12

I have once stated on my UK Standard Visitor visa application that I know no one in the UK - for which I was refused the visa. However I've been connected to an old relative in the UK who intends to send me an invite to visit him.

Will it be possible to obtain the visa now?

Improve this question
4
  • 3
    Are you sure that your application was refused because you don't know anybody in UK? Thousands of people are given their visas without knowing somebody in the UK.
    – Neusser
    Commented Jan 17, 2017 at 7:19
  • 3
    No. I only wanted to state that I didn't get the visa at that time. But I wanted to know how possible it is to get the visa approved this time with an invite when I've already stated on my previous application that I know no one in the UK.
    – Carlyle
    Commented Jan 17, 2017 at 7:24
  • 11
    Do you have a credible explanation for how you came to know this old relative in the meanwhile?
    – phoog
    Commented Jan 17, 2017 at 7:59
  • The intervening time between the previous refusal and now should be long enough that you found out about this hitherto unknown relative, and then developed a relationship to the point that the unknown relative is comfortable inviting you to visit. Suppose two months ago you were refused and did not know a relative, and then today all of a sudden you say you found out you have a relative and the bond is so strong they have invited you to visit the average consular officer will find that incredulous.
    – Augustine of Hippo
    Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 12:53

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
54

No, while the realms of possibility do not exclude it, success in your case would take a miracle. For starters you are addressing the wrong issues...

You were refused last year because they did not believe you were a genuine visitor and the risk of your going underground in the UK was too great. Now you want to tell them that a relative who you were previously unaware of is sending you an invitation. This doesn't really mitigate the risk of your going underground does it?

The issues for you are about your lifestyle, i.e., you are unemployed, you are dependent on others on a day-to-day basis, and have no significant social or economic connections to Ghana. How does getting an invitation to the UK change any of that?

Also, in your previous refusal they threw some shade on your credibility. Namely they didn't believe you actually had an aunt willing to support you. That was bad enough, but now you propose to double down by adding an additional co-sponsor. This is tantamount to an admission that your circumstances have not changed and in fact they are worse than you originally represented.

While it's true that sometimes long-lost relatives can suddenly appear and offer sponsorship for no apparent reason, it is an applicant pattern viewed with pronounced scepticism on the Sub-Saharan Desk. You would have to explain why a relative is willing to do this for you and yet you were unaware of them last year. That would be an awkward explanation and genuine visitors do not need to make awkward explanations like that.

Against all of this we place the backdrop that Ghana has a mind-numbing 44% refusal rate for entry clearance applications. This is historical data and does not indicate the instantaneous probability of your own application's success. It does, however, indicate that applications should be prepared with extreme diligence.

The visitor rules are in Appendix V of the Immigration Rules.

Improve this answer
1
  • 15
    @Carlyle please show your appreciation by accepting GayotFow's expert input. To do so, you click on the check mark.
    – Giorgio
    Commented Jan 17, 2017 at 14:07

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .