oddy4u: I don't have any travel history and my statement of account is not included in the application though I would be submitting it tomorrow.

sundyke107:

Dear Funkebaby, trust you are doing great. I intend to travel as a tourist. The transactions usually occur @ the end of every month and ranges from 30 -150k. Please does it really matter since the cash goes in an out? If it matters, is there a better way of explaining the inflow/outflow cos I ustand that giving out loan for interest is illegal in europe.

Please assist.

baby lawyr: Hi All,

Ive been following this thread for a while now. Its very informative. Well done Mods.

I collected my visa yesterday from the Lekki Collection Center Lagos. However, after i review all the documents i submitted i observed that my office ID Card which i submitted was not returned. I immediately alerted the dispatch guys/officers there and they gave me a form to complete which i did.

Please i want to know how this works, its has never happened to me before as all my original documents are always returned. How long will it take before i'm contacted and is there a possibility that it may never be returned.

Getting a new ID card in my office is a big deal, always full of drama.

Look forward to responses from the MOds and anyone it has happened to before.

Thanks and have a nice day.

funkybaby:

i do not understand the 'illegality' you are talking about.

loan sharks/pay loan companies(most 100% owned by individuals) are all over the UK and it is a thriving business. until very recently, they were left fairly unregulated and stricter regulation wont kick in till 2014.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24372134

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payday_loans_in_the_United_Kingdom

the only difference between you and them is that you do not have a registered business/'shop' that people can come in transact business, neither are you paying taxes on the interest you've earned.

if my colleague or friend comes to me to borrow him 100,000 and i decide to charge him an extra 10percent in interest, how's that illegal? it is my money and he needs a favour. if he is not happy with it, he can 'waka pass'. this 'payday loan' business is gradually kicking off in Nigeria with individuals lending to businesses to fund LPOs, etc and they charge interest. The banks are not willing to lend to individuals/small businesses, so it is not unusual for individuals like yourself to help others for a 'profit'.

regarding the money coming in and out of your account, it is really hard to judge without seeing your bank statement. is the money from the same set of individuals every month or different random individuals? does your account balance drop really low before the money from your debtors come in? for example, do you have say 20k left in you account as at the 20th of september and then by the 30th, you get a credit of 150k from Mr Ali leaving you with a balance of 170k and then you lend Mrs John 140k on the 2nd October leaving you with 30k till you get paid your wages?

i honestly believe in keeping things simple and avoiding anything that would raise a red flag which is why i suggested you do your side runs from another bank account

funkybaby:

i do not understand the 'illegality' you are talking about.

loan sharks/pay loan companies(most 100% owned by individuals) are all over the UK and it is a thriving business. until very recently, they were left fairly unregulated and stricter regulation wont kick in till 2014.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24372134

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payday_loans_in_the_United_Kingdom

the only difference between you and them is that you do not have a registered business/'shop' that people can come in transact business, neither are you paying taxes on the interest you've earned.

if my colleague or friend comes to me to borrow him 100,000 and i decide to charge him an extra 10percent in interest, how's that illegal? it is my money and he needs a favour. if he is not happy with it, he can 'waka pass'. this 'payday loan' business is gradually kicking off in Nigeria with individuals lending to businesses to fund LPOs, etc and they charge interest. The banks are not willing to lend to individuals/small businesses, so it is not unusual for individuals like yourself to help others for a 'profit'.

regarding the money coming in and out of your account, it is really hard to judge without seeing your bank statement. is the money from the same set of individuals every month or different random individuals? does your account balance drop really low before the money from your debtors come in? for example, do you have say 20k left in you account as at the 20th of september and then by the 30th, you get a credit of 150k from Mr Ali leaving you with a balance of 170k and then you lend Mrs John 140k on the 2nd October leaving you with 30k till you get paid your wages?

i honestly believe in keeping things simple and avoiding anything that would raise a red flag which is why i suggested you do your side runs from another bank account

funkybaby:

i do not understand the 'illegality' you are talking about.

loan sharks/pay loan companies(most 100% owned by individuals) are all over the UK and it is a thriving business. until very recently, they were left fairly unregulated and stricter regulation wont kick in till 2014.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24372134

