Travelling to UK with expired US Immigrant visa
I am planning to travel to UK for business and training purposes (company initiated). I've been staying here in the Philippines for six years (still a Filipino citizen). I went to US around Oct 2009 - Jan 2010 for immigration, but I chose to return to the Philippines.
US Immigrant visa has expired and was under my maiden name (I'm now married and my Philippine passport has been updated and renewed).
Would it affect the approval of my UK visa?
Best Answer
I would suggest that you have already experienced the consequences: You had an opportunity to become a US permanent resident, and if you had done so you most likely could have been naturalized and had a US passport by now.
Choosing to return to the Philippines, you must have had very good reasons for doing so. These reasons indicate strong ties to your country, and that is one of the important things that you must demonstrate in order to get a UK visa.
So, I suppose you could say that it counts against you because you can't enter visa-free as a US citizen, but it doesn't count against you because it means you have strong ties to your country which can demonstrate that you are not likely to remain in the UK illegally.
Think about the reasons which keep you living where you are. Family, work, property ownership... these are much more important to your visa application than your old US immigrant visa.
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What happens if my immigrant visa expires before I travel?
Failure to do so will cause you to be out-of-status. Staying beyond the period of time authorized, by the Department of Homeland Security, and out-of-status in the United States, is a violation of U.S. immigration laws, and may cause you to be ineligible for a visa in the future for return travel to the United States.Can a U.S. permanent resident travel to UK without visa?
Green Card holders or US residents may be required to obtain a visa to travel to the United Kingdom depending on their country of citizenship and the purpose of travel. The UK government has established types of visas that fit every traveler based on their purpose of entry.Can I enter UK before my visa expires?
Visa Nationals: If you are a visa national for who entry clearance is compulsory, you can enter the UK no earlier than the valid from date on your entry clearance vignette (visa) in your passport. You cannot normally hold more than one form of leave (visa) at the same time.What happens if I leave the US after my visa expires?
If you overstay by one year or more, after you depart the U.S., you will be barred from reentering the U.S. for ten years. This is because unlawful presence is one of the many U.S. grounds of inadmissibility, with built-in penalties.Traveling on an Expired Immigrant Visa
More answers regarding travelling to UK with expired US Immigrant visa
Answer 2
For your UK visa you will have to show strong ties with your home country. Abandoning your US resident status is not a reason to issue you a visa for UK or refuse it. Reason for abandoning US resident status could have been your ill grand mother who may have died recently, you cannot satisfy the ties with home country condition by the fact that you abandoned US resident status.
Applying for a business or visitor visa for UK will need you to provide sufficient proof of your financial status and ties with your home country. Having come back from US is not going to help but it wont adversely affect your application either.
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