Family Visitor Visa - General query

Question

I am a Tier 2 General Primary Applicant , My in laws visited UK yesterday in Family Visitor Visa with the validity of 180 days, In the heathrow airport the border force immigration officers have asked about the return date, they weren't too sure at that time when they are gonna return back(definitely not a plan to extend / over stay), they just randomly mentioned 2 months, the officer has mentioned that they should not stay within UK beyond July 15th ( 2 months from arrival) , If they do then my Tier 2 general visa will not be renewed as it is due next year, Is this just a threat? Will the 180 days visa validity overrides with 60 days dutaion given by border force Airport immigration officer ? They haven't mentioned this anywhere in the passport, but officer has mentioned that she will note down in the system, which may impact the renewal.

Now my daughter wants her grandparents to be there on her birthday in September , Will that be not possible ? Should they return back before July 15th ? Is this a risk?Please assist

Answer 1

Border officers don't make jokes or idle threats. The 180 day limit is the maximum. Individual travelers can be given entry with shorter limits and that seems to have happened here.

What return travel arrangements do they have booked?

Answer 2

It would be helpful to know under which paragraph of the Immigration Rules your in-laws’ visas were curtailed because that information will inform what they do next. In the absence of that, from the information you’ve provided it seems pretty clear that it was due to not having a return ticket that matched the duration of stay stated in the application, and not providing a credible explanation for this when questioned. Given that your in-laws have family in the U.K. this made it appear that they may have been intending to overstay. IMHO they have a couple of options: 1. Book a flight home by 15th July (preferably a day or two before to allow for any possible flight delays). A second visa application would then be wise if your in-laws want to be certain of being able to return for your daughter’s birthday; 2. Contact U.K. Immigration to explain the situation and ask if an application to extend can be made under v8.7 of the Immigration Rules https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-v-visitor-rules so that your in-laws can stay until your daughter’s birthday in September. The success of this may depend on the strength of your in-laws’ ties to home and the credibility of them being able to be absent from their home country for 4+ months. 3. Having your visa curtailed on your first trip overseas is not a good position to be in and could make future visits more difficult. As time is on your side you should perhaps consider consulting an Immigration lawyer before doing anything.