my passport using the NIS app and web but it has been futile. After registering with the app, it is supposed to send me an OTP to confirm my email address, but i never receive the OTP (my email address is correct).

Tried renewing from the webiste, but when i input my NIN and date of birth, an error message appears "We could not reach NIMC servers to verify your NIN. The issue will be reported to NIMC for resolution. Kindly try again later". This has been the case since the weekend.

Please how else do i go about renewing my passport?

Thank you.

Knowlegeseeking:
Hi guys,

So i got a response from UKVI from the complaint i raised last week. They acknowledged that the Entry clearance manager has agreed that my application should be reconsidered. They also noted it does not mean the refusal will be overturned but a reconsideration is ongoing and even though they cannot give a timeframe for how long it would take, that i will be notified of their decision.

Even if they come back with the same decision, they should give a concrete reason that can be addressed in the next application. I'll keep you guys updated when a decision is reached.

Please can one apply for a visa renewal when the current visa has not expired? my twin's 6 months visa expires on the 21st of this month and he is looking at visiting by month end or latest first week of June. He wants to know if he can put in an application for renewal of the visa before it expires this month so he can get the updated visa and travel by month end.

Thank you.

Hi Guys,

Update. The visa refusal was overturned.

Hi guys,

So i got a response from UKVI from the complaint i raised last week. They acknowledged that the Entry clearance manager has agreed that my application should be reconsidered. They also noted it does not mean the refusal will be overturned but a reconsideration is ongoing and even though they cannot give a timeframe for how long it would take, that i will be notified of their decision.

Even if they come back with the same decision, they should give a concrete reason that can be addressed in the next application. I'll keep you guys updated when a decision is reached.

Please can one apply for a visa renewal when the current visa has not expired? my twin's 6 months visa expires on the 21st of this month and he is looking at visiting by month end or latest first week of June. He wants to know if he can put in an application for renewal of the visa before it expires this month so he can get the updated visa and travel by month end.

Thank you.

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.

I think you are mistaken mine with someone else. No where in the refusal email did the ECO state anything relating to rental income or evidence of proof of it coming to her.

lekefew:
You're 100% correct. I've actually seen some refusal letters that just don't make sense. But I still try to see reasons with the ones that make sense and try to understand.

About the rental income, yes she mentioned that. I forgot to include that in my post. The ECO stated that there was no evidence to proof that the income came to her. They only submitted receipts from what I read (I'm guessing receipts issued to the tenants), the ECO will try to match that with a proof that shows the money actually came to her, like a bank statement, because otherwise, that money for rent could have gone to any other person or the money was put into another use. I'm not defending the ECO, God knows I've had my own fair share or immigration wahala.

Dependants does prove family ties, especially when you're not travelling with your dependants. They see that has, you will definitely come back to them and you're only going away briefly. The fact that you got your visa without dependants does not matter. You got yours based on other merits I'm sure. With visas I find that you don't have to check all their boxes, you only have to check enough boxes to convince them.

So for me, I see it like... Landed property check, Rental income unhecked because there's no proof (receipt don't proof she got the money as the ECO said, professional tie unchecked, family ties unchecked due to no dependant, that's a score of 1/4.

You don't need 4/4, a 3/4 or maybe even a 2 would have been fine

Professional ties to Nigeria? please what professional ties should a retired widow have? We submitted landed documents of where she curretly stays with rental agreement of four her tenants. on the cover letter, we wrote that one of her bank statement receives rental income and money from us her kids which all ties and that's why the ECO couldn't have used that as a reason.

2. On the question in the application, it clearly stated "financial dependants" not just dependants. I and my twin are her last born and we are both married. Nobody depends on her for anything. She is retired, who would be depending on her financially at this age? what other family ties other than her other 3 children and relatives who live and reside in Nigeria and her investments and properties?

Are you saying every parents invited to the UK and have been granted visas have a "professional tie" and have people depending on them financially? My mum is 67.

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.

10th of April 2025

Abbebbay:
Please what date was her biometrics done?...



quote author=Knowlegeseeking post=135183944]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.

Hi D10,
we noted retired.
we noted no.

[quote author=D1O post=135184179][/quote]

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.

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.

No he is not. Thank you. I will not do it then.

Lexusgs430:
Unfortunately, it would almost take me forever to track this post, due to level of engagement(except chatgpt is deployed) .....😂

But I would drop my £0.02....... Change of name, does not really give your any leverage, it's simply psychological, twinned with a lot of hassle....

If your husband is not demanding a name change (pls, don't do it)...... 😂🤔

Oga Lexus.

Please with regard to renewing passport, you made a post a while ago about the hassle of name change and renewing of passport. I had saved it but can't seem to find it anymore.
Please could you share it again as i am contemplating if changing my name (been married for 3 years) on renewal is worth the hassle.
P.S- I am expecting a baby in summer and my passport expires Oct 5. I may not have the strength for all the running around to London to have it changed.
Please can you highlight what a name change will process is like.

Thank you.

Elders in the house, all protocols observed.

Please has anyone used Goskippy insurance before. I am looking to change my insurance providers from Admiral to Goskippy as they have the cheapest insurance quote from compare the market. My renewal on Admiral is quite still high.

@lexus
@justwise and all our gurus.

Thank you.

Elders Good evening.

I’m currently looking for a broadband-only deal, and I’ve noticed that my living room has both Virgin Media and Openreach fibre cables installed. After checking online, it seems that Virgin Media offers the fastest connection in my area.

However, I’m a bit confused by the different speed options and their varying prices. Could you advise me on what I should prioritize when choosing a plan? I’m hoping to find a good balance between speed and affordability, as the prices seem quite high.

