₦airaland Forum

Peacock23: Help Hello,I was refused eea family permit today,the reason for the refusal was that they called my husbands place of work all to no avail,so they don't believe he works there or earns the income he said he claims. It was also stated that as such they are not sure he's residing in the United Kingdom. It was also stated that I am umemployed(which I am)and I didn't state how am being supported in nigeria,saving,lands or property and that no evidence of my husband sending me money. I don't need my husband to send me money cos I get money from my mom every month,so it wasn't necessary for my husband to send me money and I also put in my mom bank statement,when processing the application,I have the right of appeal,but I don't know if it's to appeal or re apply or simply do both.thanks

Well, these are the points raised by the Visa Officer, but you can't get a meaningful advice if you don't narrate your own side of the story.
What can you say about your husband's non-operative work-place telephone number?
What did you state is your purpose of applying for the EEA family permit, to temporarily visit your husband or to migrate (to join him)?
It seems you stated that you intended to VISIT him, this seemingly is the only reason that your personal financial circumstances became considerable factors: and the fact that you tried to support your application with your mom's bank statement also suggests that you were using the wrong method to apply for EEA permit.
Dear, that application was a total mess, and i don't think it is reasonable to appeal it...
If you don't mind, i would suggest that you to respond to this post by providing answers, and also explain your TRUE circumstance so we may be able to assist you in your next application.
Cheers

Peacock23: I've being to uk severally,did my masters in uk too,got married late 2012,last year in the uk,I put in for eu residence card,at d long run,my passport got missing in the home office and my aplication was denied.I came back to nigeria,applied for a eea family permit,to stay with my husband,when I got the refusal yesterday,going through it and also reading that they tried to ring his workplace,no one picked is a lie,I don't need my husband to send me money because he's saving up me and am more than well taken care of at home.when I got back my documents,my husbands payslips,letter of employment and tenancy agreement was not returned back,I still have a valid two year visiting visa,just my passport that got missing in d home office.so. Pls vicjustice,how do I go about this,appeal or reapply,I need help

Remember that telephone calls to a vast number of work place do not get answer in first attempt, (especially if the establishment is government owned), so it is highly likely that the embassy actually rang your husband's work-place.
Yes, you may seem to be financially sound and might not need money from your husband, but you need to proove this to the visa officer (not by word, but by documentation): your mother's bank statement is not supposed to have anything to do with this sort of application which is EEA Family Member Permit, it is supposed to be either you or your husband who should be financially responsible for the application, you can only meet the requirements by this.
Now that you do not currently have a job nor do you have the required amount of (source verifiable) money, you therefore need your husband to meet the requirement... In a nutshell he is required to be earning (in almost all cases) a guaranteed annual income of at least £18,600 or savings of over £62,500 (not certain of the figures).
It is very important to be able to demonstrate that you are in good communication and correspondence with your husband otherwise, it may be seen that your marriage was a desperate measure to have a UK permanent residence permit

Peacock23: Help Hello,I was refused eea family permit today,the reason for the refusal was that they called my husbands place of work all to no avail,so they don't believe he works there or earns the income he said he claims. It was also stated that as such they are not sure he's residing in the United Kingdom. It was also stated that I am umemployed(which I am)and I didn't state how am being supported in nigeria,saving,lands or property and that no evidence of my husband sending me money. I don't need my husband to send me money cos I get money from my mom every month,so it wasn't necessary for my husband to send me money and I also put in my mom bank statement,when processing the application,I have the right of appeal,but I don't know if it's to appeal or re apply or simply do both.thanks

Well, these are the points raised by the Visa Officer, but you can't get a meaningful advice if you don't narrate your own side of the story.
What can you say about your husband's non-operative work-place telephone number?
What did you state is your purpose of applying for the EEA family permit, to temporarily visit your husband or to migrate (to join him)?
It seems you stated that you intended to VISIT him, this seemingly is the only reason that your personal financial circumstances became considerable factors: and the fact that you tried to support your application with your mom's bank statement also suggests that you were using the wrong method to apply for EEA permit.
Dear, that application was a total mess, and i don't think it is reasonable to appeal it...
If you don't mind, i would suggest that you to respond to this post by providing answers, and also explain your TRUE circumstance so we may be able to assist you in your next application.
Cheers

ademo9: Hello house,I seriously need an advice here..I plan on inviting my mom to the UK on my student visa asap but she doesn't use her bank account well enough.Is a 3 month bank statement going to work instead of the suppose 6 months.I hope that won't work against her..Thanks

