UK Standard Visitor Visa - what is the total amount of money you spend each month

Question

REASONS FOR REFUSAL

You have applied for a visa to visit the UK. In deciding whether you meet the requirements of Appendix V: of the Immigration Rules for visitors (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-v-visitor-rules), I have considered:

• your application and any additional relevant information you have provided with it
• your immigration history

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 of Appendix V because:

You have applied to visit the United Kingdom for 16 days for Tourism.

I note that you state your father will be paying towards the cost of your visit and you have provided supporting information of your father's circumstances. However I have to take into account your own current circumstances within Nigeria. You state that you are a student and do not have any other income. You state that you spend 30000.00 NGN (£56.12) on your living expenses per month. However from the information you have provided it does not demonstrate that how you support yourself on a daily basis. I am not satisfied you have demonstrated your own personal circumstances or that they are as such that you can be relied upon to meet the requirements of entry clearance as a visitor.

Furthermore you state that you are personally planning to spend 100000.00 NGN (£187.07) on your proposed visit to the UK and no one else will be contributing to the costs of your visit. However from the information you have provided it has not been demonstrated that you have access to funds of your own. As a result I am not satisfied that you will have access to funds to support your personal trip costs throughout your visit nor that have you provided an accurate reflection of your personal and financial circumstances.

In light of all of the above, I am not satisfied that you intend to leave the United Kingdom or that you are genuinely seeking entry as a visitor or that you have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to their visit without working or accessing public funds. Your application is therefore refused under paragraph V4.2 (a) and (c) of the Immigration Rules.

Rate of exchange £1 = [534.55 NGN] (reference www.oanda.com on [29/11/2022]

This is concerning a UK visa. I know someone has asked a similar question, but my issue is that my monthly spendings are not consistent. I also do not have a job and my only "income" is from the money I get as an allowance. Sometimes my mum sends money into my account to hold it for her, which is around 10 times what I normally spend. Sometimes I also win money from betting. Should I make an average of the last six months' expenditure? I'm trying to be as accurate as possible.

I am Nigerian, in my early twenties. I am still in university (I have a letter from my dean) and I am going for a family Christmas vacation. I am staying for two weeks and my dad is paying for everything.

Answer 1

This may not directly answer your question, but reading it I went "Ouch!", so some advice...

I think it's important you remember that applying for a visa is not like applying for a passport. It's not just a matter of filling out an application form and providing the required documents, and that's it, you get it.

It's more like applying for a loan, or trying to get a job, or applying for a top university. You have to convince them it's a good idea for them to give you a visa.

Visas are not a right. Countries get to pick who they want to let in or not, and they mostly want to be sure that:

• You will leave the country at the end of your planned trip
• You won't need to work or rely on public funds during your stay.

That's why they ask all those questions. Their goal is to ascertain:

• That you have a good reason to go back home. That often means a stable, well-paid job (in comparison to wages in the UK, not at home), or studies to return to, or other strong links to your home country (a family to support, property, a business to run...)
• That you have the required funds to pay for your trip. Either you have enough disposable income (your wages less your outgoings), or you have significant savings, or someone else is paying for you.

For the first point, you're saying you don't have a job, so that takes out the best reason. You need to have a good reason to return home, otherwise your visa will be denied.

For the second point, since you apparently don't have any income, how are you paying for the trip? Or who is? If someone else is paying for it, you need to provide details for their financial situation.

Also, you state that "Sometimes my mum sends money into my account to hold it for her which is like 10 times what I normally spend". This is a huge red flag, as it can be considered "funds parking". They like to see regular, consistent income, not irregular deposits.

I strongly recommend you read this answer and this one.

A majority of your outgoings should be quite consistent: rent, utilities, food... Is that not the case? Are you still living with your parents maybe?

You really need to paint a picture that shows it's in the UK's interest to let you in. Sure, if you're the heir of a (non-Russian) gazillionaire they probably don't care about your income or your outgoings or anything at all. But if you're just an average person, you need to show that you match their requirements, and pay attention to all the red flags (and there are many in your case).

Also remember that if you're not sure your application is good enough, you probably shouldn't submit it. It's not like "I'll submit this and see what gives, and if they say no I'll retry a bit later". They have a memory, and first impressions last. Once you have a rejection, they will look at further applications with even more of a suspicious eye than a first application.

And finally, remember that some countries will ask for visa refusals from any other country, so it won't be a problem just for the UK, it may prevent you from getting visas from other countries as well.