As the headline states, a travel visa issued at an embassy does not guarantee you the right of entry into a country. So many people do not understand this. There is a general misconception that once a prospective traveller is finally issued a visa at a country’s consulate, it would guarantee said traveller an automatic right of entry into a country’s borders but that is not true. I shall discuss what brought about this topic.

On 14 August 2021, a Nigerian, Adeyemi Opebiyi, had filed a lawsuit against the United Kingdom for allegedly turning him back from entering the country after he had been granted a visa and had flown from Nigeria to the Manchester Airport.

Mr. Opebiyi, who described himself as the Head of Operations, Sabi Micro Finance Bank Ltd, arrived at Manchester Airport on March 14, 2021 and was stopped by a UK Immigration official, who insisted that he must be interviewed before he could be allowed into the UK.

He claimed that he was made to wait for eight hours at the immigration desk before he was eventually interviewed by an Immigration officer, who had asked him to draw the logo of Sabi Micro Finance Bank Ltd, among other things, as a way of verifying his claim that he works with the financial institution.
Opebiyi alleged that after drawing the logo as best as he could, the Immigration officer told him that the drawing was not good enough and he would be denied entry into the UK on that basis.
He claimed that he was subsequently detained for 10 days before he was finally deported to Nigeria on March 24.
He said, in response to his request for the review of the decision, that he received a letter from the UK Home Office, which stated that what he drew bared little resemblance to the logos found in all the supporting documents he had sent to the British High Commission during his visa application.

The Home Office further inferred that Mr. Opebiyi was unable to state the names of the current Chairperson and Managing Director of Sabi Micro Finance Bank Ltd. Mr. Opebiyi was also alleged to have been unable to state the core values of the Bank, which he is a part of.

From the above case study, it is safe to say that the alleged victim was deported from the United Kingdom as a result of his failure to verify his status with his company and also his inability to comply with the immigration officer’s instructions.

Even though the British High Commission granted Mr. Opebiyi a visa, the immigration officer at the point of entry has the discretion to deny him access if he/she feels that his application is not genuine.

It is also important to understand what a point of entry to country means as it will enable potential travellers/immigrants mentally prepare themselves for their trip when the time comes.

What is a point of entry? A point of entry is specific place where a person can lawfully enter the country. According to Law Insider, a point of entry means a passage for international entry or exit of travelers, baggage, cargo, containers, conveyances, goods and postal parcels as well as agencies and areas providing services to them on entry or exit.

It is one of the many “stages” a potential traveller has to partake in order to travel to another jurisdiction. The first stage is to obtain a visa, second stage is to exit the country you are based in and the final stage is to arrive at the intended country’s point of entry.

Now that we are clear about what a point of entry means, it is safe to say that the immigration officer who interviewed Mr. Opebiyi was at the point of entry in the UK and had the power to accept or reject his visa at will.

A similar scenario occurred in March 2017. In this case, a Nigerian citizen was denied entry into the United States of America (U.S.A.) despite having a valid two-year multiple visa. The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria asserted that a visa does not guarantee entry into the U.S. and it is a practice that is common amongst different countries across the world.

This is the sad reality of immigration. A country can issue a potential traveller a multiple entry visa but that traveller can still be deported if the immigration officer interviewing said traveller feels that the individual involved has not satisfied their reasons for allowing he/she into their country. Nevertheless, one should always endeavor to ensure that they have the right documents, can confidently answer all questions asked and is willing to provide further information/documents when needed.