It depends on how settled you are in the UK and how comfortable she is in Nigeria and also, the responsibility of the person who is footing the costs

Danito2: All th three pagesa is about the purpose of visiting as an visual art student and also how long he will be in uk,plus how strong our friendship,its three copies becausae want to show the entry clearance officer that the reason why i got refuse with the first application have been weel fixed and i also state how rich family the person i am inviting and his background how rich he is and will come back to go to school after the three weeks.and also stats that hes a visual art student so it will really help when he visit uk so that i take him to art museums and also some craft work and culture about uk which will help him way back to Ghana and will give him for knowledge to write this final exams next year.thats all how the invitation letter is all about

How about you put these details as aditional information instead of invitation letter?

Danito2: I want to know if uk clearance officer get time to read full three pages of invitation letter?doesa he have that time for the three full pages of invitation letter?or they only read short invitation letters?

It is actually understandable if a company is sending you an invitation letter detailing the terms and conditions of dealings, such official invitation document could be a whole booklet or a wad of sheets. But for a personal invitation letter, there is no need to write that long.

Danito2: I want to know if uk clearance officer get time to read full three pages of invitation letter?doesa he have that time for the three full pages of invitation letter?or they only read short invitation letters?

You think 3 pages are enough?
Joke apart,
What sort of invitation letter that would take half a page how much more 3 pages.

justwise: I found one....you should have said stuff like....its 'god' that issues visa,....you know of an uncle who sales ice water under the bridge that was issued 5yrs visa even without inflow & outflow in his account.....

Lol, and to "pray" for devine favour that can make the visa officer turn blind eyes to one's deficiency and ineligibility.

justwise: [/b]

There are loads of kids there these days ... browsing nairaland....looking for ways to get to the UK through Sahara... ....with mum's family business bank account

spikesC: I've learnt to stop such assumption. Some educated black people had warm and salty bath yesterday you know

With the unreasonable ranting that he has displayed here, I can only wonder the manner of personality that he has in real life.
I just read and reviewed my correspondece with him to try to figure out what I did to trigger his anger, but I can't see the cause

Forto: I have been reading this thread and 99 percent of cases here are usually money aspect or strong ties to Nigeria, now i dont have an issue in money aspect cos the inflow and outflow of money is very good, and i operate a family business which i believe is a strong tie to Nigeria cos my mum is hardly there so i like run the business myself, which i will detail in a letter to them, so wat do i need an official appointment letter for wen its a family business? so now d problem is my certificate must be up to a year old, give me a reason why my CAC must get up to a year before i can apply? Is d uk not after ur strong ties or ur finances? And certificate to show u operate a genuine business? I have seen so money responses from u guys and its very discouraging which is too bad, i just decided to give it a try , more discouragement. There are some people that still provide all d documents but still get rejected! Its all has to do with the ECO! Vicjistice and justwise are just bad belle people dat dont want people to travel!

I was actually assuming that you are an adult when you said something about going through a university.

Forto: So the company has to be registerd for at least one year even if it has been operating for five years now? also its not like its a big company, its just a little catering business dat we manage but the money flow started coming in well as of last year ,she has about 2 million in her acct with good inflow and outflow and still uses her personal savings account to run d business, am her only child so i just had to start assisting her as soon as i was done with the university, do i need an official appointment letter for dat? Cant i explain in a letter about all dat to the embassy?

Why are you asking the very same answered questions all over again in a different way?

