Assessing risk for UK visa refusal [closed]

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I'd like to visit the UK for 7 days (Standard Visa/Tourism):

  1. I work online (freelance) and have irregular income.

  2. I have incorporated a Company in my country (Tunisia) since 2011.

  3. My company bank account has around £10,500. I have a International Debit Card with US$5,500 and around €4,000 in cash. My company bank account fluctuates irregularly but usually has a balance of 7,000-10,000 with irregular deposits/withdrawals. I can provide bank statements for all of the years.

  4. I'm renting a property. Should I bring my rental contract?

  5. I have a car.

  6. In the last 10 years, I have travelled to multiple countries (Dubai (3 times), Turkey, Jordan, Hong Kong (2 times), Macau).

  7. I speak fluent English with a slight accent.

  8. I worked with a UK Company in the past (3 years ago).

Do I have a compelling case?



Best Answer

Let's summarize it here, as comments started getting too long. Since you asked for the risk assessment, I'd focus on the risk factors only, so please accept my apology if the answer comes as overall negative - your case is way better than many others. However there are still concerns.

  1. From the list above, and your follow-up comments it appears that you really have no significant ties with your home country. Those typically include work/business arrangements, having to take care of others, local responsibilities, and so on.

    Work/business arrangements: As far as I understand, the "freelance online" nature of your work lets you work from anywhere, including UK. Thus it becomes a concern, because shall you decide to overstay in UK, you'd have means to support yourself.

    Having to take care of others: No wife/no kids, and your parents don't need your care (likely since they live in a different city), it is not a tie.

    Local responsibilities: not clear if you have any from your list. Do you play in local sports team and have an event soon? Have a conference in your home city which you must attend? Running for a local election? Enrolling in local studies? Anything else which would require you to be back at specific date, is independently verifiable (so "friend wedding" is not good) and which couldn't be easily ignored?

    You see the pattern - you need to answer the question: if while in UK I'm offered a good job with the same salary, is there anything which would prevent me from taking this offer and staying in UK?

  2. Financial concerns. You will likely need to include additional support documentation to prove that the "company bank account" is really your personal account. From the ECO's point of view it is not clear (they may think you're an employee of a company, and thus having access to account doesn't mean you've got a free hand using those money). Also in this case you'd probably need more documentation, such as company bylaws, balance sheet etc, to ensure that the company is in fact afloat (there are many having 100k at account, but owe much more). Here your situation is more difficult than for someone who's an employee.

  3. You also need to have a clear answer to the question "why UK?" If this is a conference, does it match your work profile? Have you attended similar conferences locally, or nearby, in past? You'd have to convince them you're a genuine attendee, and didn't just Google something matching your dates to use it as an excuse. Especially if the conference is free. Finally, it can become especially awkward if similar conferences are held locally in your own country.

Be sure to read the Supporting Documents Guide for what to include and what not to include.




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What happens if my UK visa application is refused?

There are three options of what you can do after your UK visa is refused:
  • Appeal to an immigration tribunal.
  • Apply for an administrative review.
  • Make a new visa application.


  • How long does the UK embassy keep refusal records?

    If the refusal is based on misrepresentation, we'll keep your fingerprints and photo for 10 years. If the refusal is based on health concerns, financial reasons or non-compliance, we'll keep your fingerprints and photo for 5 years.

    What are the chances of getting UK visa after rejection?

    The current refusal rate for UK visa applications hovers around 15% mark, with some categories experiencing an even higher rate of refusals.

    How long does a UK visa take after a refusal decision is overturned?

    Assuming your immigration appeal is successful, the judge will advise UKVI of the decision. It may take up to 12 weeks until after the appeal decision for this to be processed by UKVI.



    UK Visa Refusal: Common Reasons Why UK Visa Applications are Denied/Refused




    Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

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