At the moment, I’m using an unlimited data plan on my sim from Three, but the network performance is poor, which has made working from home difficult. My contract with Three expires at the end of this month, so I’m considering switching to Virgin Media for broadband.

For context, I don’t watch live TV—I mostly stream YouTube and Netflix, and I usually connect my TV via hotspot.

Any guidance you can offer on selecting the best deal would be greatly appreciated!

Hi Controlv, is this also from the toogood to goo app? how do you find co-op on it?

Controlv:
I reserved my first grocery with co-op today, and I literally shouted when I was handed 2 full bags all for £4. Thanks so much for always sharing valuable info.

Hello my people.

Please I need some clarification on the below; Please pardon my lengthy post.

1. I have a provisional license and my driving practical test is for later this month. My confusion is, the provisional licence has my previous address, and i would like to know when to change it. Should i initiate the change now or wait till i pass my driving test later this month. I tried to do an address update on the license online, however, when it got to inputting my passport number, it kept rejecting it and saying it was wrong. I later realised that it was because it was not a British passport.

How do i effect an address change before they issue me the full license basically?

2. I have been looking for a car and it has been so stressful. I am looking for an automatic petrol, 1.2-1.4 engine size, 2010 and above car with a low road tax of not more than £100 and fair insurance. My budget is £4k. The cars i have seen are slightly above this price.

Is it advisable to pay part cash and finance the rest (paying the balance in 2 equal instalments. car price not more than £6k). what are the things to look out for when having this kind of finance arrangement.

The car need is so urgent as i cannot be spending almost 2 hours commuting to work and another 2hrs back when it would take me only about 35mins driving to work.

My people, please help my confusion.

Gracias.

Please who can recommend a good driving instructor in Leeds (for automatic car). i Just need 3 lessons.

Guys please when registering on the electoral college, is there any downside of opting out of the open register?

Guys!!
I just passed my driving theory test on first attempt!!!
Multiple choice- 48/50
Hazard perception- 69/75.

Thank you all for your contributions and tips on passing this exam.

My gallery is filled with screenshots of tips from this thread.

My people,

1. Please for cover and reference letter, what is the correct addressee,

The Consular-General
British High Commission
11 Walter Carrington Crescent
Victoria Island
Lagos

or this;

The Entry Clearance Officer
British High Commission
11 Walter Carrington Crescent
Victoria Island
Lagos
Nigeria

2. Please can anyone help with a template letter for church reference/attestation letter biko.

Thank you.

Thank you Taal.

I am filling the form as her, acknowledging the form was filled by herself.

I will put it accurately.

Thanks again.

Taal17:
Use additional information part of the application and explain you guessed the age because you're are not sure
Are you the one filling for her as a representative or you're just filling the form and she's still the person acknowledging that the form was filled by her.
The reason I asked this is that in the additional information section if you are filling that part as a representative it would read..grandpas date of birth details are an estimate because mum does not know the exact date.
That's different from writing I am not sure of my father's exact date of birth the details filled are an estimate.
Let her print out form for reference in the future.

Thank you.

bigtt76:
I think there's an option to state you don't have the details or something but in the event that you use an estimated date, you will need to stick with that date as you continue applying for other visas for her in the future to ensure consistency .

Thank you.

Please guys, in the event she doesn't know the fathers date of birth as he passed away when she was still a child and her mum also says she doesn't remember but gave an estimate. How can i fill her fathers date of birth without it being a misrepresentation? I explained this in the space for notes at the end of the application.

Also, please can anyone help with the church recommendation/attestation letter template.

Thank you.

bigtt76:
Number 1 is a standard requirement during the process of filling most visas.

Hi Guys,

I am applying for a visit visa for my retired mum. As part of evidences for home ties, Please who has letter of attestation template from church, so i can send to her church which they can print on their letter head.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Taal17:
You upload docs after
Try the UK visa thread..ppl who did this recently are there

Hi Guys,

Please I need help.

I am filling out a visa application for my mum for the purpose of attending my graduation.

1. Is it normal in the application process to to request details of her parent? lol, it is kind of funny and i just wanted to get clarity.
2. I have gotten to the pay part on the application and i do not see anywhere to upload documents, and it says if i continue after this page, i will not be able to make any changes. Please is the uploading part after payment?

Okay thanks. So you are saying i cannot apply online except via post right? I also collected the D1 form from the post office, so i just fill and return.

Iolo:
The passport details they are able to validate are for British nationals. It only works if you have a British passport. You will have to send them your BRP by post and then they mail it back to you.

Hi Guys,

Please i am trying to apply for my first provisional driving license. Been in the UK for 13months. On the application site, after i input my passport number and Nationality, i get the below response.

I then continue the process on the "old online service" which is the DVLA site, but same thing still repeats itself.

Please what am i doing wrong? I have also used my BRP as means of identification but keep getting the same issue.

Hi Guys
Apart from the visa application fee of 100 pounds (or 115 after 4th of October), flight tickets and other expenses for the travelling, is there another fee charged by TLS for capturing? the Ikeja TLS UK standard visitors visa application?

Guys where is Semmyk? does anyone know him personally? is he alright?

hehehe, thank you. Jumping on it.

tshoboy:
Saw this on LinkedIn. The person trying to chose between Company A or B could have a C in the mix 😊

Thank you Santa. I don't have kids yet.

I have not made up my mind though. Analysing every suggestions made.

This is a tough one.

Santa2:
Ultimately the decision is yours to make. When you make the decision, own it with your chest. This is actually a test of the kind of person you are..are you a high risk, high reward individual or stability, low reward one. I didn't see you talk about kids, that would have made the decision making process more complex. I somewhat believe you have sort of made up your mind which to go with. As they say..'Fortune favors the brave'. I pray that what ever decision you make, it brings fulfilment to you and your family.