Student Visa Denied, Re-apply?

[saadabbasi]

Hey everyone,

I applied for my UK Student Visa 3 and 1/2 weeks ago. This week I found out that my visa has been denied on the basis that I cannot afford it - which is not true.

I can fully afford the tuition and living expenses during my stay. The sponsor is my father's business which the Entry Clearance Officer felt would not fund my studies. Even though I submitted a letter from the bank that we hold a satisfactory bank account. I also submitted a letter from the company stating that they would fund my studies. This letter was signed by all the directors of the company.

What can I do about this? The one option I see is that I can fully pay the University's tuition fees for this year and acquire a new visa letter stating that I have paid them. Would this strengthen my case? It would, after-all, show to the ECO that I can indeed my tuition fee.

Please advise.

For the record, I am from Pakistan.

[Mr Rusty]

"12.15 - Evidence of funds
All students must be able to demonstrate that they either have sufficient funds at their disposal or that they will be sponsored by an individual or organisation, and that the source of funds is a reliable one."

That's what the ECO's instructions say. What was the exact wording of your refusal?
Even if you prepay a year's tuition fees, they might still refuse to accept that your sponsors can be relied on to fund your accommodation, and fees in future years. Without knowing more, my instinct is that you have to overcome the implied mistrust of your father's company as sponsors.

[saadabbasi]

Mr. Rusty, thank you for a prompt reply. Here is the scanned refusal letter.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n282 ... /Page2.jpg

I already plan on writing a comprehensive paragraph detailing how the course will benefit me. This is what the first paragraph addresses.

Please advise about the 2nd paragraph/objection.

[republique]

Mr. Rusty, thank you for a prompt reply. Here is the scanned refusal letter.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n282 ... /Page2.jpg

I already plan on writing a comprehensive paragraph detailing how the course will benefit me. This is what the first paragraph addresses.

Please advise about the 2nd paragraph/objection.

Ouch. Not only does he say your financial sponsor are unreliable but that your reasons to study at this instituation is flimsly.
I have to agree.
If you reapply You have to deal with the IO concerns.
How did you get into the University? Did you have to write an essay of interest for you application. Perhaps that would be better than it will improve me.

As for the business sponsor, the IO is correct. On what basis is the business obligated to pay your tuition? It would seem to me your father should provide proof of his own individual income ability and pledge he will support the costs of your study.

[saadabbasi]

Yes, I did write an essay for the University. Shall I include that?

As for the obligation. My father has no personal accounts of any significance. Everything comes from the business - of which he has a 50% share. He was also one of the founders along with my uncle. It is a family-owned business.

What can I do to convince him that the business will indeed support me and is indeed a reliable source of income?

[Mr Rusty]

Provide balance sheet and profit & loss accounts for the company, which is what the ECO says has not been done. Obviously, if the £50000 expenditure which is proposed for your studies here is a disproportionately large amount of the company's profits, the ECO is entitled to assume that the company is not a reliable source of funds.

[saadabbasi]

Thank you.

And how can I convince him that the business will indeed pay for my studies? I thought the letter signed by the directors of the company would suffice.

[jes2jes]

Thank you.

And how can I convince him that the business will indeed pay for my studies? I thought the letter signed by the directors of the company would suffice.

I guess you should go back and read what the refusal letter says. All the things Mr Rusty addressed is clearly stated in the letter.

Look at the ECO's concern's and let the directors address these issues. Not just address them by letter only but backed with actual financial data and their willingness to pay for your course, the benefits to the business etc. Also, as said by Mr. Rusty again, your own personal statement in line with what the course would 'do for you' - the benefits etc.

I think a reapplication would be quicker if you have all the documents instead of filing for an appeal. You can try sending in a reconsideration to the attention of the ECM (Entry Clearance Manager).

All the best!

[Mr Rusty]

Well, it's a question of credibility. If the sponsoring company was huge manufacturing or trading concern, then I'm sure acceptance would be automatic. If the company is a market stall with a small turnover and profit, then the opposite would be the case. It's a question of proportion - if the profits of the company support your family and two or three others, and taking out £15k+ per year would significantly affect this income, you would expect the ECO to doubt the readiness of a collection of individuals to make this sacrifice over several years.

[saadabbasi]

I have done some rudimentary calculations and my total expenditure of one year is 9% of the company's net profit (before tax deduction).

Is that significant?

I'm sorry, I realize I'm asking stupid questions, I just don't have anybody to turn to.

[Mr Rusty]

I have done some rudimentary calculations and my total expenditure of one year is 9% of the company's net profit (before tax deduction).

Is that significant?

I'm sorry, I realize I'm asking stupid questions, I just don't have anybody to turn to.

