US citizen denied UK Tourist Visa - can I still visit UK?

A

amyg

New Member
I am a US citizen, with a valid US passport.

My boyfriend is a US citizen with a valid US passport and has been accepted to study in Wales for one year.

He applied for a one year Student Visa for the UK and it was approved.

I applied for a one year Tourist Visa for the UK and it was declined.

Can I still visit the UK?

If I can visit the UK, how many times can I visit and for how long each time?

Thanks in advance.
 
If Visa is denied, you will get stopped at border

As an update to my question above, I did hear back from the British Consulate's office in Chicago, Illinois.

They told me that if I have a denied Visa on my record, I will get stopped and will not be let into the country.

Thus, they have encouraged me to apply for a different type of Visa or get married to my boyfriend - and then go as his student dependent. ;)
 
Advise

Be very careful in the way that you apply. I would suggest, if you can, to hire a lawyer (solicitor) in the UK. If your boyfriend is going to stay there just for a year, it is probably not worth your while since and you would be better off meeting in a country like Spain where it would be easier for you to get in. Getting back to the subject, visitor visas to the UK are typically given for 6 months. You could actually still reapply for a visitor visa if you have resolved the issues that led them to deny you entrance in the first place. They argue (HO=Home Office) that you should be able to prove them without a doubt that you have ties to your country of residence (job, school, etc), and your return will be imminent (return ticket), and that you have enough money to support yourself for the time you will be there (money you are planning to take, and money in the bank). If you tell me more about the reasons why they denied you entrance (and where this happened-US or at arrival) I may be able to give you more information and to guide you to the proper forms. I have gone through hell with them for the past two months, and I think I have some basic knowledge about the way this works.
 
And by the way

You would have been better off (for all EU countries) to have gone there and request entrance at the time of your arrival. Since you are an American, you are not required to get a visa in advance as long as you are not going to stay more than 90 days (standard for most EU countries); in other words, if you are going there just as a visitor. The US has agreements with most industrilized countries (see a list in http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1052.html). From this website-ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: A UK visa/entry clearance is not required for tourist or business visits to the United Kingdom of less than six months in duration.

You also asked how many times can you enter the UK with a visitor's visa. If your visa is granted on arrival, then you are able to enter only one time and remain there for six months. Anything after that will make you become an "overstayer." But do not make hte mistake many people make of staying there almost 6 months and returning soon after expecting to be granted entrance again to stay another 6 months because they will deny you entrance for sure. There is a limit on the number of months you can stay in the UK as a visitor in one year regardless of how many times you have entered the country. I am not certain, but I think it is 6 months all together. Also, if you visit multiple times, the more that you visit, the more increasing the risk of being denied entrance on arrival.
But don't be scared, Brits are typically nice to American tourists.
 
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