Hi All,

A family freind was denied entry into the UK last week. She was issued with a six months validity visa and travelled visa KLM to Heathrow terminal 4. The border agent proceeded to contact the hotel she booked and claimed the hotel reservation has been cancelled. Although she had 2,000 pounds (cash) with her and her credit card (including her staff ID: she is a mdille level employee in one of Nigeria's new generation banks), the agent still cancelled her visa and she was removed back to Nigeria.

She is quite upset, considering she is not even aware the reservation is cancelled as claimed. She also feels she had enough cash to support her one week stay (with or without the hotel reservation as she can pay cash for a cheaper hotel if need be). I daresay she was badly treated, with no benefit of doubt. She had previously travelled to UAE & South Africa and is well into her early forties.

What options can she pursue to reverse this cancellationa and denial of entry?

dancewith:

Hi All,

A family freind was denied entry into the UK last week. She was issued with a six months validity visa and travelled visa KLM to Heathrow terminal 4. The border agent proceeded to contact the hotel she booked and claimed the hotel reservation has been cancelled. Although she had 2,000 pounds (cash) with her and her credit card (including her staff ID: she is a mdille level employee in one of Nigeria's new generation banks), the agent still cancelled her visa and she was removed back to Nigeria.

She is quite upset, considering she is not even aware the reservation is cancelled as claimed. She also feels she had enough cash to support her one week stay (with or without the hotel reservation as she can pay cash for a cheaper hotel if need be). I daresay she was badly treated, with no benefit of doubt. She had previously travelled to UAE & South Africa and is well into her early forties.

What options can she pursue to reverse this cancellationa and denial of entry?

That was harsh but who cancelled the hotel reservation? Did she indicate in her application form that she has somebody in the Uk?

dancewith:

Hi All,

A family freind was denied entry into the UK last week. She was issued with a six months validity visa and travelled visa KLM to Heathrow terminal 4. The border agent proceeded to contact the hotel she booked and claimed the hotel reservation has been cancelled. Although she had 2,000 pounds (cash) with her and her credit card (including her staff ID: she is a mdille level employee in one of Nigeria's new generation banks), the agent still cancelled her visa and she was removed back to Nigeria.

She is quite upset, considering she is not even aware the reservation is cancelled as claimed. She also feels she had enough cash to support her one week stay (with or without the hotel reservation as she can pay cash for a cheaper hotel if need be). I daresay she was badly treated, with no benefit of doubt. She had previously travelled to UAE & South Africa and is well into her early forties.

What options can she pursue to reverse this cancellationa and denial of entry?

Well for the sake of her future applications, if she knows the Hotel reservation was not canceled by her, then She should challenge the ECO in court if she has the time and money to!

I smell ECO trying to meet HO targets! Remember the Tony Blair Police target days?, oh yea, when they went about arresting innocent ethnic minority all in the name of filling up their target form!

Can u please confirmed if she was served any paper upon having her visa cancelled? Could you pls tell us the content and from there we can take it up and advise accordingly

@Justwise

She did not cancel the reservation but when she later called the hotel to verify after her removal, the hotel did inform her the reservation had been cancelled but could not tell her when or by whom. Don't forget most hotel reservations cancels automatically if date of arrival passes and it is not paid. So she can't really be sure if the border agent was correct or not. She stated she had no relatives in the UK which is correct.

@Ade

She indeed was served some removal papers. One states her visa was being cancelled as she used deception in getting it. Another paper stated she was being removed as they could not determine if she qualified to be admitted into the UK. Strangely they also claimed they contacted her bank via email for confirmation of her employment status but did not get a response. This has been contradicted by her bank which confirmed they never received such an enquiry till date.

dancewith:

@Justwise

She did not cancel the reservation but when she later called the hotel to verify after her removal, the hotel did inform her the reservation had been cancelled but could not tell her when or by whom. Don't forget most hotel reservations cancels automatically if date of arrival passes and it is not paid. So she can't really be sure if the border agent was correct or not. She stated she had no relatives in the UK which is correct.