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payday_loans_in_the_United_Kingdom

the only difference between you and them is that you do not have a registered business/'shop' that people can come in transact business, neither are you paying taxes on the interest you've earned.

if my colleague or friend comes to me to borrow him 100,000 and i decide to charge him an extra 10percent in interest, how's that illegal? it is my money and he needs a favour. if he is not happy with it, he can 'waka pass'. this 'payday loan' business is gradually kicking off in Nigeria with individuals lending to businesses to fund LPOs, etc and they charge interest. The banks are not willing to lend to individuals/small businesses, so it is not unusual for individuals like yourself to help others for a 'profit'.

regarding the money coming in and out of your account, it is really hard to judge without seeing your bank statement. is the money from the same set of individuals every month or different random individuals? does your account balance drop really low before the money from your debtors come in? for example, do you have say 20k left in you account as at the 20th of september and then by the 30th, you get a credit of 150k from Mr Ali leaving you with a balance of 170k and then you lend Mrs John 140k on the 2nd October leaving you with 30k till you get paid your wages?

i honestly believe in keeping things simple and avoiding anything that would raise a red flag which is why i suggested you do your side runs from another bank account

sundyke107: [/b][/font][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][/font][/i][i][b][b][/b]

for example, do you have say 20k left in you account as at the 20th of september and then by the 30th, you get a credit of 150k from Mr Ali leaving you with a balance of 170k and then you lend Mrs John 140k on the 2nd October leaving you with 30k till you get paid your wages?

Yes, the inflow/outflow is as examplified above. Please do i stand a chance with such account statement? I dont want to mention the loan to the ECO since Vicjustice said its illegal in europe and in view of the fact that I now want to apply for France instead of UK Visa as earlier planned.

Please more light. Rgds

funkybaby:

Just hope it has not been shredded or misplaced. they've been known to misplace passports

there's nothing you can do till you hear back from them.

how were you able to get into your office premises and move around without your orginial ID card anyways sometimes, we give these uk people unnecessary documentation.

next time, give them a copy and attach your original complimentary card.

Ik.kao:
Uncle Victjustice,justwise, Olu123455, aunty Lamosy (where are you) sister Funkybaby and other moderators and advisers please come to my help.

I have been here about a month or so ago..,

I have read the pages of nairaland back to back several times and I have almost even memorised it.

I need your HONEST advice and opinion on uk spouse visa application.

I am getting married in a few weeks in Lagos and I am so worried that my previous bad immigration history would seriously negatively affect my spouse visa application.

I have overstayed and worked- I know it is said that one MUST not tell a lie, I don't have at problems with this at all.. As I am ready to tell the truth.

My partners finances are in order to meet the £18,6 requirement and the accommodation is no problem as my partner has a mortgage and lives alone.

We DO have enough evidence to show that the relationship is 100% genuine-- emails from over 2 years when the relationship first started- I've got loads of these , we've got photos of ourselves and with some family and fiends who are also prepared to write us letters in support...

I don't think there should be a problem with evidence of the genueity of our relationship as this shouldn't be with a genuine relationship...

However, I have heard horror stories about people who for whatever reason have been separated from their partners for 2-5 years...

Right now, I'm trembling as I'm typing this as I'm so scared of the possibilities.. Of what could happen

Can you please advise me on what you think cod be the effect of my immigration history please on this application


I have no police/criminal record nor have I ever made any home office application in the UK..

It is meant to be the happiest day of my life when I get married but right now I feel anxious, scared, miserable, somewhat happy to be getting married at last- something i have even lost hope that would ever happen.... But the thought of being separated from my husband for an indefinite period of time makes me soo worried.

Even he too seems troubled and has turned to lawyers for advice who seem interested in money and money alone...

I cant eat properly and I even wake up at the small hours of the morning unable to go back to go back to sleep.

Please, somebody,anybody who has been through this situation, I BEG you, reach out to me and advice me.

I would really appreciate your honesty. Sorry as I know this may have been answered on nairaland before but you have to forgive me and understand especially if you have had a similar experience.

I look foward to a reply.

Thank you.

