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EC rejected, maintenance - letter. Help!

Archived UK Tier 1 (General) points system forum. This route no longer exists.

Moderators: Casa, push, JAJ, ca.funke, Amber, zimba, vinny, Obie, EUsmileWEallsmile, batleykhan, meself2, geriatrix, John, ChetanOjha, archigabe, Administrator

pyke
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EC rejected, maintenance - letter. Help!

Post by pyke » Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:53 pm

My EC has been refused and I would really appreciate some advice on what went wrong and how to proceed.

The reason cited was that I did not meet the Maintenance requirements. I have in fact, maintained the required balance for more than four months immediately preceeding it. I submitted a letter from my bank stating that the balance 'has been above xxx and maintained for the past four months' along with copies of my bank book for the period showing regular deposits and withdrawals throughout the period.

The reason for refusal was that based on the letter from the bank, the case officer was 'unable to determine if there has been any activity on the account' and was not satisfied that the letter states that 'the balance on the account has always been at least the equivalent of GBP2800.'

The letter from the bank may not have stated that there was regular activity on the account but doesn't the copies of my bank book show that? Or is that not taken into account? It was submitted as additional evidence but not mentioned by the case officer.

What exactly should the letter from the bank state then? That there was regular activity on the account and the balance was at least that amount every single day for that period?

How can I proceed? Is a favourable decision from an Administrative Review likely? Would it be better to submit a new application for EC?

Please advise. It would also be help others avoid the same mistakes. Thanks!

coolguyIndia
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Posts: 71
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Re: EC rejected, maintenance - letter. Help!

Post by coolguyIndia » Wed Aug 27, 2008 1:05 pm

dude...

if u can provide lil bit more information on bank statement regarding the dates u mentioned in ur application.

Please note that for the three month requirement and opening balance and closing balance for all the transactions between start date and end date has to be atleast equivalent of 2800 GBP.

in my case, ECO taken transaction dates instead of the statement period and rejected my application, I applied for review and got the application approved and stamped passport. If u provide more details then I think lot of people can provide their feedback...

relax and provide details...

Regards
pyke wrote:My EC has been refused and I would really appreciate some advice on what went wrong and how to proceed.

The reason cited was that I did not meet the Maintenance requirements. I have in fact, maintained the required balance for more than four months immediately preceeding it. I submitted a letter from my bank stating that the balance 'has been above xxx and maintained for the past four months' along with copies of my bank book for the period showing regular deposits and withdrawals throughout the period.

The reason for refusal was that based on the letter from the bank, the case officer was 'unable to determine if there has been any activity on the account' and was not satisfied that the letter states that 'the balance on the account has always been at least the equivalent of GBP2800.'

The letter from the bank may not have stated that there was regular activity on the account but doesn't the copies of my bank book show that? Or is that not taken into account? It was submitted as additional evidence but not mentioned by the case officer.

What exactly should the letter from the bank state then? That there was regular activity on the account and the balance was at least that amount every single day for that period?

How can I proceed? Is a favourable decision from an Administrative Review likely? Would it be better to submit a new application for EC?

Please advise. It would also be help others avoid the same mistakes. Thanks!
Thanks & Best Regards

geriatrix
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Post by geriatrix » Wed Aug 27, 2008 1:50 pm

What do you mean by bank book? And what do you mean when you say letter from bank was primary evidence and "copy" of bank book as secondary (additional) evidence??

regards
Last edited by geriatrix on Wed Aug 27, 2008 2:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Life isn't fair, but you can be!

Satnov
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Post by Satnov » Wed Aug 27, 2008 2:08 pm

sushdmehta wrote:What do you mean by bank book? And what do you mean when you say letter from bank was primary evidence and "copy" of bank book as secondary (additional) evidence??

