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  • I am married with kids.
  • I have a stable job I have no property or other source of income apart from monthly salary.
  • I'm traveling alone to UK for tourism.

One of the grounds for refusal on the guidance states that ECO must doubt applicants intentions as genuine if applicant has several family members in UK and has few or no social and economic ties to home country.

My questions are:

  • Are my ties good enough?
  • What constitute a good social and economic ties to home country if one has several family members in UK?
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    Are your spouse and kids staying behind in your home country? That's a strong tie. It's not absolute proof (people can and do leave their family behind to work illegally in another country), but it's a good point in your favor. Jun 23, 2016 at 22:03

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This is decided on a case-by-case basis. There is no definitive list of what constitutes close ties.

It may help to think about what the consular officers are looking for. They want to be sure that you will leave the UK within your visa validity period, and that you're not intending to move to the country, or to engage in actions not allowed by your visa (such as working if you have a tourism visa that doesn't allow for work).

Some things you have no control of. If your country produces many illegal immigrants or other visa violators, your application is going to be given extra scrutiny. What you can and should do is show all possible ties to your home country, and any evidence that you are intending to return.

Ongoing, long-term commitments are the best thing to show. A job, a house, studies, family, and so on. So include anything that is long-term in your application. A rental contract, proof of enrollment if you're studying, information about any other responsibilities you have (such as relatives you're taking care of).

It helps if you've previously travelled to the EU (and had no issues there). It also helps if you've visited other countries, that at least shows you really do travel for tourism.

In your case, it's probably your spouse and kids that are the most important aspect. Be sure to show you're married with kids, that you're providing for your kids (assuming they're minors), and show that your family members are involved with work/studies. You're certainly more likely to be granted a visa travelling alone as opposed to with your family - at least there should be little suspicion that your entire family is trying to illegally move.

Ultimately, though, nobody can tell you whether your ties will be considered good enough - the decision will be up to the consular officer.

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