Forto: Hi, vic justice and just wise.
Please i need ur help
A friend of mine who we grew up together before he acquired his british citizenship and relocated to the uk is inviting me to the uk by october to visit the uk and also to attend an event, he is going to send me his work appointment letter, bank statements, tenancy agreement, invitation letter to proof he can cover my accomodation and feeding expenses wen i come. On my own part i work for my mum for five years now, though she just registered her business months back, she doesnt pay me a specific salary but uses her staff to deposit money for me occasionally, i have an id card which is d only proof i have to show i work with her, So i intend to spend just two weeks in d uk and return, so i will be responsible for my shopping expenses while my mum will be responsible for my flight tickets, she will state that in a letter. I have about 600k in my account with inflow and outflow. Please what are my chances? Its my first time of travelling

If the company that you work for (which is your mom's) does not have the official status as a registered company for at least one year, then, it is not eligible to be used for visa application.
Your ID card is not good enough, you need an official EMPLOYMENT LETTER which must be at least 12 months old, and you also need an official analysis of your conditions of earnings as well as the method of payments even if your earnings are irirregular or inconsistent

The well-being of a king's subject is the King's pride, but observing that these poor kids look like kwashiokor sufferers is a shame to his royal highness

blessedfavoured: Hello everyone,
I filled an application online for my cousin. He's only 10. I just realised one of his names in his bc and passports had a wrong spelling. Say they put Robelt on the passports and BC instead of Robert. We filled the forms with the real spelling. But I'm thinking we should have put Robelt.
Is there anything we can do to correct it?
Like a sworn affidavit or something?
Thank you for your help

It is not clear what you actually meant when you said "one of his names in his bc and passports had A wrong spelling", did you mean that both documents have same spelling howbeit wrong, or that both have different wrong spellings?
If the birth certificate has a wrong spelling, it should have been corrected before applying for a passport with it, but for the fact that you proceeded to get his passport with the very name that you knew was wrongly spelled, that is questionable.
Anyway, if there is no cause for suspicion (especially as he is just a kid), the visa officer can overlook that (but s/he may make a remark on the visa if issued).
I don't think the sworn affidavit is relevant now, you can add a note on the additional information box: But in future, you might want to make corrections in the birth certificate first, and then in the passport.
These are my opinions, they are not the official positions

terrimatix: I am a Nigerian doing my masters in Europe,i was issued a two year B1/B2 American visa last two months to attend a conference and academic fair in California.Unfortunately, i could not attend the conference due to some reasons beyond my control then.
Now, i intend to visit US in September for a two week holiday before we resume our first semester final year.my fear is if i will be allowed to enter US at the port of entry since i did not come for the purpose in which the visa was issued (i mean the conference)?
What do you advice me to do @justwise and other experienced travelers?
Thanks.

If you are lucky enough to meet an inefficient immigration officer who would not look into the purpose of which your visa was issued, you may be allowed in, but once the purpose is looked into, (unless you have a very satisfying explanation that would make it meaningful to use this visa for another purpose as it is unreasonably to apply for another visa while the previous one remains valid) then there is nothing that will stop them from keeping you in the holding room for the next available deportation flight.
Yes, like Justwise advices, you might want to first contact the embassy.

momoyama: I have read your previous thread from the link provided and I see your point. While a Sierra Leonean may technically travel visa free to these countries, there is not direct flights, as my friend's experience shows. Moreover, it is true that he only got in here after demonstrating (somehow) that he had a significant amount of money. He then enrolled in a school. That was 2012 and he is still here. I think it sounds appalling (based on what he says) just how difficult it is for Africans to travel abroad. He says the British, German, US and even Russian embassies had repeatedly denied him tourist visas. I simply cannot understand why so many countries have a discriminatory policy toward tourist entrants.

