An individual who wishes to enter the UK as a visitor must have a genuine intention to return home or to leave the UK at the end of their visit.
When coming to the UK to visit, individuals must meet the requirements as set out at Appendix V of the Immigration Rules. One of the requirements listed at Appendix V is that, when making an application to visit the UK, an individual must satisfy the decision maker that they “will leave the UK at the end of their visit” or in other words, that they intend to return home.
A failure to demonstrate a genuine intention to leave the UK at the end of a visit is one of the most common reasons for refusal of a UK visit visa.
Demonstrating a future genuine intention to return home can be very challenging. The Home Office advises applicants not to book flights prior to receiving a decision on an application and applicants therefore need to provide alternative evidence of their intention to leave the UK.
The main way to demonstrate a genuine intention to leave the UK at the end of the visit will be through demonstrating that an applicant has strong ties to another country and will therefore return to this country at the end of their visit to the UK. We explore the different methods of demonstrating this below.
Work or education
If an applicant can demonstrate that they are in employment or full-time education outside of the UK, Home Office caseworkers may consider this as a strong indication that an applicant intends to leave the UK at the end of their visit.
In order to demonstrate employment outside of the UK, an applicant should provide a letter from their employer setting out their employment details, including their salary information and confirming that the employer is aware of their intended trip to the UK and that they are expected to return to their employment at the end of their trip.
If an individual is in full time education, a similar letter from the educational institution would be beneficial. If the applicant is travelling outside of term time, it would also be useful to include evidence of term dates.
Property ownership
If an applicant owns property outside of the UK, evidence of this can be used to demonstrate an intention to leave the UK at the end of a visit.
Evidence of property ownership can include a Title Register or equivalent or a letter from a solicitor confirming the property ownership.
If an individual does not own but instead rents property, evidence of a long-term lease or rental agreement could also be used to demonstrate an intention to return home.
Family
If an applicant has family in the country that they intend to return to after visiting the UK, providing evidence of their family connection can be beneficial.
If the applicant is visiting the UK but they have parents, a spouse, siblings or children remaining outside of the UK, then evidence of this should be provided. Suitable evidence can include birth certificates or family books.
It can also be useful to include letters from family members in support of an application setting out the family relationship, the contact that the applicant has with the family member and any other way in which the family members rely on the applicant.
If for example the applicant has an elderly parent outside of the UK who they care for, it can be beneficial to include evidence of this in support of an application.
Complex circumstances
Of course, many individuals applying for leave to enter the UK as a visitor may not be able to provide any of the evidence listed above. We find that this can be a common situation for retired parents visiting their children who live in the UK.
Whilst these applications can be more complex, we find that there is generally something within an individual’s circumstances which will demonstrate their ties to their home.
It may be that a retired individual is a member of a local club or social group and can provide evidence of this. Alternatively, they may care for a neighbour or look after a friend or relative’s children on a regular basis. Where an applicant cannot provide evidence of strong ties to their home country in the way of work commitments or property ownership, they should carefully consider any alternative evidence that they may be able to provide. It is very unusual for an individual, who considers their circumstances in detail, to not be able to provide any evidence of their ties to their home country.
UK Visit Visa applications: how we can help
We have significant experience in assisting individuals with complex circumstances or who have previously received a refusal to make successful visit visa applications.
If you require advice on an application for a UK visit visa one of our team would be happy to have an initial discussion. Please contact us or complete our enquiry form below.