A letter from bank cannot be submitted as independent evidence of maintenance funds!! Bank statements are the only primary evidence and a letter from bank is needed only in special circumstances (e.g. - plain paper bank statements, online printouts etc. etc.).

regards
According to the Tier 1 policy guidance - a letter from the bank on the bank letter head and logo is sufficient evidence - I have provided an extract from the policy guidance document

3. Letter from bank confirming funds and that they
have been in the bank for at least three months: The
letter from a bank or building society should show:
• the applicant’s name;
• the account number;
• the date of the letter;
• the fi nancial institution’s name and logo;
• the funds held in the applicant’s account; and
• that the funds of £2,800 or £800 have been in the
bank for at least three months and the balance has
always been at least £2,800 or £800, as appropriate.

Further all evidences provided should be original - no copies are allowed. No where in the policy guidance it is stated that the letter should state activity. If the above points are covered in the letter - then it is sufficient.

geriatrix
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Post by geriatrix » Wed Aug 27, 2008 2:27 pm

How silly of me! What was I thinking when I was writing that?? Probably having a mom-in-law nightmare!! 8)

My apologies to OP and my thanks to SatNov for pointing out my mistake. Have edited my earlier post so that it doesn't confuse the public at large.

I think I know where the problem is
that the funds of £2,800 or £800 have been in the bank for at least three months and the balance has always been at least £2,800 or £800, as appropriate
If the letter didn't address the point highlighted in blue, I would also agree with the CW.

regards
Last edited by geriatrix on Wed Aug 27, 2008 11:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Life isn't fair, but you can be!

newapplicant
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Re: EC rejected, maintenance - letter. Help!

Post by newapplicant » Wed Aug 27, 2008 2:41 pm

coolguyIndia wrote: in my case, ECO taken transaction dates instead of the statement period and rejected my application,
Frend,

What do you mean by CW has taken transaction date instead of statement period?

I have provided statements from 15-may to 15-Aug and it always had funds above 1000£ always ( WP -> TIER1 in UK). hope my proof is fine

coolguyIndia
Junior Member
Posts: 71
Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 2:54 am

Re: EC rejected, maintenance - letter. Help!

Post by coolguyIndia » Wed Aug 27, 2008 3:07 pm

dont worry.. not every ECO reads all the bank statements in same way the way my ECO read it. My bank statements was from 01-02-2008 to 30-04-2008. In this time period there were three transactions 22nd Feb, 4th April and 5th April. ECO considered time period ad 22nd Feb to 5th April. This was gross mistake on part of ECO and during review ECM agreed for this mistake.

Hope above helps...

newapplicant wrote:
coolguyIndia wrote: in my case, ECO taken transaction dates instead of the statement period and rejected my application,
Frend,

What do you mean by CW has taken transaction date instead of statement period?

I have provided statements from 15-may to 15-Aug and it always had funds above 1000£ always ( WP -> TIER1 in UK). hope my proof is fine
Thanks & Best Regards

pyke
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Posts: 219
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Post by pyke » Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:43 pm

sushdmehta wrote:What do you mean by bank book? And what do you mean when you say letter from bank was primary evidence and "copy" of bank book as secondary (additional) evidence??

regards
I'm sorry, the official term used is Savings Account pass book. I submitted copies of it, certified by the bank, as I wanted to use my pass book during the processing period.

It's stated that one of the following should be provided as evidence. Letter from the bank, Savings Account pass book or bank statements. My letter from the bank was original and hence, primary evidence while the copy of the bank book was additional evidence.

Is that where I went wrong? The copy was not accepted as evidence? It showed regular activity on the account but the letter from the bank didn't.

pyke
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Post by pyke » Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:50 pm

Satnov wrote: Further all evidences provided should be original - no copies are allowed. No where in the policy guidance it is stated that the letter should state activity. If the above points are covered in the letter - then it is sufficient.
That's true. My mistake, I guess. I should have submitted the original bank book although it was supporting evidence.

