Priority Visit Visa _ After a refused application

[feri_2017]

I have been trying to get a visa for my dad to visit me in the UK for the first time, we applied 4 times so far and each time they refuse it with some baseless reasons.
He lives in Iran, and to apply he needs to do his biometric process at a Vfs office where the application will be sent to Abu Dhabi to be processed.

I am thinking of going to Turkey for two weeks with my dad and apply from there. Over there I can get a Priority Visa service which will attempt to process the application within 5 days.

However on the website it says if the visa have been refused before then this service may take longer.

I have a full time job in the UK, so the time I can spend there with my dad waiting for the passport to come back is limited.
Obviously I can't leave him alone there as he doesn't speak English and not going to be easy for him to stay there on his own waiting for the passport which he ultimately needs to be able to fly back to Iran.

Now my question is, has anyone experienced this, how long is the max days that the Priority Visa could take for a first time visit visa that has been refused before?

(they have a "keep my passport" service but this cannot be used along side the Priority Visa.

My concern is, we might submit the application and they don't process it within a reasonable time for a Priority Visa service. And we end up staying there for weeks, which may put my job at risk here in the UK and create so much stress and uncertainty. Not mentioning cost of the Airbnb and changing of the flights.

At the same time I really want a way to do this as fast as possible.

[secret.simon]

we applied 4 times so far and each time they refuse it

If they have refused it four times, I would presume that any subsequent application will also get more scrutiny and hence take more time anyway and therefore it is not worth applying for a Priority visa.

I think you may want to plan on visiting him in a country other than the UK (i.e. it is likely that he may not get a visit visa to the UK).

What are the "baseless reasons" for the four refusals so far?

What are the ties to his country of habitual residence that you/he demonstrated in his previous applications? Does he have any family in that country that would qualify as a strong tie to that country? Do you have any siblings or close family living with him or in the same city/town/village as him? Keep in mind that his strong ties to his country need to be stronger than having a British citizen child.

Indeed, ironically having a British citizen child in the UK weakens his case, especially if that child is supporting him financially, because then there is a risk that he may decide to not leave and his child and he can afford to do so.

[feri_2017]

Thanks foe the response.
Well long story short, I visit him in a third country every six months. Seeing him is not an issue. I have lived here for past 15 years, I wanna be able to show him the life I built for myself.

More than enough tied to Iran I would say, he has two sons one of whom lives with him who works as a doctor. The other one lives in the same street who has a son, he often look after his grandson.
He is also a business owner as a CEO of a 40 years old company with so much reputation in the contry. He attends work on daily basis and it's almost impossible for him to leave the business or the family behind.

For all of these I have provided evidence, from his bank accounts to company details and certificates as well as my brothers details, their work place, living address.

Baseless, meaning every time I submitted the application with all the details they came up with excuses as of why your sponsor doesn't have money where I had over £20,000 in my account, or why he hasn't provided his bank account statement whereas we did provide everything then we realised that the case worker didn't even read a single document we submitted, every time we submit things they come up with something similar, as if they are doing it on purpose.

I do not support him in any way, it might actually be the other way around as he helped me financially a few times.

So I'm so baffled now and not sure what else we can do...

[JB007]

Well long story short, I visit him in a third country every six months. Seeing him is not an issue. I have lived here for past 15 years, I wanna be able to show him the life I built for myself.

More than enough tied to Iran I would say, he has two sons one of whom lives with him who works as a doctor. The other one lives in the same street who has a son, he often look after his grandson.
He is also a business owner as a CEO of a 40 years old company with so much reputation in the contry. He attends work on daily basis and it's almost impossible for him to leave the business or the family behind.

Perhaps his refusal of a visa is based on your immigration history? You claimed asylum.
indefinite-leave-to-remain/set-protecti ... l#p1565808

[feri_2017]

But everyone's situation is different, I was a political Asylum seeker at the time.

[lolo2]

When these four applications were submitted? their dates?

I don't think that going to another country or paying for a faster service will have any impact on the outcome of a new application, perhaps only on the speed of the decision. Given the number of rejections, the move can be seen by the ECO as an attempt to change previous decisions.

[feri_2017]

Three last year and one this year February.

But isn't that the whole point? I'm adding more details and documents to the application, each time explain things in more detail. And point out what was overlooked in the last application and submit again.