You are probably having these perspectives because, (though you may be black) you are neither an African citizen nor have you lived in an African nation: otherwise, you would beg to differ and judge that the treatments that Africans receive from foreign immigration authorities are arguably deserved: not by the fault of the individual, but due to the irresponsibility of his government to make his country a comfortable place.
You were able to boast of being a citizen of a (small but great) country with good standard of living, but most Africans can't boast of same

momoyama: Lichtenstein, Singapore, Andorra, Bermuda, Barbados and or course my own country, The Bahamas, do require visas for Sierra Leoneans. Of course, these are all small countries, but they are all wealthy countries with high incomes that typically have very stringent visa/immigration restrictions. Bermuda, for instance, has a per capita income almost three times that of the United States and far, far higher salaries across the board.
I am not sure what you mean by 'economic power', but I do not think that is a criteria people use when deciding to migrate, otherwise big, poor countries like China and Brazil would have more immigration problems than small, wealthier ones. Of course, the reverse is true.
Also, Malaysia does not require visa from Sierra Leoneans. While Malaysia is much poorer than the small countries listed above it nonetheless is a net migration magnet. So I maintain that having two passports is always a good thing for international travel.

Sorry, i meant to say economy power.
Well, I do understand your points, they are intelligible and they are facts. But there is need to understand that even if Sierra-Leonean passport does not officially require a visa to enter a country like Singapore, yet, there are requirements to satisfy at the port of entry.
It would be naive for just any Sierra-Leonean passport holder to venture a casual trip to Singapore if he doesn't have reasonable amount of money, a reasonable job and a reasonable obligation or tie to return home for.
Visa-free regulation with African passport is not at all the same regulation with European passport.
Logically, the process of applying for a visa is considerably easier than the risk of travelling visa free to a country where you would be subjected to give satisfying answers to all sort of different questions. Understand that black Africans generally pose significant risks to foreign immigration therefore, are subjected to stringent scrutiny at border control: even airliners are not willing to accept an African who does not hold a visa.
It would make more sense to refer you to my recent article regarding the logics behind the so called visa free destinations.
By the way, have you checked to see if there are direct flights to these countries to which Sierra-Leoneans do not need a visa?
These arguments put in place, I insist that Nigeria, Sierra-Leone and all together with other ECOWAS countries are in the same category in respect of international travel.
You might want to refer to this link for more details:
https://www.nairaland.com/1815419/dont-fooled-no-visa-free

momoyama: According to the Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index, Nigerians can enter 48 countries without visas, while Sierra Leoneans can enter 63 countries without visas. That is a significant difference. Moreover, I am sure not all of the 48 countries that allow visa free travel to Nigerians extend the same to Sierra Leoneans. That means that there IS value to holding both passports.

Even if Sierra-leone passport are visa free to more countries than Nigerian passport, have you checked the qualities of these countries?
If yes, which of the countries is a country with significance economic power?
Com'on, you're not going to be naming countries like Bangladesh, Haiti Sri-Lanka and East-Timor, are you?

charzyh2: @vic, please what are the main issues that need to be corrected.
Your reply will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much for your time.

There are 101 issues that I don't think you can correct at this stage, but I will be considerate enough to mention one which is a knockout blow.
You stated that you would be going to the UK for "business" while you are not a business man: yet, you expect a couple that you met in the internet to sponsor your trip.
You are also contemplating on applying for a tourist visa, but you do not seem to be having any meaningful responsibility in Nigeria, and you are entirely banking your hope on the strange couples that you seemingly know nothing about.

momoyama: I am not sure why you think that, but you may be right. I would imagine that different countries do not have the same visa requirements as others. For instance, a Nigerian may not require a visa to Canada (as a Commonwealth country) and a Sierra Leonean may require one. By the same token, a Sierra Leonean may not require one for a specific country that a Nigerian does. That is why having dual citizenship is always good for making travel convenient.

Dual citizenship is beneficial if you are a citizen of two countries of different advantages: for example, you hold both Nigerian and Australian citizenship. But there is no advantage if you hold dual citizenship of Nigerian and Sierra-leone because, both countries are of same values in regards to international travel.

momoyama: I am not sure, but I will ask him about the Russia visa issue. He is a dual Nigerian/Sierra Leone citizen, though, which might make some difference.

