This blog is written as guidance to the IMG doctors who wish to apply for their parent’s visit visa. This is based on my experience, but please note I am not an immigration expert just someone with first hand experience.
Background:
I have been living in UK for over 15 years & applied for my mother’s visit visa at least 5 times successfully.
Me & my wife are both doctors. I am a Psychiatrist and my wife us working as a GP. My mother is a retired college teacher living in Pakistan & my father has passed away.
We have never used a solicitor but we have always prepared the case with many documents to cover every aspect we believe the entry clearance officer would like to know.
The main areas to cover as we saw it were to show
- Our professional status and financial stability in the UK including accommodation.
- Clear purpose of the visit.
- Mother’s financial status and links in Pakistan.
Documents prepared from my mother’s side:
We do not sponsor my mother as she has her own sources of income & is not financially dependent on us. So we just write an invitation letter stating the reasons why she is visiting clearly.
Her documents aims to show her financial condition and links in Pakistan.
- Evidence of my mother’s sources of income
- Pension from government
- Agriculture land
- House she just rented out
- Saving bonds & interest on savings
- My mother’s bank statements
- Saving & current accounts showing money going in & coming out.
- My Mother’s property Documents (copies) – helps to show links in Pakistan
- House,
- Agriculture land,
- Plots bought as investment.
- My mother strong links in Pakistan.
- Clearly describing in application or letter that she has another son living in Pakistan & grandchildren along with her own brothers & sisters.
- Travel history of going abroad on short trips.
- This helps to show she has travelled before and retuned to Pakistan.
If your parents are not financially independent, that’s alright. You can show how they are meeting their everyday needs, show if others children are supporting them and you can sponsor them and clearly say in application and your supporting letter that you will be funding their visit.
Documents prepared from our side:
- Invitation letter from our side clearly saying why we are inviting her to visit
- Attending birth of grandchild
- Spending time with son & grandchildren.
- Copies of my & My wife’s passports, NICOPs, our marriage certificate.
- Letter from hospital HR saying I am fully employed & my salary.
- Letter from my wife’s GP surgery stating her status of employment and her salary.
- Copy of our 6 months salary slips
- Bank statements both of myself & wife. (6 months)
- Current & Saving accounts.
- GMC registration certificates (just to prove we are doctors)
- Evidence of our house and accommodation.
- mortgage documents
- house ownership documents
- Survey of house by council officer to confirm the house has enough space to accommodate her.
- This may not be required in every case but we just did that to make sure her case is strong. You can check your local council website to see if they do immigration house surveys.
- This is the website of our council Immigration inspections | Newport City Council
If you are renting a house, you can send the rental agreement.
Example of a letter to immigration officer
Dear Entry Clearance officer
This is to confirm that I am inviting my mother to visit us in the UK. The purpose of this visit is for my mother to enjoy a short trip to UK, see her family and spend some time with grand children.
My mother is a retired teacher and financially stable. She is sustaining her own life style and is able to fund this trip from her own sources of income. We are attaching evidence of her of source of income. (List documents)
My mother is well travelled and has been outside Pakistan on various occasions,
(details of travel history of last 5 years)
She has strong links in Pakistan which include her property, sources of income, extended family, brothers, sisters and her other son and his family which include grandchildren in Pakistan.
I am working as a NHS hospital doctor on a consultant post in the UK and my wife is also a doctor working as GP. We are attaching evidence of our finances, accommodation, professional registration and our marriage. We can easily accommodate her and entertain her during this trip.
Documents we are attaching includes. (list)
I hope this was helpful – Best Wishes
Hello. I would like to go to England. My visa has expired. Help me to go to England.