@Ade

She indeed was served some removal papers. One states her visa was being cancelled as she used deception in getting it. Another paper stated she was being removed as they could not determine if she qualified to be admitted into the UK. Strangely they also claimed they contacted her bank via email for confirmation of her employment status but did not get a response. This has been contradicted by her bank which confirmed they never received such an enquiry till date.

That is true, the reservation will be cancelled if the date expires and payment not made, even if you made a payment and did not take up the room and not make an effort to rebook it will still be cancelled.

If she had somebody in the UK she would have been allowed in as she have a place to stay but arriving in a country for the first time without an accommodation could be viewed with suspicious,however since she had enough money with her i think the cancellation was a bit harsh.

She can appeal if she is given the right to appeal, but she need to deal with the claim that her company did not reply the email from BHC about her employment.

@OP
if she was going to stay at that hotel, then why didn't she PAY FOR IT ONLINE and have a CC receipt and resa to back it up?! i dont get it, was it the first ever time she traveled?

if she had watched UK border agency a lil more, she would have known that these trigger happy immigration officers like to mess with people, for no damn reason.

MRbrownJAY:

@OP
if she was going to stay at that hotel, then why didn't she PAY FOR IT ONLINE and have a CC receipt and resa to back it up?! i dont get it, was it the first ever time she traveled?

if she had watched UK border agency a lil more, she would have known that these trigger happy immigration officers like to mess with people, for no damn reason.

She actually had intention of staying in a hotel. She had nobody in the UK so she got to stay in a hotel anyway. it wasn't her first time abroad but her first in Europe

She made a mistake, she should have paid for that hotel, get her receipt before boarding that flight, in real sense of it she got no place to stay while arriving in London without any accommodation arrangement.



Sadly she basically gave the immigration a reason to cancel her visa

justwise:

She made a mistake, she should have paid for that hotel, get her receipt before boarding that flight, in real sense of it she got no place to stay while arriving in London without any accommodation arrangement.



Sadly she basically gave the immigration a reason to cancel her visa

This is assuming the reservation was cancelled. She only had his word for this. Also, with 2,000 pounds and her credit card, she can easily make alternative accommodation arrangements. The border agent ought to know this. There are hundreds of thousands of B&Bs in central London for her to easily get a decent place to stay. If she hadn't much money with her, it may have been different.

It looks to me as the agents couldn't wait to deny her entry as soon as they had anything they can point to. This does not seem right somehow

dancewith:

Hi All,

A family freind was denied entry into the UK last week. She was issued with a six months validity visa and travelled visa KLM to Heathrow terminal 4. The border agent proceeded to contact the hotel she booked and claimed the hotel reservation has been cancelled. Although she had 2,000 pounds (cash) with her and her credit card (including her staff ID: she is a mdille level employee in one of Nigeria's new generation banks), the agent still cancelled her visa and she was removed back to Nigeria.

She is quite upset, considering she is not even aware the reservation is cancelled as claimed. She also feels she had enough cash to support her one week stay (with or without the hotel reservation as she can pay cash for a cheaper hotel if need be). I daresay she was badly treated, with no benefit of doubt. She had previously travelled to UAE & South Africa and is well into her early forties.

What options can she pursue to reverse this cancellationa and denial of entry?

   The border agent is not to blame, the hotel authority is also not to blame, the onus is on the woman to properly make her reservation and to confirm same prior to her travel.
   Now, since the visa was issued based on her hotel reservation, the border agent reserved all rights to cancel her visa and deny her entry into the UK if the reservation became invalid, and at that stage, no emergency or improvised accommodation may be considered then.
   The woman has no ground whatsoever to make any legal challenge in this situation, and even if a border agent denied her entry into the UK for any other reason she still would have no ground to take legal actions. You can't really take someone to court for anything pertaining to Immigration or visa except on the ground of physical abuse as well as racial or religion profiling (and some few other extreme issues). Order than these, there is no legal ground if one is refused a visa or is denied entry into any country: You are given the Privileges does not mean you have the Rights

dancewith:

She actually had intention of staying in a hotel. She had nobody in the UK so she got to stay in a hotel anyway. it wasn't her first time abroad but her first in Europe

to immigration, she should have stayed in THAT hotel that was already booked for her, as she claimed on her visa application). so the minute something change in her status, they had all the rights to check her story.i still dont understand why she didnt gave them her employer's direct phone number? and most importantly, depending on how long she intended to stay, £2k may not be enough.

