Visa refused in Glasgow
Understand your letter, your three options, and book a consultation with a qualified Glasgow immigration solicitor within 24 hours.
A visa refusal letter is a difficult thing to read. The first half makes you feel like you've done something wrong. The second half tells you that you have a short window to fix it. That's the situation this page is for.
What we offer is straightforward. Book a consultation through our calendar and you'll usually be sitting with a qualified immigration solicitor within 24 hours. £175 including VAT, 30 minutes, in person at our Glasgow office or by video. After the call you'll know which of your options fits, what the next step costs as a fixed fee, and how to act before the clock runs out. The rest of this page is so the consultation is as useful as possible.
Read the letter in the right order
Refusal letters are organised the same way no matter which route you applied under. Reading them in the right order saves you time and worry.
Page one
The decision and the date it was sent. The date that matters is on the letter itself, not on the envelope. Write it down.
The middle
The reasons. The caseworker's narrative of why the application was refused. This is where the case sits, and where any errors live.
Final pages
Your rights of review or appeal, and the deadline. This is the part most people skim past on the first read. Go back and read it again. Write the deadline on the front of the letter in pen.
If anything in the letter doesn't match what you sent, the wrong financial year, the wrong dates, documents listed as not provided when you did provide them, highlight it. That's often the centre of a strong challenge.
Your three options
Most refused applicants have one of three routes open.
Appeal
Where the refusal carries a right of appeal, lodged at the First-tier Tribunal within 14 calendar days in-country, 28 out-of-country. Human rights claims, asylum, EUSS, deportation, deprivation. New evidence is allowed.
Administrative review
For most points-based refusals. Skilled Worker, Health and Care, Student, Graduate, some Global Talent. Internal to the Home Office, no new evidence in most cases, deadline usually 14 to 28 days.
Fresh application
Sometimes the cleanest fix. When the refusal was based on missing evidence you can now supply, or when something small has changed (a new job, a marriage, additional cohabitation), reapplying often wins where review or appeal wouldn't.
A fourth, narrower option is judicial review of the Home Office's decision, usually starting with a pre-action protocol letter. Reserved for decisions that are unlawful or procedurally flawed and have no other remedy.
Picking the wrong route burns the deadline. The consultation tells you which one fits.
Why the clock matters
If your original application was made in time, Section 3C leave protected your status while the Home Office decided. Once they refuse, Section 3C continues to run while you have an in-time appeal or admin review pending, but only if you lodge in time.
Miss the deadline and Section 3C ends with the refusal. You become an overstayer. The right to work and right to rent end. Future applications get harder, sometimes by years.
The Home Office treats in-time as in-time. One day late is late.
Common refusal reasons we see in Glasgow
Almost every refusal letter falls into one of these patterns. Recognising yours speeds up the consultation.
Spouse, partner and family routes
Genuineness of the relationship. The financial requirement (currently £29,000 minimum income from April 2024 for new applicants). Accommodation evidence. English language test validity. Supporting evidence quality.
Skilled Worker and Health and Care
Below-threshold salary. SOC code mismatch with the actual job. Sponsor licence problems. Maintenance funds not evidenced for 28 days. English language route not accepted.
Student
CAS issues. Maintenance funds. Previous visa history. ATAS where the course requires it.
Asylum
Credibility findings. Country guidance application. Failure to consider key parts of the account.
EUSS
Late application reasonable grounds not accepted. Evidence of residence not strong enough.
ILR
Continuous residence calculation. Absences over 180 days. Good character.
Each of these has a typical fix. The consultation tells you what yours is.
The packages that follow a refusal
After the consultation, where you want us to handle the next step. Every package fee includes VAT and is per person:
First-tier Tribunal Appeal – £1,999
Appeal representation covering the work listed in the package. First-tier Tribunal Appeal package.
Pre-action Protocol for Judicial Review – £599
The formal challenge letter that often gets a flawed decision withdrawn. PAP for Judicial Review package.
Further Leave to Remain – £1,299
For fresh in-country applications. Further Leave to Remain package.
UK Family Visas – £1,449
For fresh spouse, partner and family applications. UK Family Visas package.
Skilled Worker Visa – £1,499
For fresh sponsored work applications. Skilled Worker Visa package.
Fee Waiver Package – £840
Where the Home Office filing fee and Immigration Health Surcharge aren't affordable. Fee Waiver package.
Home Office filing fees are paid directly to the Home Office.
What to have ready for the consultation
The refusal letter, all pages.
The original application as you submitted it. If you applied yourself, the confirmation email from UKVI usually has the key reference numbers.
Supporting documents you sent with the original application.
Your passport and BRP if you have one.
Anything that has changed since you applied. New employer letters, new payslips, new evidence of relationship, medical letters, anything dated after the application.
If you used a previous adviser, their letter of advice or written scope of work, if you have one. Where their advice was wrong or incomplete, that's relevant to any late-application argument.
How to book
Pick a slot in the Calendly link.
If you can't find a slot that works, email info@abimmigrationlaw.co.uk and we'll find one. Phone is 0141 237 3137. The full list of services, packages and prices is on Alexander Boyd Solicitors.
Refusals look worse than they are at the moment you read them. Most are fixable with the right route and the right preparation. Book the call and we'll show you which one yours needs.
Common questions
My refusal says I can't appeal. Is that always right?
Usually yes, but check carefully. The right of appeal depends on what was claimed in the application, not just the route name. Sometimes a human-rights element was made and the refusal letter didn't address it. The consultation looks for that.
Can I reapply straight away after a refusal?
Usually yes, but timing matters. A reapplication with the same evidence and a slightly different cover letter rarely succeeds. The consultation tells you what's worth adding before you reapply.
Will a refusal affect future applications?
It depends on the reason. Refusals on suitability grounds (deception, criminality, breach of conditions) have long tails. Refusals on evidence usually don't. The consultation tells you which yours is.
Can I work while my appeal or review is pending?
If you applied in time and the appeal or review was lodged in time, yes, under the same conditions as your previous visa. If you applied late, no.
How long does an appeal take?
Several months from lodging to hearing in most cases. The 14-day deadline is just about getting the appeal in. Everything else happens afterwards.
Do you do legal aid?
No, we work on fixed-fee packages.