It's not a stupid question, but I think it's one you have to put to the Entry Clearance Manager, along with the company's figures to support that calculation, plus any other reasons why you believe that studies here will enhance your career in Pakistan, and ask the ECM for a reconsideration.

If your proposed study directly relates to the company's activities, you might be able to argue that it's worth their while to invest 9% of their profit in you.

[saadabbasi]

Thank you, again, Rusty. You have been very helpful, along with other members.

I just talked with my father and it turns out he has a personal account with about £57000. The account has a lot of transactions and the bank can provide us with a letter stating that the account has been held satisfactorily.

This money does not come from his business, but rather from some lands he owns. We can also provide documents proving ownership of the lands.

How will this hold up?

Regards

[saadabbasi]

Do I need to provide the source of income for a bank account? As I said, my father's bank account has about £57000 but the source of the income was lands he inherited which were sold 2 to 3 years ago.

How can I prove that the source of the money was from some lands he sold years ago?

Or would it be sufficient enough to simply mention that the funds that have been set aside for me (the ones in this bank account) came from selling of property recently and, in most cases (as the bank had an average balance of £30000) 3 years ago?

I should also mention that as recently as a week ago, the account received 2 large deposits. One of which was the return of a loan someone took from us and the other is an advance payment of property my father is selling. I can provide proof for both these large transactions.

[Frontier Mole]

No matter which way you look at the current application it is not going to hold up.

The business has had considerable debt issues, 9% of the company's gross profit is a large proportion to be "invested" in any one individual, your fathers account may be firmly in credit but it is not enough to pay you through uni and support him and your family. Bearing in mind his only income is from a company that can not maintain itself without recourse to bank lending it does not paint a good picture.

Your essay to the uni is not going to help you; the ECO wants to see something that you have not or can not provide - lots of funds with lots of income coming in to keep it topped up. It is straight down to "show me the money" they are not interested in why you want to go to a UK uni - if you had the funds they would not go down that route. What they are intimating is that there are plenty of uni's in PAK that you could go to, it would be cheaper and there is really nothing more to be gained from studying in the UK. This measured against the funding issues is as good as saying you can’t afford a UK education and what good is it to the sponsoring company in any event. It just adds another barrier to the refusal.

Resolving and proving the funding is far more important than explaining why you want to go to a UK uni.

[saadabbasi]

Yes, for this reason this time I applied with a bank account which has had a lot of large transactions. The one I mentioned in the last post. This is my father's personal account. The current balance stands at £64000 and the average balance through 3 years (since the account was created) has been about £30,000 - with transactions as large as £23000. The account has gone as high as £100,000. This account has never been over-drawn.

The bank had been largely withdrawn until the last week when he had two large deposits come in. In case, the ECO thought this was just window-dressing for benefit of my application, I and my father have supplied evidence that one of the transactions was an advance payment of selling of some property. And the second transaction was of the return of a loan to a relative. Bear in mind, this documentary evidence is independent, for both of the transactions. The current balance stands at £64000.

He does not use this account for his personal expense. Personal expense is covered by the company - all of it! I have stated this in my application! His monthly salary of £1200 does not even go into this bank account. And yes, I have provided proof of the salary.

In addition, I have provided a valid reason why I want to study in the UK. The reason is simply, my father's company needs foreign qualified engineers because it is entering the international market. They are about to start business with the likes of Bosch, Germany. This was stated again in the letter from my father/sponsor.

I am not going to the UK just because I want to or anything - though I realize thats what my previous application implies.

I have also provided an employment offer letter from my father's company. And also the proof of payment of first year's tuition fees. Now we only owe £39000.

Does this seem like a better case?

[republique]

No matter which way you look at the current application it is not going to hold up.

The business has had considerable debt issues, 9% of the company's gross profit is a large proportion to be "invested" in any one individual, your fathers account may be firmly in credit but it is not enough to pay you through uni and support him and your family. Bearing in mind his only income is from a company that can not maintain itself without recourse to bank lending it does not paint a good picture.

Your essay to the uni is not going to help you; the ECO wants to see something that you have not or can not provide - lots of funds with lots of income coming in to keep it topped up. It is straight down to "show me the money" they are not interested in why you want to go to a UK uni - if you had the funds they would not go down that route. What they are intimating is that there are plenty of uni's in PAK that you could go to, it would be cheaper and there is really nothing more to be gained from studying in the UK. This measured against the funding issues is as good as saying you can’t afford a UK education and what good is it to the sponsoring company in any event. It just adds another barrier to the refusal.

Resolving and proving the funding is far more important than explaining why you want to go to a UK uni.

Not withstanding whether he is financially capable, the reason the submission of his essay is because the ECO brought it up in the denial so it behooves the applicant to provide something to back it up so please do not be so dismissive about the essay. Indeed the funding is more important but now it does show the motivation of the business to sponsor the applicant's studies.