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I'm an Egyptian citizen applying for the UK standard visa this October and I'd like to know few things before I apply.

I'm visiting my girlfriend this Christmas for ten days.
I will be sponsoring myself as I work full-time job, I have properties as my own flat and other family properties.
I have suitable bank statement for the last six months. Also I take care of my sick mother and I have evidence for all of that. The relationship between me and my girlfriend is genuine, I can prove that and I have British friends who can testify to that.
My girlfriend told me that she will write me a letter to provide in the application that she will be depressed and it would affect her work if we didn't meet this year because it's been two years since last time we met.

The only problem I have is the HR letter I get from the employer is that it shows no salary section (how much I make per month) as in part five it asks about money and I'd have to estimate.

The whole trip will cost me 1/4 of my annual saving and 1/3 my bank statement. A friend of mine got accepted without showing them how much he makes. But I'm afraid of getting refused.

Please guide me what to do?

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    Is your girlfriend genuinely depressed? Because to me that story sounds fake, and would make me more suspicious than if you didn't say it. If she isn't, then lying on an application will get you banned. Sep 30, 2016 at 13:31
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    @shadyghazala The fact that you have a genuine relationship with your girlfriend is enough to motivate your trip to the UK. There's no need to show that your girlfriend will suffer unusual hardship if your trip is refused. Above all, you should not include a letter from your girlfriend and a statement that her letter is "fake." That could get you banned for deception. It seems to me that the best course of action would be to omit the letter from your girlfriend altogether.
    – phoog
    Sep 30, 2016 at 14:16
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    she will be depressed and it would affect her Supposedly you are refused a visa. The border office will have the records of your previous application and the letter. They can cross reference with NHS and if they find it was a lie you will get into trouble with your next visa applications. Don't use emotional blackmail or any things of that sort, it is a sure shot way to have your visa application refused.
    – DumbCoder
    Sep 30, 2016 at 16:15
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    Based on other answers, a person stating that he or she will make the visitor leave / follow the visa requirements is discounted, because most people won't actually do it.
    – mkennedy
    Sep 30, 2016 at 20:54
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    The only thing that your girlfriend should send is proof that you are allowed to stay at her house. Sep 30, 2016 at 21:17

1 Answer 1

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Interesting question and some very astute comments. I will merge in some of the comments and weave them together to present an answer.

You wrote...

My girlfriend told me that she will write me a letter to provide in the application that she will be depressed and it would affect her work if we didn't meet this year because it's been two years since last time we met.

This idea is nothing short of catastrophic. Full-on disastrous. It totally undermines your claim to having a genuine relationship. While some couples may indeed be apart for two years due to military duty or similar obligations, the normal pattern is that people in a genuine relationship will find a way to maintain the relationship at intervals of 4 - 6 months, or a year at the max. So it leaves you in the awkward position of either being addicted to cybersex over Skype or having to contrive a plausible explanation to answer the question: What has prevented your gf from visiting you in Egypt for two years?

And we have a comment from mkennedy (to whom thanks)...

Based on other answers, a person stating that he or she will make the visitor leave / follow the visa requirements is discounted, because most people won't actually do it.

According to anecdotal histories, the only time a gf/bf turns in a bf/gf who is in breach is when the relationship has turned sour and they are looking for some type of vengeance. UKVI believe the common pattern is that friends and relatives do not turn the person in to the authorities, instead they assist in harbouring the person.

There's another relevant comment from Michael Hampton (to whom thanks)...

The only thing that your girlfriend should send is proof that you are allowed to stay at her house.

If she does not own the premises, then it should be an attestation from the landlord or a relevant clause in the tenancy agreement. She also needs to show that she will be in the UK during the entire visit. They are entitled to refuse on these grounds alone if they cannot find another reason. They can be show-stoppers in their own right.

User DJClayworth (to whom thanks) asks the question...

Is your girlfriend genuinely depressed?

Nice one! So she will include a diagnosis from the NHS defining her condition and her treatment regime? Otherwise disaster looms when a sponsor attempts to elicit sympathy or some sort of human rights claim. It's a credibility hit.

User phoog (to whom thanks) puts a nice capstone on the whole issue of what the gf needs to do...

Above all, you should not include a letter from your girlfriend and a statement that her letter is "fake." That could get you banned for deception. It seems to me that the best course of action would be to omit the letter from your girlfriend altogether.

You also wrote...

I will be sponsoring myself as I work full-time job, I have properties as my own flat and other family properties.

They do not care about properties; there are tons of Brits who own properties abroad without ever visiting the locale. Local agents collect rent and make transmittals to the owner. Owning property doesn't help your case.

My own comment is that your narrative reads like someone who does not qualify as a family member under Appendix FM seeks to enter as a visitor and then go underground. And the best odds are that they will see it like that also and refuse under Appendix V 4.2 (a)+(c).

In the absence of hard evidence, they will revert to whatever 'pattern' seems apparent. In this case it's to circumvent the financial hurdles imposed by Appendix FM (link above).

Your other question...

The only problem I have is the HR letter I get from the employer is that it shows no salary section (how much I make per month) as in part five it asks about money and I'd have to estimate.

If the application appears credible (not your case at the moment), they will be happy to sync up your employment contract to your bank statements.


General note on the Visa Section in Cairo: it's a great location for young graduates on the ECO track to have their first assignment abroad. As a counter-weight, they have a huge battery of local hires (on track for a British passport for service to the Crown) who will verify everything. Upstairs, downstairs, under the bed, everything. Plus a cadre of heavy-weight veteran ECO's to act as mentors. Plus about two centuries of rock solid relationships with prominent Egyptian institutions to call upon if needed (see the classic Alexandria Quartet where it's described at length). Underestimate Cairo at your own peril :)

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  • I would like to add - that once you mention "visiting girlfriend" - all kinds of flags go up because it is possible that you may go there, and then marry your girlfriend and then become a de-facto immigrant. There is nothing wrong with doing this, but to do so, you have to apply for a different type of visa (Marriage Visitor Visa) which has its own procedures. Oct 1, 2016 at 3:13
  • Thanks @Gayot Fow for your explicit answer but I'd like to clarify some points.. First I was only asking what to do not what will I actually do... Yes I had military duty for one year and I'll state that plus other family problems in both sides stopped us from visiting each other since last time
    – user35015
    Oct 1, 2016 at 10:12
  • Also about depression it was just a silly idea from a friend of hers and I was only asking is it great idea
    – user35015
    Oct 1, 2016 at 10:13
  • Umm... no, read your question again.
    – Gayot Fow
    Oct 1, 2016 at 12:31

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