MRbrownJAY:

to immigration, she should have stayed in THAT hotel that was already booked for her, as she claimed on her visa application). so the minute something change in her status, they had all the rights to check her story.i still dont understand why she didnt gave them her employer's direct phone number? and most importantly, depending on how long she intended to stay, £2k may not be enough.

I dunno. But I have travelled variously to the UK and at the point of entry stated a different place from where I originally planned to stay. In life, we all know that plans change. She is well within her rights to have a new accommodation plan as long as she can afford it. What the agents needed to know was she qualified for the visa on her financial and economic circumstances not on where she planned to stay in the UK. In my first trip in 2000, I planned to stay with a friend but later got to find out he was married and had to use a different friend.

According to what I was told, She gave them her office number but they chose to use the bank's website to email the bank, rather than make the call. Strangely one would have assumed the embassy in Lagos should have verified her place of employment before the visa was issued and not the border agent. Now her office is saying they didn't get any mail from them.

It seems such a flimsy reason to deport someone who paid for and was issued a visa and spent money to travel to a foreign country.

dancewith:

I dunno. But I have travelled variously to the UK and at the point of entry stated a different place from where I originally planned to stay. In life, we all know that plans change. She is well within her rights to have a new accommodation plan as long as she can afford it. What the agents needed to know was she qualified for the visa on her financial and economic circumstances not on where she planned to stay in the UK. In my first trip in 2000, I planned to stay with a friend but later got to find out he was married and had to use a different friend.

if the hotel was paid for, there would be NO PROBLEMS, and if she had changed her plans, then they have all the rights to check her new arrangements because the reason she got the visa has been compromised. the visa was issued because she had a hotel booking and they had confirmation that she was employed.

According to what I was told, She gave them her office number but they chose to use the bank's website to email the bank, rather than make the call. Strangely one would have assumed the embassy in Lagos should have verified her place of employment before the visa was issued and not the border agent. Now her office is saying they didn't get any mail from them.

what one should assume is: knowing how bad things are in 9ja, calling them directly is the best way to solve this issue(unless she wanted to waste time like that). she should have DEMANDED that they call her employer rather than email.

It seems such a flimsy reason to deport someone who paid for and was issued a visa and spent money to travel to a foreign country.

 

having no place to stay is not a flimsy excuse IF she was staying 1 month or more, and only had £2K (in France, you need at least €100 per day for the duration of your stay)

some people have been deported for flimsier excuses than that, i suggest you watch the UK border force TV show for enlightenment.

having no place to stay is not a flimsy excuse IF she was staying 1 month or more, and only had £2K (in France, you need at least €100 per day for the duration of your stay)

This was not the case. The first post clearly said one week stay.

if the hotel was paid for, there would be NO PROBLEMS, and if she had changed her plans, then they have all the rights to check her new arrangements because the reason she got the visa has been compromised. the visa was issued because she had a hotel booking

This has to be factually incorrect. I cannot believe visa will be issued based on hotel booking. It has to be how the visa officer perceive the applicant's economic and social circumstances. They must know if you have 2,000 pounds and a funded credit card, you can easily make hotel arrangement while in the UK. I go to Toronto often and I have never had to make prior hotel arrangement. From the airport, a taxi takes me to one.

Also if the visa officer had verified she is a banker, why didn't the agent simply call the UK embassy in Lagos instead of trying to email her bank?

In my opinion, this was too harsh and a rush to profile/embarrass her simply on account of her citizenship.

dancewith:

I dunno. But I have travelled variously to the UK and at the point of entry stated a different place from where I originally planned to stay. In life, we all know that plans change. She is well within her rights to have a new accommodation plan as long as she can afford it.