I also agree that it's not stated that the letter should state activity. However, the CW cited that as a reason for refusal. Would that be corrected in an Administrative Review then?

pyke
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Post by pyke » Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:55 pm

sushdmehta wrote: I think I know where the problem is
that the funds of £2,800 or £800 have been in the bank for at least three months and the balance has always been at least £2,800 or £800, as appropriate
If the letter didn't address the point highlighted in blue, I would also agree with the CW.

regards
The letter from the bank did not state that explicitly, but did state that a balance of £6000 has been maintained for the past four months. Shouldn't that do?

pyke
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Post by pyke » Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:55 pm

Congratulations on the approval, coolguyIndia!

geriatrix
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Post by geriatrix » Wed Aug 27, 2008 11:42 pm

pyke wrote:
sushdmehta wrote: I think I know where the problem is
that the funds of £2,800 or £800 have been in the bank for at least three months and the balance has always been at least £2,800 or £800, as appropriate
If the letter didn't address the point highlighted in blue, I would also agree with the CW.

regards
The letter from the bank did not state that explicitly, but did state that a balance of £6000 has been maintained for the past four months. Shouldn't that do?
The policy guidance suggests that merely stating that you had 6000 pounds maintained in the account for last 4 months is not sufficient - what UKBA wants is for the bank to also confirm that the balance did not fall below the min. requirement on any day during the 3 month period.

Admin. review doesn't allow you to submit any new evidence. You'll need a new letter from the bank and I cannot say if CW will treat it as new evidence.

regards
Life isn't fair, but you can be!

pyke
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Post by pyke » Thu Aug 28, 2008 5:30 am

thank you, sushdmehta. Best to get a new letter from the bank, stating that exactly and submit a new application for EC then?

perk_2k1
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Post by perk_2k1 » Tue Sep 02, 2008 9:17 pm

hi pyke,

well the best thing is to put your original passbook alon with the letter from the bank stating that u have maintained these funds for past 3 months in your account plus a very imp thing is that ur passbook must show a transaction within 7 days prior to the date u apply for EC otherwise they will consider you bank account inactive.

hina_France
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Post by hina_France » Wed Sep 03, 2008 10:53 am

perk_2k1 wrote:hi pyke,

well the best thing is to put your original passbook alon with the letter from the bank stating that u have maintained these funds for past 3 months in your account plus a very imp thing is that ur passbook must show a transaction within 7 days prior to the date u apply for EC otherwise they will consider you bank account inactive.
Perk_2k1,

I guess, you are wrong. The most recent bank statement should be dated no more than seven days before the EC application is submitted. There is no mention of "transaction date". For instance, you submitted EC application on 12th August, the bank statement should not be dated before 5th August, whereas the last transaction can be of 1-2 august or even of july.

Senior members, please correct me if i am wrong ?

pyke
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Post by pyke » Wed Sep 03, 2008 1:30 pm

perk_2k1 wrote: well the best thing is to put your original passbook alon with the letter from the bank stating that u have maintained these funds for past 3 months in your account plus a very imp thing is that ur passbook must show a transaction within 7 days prior to the date u apply for EC otherwise they will consider you bank account inactive.
thanks perk_2k1. I have gotten a new letter from the bank with the exact phrase, but not before I threatened to close my account. Apparently it's not the bank's policy to issue letters other than their generic letters. Incredibly frustrating.

pyke
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Post by pyke » Wed Sep 03, 2008 1:35 pm

hina_France wrote:
I guess, you are wrong. The most recent bank statement should be dated no more than seven days before the EC application is submitted. There is no mention of "transaction date". For instance, you submitted EC application on 12th August, the bank statement should not be dated before 5th August, whereas the last transaction can be of 1-2 august or even of july.

Senior members, please correct me if i am wrong ?
Well, a VFS officer advised me that the last transaction itself should not be more than seven days ago to be on the safe side.

Igot4UK
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Bank statement from UK

Post by Igot4UK » Wed Sep 03, 2008 5:12 pm

Greetings!

For maintenance funds, I need to show 2800 + 1600 + 1600 = 6000 in my bank accounts for past 3 months.

I have GBP 3500 in my UK Current Plus account.
I have over GBP 4000 in my Indian Savings bank account.