I spoke to a lawyer and he suggested considering the application has no issue and is complete this might be a valid case to take them to the court on human rights grounds.

It just baffles me as what else I can do...

[lolo2]

This is another factor that needs to be pondered. Consecutive applications in a relative short time can also be seen as desperate attempts to get into the UK.

Previously you commented that all the rejections have been based on financial reasons. Sometimes it's not only having enough money but how this money is presented in the application. It's strange they have overlooked the finances all the time (according to what you wrote), unless there's another factor mentioned in the letters you received that hasn't yet been properly addressed.

Not sure about the human rights claim derived from multiple visitors visa rejections, others can comment on this.

[feri_2017]

I personally don't understand this side of it, as how come consecutive applications would come across as desperate, of course I am desperate to be able to have my dad here to visit me.

Not all of them, I have to mention that, third time, absolutely none of the documents were looked at, raised a PAP and it was approved for reconsideration. Last time which would be reconsidering of the application after PAP they complained as of why I didn't provide full address and details of my brothers, which is ridiculous as no where in the application ask for that.
And also it was again saying that I didn't details single transactions in the bank statement, which is not true as I explained everything in detail, every single transaction.

Now in my new attempt this time would be giving official documentations for my brothers jobs and their living address.
And give exactly the same as before detailed bank statements and explanation of each transaction.

It just makes me really upset when I see that they literally are wasting our time and just charge money.

[CR001]

Unless you post the specific reasons for each visa refusal, we cannot really comment.

Also, no 'human rights issue' here. You can visit him is how UKVI would view it.

Not sure why you are having to explain 'every single bank transaction'. This could honestly be viewed as you trying to justify anomalies or suspicious transations etc.

[feri_2017]

Fair enough, will post details for each refusal letter in a bit.

Detailing and explaining each transaction is what they ask for. Every time the ECO complains that there are transactions that they dont understand. And asking me to explain every single one of them for a 3 months of transactions.

[CR001]

Detailing and explaining each transaction is what they ask for. Every time the ECO complains that there are transactions that they dont understand. And asking me to explain every single one of them for a 3 months of transactions.

That means there are suspicious transactions that don't align with his claimed circumstances etc. such as perhaps, sudden large deposits.

[feri_2017]

Correct and that why I explained everything in detail as they asked for. But still....

[CR001]

Correct and that why I explained everything in detail as they asked for. But still....

Explanations obviously not accepted then. We would need to see each full refusal reason for anyone to offer any helpful advice.

[feri_2017]

Correct and that why I explained everything in detail as they asked for. But still....

Explanations obviously not accepted then. We would need to see each full refusal reason for anyone to offer any helpful advice.

Okay here is what I have for past two refusals, as now that I checked we got the finance and salary wrong in the first two refusals.

Before anything, let me explain his situation and business, in Iran it's very common that people link their Saving Accounts to a debit card and use it directly like Current Accounts. My dad as a business owner has only one saving account that he uses it for both personal and business. This obviously caused more complications. As we wanted to show that he has money in his saving account and he wants to bring some with him to spend, about £2000.
As he uses the saving account for business transactions too, there are often transactions with large amount in there, max would be £5000 these are mostly money received from the customer who purchased items from the company and they transfer via Bank Transfer, again this is very common in Iran.
I explained all of these in detail and provided a document like below explaining every single transaction that is large:

Screenshot 2023-05-13 164931.jpg (127.7 KiB) Viewed 3507 times

Then similar document for his Current Account, which doesn't have much of large transactions as it is used only for personal use. I also provided his Insurance details which shows the salary coming into his Current Account, matching the finance correctly when compared to the bank statements.

In the invitation letter I explained in detail that I would be taking full responsibility for his expenses including flights and accommodation over here in the UK. Provided all the related documents about my job, salary and bank statements, I provided my current account to demonstrate normal activity and my salary. And my saving account statement with over £20,000 to demonstrate I have enough to support him and myself!

I also explained that he has two other sons who work in the same city and one of them lives with him.