   Yes, you may be allowed to enter the country if your original place of residence has changed, but the Immigration Officer reserves the rights to deny you entry by his own initiative, especially if he is not satisfied of the reason for the change in circumstance; and bear in mind that immigration officers are so empowered that they can refuse anyone entry into their country for any silly reason, even if the reason is simply the dislike of your personality: you may not even find anyone to complain to as your movement in the terminal is strictly limited and you may not be allowed to see a superior officer unless you make a formal demand for that.

very harsh decision, some of these entry officers are looking for flimsiest excuse

If she has the time and energy she has a good case, seems this is borderline

MRbrownJAY:

@OP
if she was going to stay at that hotel, then why didn't she PAY FOR IT ONLINE and have a CC receipt and resa to back it up?! i dont get it, was it the first ever time she traveled?

if she had watched UK border agency a lil more, she would have known that these trigger happy immigration officers like to mess with people, for no damn reason.

good question

she probably thought since she had money they would just let her walk in and she can go room shopping. she learned an expensive lesson of making sure you have proper arrangements when traveling to these paranoid countries that look for any excuse to suspect you.

I guess I was lucky, I was held on my first visit to the UK last year and they called back all my previous application and try saw some discrepancies, They told me my first application was a fraud which was true and they called my hotel to confirm my reservation which they did confirm but asked the hotel to charge my credit card, Which got declined and was asked who booked, I told them I booked the hotel but I have no money on the card that I was going to pay in cash on arrival and believe me, God was with me, I was release even with all the discrepancies,

My case was worse than this, But I really thank God, The UK have the right to deny you entry into the UK, It is only a privilege an not a right

Well, all have contributed but the next question is what can she do. But the very first question that came to my mind was wether she has not wait for a certain numberof years b4 she could reply? If this does not apply ,
Then I will implore her to reapply for her visa but should leave no stone unturned. She can undoubtedly reapply buttressing the fact that her circumstances is changed as it relates to proper booking of her accommodation with convincing
Receipts to tender along with her application. She should also endeavour to get a letter from her place of working confirming her employment and disputing the vicious claim of the embassy

^^what else can she do but LEARN THIS VALUABLE LESSON?!

@dancewith
visas (tourist) are issues based on the info you provided to the embassy, most importantly WHERE YOU WILL STAY, HOW YOU INTEND TO PAY FOR YOUR STAY and WHAT IS THE PROOF THAT YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO COME BACK TO IN 9JA.
so, if suddenly the hotel booking has been canceled and her employment couldnt be confirmed then thats all the RED FLAGS needed for the immigration officers to dig deeper.

border immigration will never call the UK embassy, they will always call the employment or hotel directly because everything could have changed since you applied and this is a way to CONFIRM your claims.

i think, on the visa application, it is clearly stated that having a visa doesnt assure you entry into the UK, the immigration officer at the border has the last say on this matter.

@Sensisosu
calling the hotel to charge your card?! this one na long thing. once i flew to Narita, i was stopped and i had to show them i had enough funds for my stay, i told them i had the money in my CC (since i only had about $100 in cash). they asked for my CC and right there they put the card in their own CC machine, to see if enough funds was available or not. (like when you rent a car and they put an authorization hold on your cudi), when they saw that enough money was available, they let me in.

Sorry guys, she breached the condition of her visa. One of the visa application requirements for most countries is that you provide a valid address. And I believe this address was provided by her during the visa application hence the visa approval.
It really does not matter how much she had at the port of entry in as much as she is a visa required national and that the visa must be obtained from the country’s embassy abroad.
For other some countries in Europe you are not even allowed to change hotel during your time of visit.

Dancewith,
Your friend has been used by the ECO as a scapegoat for the Tory Government statistics, simples! Really all the ECO could have done is ask your friend if she can book her hotel there and there and make the payment.

The last time I returned from Nigeria, I was amazed at the way the ECOs/ImOs were keeping people in waiting at T4! Vast majority were mostly blacks and Asians. Though there were also some Yankees.

