Obtaining a visit visa to the UK for my wife

Question

I'm looking for some general guidance on my wife's visa application.

I'm a British national who has been living in Pakistan for the past 3 years. I got married over 4 years ago to my wife, who is a Pakistani national. We had our first child in January of this year. I applied for my child's right of abode and that application was successful; the child has the right to enter and live in the UK as her father is a national.

Now my father is elderly and ill but would like to see his granddaughter. I have obtained a letter from the GP confirming he can't travel to Pakistan. I would like to apply for a 1 month visit visa for my wife. She has savings in her account and my brother has also sponsored her. So, proof of funding is not an issue.

The only issue I see is that they may reject the application of the grounds that she may not return after her visa expires, as me and the child are British. But, we are only planning on staying for 1 month and have no intentions of making the UK our permanent home for the time being. If I wanted to move my family to the UK, I would apply for a spouse visa and move over there.

Any idea on how the ECO would view this application? Am I likely to be rejected? How can I prove she will come back? Also, we made a visit for 8 days to Dubai on a family vacation.

Answer 1

This How to avoid getting a visa refusal when applying for a UK visitor visa? covers pretty much everything you need to consider in order to prepare a solid application.

Provide a cover letter with your wife’s application that explains your own circumstances. Personally I would not make any comparison between your previous lifestyle in the UK and your economic situation now. Focus instead on stating the compelling reasons why you will all return to Pakistan at the end of the trip and providing evidence of ties to support that.

If you plan to stay with your father, you should provide an invitation letter from him confirming that he will accommodate you and your family for the duration of your visit What should a sponsor tell the ECO? A copy of your father’s passport should be included.

Finally, your question mentions that “She has savings in her account and my brother has also sponsored her. So, proof of funding is not an issue.” If that means your brother is helping her financially with the costs of the trip because you are not in a position to do so, then I do see a potential issue. A husband sponsoring his wife is completely normal. A brother sponsoring a sister is also common. However, a British citizen who is accompanying his wife on a visit to the UK but who isn’t covering the shortfall between his wife’s savings and the costs of the trip could be a red flag, IMHO.