Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what guidelines entry clearance officers apply when considering a visit visa applicant’s income history in assessing whether they are a genuine visitor to the UK; what procedures are in place to ensure quality and consistency in entry clearance decisions for visit visa applications; and what appeal and complaint mechanisms are available for rejected visit visa applicants.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Immigration Rules for Visitors set out that visitors must have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to their visit without working or accessing public funds. In assessing whether an applicant has sufficient funds, decision makers will consider the individual’s personal circumstances, including any evidence provided. There is also provision in the rules for an applicant’s travel, maintenance and accommodation to be provided by a third party.

The Visit Caseworker Guidance provides guidance to decision makers when assessing Visitor applications. Additional guidance for applicants is also available in the Supporting Documents guidance, which sets out suggested evidence required for the different types of visits including what types of financial documents applicants can present. These guidance documents are published on gov.uk

UK Visas and Immigration regularly reviews visit visa decisions as part of their overall decision quality approach. UKVI regularly undertakes decision maker training and refresher training courses, and uses lessons learned reviews to enhance and improve decision quality.