My people, so wats d conclusive option to the issue stated in here? I was also a victim of such but was directly affected by my wife and son< they were refused entry into UK buh hope its not goin to affect me as the father any time i wish to travel to UK on my own without them? cos there case is yet to be decided by the immigrations. we filed in an appeal by my solicitor, so we still awaits their decision on this. pls anybody with a good advice on wat to do

sheuk: My people, so wats d conclusive option to the issue stated in here? I was also a victim of such but was directly affected by my wife and son< they were refused entry into UK buh hope its not goin to affect me as the father any time i wish to travel to UK on my own without them? cos there case is yet to be decided by the immigrations. we filed in an appeal by my solicitor, so we still awaits their decision on this. pls anybody with a good advice on wat to do

your case/application will largely be dealth with on its on merit, perhaps you can explain how your wife n kids affected you directly?
were you travveling as a family and granted entry whilst they were denied or ....?

My baby's paasport is carryin my own passports number and that of his mother too, so i dnt knw if dey wuld have coppied my passport number from that of my wife or baby, cos am their sponsor and the husband to the woman in question.i have been wanting to travell to UK since last yr, but i am just fidgetting cos i dnt knw the uk border agency intentions on the case matter. apparently an appeal has been file and all necessary procedures has been undergone and are were in place to get the decision on the matter. pls advice

Hello,

The story is a common experience lately. The Poster's friend actually violated her visa condition/s with the hotel accomodation cancelled. If you go on a tourist visa wherein you claimed you did'nt know people/relatives in the UK , you must stick by it. She should have followed up with e-mails to confirm her booking was still reserved. Now, something must have prompted the ECO's intrest in questioning her further to the extent of checking the validity of her hotel reservation. Did she aquint herself about where she was going? Did she have a planned itenerary on stuffs she'll be doing on her vacation?Did they find incriminating stuffs on her luggage e.g raw food stuffs in her luggage, phone nos. of UK friends, addresses etc. These are pointers that would have made them question her further to the extent of confirming the validity of her hotel reservation.

Since the hotel reservation was actually cancelled before her arrival and the hotel confirmed it, then its a sad one. One thing is sure, if your reservation is cancelled for any reason, the hotel or booking company usually sends you an e-mail or even call you somtimes (i have experienced it times before hence i follow up with e-mails and phone calls to confirm my reservation before i travel.)

Contact the hotel or booking company on the status of the booking reference (when it was booked, when it was cancelled, a copy of the cancellation e-mail forwarded to her and the recipient address to which it was sent) let her lawyer then advise her on what case to make or else they may keep turning her down each time she applies.

She dint actually indicated that she was going to see her friend , but the major issue now is that wat will be my own fate anytime am ready to go to the UK wth this my family issue simply because my passport nos is stated on my babys visaa by the british high commission that he can only be accompanied by me or by his mum to the UK. Now they were both refused for entrying and also that their visa was cancelled, case is still on, we av filed all our defence and paid all the necessarybills levied against us for the appeal. I want to travel now so wats my chance? i have my visa already 2yrs.

sheuk: She dint actually indicated that she was going to see her friend , but the major issue now is that wat will be my own fate anytime am ready to go to the UK wth this my family issue simply because my passport nos is stated on my babys visaa by the british high commission that he can only be accompanied by me or by his mum to the UK. Now they were both refused for entrying and also that their visa was cancelled, case is still on, we av filed all our defence and paid all the necessarybills levied against us for the appeal. I want to travel now so wats my chance? i have my visa already 2yrs.

why were they denied entry?

if youve been given a 2year visa then dont have much to worry about especially if you can explain what genuinely happened previously thats if you are questioned about it; make sure you have enough funds, you have accommodation as described in your application [friends or hotel], you have a return ticket

Justwise please help me ooooooo. I tried submitting photocopies of my appeal at lekki and waltercarrington and I was told they have stopped collecting appeals there. Pls it is an appeal to the first tier against a decision of an entry clearance officer. Pls help me I have like 10 working days left. Please I intend to pay for paper hearing. Its for a 6 months visa .

Please the security men told me they don't collect it. Pls the question is how is appeals being submitted ?

@poster on the landing card your friend filled out,what address did she write?probably the cancelled hotel address.If that is the case they will surely deny her entry