UK tourist visa refused after 3 successful applications

Question

I'm desperate to get a logical answer about my UK visa refusal. There's not a more respectful person toward visas and the UK Home Office as I am. I've never abused the system, never overstayed my visas, and stayed the exact amount of time I mentioned on each application. After three successful applications to the UK (2013, 2014, 2015), I was refused in 2016. The reason was because of a document that I was never asked me about before, which is the bank statement.

In all my past applications, all I used to provide was just the withdrawal document that show that I have withdrawn £1400 but I never added a bank statement that shows that I've been saving money from my salary. I applied the same way as I'm a genuine visitor.

In 2016, I was refused saying that I didn't show the origin of the £1400. They also mentioned that I was travelling alone and have no friends in the UK. I'm 34 years old and, yes, I don't have friends there, nor do I need to. Such details don't make sense to me.

The final point I don't understand. I am paid 45.000 DA (around £330), so my personal expenses are £50 a month, and I save £140 each month. After 10 months, I have £1400. They mentioned that I'm spending four times my salary. What does this mean? The £1400 is more than enough for a week in London, because my accomodation is always in a hostel at around £100, bus pass for a week is £21.20, and the flight ticket is £250. That would leave me with £1029 which is more than enough for visiting London, shopping; I know my numbers and how much to spend and where to.

If I add the bank statement, will it improve chance of getting a visa?

Answer 1

It's right here in RedGrittyBrick's link:

Proportionality

A frequent source of refusals comes under "proportionality". This is a strategy where the applicant intends to deplete his life savings on a visit. "Proportionality" also covers the case where an applicant intends to spent more than about two or three months earnings on a visit, sometimes up to six months. This strategy is doomed from the outset because ECO's believe that genuine visitors do not deplete their financial reserves on a visit and moreover, ECO's believe that genuine visitors do not spend a multiple of their monthly cash intake. There is no hard rule covering proportionality and UKVI does not provide guidance on what is acceptable, so as a general rule of thumb if you plan on spending more than a month or two of your cash intake, you can expect problems and the solution is don't apply. Wait until your personal circumstances are more prosperous.

They simply don't believe -- nor do I -- that

a) you are able to find lodging in London for 100 quid a week - without which your plan falls apart. Does this hostel have age limits? Perhaps they are aware of an age limit you are not. And

b) it is normal and reasonable for a person of your age to dump every last dime of income into traveling to the UK? Sorry. I don't know what's normal in India, but a 34yo in the US who is not putting money back into retirement funds, who doesn't have a 6 month emergency fund, who bottoms his bank account for fun and thinks the money will work out -- that is a signal for poverty, substance abuse, bad habits (gambling etc.), habit-driven terrible financial decisions, or other serious life problems. None of which you want to land in your nation if you're an immigration officer, as that's likely to end in illicit employment or on the dole. So you would need documentation to disprove those things.

Why this time and not previous times? There wasn't a pattern before. And the pattern asks a big question: "Why the only the UK over and over, and not a diversity of tourism destinations around the world?" If you had decided "fine, jerks, I'll take my vacation money to France/Thailand/New Zealand/St Martin/Vegas instead", that would reflect being a bona-fide tourist. Whereas seeking only UK entry is suspicious. In the long run, maybe this is a "test" to see what you do.

Answer 2

Many countries, including the UK, have tightened their procedures, and I would guess you've simply hit that, i.e. previously they accepted "just the withdrawal document", now their rules say that's not enough.

That you're spending 4 times your salary means that £1400 is (more than) 4 times what you make every month. That sounds like quite a huge part of your income to spend on a weeks vacation, and raises some concern that you might have other sources of income, perhaps not so legal, and that again causes concern.