Ik.kao:
Thank you

My husband is Brisith

I overstayed 8 years

No my husband bought both our tickets and I came home with him voluntarily.

funkybaby:

honestly, its tricky....especially if you intend using that statement for a self-sponsored UK visit visa. there's too much going on in that account. it would have been a totally different issue if you were applying as business man and not as a full time employee.

if i were in your shoes, i would get the side biz done from another account.

if you had a registered business, then it would have been okay to disclose to the ECO that you operate a 'credit union' but since you do not have one,then do not mention it.

funkybaby:

honestly, its tricky....especially if you intend using that statement for a self-sponsored UK visit visa. there's too much going on in that account. it would have been a totally different issue if you were applying as business man and not as a full time employee.

if i were in your shoes, i would get the side biz done from another account.

if you had a registered business, then it would have been okay to disclose to the ECO that you operate a 'credit union' but since you do not have one,then do not mention it.

Ik.kao:
No, I haven't got a job at the moment..
As it's still early days..

We only just arrived in Lagos a few days ago..

sundyke107:

Thanx so much Funkybaby, I will heed to your advice. Going forward, I will use another account for my side biz. I wil package for France instead of UK since the later requires only 3months statement. See below my transaction history from October2 - 9th:

Date Cr/Dr Transaction Amount Balance Amount Txn. Value Date.
Oct 2, 2013 Dr 50,000.00 109,698.78 Oct 2, 2013
Oct 7, 2013 Cr 195,000.00 304,698.78 Oct 7, 2013
Oct 8, 2013 Cr 25,000.00 329,698.78 Oct 8, 2013
Oct 8, 2013 Dr 3,000.00 326,698.78 Oct 8, 2013
Oct 9, 2013 Dr 10,000.00 316,698.78 Oct 9, 2013
Oct 9, 2013 Dr 15,000.00 301,698.78 Oct 9, 2013
Oct 9, 2013 Cr 30,000.00 331,698.78 Oct 9, 2013

Please if I sustain transactions on this account in the above order will it suffice then create another account for the loan stuff as advised. I intend to grow the closing balance up to 500k till January ending when i will print for the visa...this is outside the 1.2m that will be in my salary account by then, broken into Upfront 874k medicals 140k, leave allowance 50k, 13th month 185k, xmas rice 24k. Please what's the possibility of getting visa with this statement of account?

I wait your usual positive response.

Ik.kao:
Actually I travelled back with a passport

I got my old passport which I travelled with to the Uk cancelled at the NHC UK and got a new ECOWAS passport which I returned with.

I had no problems on my home bound trip.

Thank you.

Ik.kao:
No, I haven't got a job at the moment..
As it's still early days..

We only just arrived in Lagos a few days ago..

funkybaby:

wheres the 195k coming from ? is it money from your employer or from your side runs?

what will be your closing balance as at the time you print your bank statement?

the account with 500k closing balance... is that going to be your new account or your present account?

are you submitting one or two statements?

sundyke107:

The 195k is part of my side runs. The 500k will be my present account. I will be using 2 statements ie the present and my salary acct. which will have abt 1.2m after all my bonus+upfront is paid by January.

Going forward I wont deposit huge amount more than 50k into the present account to avoid suspicion.

funkybaby:

okay. makes sense.

if you avoid any further lump payment like the 195k between now and January, you should be fine.

just run both accounts decently.

so basically, you anticipate presenting two account statements. 1)500k closing balance 2)1.2m closing balance? right?

have you considered the cost of the france trip?

return tickets, insurance and hotel booking? these three especially the ticket and insurance must be paid for in full prior to your application.

schegen visas are not difficult to obtain. what puts most people off are the associated initial cost and the fact that most of the schengen courntries are non-english speaking. also, some schengen courntries (not france) issue tourist visas valid for as little as 4days even though you have previous travel history (i am talking from my own personal experience).

Ik.kao:
I have no problem with you asking many questions I understand

The answer to your questions is yes.

Name and dob exact same.

Ik.kao:
Uncle Victjustice,justwise, Olu123455, aunty Lamosy (where are you) sister Funkybaby and other moderators and advisers please come to my help.

I have been here about a month or so ago..,

I have read the pages of nairaland back to back several times and I have almost even memorised it.

