Visit Visa for Family Refused

My name is Syed and I have been working for British Council Pakistan as a permanent staff member since November 2011. I currently have a 05-year visit visa for the UK, which was issued on behalf of the British Council.


I recently applied for visit visa to the UK for my wife and two daughters for spending their summer vacations in the UK. I was their sponsor and we were using my sister’s accommodation in the UK.

The Entry Clearance Officer in Abu Dhabi refused their visa without any right to appeal and gave the following reasons:

• The sponsorship does not satisfy me of your own intention to comply with the immigration rules
• You intent to travel to the UK with your children. You have indicated on your application form that you are unemployed and financially reliant on your spouse. I note he has been issued a visit visa on and his intention and circumstances assessment as sufficient to support himself on a trip to the UK. However, the fact that you are travelling with all your children and that your spouse currently holds a valid UK visa diminishes your ties to Pakistan. Furthermore, it is only 4 weeks since your husband submitted his application and stated you would not be travelling with him. It is not clear why your travel plans have changed so soon and why you did not apply for a visa at the same time as him. This damages the credibility of the information contained within your application.


The Entry Clearance Officer based his/her decision on two grounds;
1. That I Syed who already has a UK visa and the fact that my family will be travelling with me diminishes our ties to Pakistan

I have a 14-year travel history of travelling to the UK; as a student from 2005-2008, as Post Study Work Permit from 2009 – 2011, and then on my official visits to the UK on behalf of the British Council between 2013 - 2019. I submitted my visa history as part of sponsor’s documents, official employment letter from the British Council, confirming that I am a permanent employee who is going to the UK with family and my travel dates, and I also submitted letter from my daughter’s schools confirming the visit and the return dates. What I fail to understand is if this doesn’t confirm my ties to Pakistan and our intention to travel to the UK and then return, then what does?


2. Furthermore, it is only 4 weeks since your husband submitted his application and stated you would not be travelling with him. It is not clear why your travel plans have changed so soon and why you did not apply for a visa at the same time as him.

I currently hold a 05-year visit visa to the UK and the fact that Entry Clearance Officer made a reference to my application which I applied 04 weeks ago in my wife’s refusal letter. I was travelling on an official visit to the UK from 28 May – 01 June along with Federal Minister for Education xxxx for an MOU signing ceremony, which was clearly mentioned in my visa application backed by a visa support letter from the British Council. My family was not travelling with me on that visit. Why would I say in my application that my family is travelling with me when they are not?
I fail to understand that with my official letters from the British Council, letter from my daughter’s school and with my 14 years travel history to the UK, why did the Entry Clearance Officer have a suspicion on our intentions?

I was wondering what legal options do I have in order to take this matter further because i strongly believe that the ECO failed to take in to account all the documents which were submitted along with the applications and I believe his/her decision is biased.

Any help in this regard will be highly appreciated.

Reapply and explain the ECO's misunderstanding, etc.

Your only other action is challenge it through the courts and that will take months and has a cost implication probably beyond the cost of reapplying for the visit visas again.

As recommended by Vinny reapply and set out the flaws to the earlier decision and address the points made in order to clarify the issues raised by the ECO.