When it comes to international travel matters, being a dual Nigerian/Sierra-leonean citizen can only make as much difference as being a bi-ethnic indigene of Yoruba and Igbo.

charzyh2: Hello,
I am 21 years. I met an American woman on facebook. She and her husband introduced me to a network marketing business. I got interested in the business. So, they sponsored my registration financially. The husband has been chatting with me by email.
Now, they want me to come over there (US) for seminars in either December or January.
They are ready to stand as my sponsor and they are willing to provide any supporting documents for the invitation and sponsorship.
My questions are:
1. Is this a business visa or tourist visa?
2. What documents are required of them being my sponsor in this kind of situation?
3. What documents required are required of me?
4. And what are my my chances of being approved of this type of visa in this situation?
Thank you sir.
Regards.
Charles George.

1) If you are going for business, then it is a business visa and if for tourism, then it is tourist visa.
2) The documents that are required of them can be found in the original post.
3) Also, refer to the original post.
4) It would be easier for you to lift an adult elephant than to get a visa in your given circumstances.

drstone1: The Taqqiya! Sacred deception to deceive who?? What does it state-please expanciate. For sometyme I find it difficult to believe d passivity of educated muslims to d atrocities perpetrated by these butchers by making statement like -we condemn this killings n that's where it stops. However, when they hear america is coming you see very effective protest n condemnation. What does d Taqqiya state-can anybody help??

If I elaborate on the true meaning of Taqqiyah, they will delete the post and my labour will be in vain.
It is unfortunate that over 90% of the answers that you would get on Google are white-washed answers (from them) that are designed to sugar-coat the true meaning in order to make it acceptable to westerners.
Well, Taqqiyah or Taqiya, or Taqqiya, or Takiyah etc means DECEPTION, FAKING , MISLEADING, CONCEALING, or LYING to unbelievers in order to hide the negatives of the religion.

acadollar: Pls who knows if south Korea embassy can accept a family friends account statement for my sponsor ship being that there is no family ties ?
Also is it a must that since am going for masters that It must be self sponsored ?
Pls I need suggestions on what to do about this .

I don't know about south Korea, but I know that no normal country would consider such sponsorship as credible

Freelancer007: Why don't you get an English translated version of "that book" and read it too... Who knows? May be, you could learn good manners and stop attacking other people's religion blindly.

Adolf Hitler killed 6 million Jews in the Holocaust and nobody criticized his religion for it, but his own "evil tendencies".

Suicide bombers are the enemies of everybody within their target vicinity- young or old, Christian or Muslim. The bombs they use have no sensors to distinguish Christians from Muslims. Learn to criticize what is bad as bad and not relate it to religion. The bomber should be brought to book; not the religion!

Get it?

You have not read that Book, but I have read it and know the commands (in it) to fight and kill the infidels.
it also commands the faithful to kill the "people of the book" (Jews and Christians) until they pay the jizya
You are either naive of the book or you are applying taqqiyah (sacred deception).

justwise: Please send email to admin using this link and report the issue to them https://www.nairaland.com/sendmessagetosupermods

I sent an email as suggested, there was no response and yet I continue to receive cascade of this junk reports.
I might be compelled to blacklist and place nairaland in blocked list.

paddedbabe: Hello house, please I submitted my visa renewal application for 2 years with my husband on the 24th of june.We got an sms after 15 working days that our packets are ready for collection but on getting there,it was only my husband's packet that was ready.He got his visa and they returned all the supporting documents and said that mine wasn't ready yet.I have tried tracking it and it says your application has been forwarded to the British high commission till today.pleaee does anyone have an idea what I should do?

It suggests to me that you have had a dealing with the embassy before, and therefore, your application requires further checks

joxiri: Hello house
Pls can u guys confirm if this means a visa application has been refused
I was under assumption if it's given
The email will say the visa has been issued

You very well know the meaning of the email content as well as you know the answer to your question.
Well, your application is unsuccessful