This is the refusal letter

Date: 27/01/2023

The decision

I have refused your application for a visit visa because I am not satisfied that you meet the
requirements of paragraph(s) V4.2 – V4.6 of Appendix V of the Immigration Rules because:
You have applied for a visa to visit your family in the UK for 14 days. I understand the
importance of family visits, however in order to assess your intentions I must consider your
circumstances in your country of residence based on the information you have provided with
your application.

 You have stated that you are employed as a CEO and Managing Director, that you
earn IRR 139,106,610 (£2,659.11) per month and that you spend IRR 120,000,000
(£2,293.87) on your monthly expenses. In support of this, you have provided
membership certificates, gazette printings, notice of changes, licences and several
other commercial documents and personal bank statements from Bank Saderat Iran
(account number ending -9002) and (account number ending -2000).

 After reviewing your bank documents, I note there are deposits in keeping with your
stated income from your employment. However, I also note the transaction history
demonstrate numerous other unsourced deposits. The documents you have
submitted do not demonstrate the origin of the funds contained in your account or
that they are related to your stated source of income. Furthermore, the total incoming
credits for the period of 01/01/2023 – 07/01/2023 alone were IRR 2,350,000,000
(£44,921.70), which is over 16 times higher than your salary. Therefore, I am not
satisfied the documents you have submitted demonstrate your circumstances are as
you have stated. This undermines the credibility of the information provided in your
application and leads me to doubt the intentions of your visit.

 You have stated that you are widowed, have no financial dependents and that you
will be travelling unaccompanied to visit your son in the UK. In support of this, you
have provided a birth certificate detailing your family and I note it shows you have
three children total. The documents provided do not demonstrate the whereabouts of
the other children or any immediate/extended family remaining upon your departure.
Given this, I am not satisfied you have shown that your ties to your country of
residence (or elsewhere) provide sufficient incentive for you to leave the UK at the
end of your proposed visit. On the balance of probabilities, I am therefore not
satisfied that you are genuinely seeking entry as a visitor or that you intend to leave
the UK after a limited period.

 I am not satisfied that you are genuinely seeking entry as a visitor and that you will
leave the UK at the end of your visit. Your application is therefore refused under
paragraph V 4.2 (a) and (c) of the Immigration Rules.

 You have stated that you wish to visit your son and that they will maintain and
accommodate you. You have indicated that your sponsor will pay £4,000.00 towards
the cost of your trip. You have provided a bank statement in your sponsor's name
from Lloyds Bank (account number ending -5760) which shows a closing balance of
£54.58 on (30/12/2022). You have not demonstrated that your sponsor has any
additional funds available to them to cover the cost of your trip. 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.

So as soon as we got this, realised that he hasn't looked at many documents at all, we explained every single transaction event he small ones. But he claimed that we didn't.
Most shocking one was that he said I had £54 in my account which is correct but he clearly didn't read the invitation letter and detail in there and that I had also included my saving account with over £20k in there!

With the above grounds I submitted as PAP. It was approved and went for reconsideration.
But then I got this:

Date: 29/03/2023

The decision

I have refused your application for a visit visa because I am not satisfied that you meet the
requirements of paragraph(s) V4.2 – V4.6 of Appendix V for the following reasons:

 You intend to visit the UK for a period of 14 days to see your son and his family.
Whilst I understand the importance of family visits, the onus is on you to ensure that
you meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules. In order to come to a decision,
all of the information regarding your personal and financial circumstances have been
carefully assessed. However, I am not satisfied that you have met the requirements of
the Immigration Rules on this occasion.

 You state that your son, who is also your UK sponsor, will maintain and accommodate
you for the duration of your visit. Whilst I am satisfied that he is in a position to do so
based on the documentation provided, this is only one aspect of the visitor rules.

 You state that you are employed as a CEO and Managing Director and earn a
monthly income totalling IRR 139,106,610 (£2,654.46) and you intend to contribute
£1,000 towards your visit to the UK.

 In support of your application, you have submitted (including but not limited to)
business documentation, a certificate of membership, a business license, a
commercial ID card and two bank statements in your name from Bank Saderat
(account numbers ending 9002 and 2000). Whilst I acknowledge salary credits in
keeping with your stated income which is deposited into Bank Saderat account
number 2000, I note that in your other bank account, (Bank Saderat account number
ending 9002), there are credits accumulating to IRR 8,106,271,275 (£154,685) which
represents over 58 times your declared monthly income. In your self-written
declaration, you explain the deposits going into your salary account (Bank Saderat
2000), however, the deposits into other account are not addressed. As the documents
do not demonstrate the sources of these large deposits, I am unable to determine
their origins. I am therefore not satisfied that your income and financial circumstances
are as you have declared.

