Had My Visa Reinstated, but Out £400 in Legal fees?

[liam042895]

Hey all,

This is my first time on here.

I'm a Canadian citizen who has been living in the UK for the past 4.5 years on a dependent visa. Now in April I was coming through a British border checkpoint in Calais France, and the officers there thought that I did not have the right to live in the UK on a dependent visa and cancelled it and endorsed my passport with two months to buy an FLRO visa to stay in the UK. Obviously this was wrong so I contacted several different lawyers who all informed me there was nothing they could do as the Boarder Force failed to issue me the proper paper work to launch an appeal. All this cost me about £400. I then took the issue to my local MP, who hounded the Home Office until they looked further into the case. It was eventually brought to the attention of UKBA Chief Operating Officer Phil Duffy, who ordered the Operational Manager of Calais to review what his Officers had done to me. It was found that they were wrong to cancel my visa and endorse my passport and UKVI was ordered to issue me an FLR O visa with no charge. I received an apologize from Phil Duffy himself, and while I appreciate how seriously he took this matter and how promptly it was fixed once it was brought in front of the right people, I still find myself £400 lighter then I was prior to this mistake, and this is the UKBA's vault and I think they should be held accountable for the cost they have caused me to incur though their negligence.

So I was wondering if I could get some opinions on what I should do and how I should try to recoup my losses?

Many thanks,
Liam

[Petaltop]

Hey all,

This is my first time on here.

I'm a Canadian citizen who has been living in the UK for the past 4.5 years on a dependent visa. Now in April I was coming through a British border checkpoint in Calais France, and the officers there thought that I did not have the right to live in the UK on a dependent visa and cancelled it and endorsed my passport with two months to buy an FLRO visa to stay in the UK. Obviously this was wrong so I contacted several different lawyers who all informed me there was nothing they could do as the Boarder Force failed to issue me the proper paper work to launch an appeal. All this cost me about £400. I then took the issue to my local MP, who hounded the Home Office until they looked further into the case. It was eventually brought to the attention of UKBA Chief Operating Officer Phil Duffy, who ordered the Operational Manager of Calais to review what his Officers had done to me. It was found that they were wrong to cancel my visa and endorse my passport and UKVI was ordered to issue me an FLR O visa with no charge. I received an apologize from Phil Duffy himself, and while I appreciate how seriously he took this matter and how promptly it was fixed once it was brought in front of the right people, I still find myself £400 lighter then I was prior to this mistake, and this is the UKBA's vault and I think they should be held accountable for the cost they have caused me to incur though their negligence.

So I was wondering if I could get some opinions on what I should do and how I should try to recoup my losses?

Many thanks,
Liam

How long did you have left on the visa they cancelled?

How long is the FLR(O) visa?

Is the free FLR(O) visa longer than the time you had left on your cancelled visa? If it is, subtract the cost it would have been to you for the extra months they gave for free on the FLR(O) visa from your £400 legal bill and that is your loss.

Although from what you hae said, it sounds like it was the MP who resolved the matter and he didn't bill you for that as the UK pays him; and the legal people you paid didn't do anything to sort your problem.

[liam042895]

Hey all,

This is my first time on here.

I'm a Canadian citizen who has been living in the UK for the past 4.5 years on a dependent visa. Now in April I was coming through a British border checkpoint in Calais France, and the officers there thought that I did not have the right to live in the UK on a dependent visa and cancelled it and endorsed my passport with two months to buy an FLRO visa to stay in the UK. Obviously this was wrong so I contacted several different lawyers who all informed me there was nothing they could do as the Boarder Force failed to issue me the proper paper work to launch an appeal. All this cost me about £400. I then took the issue to my local MP, who hounded the Home Office until they looked further into the case. It was eventually brought to the attention of UKBA Chief Operating Officer Phil Duffy, who ordered the Operational Manager of Calais to review what his Officers had done to me. It was found that they were wrong to cancel my visa and endorse my passport and UKVI was ordered to issue me an FLR O visa with no charge. I received an apologize from Phil Duffy himself, and while I appreciate how seriously he took this matter and how promptly it was fixed once it was brought in front of the right people, I still find myself £400 lighter then I was prior to this mistake, and this is the UKBA's vault and I think they should be held accountable for the cost they have caused me to incur though their negligence.

So I was wondering if I could get some opinions on what I should do and how I should try to recoup my losses?

Many thanks,
Liam

How long did you have left on the visa they cancelled?

How long is the FLR(O) visa?

Is the free FLR(O) visa longer than the time you had left on your cancelled visa? If it is, subtract the cost it would have been to you for the extra months they gave for free on the FLR(O) visa from your £400 legal bill and that is your loss.

Although from what you hae said, it sounds like it was the MP who resolved the matter and he didn't bill you for that as the UK pays him; and the legal people you paid didn't do anything to sort your problem.

Hey,

The FLR O visa has only been extended to the original end date of my dependent visa, so there is now "added value" to this visa. Yes, the £400 was entirely spent on lawyers fees. I was not billed by the MP as I am a tax payer and voter and have been for the past 4 years.