Travel ban if overstay

Question

I am Malaysian and I have been overstaying in UK from June 2007 until April 2010.

Leaving UK by own expense, if I wanted to visit again next year (2020), is it a travel ban for me?

Answer 1

Based on the limited information you provided, you don’t have a ban because the maximum ban under your circumstance (departure at your own expense) would be five years which would already be spent.

That said a three year overstay is not trivial and indicates blatant disregard for UK immigration rules. In light of that you’re not likely to be allowed to visit the UK any time soon again or ever given your history unless you were under 18 at the time of your overstay, or are requesting leave to enter as a family member, or there’s a quite significant and dramatic change in your profile.

Remember the fact that the ban is spent/over does not mean the circumstance leading to it ie the overstay will not be considered in subsequent applications. It only means your application will/should not be automatically refused.

My advice would be to apply for entry clearance before attempting to visit. Although Malaysians are non-visa nationals, you’re almost certainly going to be turned away if you try entering visa free.

Reference

Re-entry bans: reasons and lengths