Refusal of a UK visit visa - Appendix V 4.2 (a) and (c). 17 year-old on a gap year living in the UAE

[dubailad]

I am a 17 year-old living in Dubai (I am a Pakistani national; I have lived in Dubai for my entire life) and wish to travel to the UK as a part of my gap year backpacking holiday and to stay with my family.

I'll give some background information that might be helpful. The reason I am taking a gap year instead of going to university after the sixth form is because I had made a fatal mistake when applying for the student visa to study at the University of Edinburgh. I had not looked at the financial requirements until it was too late and as a result I was refused a UK study visa due to insufficient finances.

Because of this, I decided to defer my entry at the university to September 2018 and am on a gap year right now. I have already been to Malaysia and Thailand as a part of a volunteering tour and was hoping to visit Europe. I will be traveling to the UK for 50 days and will stay with my family for about a month and the remainder 20 days will be independent travel. I have attached the visa refusal document below.



Regarding the second bullet point mentioned, I don't actually have a student permit for the UAE but rather a residence visa. But since I was a high school student it mentioned student as a profession. I have also attached the residence visa for reference.


I would still like to visit the UK to meet with my friends and family so I would really appreciate advice for a fresh application. Oh, and If I attach my offer letter for the University of Edinburgh will it help? I also have a trip right after the UK to Sri Lanka and I hold an E-Visa. Would sending a copy of the e-visa prove helpful?

Thanks!

[Route to ILR]

I am a 17 year-old living in Dubai (I am a Pakistani national; I have lived in Dubai for my entire life) and wish to travel to the UK as a part of my gap year backpacking holiday and to stay with my family.

I'll give some background information that might be helpful. The reason I am taking a gap year instead of going to university after the sixth form is because I had made a fatal mistake when applying for the student visa to study at the University of Edinburgh. I had not looked at the financial requirements until it was too late and as a result I was refused a UK study visa due to insufficient finances.

Because of this, I decided to defer my entry at the university to September 2018 and am on a gap year right now. I have already been to Malaysia and Thailand as a part of a volunteering tour and was hoping to visit Europe. I will be traveling to the UK for 50 days and will stay with my family for about a month and the remainder 20 days will be independent travel. I have attached the visa refusal document below.



Regarding the second bullet point mentioned, I don't actually have a student permit for the UAE but rather a residence visa. But since I was a high school student it mentioned student as a profession. I have also attached the residence visa for reference.


I would still like to visit the UK to meet with my friends and family so I would really appreciate advice for a fresh application. Oh, and If I attach my offer letter for the University of Edinburgh will it help? I also have a trip right after the UK to Sri Lanka and I hold an E-Visa. Would sending a copy of the e-visa prove helpful?

Thanks!

Hi
I think your case is very weak now. First u applied a UK student visa and after the refusal u applied UK visit visa. It shows how desperate u r to go to England in Eco's view and it's undermine your credibility significantly. Not a wise decision to switch visa application category. I think this refusal is absolutely correct.
My advise is visit visa is out of question now. Wait a bit and try to apply student visa again and full fill all the visa requirement.

[dubailad]

The student visa and visit visa are for complete different reasons though. With the visit visa all I'm doing is visiting my friends and family as I haven't seen them in ages as most of my friends have moved to the UK from dubai to study there.

[CR001]

They might be for different reasons but you have not proved to the ECO that you are a credible and genuine visitor. You don't work or study and your parents use of 'live independently' certainly doesn't help.

Whether or not you have seen family and friends in the UK for a long time is not the issue. UKVI don't based their decisions on emotions or applicants 'wants'.

A visitor visa is usually refused if applied for very soon after a student/work/spouse visa refusal as your intent to remain medium to long term in the UK has been stated already.