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Getting a UK Standard Visitor Visa after Refusal to Visit Children and Granddaughter

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My son moved to the UK to work, so we only talk via video calls. That is why I was so excited when I had an opportunity to visit him: my granddaughter was born. I applied for a UK visa. Imagine my disappointment when I got a refusal! Fortunately, I was advised to keep going and get in touch with Imperial & Legal. The rest is history.

Galina, a 57-year-old
Retiree from Ukraine
Clients’ names and photos have been changed

Galina has recently retired, and she is active and full of energy at 57. The children have grown up and they have their own families and careers. Her daughter is an architect and lives in Kyiv. Her son is an oil and gas engineer and he was offered a job in the UK Company Centrica a year and a half ago. Its principal activity is gas supplies. 

Galina is very proud of her children. She can always see her daughter, but she has to video call her son who moved to Windsor. He often invited her to come over, but only after her first granddaughter was born, Galina decided to go to the UK. The girl was named Stella. She couldn’t help falling in love with her huge blue eyes, plump arms and curly blond hair. 

It is the best gift for any grandmother to see, hold and babysit the baby as soon as possible. Moreover, the daughter-in-law needed help. She could not recover after a difficult birth. 

However, a happy reunion could not happen because Galina’s UK Standard Visitor visa application was refused. She did not know how to deal with it, but she was not going to give up. Following her friend’s advice, Galina started looking for an immigration advisor. Experts at Imperial & Legal looked the most professional and reliable to her, so she got in touch with our company. 

Client

Galina is a 57-year-old retiree from Ukraine. Her son and his family live in the UK on a work visa. 

Task

Get a UK Standard Visitor visa after refusal. 

Solution

To solve a problem, you must first find out what went wrong. In this case, the reason for a UK Standard Visitor visa refusal was weak ties with the home country. It means that the Home Office sees a risk of a tourist remaining in the UK illegally after their visa expires. However, there is nothing to worry about in this case. It can be rectified by re-applying for a UK Standard Visitor visa more thoroughly. 

Imperial & Legal specialists sat down and talked to Galina. She confirmed that she was not going to move to the UK and only wanted to visit her son and his family. The hard part was to convince a caseworker. Unfortunately, ungrounded statements and promises were not enough. Therefore, it was necessary to look for more convincing documentary evidence. 

It turned out that the client’s mother needs long-term care. She is 79 years old and, unfortunately, quite fragile. It may not be safe to leave her alone for a long time because of progressive dementia: Galina’s mother might leave the house and struggle to find her way back, put an electric kettle on a gas stove or leave the water running and flood the neighbours. 

In order to obtain a UK Standard Visitor visa, it was agreed to collect documents confirming the incapacity of Galina’s mother and justify the need for long-term care. There was no legal guardianship, but both diagnostic statements and a medical report about her health and mental problems helped. In addition, Galina signed an official agreement legally with a nurse who stayed with her mother for three weeks while the client was in the UK. All these documents, including a birth certificate confirming the relationship, were translated into English. 

Our advisors made a new application and submitted documents for a visa. It took a while but finally, a UK Standard Visitor visa was granted and Galina could go and see her newborn granddaughter. She liked both Windsor and London: she enjoyed walking in parks, visiting several exhibitions and going to an opera in Covent Garden. The trip was very memorable and one of the best in her life. 

Later, Galina consulted Imperial & Legal to obtain a Schengen visa to visit a friend who lives in Spain. 

Conclusion

UK Standard Visitor visa refusal is not the end of the world. The refusal letter usually includes an explanation of why a caseworker refused an application. It is important to read it carefully to understand their reasoning and figure out the solution. It is often enough to resubmit your visa application with the supporting documents and cover letters. 

However, please bear in mind that you cannot add documents to an already submitted application, and if a UK Standard visa is refused, the immigration authorities will not review the case. The only solution is to submit a new application. It means that you will have to pay a visa fee again and wait, so it is better to prepare in advance and submit a full package of documents with the first application. 

Imperial & Legal experts will help you apply for a UK Standard Visitor visa to minimise the risk of refusal.

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