Now, I am planning to apply by sept end, say 25th.
My bank statement for 30th Jul to 31st Aug from UK will reach me by 20-22nd.

But the rule says, only 7 days gap is acceptable between bank statement and application date.

What do I do about this ?


Another doubt is - my UK bank account is an offshore account, that too a Current Plus account. Will this also be a problem ?


Thanks for the replies in advance.

Igot4UK
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Post by Igot4UK » Sun Sep 07, 2008 6:00 pm

Well, I called and mailed VFS and got the following response - just thought I will share it over here as well -

"With regard to your query, we understand your concern however, this is to keep you informed that UK PBS team has conducted a survey and concluded that 7 days is sufficient to obtain bank documents from any UK bank. Hence, you must show bank statements/other evidence immediately preceding and dated no more than 7 days prior to the date you submit your application. The balance should not fall below the required minimum at any time during the 3 month period."

I talked to my bank, and my bank cannot provide me statements within 7 days; so I am trying for following option - do let me know your views...

For Tier 1 : maintenance requirements, I need to show 2800 + 1600 + 1600 = 6000 (2 dependents). I am planning to show these as follows -


Bank Name - Duration - Minimum balance - Proof - Monthly Total

ABC IN - 1 - 30 Jul - GBP 4000 - Bank Statement -
XYZ UK - 1 - 30 Jul - GBP 3500 - Bank Statement - GBP 6000+

ABC IN - 1 - 31 Aug - GBP 4000 - Bank Statement -
XYZ UK - 1 - 31 Aug - GBP 3500 - Bank Statement - GBP 6000+

ABC IN - 1 - 30 Sep - GBP 6000 - Bank Statement - GBP 6000+

Will such a combination of funds in 2 accounts be okay for the criteria to be met?

Please advise.

geriatrix
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Post by geriatrix » Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:11 am

Igot4UK wrote:For Tier 1 : maintenance requirements, I need to show 2800 + 1600 + 1600 = 6000 (2 dependents). I am planning to show these as follows -


Bank Name - Duration - Minimum balance - Proof - Monthly Total

ABC IN - 1 - 30 Jul - GBP 4000 - Bank Statement -
XYZ UK - 1 - 30 Jul - GBP 3500 - Bank Statement - GBP 6000+

ABC IN - 1 - 31 Aug - GBP 4000 - Bank Statement -
XYZ UK - 1 - 31 Aug - GBP 3500 - Bank Statement - GBP 6000+

ABC IN - 1 - 30 Sep - GBP 6000 - Bank Statement - GBP 6000+

Will such a combination of funds in 2 accounts be okay for the criteria to be met?

Please advise.
No, and the following explains why!

ZYZ UK - Since you are unable to provide a statement dated within 7 days prior to your application, BHC will not take monies held in this account into consideration at all.
As a fall-out of the above,
ABC IN - Amount maintained in 3 months preceding 30-Sep does not meet the min. balance requirement of 6K pounds.

You cannot show that you have held the amount in account A for 2 months and account B for 1 month, thereby meeting the 3 months condition. Whatever account you use, you have to show that you have maintained the funds for 3 months in *that* account!

regards
Life isn't fair, but you can be!

hina_France
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Post by hina_France » Mon Sep 08, 2008 5:20 am

How to respect 7-days statement requirement

You can ask some of your friend to go to your bank on your behalf on FRIDAY and collect the "computer-generated" statement of your account and send it to you by DHL. You will easily get the statement on MONDAY and submission can be done on TUESDAY. Its very simple.

I have done the same for my bank account in France; while applying from Pakistan. (Also note that, i have got my bank statement translated from french into english during this 7-days period).

Dont loose hope, and give it a try atleast.

Good luck!

asifkazi
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Location: Pakistan
Contact:

Re: EC rejected, maintenance - letter. Help!

Post by asifkazi » Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:52 pm

pyke wrote:My EC has been refused and I would really appreciate some advice on what went wrong and how to proceed.

