I recently applied for a UK visit visa from Sri Lanka to visit my father, who is a British citizen, and to explore the UK for 16 days. I planned to travel with my mother and return together. I received my refusal today by email while her decision is still pending.
Quoting from the refusal letter:
The decision
I have refused your application for a visit visa because I am not satisfied that you meet the requirements of Appendix V: Immigration Rules for Visitors because:
You have applied to enter the UK for 16 days.
I appreciate the importance of your visit and I satisfied your sponsor can meets cost associated with the trip. I must assess your personal circumstances in your country of residence and whether you intend to leave the United Kingdom at the end of your visit. The information you have provided on your application form and the supporting information you submit allow me to assess whether your circumstances and intentions are, on the balance of probabilities, as stated. The onus is on the applicant to demonstrate that they meet the requirements of the relevant Immigration Rules.
You state you’re employed since April 2023. I note the supporting information in support of your personal and economic circumstances including the statements regarding your income and expenditure on your visa application form amongst your sponsors.
Now regarding your employment, the transaction history on the bank statement you have provided does not show deposits that are identifiable either as being from your employment or matching the level of salary you have stated you receive. I do note supporting information, but this statement shows credits which are not in identifiable with your stated income. This is not in keeping with the personal circumstances you have declared and undermines your credibility to the extent 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.
The information you have provided does not demonstrate your additional income. It is reasonable that if you can provide an income figure then it is demonstrated through the information provided. Given the above, I am not satisfied that you have accurately presented your financial circumstances or how you are supported in your country of residence. This in turn leads me to doubt the credibility of your application. Consequently, as a result of the above, I am not satisfied that the financial information presented by you is an accurate reflection of your financial circumstances and I am satisfied that this undermines the economic ties you have evidenced to your home country. Subsequently, I am not satisfied that you will leave the UK at the end of the period stated by you, nor that you are genuinely seeking entry to stay for a purpose that is permitted under the visitor route.
In assessing your entry clearance application, I have considered the documents and information provided against the requirements of Appendix V: Visitor as contained within the Immigration Rules and have also taken into account the published visit guidance. The guidance indicates a number of factors which can help assess if an applicant is a genuine visitor, including but not limited to the following:
- their financial circumstances as well as their family, social and economic background
- their personal and economic ties to their country of residence
The concerns noted in the paragraphs above mean that I am not satisfied that you have accurately declared your personal and financial circumstances, which in turn means I am not satisfied on the balance of probabilities that you are a genuine visitor. I have made this decision taking into account other factors relevant to your application, however, I am not satisfied that any of these other factors outweigh the concerns noted above. Therefore, 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 paragraphs V 4.2. (a) and (c) of Appendix V: Visitor as contained within the Immigration Rules.
The refusal was under Appendix V: Visitor, paragraphs V 4.2(a) and (c), citing concerns about my financial circumstances. The decision states that my bank statements do not show deposits that clearly match my stated salary, which undermines my credibility. I have read a detailed question regarding refusals under 4.2(a) and (c) and before submitting my application and made sure that every minor detail is explained in my cover letter to prevent any misunderstanding or confusion. The reason for rejection here is due to my actual salary being slightly different (plus or minus 5%) every month in the bank statemet due to USD pegging and allowance changes, despite the amount I mentioned in the application itself.
Quoting from my cover letter:
Financial Status
I am self-sponsoring my trip to the UK and have made comprehensive financial arrangements to cover my expenses.
Monthly Payslips & T10 Tax Form
I have included a salary confirmation letter and my recent payslips certified by the employer,which demonstrate my stable income and employment status. My monthly salary after taxes and deductions is on average LKR XXX,XXX. At XX company , salary is partially pegged to the USD to account for exchange rate fluctuations. Specifically, XX% of my base salary is fixed at an exchange rate of XXX LKR/USD, while the remaining XX% is in LKR. I receive a monthly allowance (variable forex gain) to compensate for any difference between the pegged rate and the prevailing exchange rate. I have further included the T10 tax form for the financial year 2023/24, which details my total income, and the taxes deducted.
Salary Remitted Bank Statements
I have included recent bank statements from HSBC Savings account (XXXXXX) for the past 6 months, showing salary remittances.
I feel like they have not properly gone through the documents I have provided, if they have done so they would have seen the explanation I have provided about the slightly fluctuating salary. Additionally, the refusal mentions that my current employment started in April 2023. While this is correct, this is my second job—I was previously employed from June 2021 to March 2023, meaning I have been continuously employed for over three years. Regarding this I have submitted below documents:
- A salary confirmation letter from my employer
- Certified payslips for the past six months
- T10 tax forms from my employer showing my total annual income and tax deductions from last year
- An investment portfolio confirmation letter and monthly statements to demonstrate additional income
- Six months of HSBC bank statements showing salary remittances
I also want to highlight that I have had four previous visa refusals (twice in 2013 and twice in 2017), which were all sponsored by my father. However, this time, I am fully self-funding my trip, and my father is only hosting me at his place and covering food and transport during my stay.
I am 28 years old, and had provided all necessary supporting documents as per the guidelines. Given the refusal, I would appreciate advice on:
- Lodging a complaint through UKVI website – Would a complaint help in this case?
- Reapplying again with improved financial documentation – Should I provide additional clarification (e.g., an employer letter explaining salary fluctuations or further bank transaction details) I feel like since they haven't properly gone through the cover letter this time, they will not do that the next time as well.
- Previous refusals – Could my past refusals be affecting the decision, even though this application is entirely self-sponsored?
- Consulting an immigration lawyer - Would it be wise to consult an immigration lawyer and applying through them again?
Has anyone faced a similar situation, and what would be the best course of action? Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
