Kung ang immigration officer or ang Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) is not satisfied na ang applicant ay mukhang walang balak na bumalik pa, ito ay nagiging sanhi upang ang application ay ma-refuse. Mahalaga na maramdaman ng ECO na ikaw ay talagang “genuine” tourist or visitor  sa UK.

There are 2 types of visitor in the UK: General Visitor and Family Visitor.

Family Visitor

Only nationals of countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland need to apply for UK Visa as family visitors.

To come to the UK as a family visitor, you must be able to show that you will be visiting the following family members in the UK:

• spouse, civil partner, father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister;
• grandfather, grandmother, grandson or granddaughter;
• spouse or civil partner’s father, mother, brother or sister;
• son or daughter’s spouse or civil partner;
• stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother or stepsister; or
• a person you have been living with in a genuine and subsisting relationship, like marriage or civil partnership, for at least 2 years before the day you apply.

You must also be able to show that:

• you are 18 or over;
• you intend to visit the UK for no more than 6 months (or 12 months if you will be accompanying an academic visitor);
• you intend to leave the UK at the end of your visit;
• you have enough money to support and accommodate yourself without working or help from public funds, or you and any dependants will be supported and accommodated by relatives or friends;
• you can meet the cost of the return or onward journey; and
• you are not in transit to a country outside the ‘Common Travel Area’ (Ireland, the UK, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands).

Kung ang immigration officer or ang Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) is not satisfied na ang applicant ay mukhang walang balak na bumalik pa, ito ay nagiging sanhi upang ang application ay ma-refuse. Mahalaga na maramdaman ng ECO na ikaw ay talagang “genuine” tourist or visitor  sa UK.

How to Increase the chance of getting a visitor or tourist visa:

1. Only submit genuine, authenticated documents. – Do not allow your immigration agents or advisers to falsify any of your documents as Embassy officers are trained to validate your documents. Once found out that any of your documents are fake, your application will be rejected and you could be charged of deception and fraud. This can affect your future application and could ban you for at least 10 years to re-apply.

2. Ensure that you can support your trip financially – Most of the time, the Immigration Officer at the Embassy or even at the UK Border Control will ask you: “How much money do you have for this trip?” You must prove that you show you have your bank statements, payslips, employment certificate Tax Return, or company ownership or real property ownership.

    Kelangan alam mo kung ilang araw o buwan ka magtatagal sa UK. Make sure that you understand that cost of living. Alamin kung magkano ang bayad sa hotel or sa accommodation, daily transportation and food. Normally ang  acceptable na pera mo dapat ay approximately £70 – £100 per week allowance or pocket money to prove that you can sustain, maintain and support your stay in the UK. This amount is on top of the accommodation cost.  Kung nagdala ka lang ng P100,000 lang tapos sabi mo ay magtatagal ka sa UK ng 6 months, kulang yan!

To know the exchange rate that the UK Embassy uses, visit www.oanda.com

3. Be presentable and practice courtesy. If you are called for an interview, smile to the Immigration Officer (even some of them don’t smile back) but it is a good practice to look confident but not cocky (mayabang). Before the interview, make sure that you know all your documents.

You can do a checklist of each document required so you know where to get when asked. Dapat organised at “structured” ang mga dokumento. I normally buy a post-it note to identify each document. When you show to the Immigration Officer that you are confident and organised, it adds to your credibility.

General Visitor

My advise is to prepare an itinerary of your trip. Present yourself as a tourist and never bring any CV/Bio-date or proof of educational achievements that would give an indication that you intend to seek employment and not to really be a tourist. Dress up properly and stand like a tourist. If you have friends, ask them to send you a letter of invitation. Ask them to send their address and confirmation that you can stay in their accommodation (especially if money is tight).

Frequently ask questions for visit or tourist visa application:

• Please tell me about yourself.
• Tell me about your job or business?
• Are you single or married?
• Tell me about your trip. What is the purpose of your visit?
• How long do you intend to stay?
• Who will pay for your trip?
• Where will you stay? How are you connected with the person you are staying with (ie sponsor)?
• Did your employer allow you to take annual leave?
• How long have you been connected to your employer?
• Or how long have your been in your business?

What to do if visa is denied?

Judicial Review or Administrative Review of Family Visitor Visa Application

As of 25 June 2013, there is no right of appeal against the refusal of an application for entry clearance as a Family Visitor and the refusal can only be challenged by way of Judicial Review in High Court. An application for permission to apply for Judicial Review must be lodged in High Court within 90 days of the date of the refusal of the application.

You will have to appoint a qualified barrister or a qualified legal representative who is in the UK already.

This is the reason why I always recommend to appoint a legal representative who is based in the UK and has the capacity to represent a case in the UK Court. Imagine your lawyer or adviser is based in the Philippines, if your application is refused, they themselves will have to obtain a visa themselves (if non-UK resident) and travel to the UK to represent you in Court. Most of the time, they can only advise you to make a fresh application.