Unlike other country visa applications (ex: Schengen), UK visa officers do not go back and forth with the applicants for additional information. If any information is unavailable, the visa is denied.
The UK visa office is basically looking to see 2 things from your application form and supporting documents:
- That you intend to leave the United Kingdom after your visit
- That you are genuinely seeking entry as a visitor
- That you are able to afford your UK trip and take care of yourself while there and that even if you have a sponsor, should the sponsor not take care of you, you are able to take care of yourself.
- That you will not exhaust all your savings on the UK trip hence have no motivation to return back home or be tempted to seek work opportunities.
That’s it.
Reasons why your UK visit tourism visa may be rejected
Now on to some of the reasons why your UK visit tourism visa may be rejected based on actual visa refusal letters received by visa applicants from different parts of the world:
- Introducing too many relationships/people into your application. The UK home office conducts background checks on each person you include in your application and if even one of them has an issue your UK visa application will most likely be denied.
- The bank statement submitted shows a number of large deposits being deposited into your account. You must provide documented evidence to clearly demonstrate the origin of these funds and whether they are genuinely available for your exclusive use. Make sure to have documented evidence for every deposit into your account. If you sold a house, attach sale agreement. If it is rental income, attache rent lease. If it is company bonus, attach the bonus letter from employer. etc.
- Your application does not demonstrate that your host in the UK has invited you to the UK for the stated purpose. Let your host clearly spell out the reason why they are inviting you and hosting you in the UK.
- No change in circumstances since your previous visa refusal. If your previous refusal notice outlined concerns and the documentation provided with your current application does little to address those concerns, it undermines your intentions in travelling to the UK. Write a detailed cover letter explaining the previous refusal reasons, and how your circumstances have changed since then for each reason the visa officer gave for refusing your UK visa application.
- If there is a significant age gap between you and your UK girlfriend/boyfriend, making your relationship appear more as a business relationship rather than personal. Just marry each other already 🙂
- Not submitting all supporting documents.
- No genuine intentions to come back.
- Providing property documents with your application but these documents do not demonstrate that you generate an income from them. Attach rental income payment confirmations e.g. bank statement, rent lease agreements, etc.
- Stating that you have an online business but the documents you have provided do no demonstrate this business or that you receive and income such a business. Register your online business, attach the registration certificate, and payment statements e.g. M-PESA, PayPal, Payoneer, etc. You can also attach screenshot of business page e.g. if it is Etsy for instance, show sales and payments page.
- The documents you have provided do not demonstrate how you support your self in your home country and as are not an accurate reflection of your financial circumstances back home. Attach employment letter, leave letter, payslips, 6 months bank statements clearly indicating salary history, business registration certificate, etc.
- You mentioned in you application that you have X amount of money while the bank statement you submitted had X + Y amount. Be consistent and accurately fill in your application form.
- Not providing enough proof of your relationship with your UK host.Take screenshots, print out and attach the evidence from the WhatsApp, facebook convos, e-mails, photos etc as applicable to your situation.
- No official documents which demonstrate how long you have been employed by employer. Attach employment letter with details of how long you’ve been with the said employer.
- Failure to clearly demonstrate your income from your employment. Make sure to attach a bank statement with salary deposits every month into your account from the said employer.
- Salary is not consistent with your bank statement. Same as above.
- Insufficient funds in the bank statement. I would propose the following:
- An average daily expense for your UK trip of about 150GBP per person per day
- Total trip expenses not more than two times your monthly salary
- Total trip expenses not more than half of indicated savings
- Not having sufficient ties in your home country. Get a wife/husband and document marriage, get children and attache their birth certificates, buy a plot of land/house and attache title dead, and/or get a job and attach employment letter with details of your salary, length of employment, leave of absence and when you will be returning.
- You have provided a business bank statement (from your company) instead of a personal bank statement. Visa officer unable to conduct a meaningful assessment of your financial circumstances based on a business account only. Provide both personal and business bank statement (if applicable).
