Bealinehx

Yes, she will be going to Ecoplaza in Makati where the sub contracting company DFS (I think) process the documentation and pass it on to the Border Agency staff at the Embassy. You can pay for a courier service to return the passport with or without the visa. Much better than trolling back to Ecoplaza if you have some distance to travel. Expect to wait up to four weeks for the passport to be returned.

griffd85

*update*

Unfortunately the VISA was denied on 10/06/2014 for the following reasons:

1 – Insufficient evidence showing the flower shop is active or making profit.

2 – Earnings stated on application form are greater than actual earnings. I think this is because half of her earnings come from her medical rep job (which were clearly evidenced) and the other half come from the flower shop business (not evidenced clearly enough).

3 - Source of the funds in her savings account need to be evidenced.

4 – Average balance of savings account over the past six months was insufficient. I think this because the account was only opened in February 2014 and the funds were deposited in the account shortly after

Overall we’re annoyed but not too disheartened. All of the above points should be fairly straight forward for us to address when we reapply again later on the year.

Thanks for all of the comments

mikek1

My wife and I had a visitors visa for our 20 year old niece declined. We had an immigration solicitor fill in all the forms and documented our financial status. We were shocked that her application was turned down even though our financial status was indisputably sufficient.

Our niece had no employment in the Philippines, but the UK border control's reason for the rejection was that they thought she was entering the UK for work purposes.

We appealed against their decision. All the paperwork was sent back to us with a detailed explanation of the visa officer's observation. We were given a court date which was very soon after the papers were returned to us. We attended the appeal court and gave our explanation of why the rejection was wrong. I had 100% confidence that we would win our appeal. The actual appeal court is a very informal affair and certainly should not give cause for apprehension.

Needless to say our niece was given the visa. Since then we have obtained a 3 year student visa for our other niece, and a visitors visa for my wife's sister (this was give immediately).

If I were you I would not re-apply, I would ask for an appeal here in the UK. Just make sure you have all the angles covered before the appeal meeting.

griffd85

As she isn't family I don't think we can appeal the decision. Therefore I think we have to apply all over again.

I've attached the refusal letter, was this similar to what you received? I'm not sure what option we have but to strengthen the evidence on the next application...

mikek1

Our letter was similar, but only indicated that there was a doubt that our niece would come to the UK to work. I personally think that if you could back up your girl friends work and financial status it would be better to go to an appeal court in the UK?
Surely it would be better for you to speak to and convince the officials that her application is 'genuine' rather than let your girlfriend be intimidated at a possible interview (especially as she has already had an application rejected).You would be on 'home soil' and speaking in your native language, a big a confidence booster.
My experience of the appeals court was that the officials were prepared to listen, not ask awkward probing questions, and quite frankly were not there with the purpose of turning down visa applications.

griffd85

Hi, thanks for getting back. As much as I’d be willing to appeal and speak to the officials here I’m not sure what the costs involved are, or what the process is if I am appealing the decision from this end? I’m also not really sure what grounds I could appeal the decision on. I’ve checked the grounds of appeal on the Legislation.gov.uk website (below) and it doesn't look i'd have valid reason to appeal the decision? Nonetheless I'm going over to see her in August now so hopefully I will be able to get her paperwork in order and submit a more 'watertight' application next time around.

Grounds of appeal
(1)An appeal under section 82(1) against an immigration decision must be brought on one or more of the following grounds—
(a)that the decision is not in accordance with immigration rules;
(b)that the decision is unlawful by virtue of section 19B of the Race Relations Act 1976 (c. 74) (discrimination by public authorities) [F1or Article 20A of the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997] ;
(c)that the decision is unlawful under section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 (c. 42) (public authority not to act contrary to Human Rights Convention) as being incompatible with the appellant’s Convention rights;
(d)that the appellant is an EEA national or a member of the family of an EEA national and the decision breaches the appellant’s rights under the Community Treaties in respect of entry to or residence in the United Kingdom;
(e)that the decision is otherwise not in accordance with the law;
(f)that the person taking the decision should have exercised differently a discretion conferred by immigration rules;
(g)that removal of the appellant from the United Kingdom in consequence of the immigration decision would breach the United Kingdom’s obligations under the Refugee Convention or would be unlawful under section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 as being incompatible with the appellant’s Convention rights.
(2)In subsection (1)(d) “EEA national” means a national of a State which is a contracting party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area signed at Oporto on 2nd May 1992 (as it has effect from time to time).
(3)An appeal under section 83 must be brought on the grounds that removal of the appellant from the United Kingdom would breach the United Kingdom’s obligations under the Refugee Convention.
[F2(4)An appeal under section 83A must be brought on the grounds that removal of the appellant from the United Kingdom would breach the United Kingdom's obligations under the Refugee Convention.]

worldtravellerph

The whole process is a revenue earner for the UK, application-rejection-re-apply-rejection-appeal it all adds up. Advice I was given from a friend in the Border Agency was a Filipino should apply for a 3 week tourist visa as its valid for 6 months. Be honest and say you want to stay longer and even if you show you have GBP 100K's with family and businesses in PH they still claim you want to enter the UK to work. As if anyone would want to settle in a 3rd World dumping ground for East Europeans, Muslim terrorists and all the other assorted rif-raf that the UK opens its arms to welcome.

Gazza-d

I may be wrong but I thought the right to appeal has been removed for visit visas...or shortly will be.