Best and brightest?
City AM published yet another story of immigration and visa woes of UK visa applicants. In this case a young Chinese woman living in the UK was denied unmarried partner visa by the Home Office. That happened despite the fact that she was in a long term relationship with her British partner and the couple have been together for eight years. As a result, the couple is facing a protracted and costly fight for the extension of an existing visa or an appeal the decision of the Home Office.
The article is a little short on the details of the application submitted by the woman. However, we can infer that insufficient evidence of living together was provided. Unmarried partner visa is a complex and difficult type of application. As we note on our website:
”It is crucial to ensure that your application is complete with ALL required information and supporting documents submitted to Home Office, as otherwise in best case scenario you will be put on the 10 year route to ILR but normally your application will be refused by the Home Office. If you are put on the 10 year route you can subsequently make a further spouse visa application to switch to the 5 year route but this way you would incur more costs for the application fee and NHS Health Surcharge”
Our advice
We always would advise prospective applicants, in particular those who have complicated immigration status or have different options to consider, to seek professional advice. Such advice is especially valuable before submitting an application. Otherwise applicants may find themselves in real difficulties, trying to undo damage they caused to themselves.
The story of the unfortunate young couple is another reminder of the value of professional help. Paying for advice can save us a lot of grief and expenses. There are situations when taking advice is not necessary but on many occasions, it is advisable to ask for help.
In our professional life we often encounter clients who made a mistake with their application that was entirely avoidable. Those mistakes, often simple ones, such as filling a wrong form can have disproportionate impact on the lives of applicants.