 You state that you have two other sons and grandchildren living with you in your
home country. However, whilst you have birth certificates, these documents in
isolation do not demonstrate their current whereabouts or their personal
circumstances. I am therefore satisfied that your family ties to the UK outweigh those
you have in your home country.

 Given the above, after careful consideration of all documentation provided, I am not
satisfied that the documents demonstrate your personal and financial circumstances.
This raises doubts regarding your intentions for visiting the UK. I am not satisfied that
you are genuinely seeking entry for a purpose that is permitted under the visitor route
and that you will leave the UK at the end of your visit.

As if they don't want to read the details we submitted!

Now this time round, we are providing official documents stating jobs and living address of my brothers. And wanted to see if not providing his Saving Account at all and just the current account and his insurance details would make things better, because his account being mixed with business has caused all these complications.
I would like to explain this in detail in a separate statement that I will be supporting him fully and I have asked him not to bring any money with him. There is a box in the application form which is asking for how much money he is planning to spend, there is no way to leave that empty so was thinking either put £1000 there and explain in the statement I would be giving him that money when he arrives or just put £1 in there and explain that he wouldn't be spending anything on his own!

What do you guys think? Would this approach be better, or I should still submit the Saving Account? My concern is they might still come back and say you haven't explained all the transactions, which we have done in past two applications in detail.

[feri_2017]

What are your views guys? I kind of decided not to do the Priority Visa anymore, but I still need to know not submitting the saving account and just providing the Current Account with all the transactions explained, as well as insurance and salary report would be enough and a good idea!?
As I mentioned I don't want him to bring any money with him and I will provide and support for everything financially!

[Nalule]

They care more about what he will spend than what sponsors will spend unfortunately. I don’t have another answer but hope you get it one day. Don’t waste money on priority it hurts more when they reject

[ALKB]

What are your views guys? I kind of decided not to do the Priority Visa anymore, but I still need to know not submitting the saving account and just providing the Current Account with all the transactions explained, as well as insurance and salary report would be enough and a good idea!?
As I mentioned I don't want him to bring any money with him and I will provide and support for everything financially!

Well.

So, in the first two applications, you got his income wrong - does that mean the refusals were correct in your view?

In the refusals you shared here, he stated that he uses all but around GBP 400 of his income per month for living expenses, yet, his bank statements show deposits of nearly 45k GBP in a short amount of time and one of his accounts has nearly 155k GBP - a true feat for somebody saving 400 GBP per month. Yet, he only intends to spend 1000 GBP on his stay in the UK.

I think to the ECO it still looks like he got his declared income wrong or has additional undeclared income. I also think that providing your finances as a financial sponsor overcomplicated the case. It doesn´t matter if you intend to pay everythng for him, you can do that, just don´t make it sound as if he somehow is unable to finance his trip on his own with a bank balance as he showed.

My father-in-law is well off. When I lived in the UK and invited him for visits, I only ever provided documents as far as providing accommodation was concerned (size of appartment, number of bedrooms, how many people live there, etc.), so he didn´t have to show a hotel reservation. For finances he only showed his own bank statements. Of course, we didn´t make him pay for everything when he arrived!

Look at it like this:

A business that earns him 155k GBP is a good reason to return home.

A business that seems to earn that much but he doesn´t declare it and doesn´t seem able to spend the money at will, is not a good reason to return home.

Regarding his sons, add something that shows ongoing presence, like current salary slips, current school reports/letter of enrollment of grandchildren, etc.

[lolo2]

I think the problem here was mixing personal and business finances, that's what I can read from the reasons of the rejections.

The applicant has a salary that's above the median monthly income in the UK, people earning a fraction of that figure are getting their visas approved on a daily basis. Including business finances was absolutely unnecessary imo.

His job - and salary - as a director of his own company can be supported with personal documents (payslips, employment letter, etc).

