UK visa application is the most strict and highly scrutinized visa process. To apply for a UK visa, you must prepare many different documents and follow many strict steps. However, not all visa applications are accepted, many of them are refused. Let’s take a look at the top 11 reasons for UK visa refusal. In this post we just mention UK visa with tourism purpose not the type of visas.
1. Long itinerary
Reason of officer : You have stated that you wish to visit the UK for 1 month
Be realistic. The UK is small and you only need a few days to explore. A long itinerary looks suspicious. It looks as if you will be living or working in the UK rather than site seeing. The UK is also expensive. You must have enough funds to justify your itinerary. You should choose 7-10 days for itinerary for explore UK. If you are only visiting London, probably less than 7 days is better.
2. Unclear itinerary
Reason of officer : You did not indicate what you intend to do or where you intend to stay.
You should tell the detail itinerary in your cover letter. Be clearly, it should contain the dates, cities and your day-to-day activities in each city. If your itinerary is too long, attach an additional page to your cover letter.
3. Lack of leave approval letter
Reason of officer : It is unclear if your employer has agreed for you to be away from work for the period of this trip, and therefore that you will return to this employment following this trip
Your application should include a leave approval letter from your employer. This single document can strength your case. It will prove that:
- You have strong ties with your country
- You have the obligation to return back to your country after your UK trip
This letter must be on the company letterhead with original HR or manager’s signature. You must have your HR or manager write this letter specifically for your UK travel.
If you cannot obtain a leave approval letter, have your employer at least mention your leave details in the employment letter.
Personal Experience
I had my employer include my leave approval details in the employment letter for my UK visa. I haven’t seen a single UK visitor visa refusal from those who submitted a leave/vacation approval letter. In my opinion, it really is a strong document.
4. Lack of salary deposits in your bank account
Reason of officer: “Your stated monthly income is not reflected in the history of the account”
Bank statement is not uncommon reason for visa refusal. Apart from your employment documentation, you must be able to show your monthly salary in your bank statement.
Make sure your employer deposit your salary directly into your bank account. Your regular salary deposits indicate two things –
- You are genuinely employed and have a steady source of income
- You have genuinely saved up to travel to the UK and not borrowing money from someone
Have your employer deposit your salary directly into your bank account. It’s fine if you have to withdraw cash for expenses, family, etc. But, it is important to have your salary deposited directly into your bank account.
If you receive a physical paycheck, deposit the check yourself in the bank regularly every month.
5. Large undocumented deposits in your bank account
Reason of officer: “Large credits have been made which are in excess of your stated monthly income”
Reason of officer: “I am not satisfied with the origin of these funds or that they are genuinely available to you”
Reason of officer: “The sources of these deposits are not demonstrated by the documents provided”
Large deposits in your bank account may indicate that you have borrowed money to inflate the numbers in your bank account. Visa officers will not be convinced that you own that funds.
Make sure there are no large deposits in your bank account. If you already have large deposits in your account, you must be able to provide proof of source of those deposits.
- If you have received money from selling a property, attach the sales deed to the bank statement
- If you have received money from rents, attach the rental agreements from your tenants
6. Exhausting all your savings or spending several times your monthly income
Reason of officer: “I don’t find it credible that you would exhaust nearly all the funds available to you”
Reason of officer: “This amount represents over half your declared savings or over x months of your monthly expenditure”
If the total expenditure of your UK trip is more than half of your savings or several times your monthly salary, your visa will be refused. It’s not realistic to exhaust all your savings on one trip to the UK. You would need to preserve at least half of your savings for emergencies.
7. Lack of travel history
Reason of officer: “I am not satisfied that you are a genuinely seeking entry as a visitor and that you intend to leave the UK at the end of your visit”
Reason of officer: “I note that you have never traveled to the UK or anywhere else before”
Travel history indicates that you do not have illegal immigration intent. If you were to stay illegally anywhere, you could have done it so already in any of those countries you have been to so far.
If you do not have travel history, build your travel history first.
8. Lack of detailed cover letter
Reason of officer: “I am not satisfied that you have sufficient ties and would, in fact, leave the UK on completion of your proposed visit”
UK visa application forms may not ask all the details that you want to convey. Therefore, a cover letter is a way for you to convey that additional information and convince the visa officer that you just want to enter the UK as a visitor.
Write a detailed cover letter mentioning your proposed itinerary, your financial situation, your travel history, your intention to return back, etc.
Your cover letter should not exceed one page. Use bullets instead of paragraphs. The simpler, cleaner the better. Visa officers may have lots of work on their plates. So, your cover letter should convey what you want to convey clearly and quickly.
9. Lack of proper documentation from your sponsor
Reason of officer: “I am not satisfied that your sponsor will be able to provide maintenance and accommodation during your sponsor trip”
If you are using a sponsor for your UK visa, you must have the following documentation from your sponsor. If you don’t have all of this documentation from your sponsor, you will be risking your visa.
Just having an invitation letter is not enough. An invitation letter for UK visa is not legally enforceable and such letters will not help unless you provide additional documentation from your sponsor.
10. Not disclosing any previous visa refusals
Reason of officer:
“I am aware that you have been refused a US visa and you do not declare this
on your visa application form”
UK Home Office may have information sharing with other countries. You must enter only true information and must disclose any previous visa refusals from any country, not just the UK.
11. No change in circumstances since your previous visa refusal
Reason of officer: “I note that you were previously refused entry clearance”
Reason of officer: “You are likely to be refused unless the circumstances of your application change”
If your circumstances haven’t changed since your previous UK visa refusal, your visa may be refused again. Multiple visa refusals can lead to blacklisting and permanent ban. It’s wise to not apply at all than dealing with a visa refusal again.
Reapply for your UK visa only if there is a considerable change in your circumstances.