Castalia: Thanks Vicjustice.
I will plan and add to the itinerary. That shouldn't be too difficult, though I have done most of the site seeing in earlier trips.
The reason I did not want to put too much on tours/site seeing is in order not to increase the budget by too much visavis my monthly income, and my account balance
Please what do you advice as per my business. Should I leave it out completely because of the tax issue? Even though I get income from there, it is not a 'salary' per se. I am including it more as a tie, than as a source of income. I actually have the Prepared Auditors Account & Revenue Collector's Receipt of Tax payment for 2013 though, but due to some long story, the Tax Clearance Certificate is not ready. Please advice
Do I need to include wedding pictures of myself and my wife. I think I saw some suggestions to that effect in the thread.
Lastly, can I get your thoughts on the suggestion about doing a valuation of the property made above (Thanks @superior1). That is an extra expense ooo, and I wouldn't want to do it if it aint necessary.
Thanks all.

An own business is a very good tie, but a business that is behind in taxation is short of the requirement and can be a good reason for failure.
As for your wedding pictures, this is not necessary for a person whose spouse is physically present, it is only appropriate for those who need to prove the genuineness of their relationship.

Castalia: MOD et all (justwise, Vicjustice, 3sh4life and all the gurus

Thanks for all the responses so far. They are enlightening.
I intend to submit my application next week, but just want to be sure if I am ready to go. This is my situation.

I am applying for a family visit visa for myself, my wife and daughter. My brother is a permanent resident lecturing in a university, and has sent the required docs.
ME: I have previously got 6months and 2year Visas. Travelled 3x, spent less than 2weeks on each occasion. Now intend to apply for 5years
WIFE: Wife was denied in 2010. We weren't married then. Reason was insufficient ties and funding. Applying for 6months
Daughter: Applying for 6months.

I am the sole sponsor. I work in a multinational coy and I also own a business (LTD) (a pharmacy), but my tax documents aint up to date. My monthly income is 600k, part of which comes from this business, so I plan to include the company papers and bank statement (should I include the bank statement?). I own 98% of the shares and am the sole signatory. I also submitted it in previous applications, so that's why I want to add it. I don't receive a fixed salary from the business, but funds from there are available for my use.

My balance at the time of application will be about N1.2m. Budget for the trip is 850k. of which the major expense is flight ticket (500k). I don't intend to spend a whole lot on visiting tourist sites, so I dint include that as part of my itinerary. Basically, I intend to spend 7days, my itinerary says - I will be spending time with my brother and his family in Wales (is that ok?). (So no cost for accommodation and feeding)

My wife works, but her salary is quite small (70k/month) and INCONSISTENT to say the least. (Though I am the one sponsoring the trip).She has received salary only about 3times this year. Hope that will not count against her with the ECO? I am her only tie to the country (and our daughter) and we are all travelling together. Her travel history is Dubai and Ghana. My real concern is for my wife since she has been refused before. I don't want a situation were I am given and she isn't.

Apart from the documents from my brother who is inviting us, I am submitting the following:
1. Work documents - employment letter, Letter to embassy from work identifying me and stating my leave days
2. Financial doc - My acct statement, my pay slips, the business account statement (and CAC documents)
3. Property - C/O of a landed property. I have a building on it, but I don't know how to pass that information across that it is not a bare land
4. Certificates - Birth certificate of baby, marriage certificate, (Does we need to write a letter of permission for our daughter to travel? bear in mind that we are all travelling together)

Any other thing to add? Any suggestion or recommendations?

Your wife's low income is not the problem here, there are other things that pose threats to your applications than her salary.
Your monthly income of N600k is impressive, but, you will have to prove the legitimacy of the sources of income, and as you have admitted that your company's is behind time in tax compliance, that is a problem.
You said you have nothing much to do or see in the UK except to spend 7 days with your brother? That too pose a significant risk as your travel would be seen as purposeless visit; it is wise to plan (or at least, have something to say about) how you intend to spend your days in the uk: activity plans are necessary.

peace009: Vicjustice, I do appreciate you so much. thanks.... what about the salary issue.. is it a must to have salary to my personal account becos i don't and have all my docs ready for submission... I have a personal savings accounts though but not like a monthly regular pay in a salary account..

As a businessman, you are not required to be regulated by basic or consistent salary formality, all you need is personal bank statement and proof of the sources of funds