Since they submitted several applications (plus a PAP) in a very short time, I would suggest waiting at least six months to submit fresh supporting documents, maintaining a similar financial situation (money in & out) in the personal account where he receives the salary - uses for daily expenses. Again, the payslips of the period and an employment letter are the best documents to support this. A priority service will not make the outcome any different.

Don't submit any business finances, these are irrelevant for this type of visa. The ties to the country can be supported with assets (ownership documents only - not finances/memberships/licences and the like) and family in the country documents.

[feri_2017]

Thanks very much everyone!
I agree that mixing personal and business accounts caused the confusion.
I will only include personal account for next time.

Now my main issue is, his personal account only receives his salary and shows a normal daily transactions. He can afford paying for his trip and expenses, but to prove that, it means I have to include his saving account which is also used as a business account, and that will put us back in the square one of explaining all his business transactions. (large transactions, all of them are business related and buying or selling products/materials)

That's why I was wondering if I can explain that I will pay for all his expenses and pay for everything. My problem is in the application form there is a box where you need to put how much money he will plan to spend , not sure if I put something there, will that will be counted against what he has in bank account or what I will be helping him with?

[AmazonianX]

Thanks very much everyone!
I agree that mixing personal and business accounts caused the confusion.
I will only include personal account for next time.

Now my main issue is, his personal account only receives his salary and shows a normal daily transactions. He can afford paying for his trip and expenses, but to prove that, it means I have to include his saving account which is also used as a business account, and that will put us back in the square one of explaining all his business transactions. (large transactions, all of them are business related and buying or selling products/materials)

That's why I was wondering if I can explain that I will pay for all his expenses and pay for everything. My problem is in the application form there is a box where you need to put how much money he will plan to spend , not sure if I put something there, will that will be counted against what he has in bank account or what I will be helping him with?

From personal account, if there is savings/balance, this can be used.
There is question of how much he will spend and another question of how much any other person will be supporting the applicant with.
While applications are said to be considered on their own merit, make reference to previous refusal and that it got confusing due to showing business account etc etc.

[feri_2017]

That's the thing, by end of the months he doesn't have much left in his Personal Account, so cant be used to prove he has funds to support himself!
The issue is he has for many years used his saving account as a business account and that has caused so many confusions for this application, hence I don't want to include it anymore!

Another question, is there any legal way of for example I put my passport/ citizenship or even property on the line just to prove to the Home Office that my dad won't over stay or break any immigration law and he will return to his country after two weeks? I don't know if this is possible in the UK but in Iran you can legally temporarily put your property deed in possession of an organisation in case anything goes wrong!

[CR001]

Another question, is there any legal way of for example I put my passport/ citizenship or even property on the line just to prove to the Home Office that my dad won't over stay or break any immigration law and he will return to his country after two weeks? I don't know if this is possible in the UK but in Iran you can legally temporarily put your property deed in possession of an organisation in case anything goes wrong!

No such thing in the UK unfortunately and still would prevent people overstaying even if there was such a thing.

[AmazonianX]

That's the thing, by end of the months he doesn't have much left in his Personal Account, so cant be used to prove he has funds to support himself!
The issue is he has for many years used his saving account as a business account and that has caused so many confusions for this application, hence I don't want to include it anymore!

Another question, is there any legal way of for example I put my passport/ citizenship or even property on the line just to prove to the Home Office that my dad won't over stay or break any immigration law and he will return to his country after two weeks? I don't know if this is possible in the UK but in Iran you can legally temporarily put your property deed in possession of an organisation in case anything goes wrong!

The above proposal likely raise suspicion of ECO to wit desperation

[lolo2]

That's the thing, by end of the months he doesn't have much left in his Personal Account, so cant be used to prove he has funds to support himself!

Not sure what you mean with this. According to the letter, he has a balance in his personal account of £365.24 (salary minus expenses) at the end of the month.

You have stated that you are employed as a CEO and Managing Director, that you
earn IRR 139,106,610 (£2,659.11) per month and that you spend IRR 120,000,000
(£2,293.87) on your monthly expenses

Keep that balance (or more) for at least six months to show affordability of a 14-days trip. As commented above, his salary is way above the income of many people getting a visitors visa to the UK. He could have had his visa approved on the first attempt just by presenting a tidy application

I still believe the business accounts are unnecessary here. I don't know why you're insisting in complicating things.