"Why Does My/My Partner’s Visa Application Keep Getting Rejected?"

Over the years, I have seen it time and time again: Clients who are feeling frustrated, angry and confused because their and/or their partners’ visa applications have been refused, yet again. For some, this is the second time their partner is applying for a UK partner visa. For most, it will be the third or fourth time.

Finally, they come to me to seek advice and assistance, asking me, and themselves, the questions:

"What are we doing wrong?"

"Why do our applications keep getting refused?"

"Why are the fees not refunded if the applications are rejected anyway?"

"What do I have to do to get my partner’s visa approved?" And so on….

I believe in getting it right at the first attempt of applying for a partner visa, or any UK visa for that matter. And key to this is knowledge of the requirements, and preparation.

So, Why SHOULD You hire a lawyer? Below Are Just Some of The Reasons Why:

1. Expensive Visa Fees:

I understand that it does seem like you’re spending a lot of money on your partner’s visa application. Not only are the visa fees expensive (currently £1,464 as of April 2017 for a partner visa application), you may also have to pay for the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), especially if you are coming to the UK for more than 6 months. Usually, for a partner visa application, the IHS fee is currently between £500-£600. In total, we are looking at fees to be paid to the British High Commission of no less than £2000 for a partner visa.

But, can you really afford to lose this money? What if the application gets refused? Your partner can either appeal against the decision, or re-apply again, which means coughing up an additional £2000- £4000, depending on which option you wish to take.

2. Delay In Being Together as a Couple/Family:

The monetary payment is not the only factor that is costly. The cost of the delay in the couple being together physically becomes painful every single day that you are separated from each other. Couples and families use communication Apps such as video chats, Skype, Whatsapp and Viber, to name a few, in order to communicate with each other. While this may help ease the pain of not being together, this is also not the best set-up for a couple or a family.

A partner visa application usually takes between 3-4 months to process by the Immigration Authorities, (unless you are applying for a Premium Fast-Track Service, which would make the process faster), and, if rejected and you appeal, could take a further 6-9 months before being decided on by an Immigration Judge, which means you’ve lost another year of being together as a family.

3. Preparing It Yourself Could Be Time-Consuming:

Another factor is the actual time it takes to read through the information about the requirements, as well as gathering all of the supporting documents and completing the application form. All of this action could take months for the couple, whereas an experienced immigration solicitor could take a week to ensure that everything has been completed and can provide you with a full list of documents to gather in support of the application. If you want the process to be even faster, I can even have everything prepared for you in as little as 2 working days!

Also, our job as immigration lawyers is to know the most recent changes to the rules and regulations regarding UK Immigration Law. Every year, changes to the immigration rules are made at least twice a year, which means that a non-immigration lawyer who is unfamiliar with the immigration rules can get bogged down with the sheer volume of information available, not to mention that the information they obtain may already be outdated.

Hiring an Immigration Lawyer is an Investment, Not an Expense

In the long run, hiring an Immigration Solicitor is of great benefit for you and your family. I can help you submit your visa application and supporting documents in the shortest amount of time, meaning that you and your loved one/s can finally live together in the same country, at the same time, and start planning a future together.

Think about it: You wouldn’t dream of building a house from scratch if you’re not an actual builder. Sure, you may save a lot of money by doing it yourself, but what if this actually takes you several years to complete? Not to mention the physical strain it can cause to your body and health, as well as the amount of time it will take you away from your friends and family, since every single spare minute will be spent on doing the property. And then, what if after all that hard work, effort, time and money, the house you built was deemed unsafe to live in? Surely you were actually better off hiring an expert to build the house in the first place? Someone who can save you time and stress, and money, by having your dream house built in a matter of months, and to your actual specifications? And someone who can actually add value to your property?

And so the same is true with hiring an Immigration Solicitor who has the experience and expertise to handle your case for you. Someone who will listen to your needs and endeavour to work hard to achieve the same goal as you: which is to get your visa as soon as possible, preferably at the first attempt.

Still Can't Afford To Hire An Immigration Solicitor? Try My Documents-Checking Service!

I understand that sometimes, the costs are just too much and many of you feel confident enough to prepare visa applications yourselves, as well as collating the documents in support of the application. However, for those who are still uncertain as to whether or not they have completed the application forms correctly, and that they have gathered sufficient documents and that these are in the correct format, as specified in the Immigration Rules, I offer a Documents-Checking Service for £250. For a fraction of the price of hiring a Solicitor to advise and assist you with your application, I can still provide you peace of mind by reviewing your application forms and documents before you submit these to the relevant Immigration Authorities. This guarantees you reassurance that your application will have the best chance of being successful, and who wouldn't want that?

Want to Discuss Your Case? For a free, no-obligation chat, call Melanie TODAY on 0203 302 6864. I could be the first step towards your future life in the UK