The reason cited was that I did not meet the Maintenance requirements. I have in fact, maintained the required balance for more than four months immediately preceeding it. I submitted a letter from my bank stating that the balance 'has been above xxx and maintained for the past four months' along with copies of my bank book for the period showing regular deposits and withdrawals throughout the period.

The reason for refusal was that based on the letter from the bank, the case officer was 'unable to determine if there has been any activity on the account' and was not satisfied that the letter states that 'the balance on the account has always been at least the equivalent of GBP2800.'

The letter from the bank may not have stated that there was regular activity on the account but doesn't the copies of my bank book show that? Or is that not taken into account? It was submitted as additional evidence but not mentioned by the case officer.

What exactly should the letter from the bank state then? That there was regular activity on the account and the balance was at least that amount every single day for that period?

How can I proceed? Is a favourable decision from an Administrative Review likely? Would it be better to submit a new application for EC?

Please advise. It would also be help others avoid the same mistakes. Thanks!
Dear pyke:
I am sorry to hear your case.
To your question, i'd suggest, go ahead and request a review. Your case is strong.
Remener that you can not supply any new evidence or document though.
A new ECO will review your case, He may clear you out from "funds maintenamce" but may put you into some other criteria. Do expect everything.
I have learnt from my exprience and posts on this board that ECOs always knowingly "Discourage" non-assisted (agentless) applications. The reason is vivid and clear :)

NEW and important to file appeal against decision(to me atleast):

(Following does not apply to EC Review)
How do I lodge an appeal against a decision to refuse my visa?
Submit your completed AIT2 form along with your refusal notice and any supporting documents. If choosing to submit your appeal to the British High Commission (BHC), you must supply one full set of all documents, including the AIT-2 form. The copies should be single sided on A4 paper and without any staples. Please also note supporting documents must be printed using offset/100 gram paper. Failure to submit a full set of photocopies to the BHC in the correct format will result in non-acceptance of your appeal and it will be returned to you unprocessed.


My wishes to you all.

ak

mjmani
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Request for urgent help on Maintenance Funds letter

Post by mjmani » Sat Sep 20, 2008 6:13 am

Here is the doc format I received from bank for maintenance funds. This is on bank's letter head. Pls let me know if you find any issue in this.
-------------------------------------------------
September 18, 2008

RE: my full name
my full address

Member/Account #

To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is to confirm that since July 1, 2008 our member, my <full name>, has had an available balance in excess of $9,000.00 in his # account.

If you have any questions regarding this letter, please feel free to call (800)***-****.

Regards,

<signature>
<Signatory's name>
<Signatory's designation>
<Bank name>
-------------------------------------------------
In addition to the above letter, on a separate page (again on bank letter head), they have provided the statement history from July 1, 2008 to till date. This statement clearly shows my balance has never gone below $9000/-

Together (these two letters) will be sufficient for Maintenance Funds proof. Friends, please let me know if this would be fine.

I am actually applying only on Oct 1st week. I got this letter dated Sep 18th just to see if their format satisfies the req or not. I will get a new letter, if required with a new format. I need your help in reviewing this letter and let me know if this would suffice.
Thanks
Best regards,
Mani

pyke
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Post by pyke » Sat Sep 27, 2008 6:59 am

mjmani,

Your letter sounds similar to the one I submitted, which was the basis of my application being rejected. You shouldn't worry though, as each case is different and will be treated as such by the CW, but perhaps you might want to tweak it a bit. It may be better to include something like

the funds of £2,800 or £800 have been in the bank for at least three months and the balance has always been at least £2,800 or £800, as appropriate.

Having the bank statement that you have gotten will also definitely help.

mjmani
Member
Posts: 123
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:07 pm
Location: London, UK

Thanks Pyke

Post by mjmani » Sat Sep 27, 2008 6:56 pm

Thanks Pyke,
I will get it changed to mention the exact words used in the guidelines. I will type the letter and give them to use same/similar.
Best regards,
Mani

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