- Failure to demonstrate savings, properties or income. Attach documented evidence of these and if there any sudden large deposits, give documented explanation.
- You provide only your savings account bank statement and not the one that you get your monthly salary on so they origins of the money and expenses, etc. are not demonstrated. Attach 6 months’ salary bank account statement.
- Your application does not demonstrate that you receive a salary. See above.
- Your application does not demonstrate that you have any income or fund available to you or how you will maintain yourself during your trip. See above.
- Withdrawing all the money from your bank statement. Try to live within your means to enable you have some left over savings in your account month on month. Wiping out your account is a bad sign.
- You have not attached a letter from the UK university/company/board saying that you have to visit the UK to write exams. Attach the relevant letter.
- Not declaring that you have a partner/spouse even though your child’s birth certificate details indicate a biological father/mother have been registered. Declare. If you two are no longer together, let the other parent write a letter of no objection that child can travel and that you two are not together. If deceased, attach death certificate.
- Amounts you intend to spend on your UK trip represent over half of your declared savings or several months over your monthly expenditure and you have not shown that you are able to spend such monies on holiday. I would propose the following:
- An average daily expense for your UK trip of about 150GBP per person per day
- Total trip expenses not more than two times your monthly salary
- Total trip expenses not more than half of indicated savings
- You didn’t indicate in your application what you intend to do in the UK or where you intend to stay in the UK. Attach a detailed itinerary with your cover letter indicating dates, cities and the day-to-day activities you plan to engage in for every day you will be in the UK
- No leave approval letter attached. Attach the letter or include in the employment letter that your employer has granted you leave of absence from work and that you will return to your current job after your trip. Leave approval can either be a separate document or leave details included in your employment letter.
- Lack of international travel history. You have never traveled outside of your country before, especially outside your continent. Get them stamps on your passport to strengthen your application and make sure to mention all countries you have been to in your application.
- Lack of sufficient documentation from your sponsor. Include as much as is reasonable.
- letter from your sponsor indicating their relationship with you, why they want you to visit them in the UK, and also undertaking that they will take care of your accommodation, food and other related expenses while you are in the UK
- Your sponsor’s bank statements for the last 6 months (must indicate salary deposits and have no large unexplained deposits)
- Your sponsor’s residence permit or UK passport’s biodata page
- Document evidence of your sponsor’s relationship to you
- You have indicated a super lengthy duration of stay in the UK compared to your intended purpose of visit. For example 3 week stay to do a 1-day board exam…really!
- You are currently NOT working or studying. Without a job or school to return to, there is no indication of an obligation to return back to your home country after your visit. No short cut to this. Get a job, a business, or enroll in some sort of accredited learning institution.
- Failure to declare a previous visa refusal on your visa application form. It doesn’t matter which country denied you the visa. You must declare this in your application and give a reason why.
- Too many complications in your application – no job, going with other people not family, not a student, no sufficient funds in the bank statement
- Coming off as desperate especially when you keep making applications every other time inspite of being denied.
- You’re not married. This could increase your motivation for wanting to remain in the UK. It indicates weak ties.
- Discrepancy between requested stay and actual stay whereby actual stay was too long – like by more than 2 weeks
- Using distant relative as a sponsor for your UK trip. Immediate family increases your chances – mother, father, spouse, brother, sister, child.
- Having too many intended purposes of travel – vacation, meeting friends, doing exam, work, all in one application doesn’t reflect well on your application. Choose one purpose and stick to it.
- Not providing evidence that the business you have indicated in the application is still operational. Attach recent tax return certificates, tax compliance certificates, current business account, sales transaction statements, etc.
- When your sponsor doesn’t include their financial details with your invite. See above.
- Providing too many bank statements from too many banks. Clearly indicate in the cover letter that you have included the said statements if you must include all many of them.
- Missing police clearance certificate if it applies to you.
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Have you ever been denied a UK visa? Why was your visa denied? Please share with our readers in the comments below to help them with your UK tourist visit visa preparations.