I need your HONEST advice and opinion on uk spouse visa application.

I am getting married in a few weeks in Lagos and I am so worried that my previous bad immigration history would seriously negatively affect my spouse visa application.

I have overstayed and worked- I know it is said that one MUST not tell a lie, I don't have at problems with this at all.. As I am ready to tell the truth.

My partners finances are in order to meet the £18,6 requirement and the accommodation is no problem as my partner has a mortgage and lives alone.

We DO have enough evidence to show that the relationship is 100% genuine-- emails from over 2 years when the relationship first started- I've got loads of these , we've got photos of ourselves and with some family and fiends who are also prepared to write us letters in support...

I don't think there should be a problem with evidence of the genueity of our relationship as this shouldn't be with a genuine relationship...

However, I have heard horror stories about people who for whatever reason have been separated from their partners for 2-5 years...

Right now, I'm trembling as I'm typing this as I'm so scared of the possibilities.. Of what could happen

Can you please advise me on what you think cod be the effect of my immigration history please on this application


I have no police/criminal record nor have I ever made any home office application in the UK..

It is meant to be the happiest day of my life when I get married but right now I feel anxious, scared, miserable, somewhat happy to be getting married at last- something i have even lost hope that would ever happen.... But the thought of being separated from my husband for an indefinite period of time makes me soo worried.

Even he too seems troubled and has turned to lawyers for advice who seem interested in money and money alone...

I cant eat properly and I even wake up at the small hours of the morning unable to go back to go back to sleep.

Please, somebody,anybody who has been through this situation, I BEG you, reach out to me and advice me.

I would really appreciate your honesty. Sorry as I know this may have been answered on nairaland before but you have to forgive me and understand especially if you have had a similar experience.

I look foward to a reply.

Thank you.

sundyke107:

Yea, 500k closing bal for my personal acct and 1.2m closing bal for my salary account. I hope the eco wont see the upfront+other bonus as lump deposit. Nevertheless, our Human Resources will issue letter and payslips indicating all the deposits i mean the salary accoutnt.

funkybaby:

you should also include your employment offer letter... this should show the breakdown of your wages, benefits, bonuses, etc.

so the ECO will understand all the lump credit transfers made by your employer.

sundyke107:

Thanks so much Funkybaby. I will keep you abreast as I progress. One more question: I learnt for schegen visa, I will pay for air ticket, hotel accomodation etc. my question is what happens to the paid air ticket/accomodation if I am denied visa?

Regards.

Ik.kao:
To be ABSOULTELY honest with you Funkybaby, I'm sick and effing tired of lying and living a lie, hence my decision to come clean - ABSOULTELY clean as per my overstay, my working and everything wrong...

We have been advised about the appeal process and we are beginning to focus on this as an option as I've heard so much about how ruthless the ECO and ECM are when it comes to stuff like this...

I appreciate all your advice, but is it really possible to win such an appeal?

You are not the first person saying this, but what if they go mental and say NO?

funkybaby:

just make sure the ticket and hotel reservation are fully refundable if you decide to cancel and you get a full refund back.

you have to book/plan ahead and also consider the processing time for french visas.

Ik.kao:
I know this is a public forum, yeah and I'm open to criticism.

Let me say this, there have been times when in the UK, I could have pointed a fun to my head and blown it away.

Times I walk over a bridge and I'm tempted to jump over.

It's true- even my husband sings this song to me since day 1 and I'm sure he would sing it to me forever as long as we both live.

He always asks me:" why on earth did you do this?" Etc... I just sit there looking like an idiot - and fool which I am.

Please I'm open to crucifixion- no objection from me.

If you see me, you've seen the face of stupid.

If I opened myself to you and I told you half my story you wouldn't even bother replying any of my posts because I have/ had no reason- sensible or foolish to overstay.

I hope everything works out well in my case. I hope if end up in appeal, it all works ok..

I just want to be with my husband I've longer for so long for!

Thank you for coming back to me with your candid advice Funkybabe.. I really appreciate.

We have a lawyer to handle the case and my husband to be is a" handful" so hopefully with God of all possibilities, I would come back here with a success story.

Thanks