Visa Series Part 1: Insufficient reasons explaining the intent of travel
This article is inspired by my recent experience somewhere in Abuja, Nigeria. So, I went to this visa office to sort out some clients I was helping with their visa documentation. I then dabbled into a young lady who said she wanted to go to Russia. I was like, you mean to say Russia, in this 0ct 2022? And she said yes. Then I went further to inquire about what kind of Russian visa she was applying for, and her visa agent said a tourist visa. I could help but laugh at this point.
First of all, why a tourist visa to a warring country?
Secondly, with my little knowledge and experience in the industry, Russia is not a popular destination for Nigerian tourists. I honestly thought maybe it was for a student visa or an official/business trip.
When her agent noticed I was too inquisitive to know the reason behind such an application, she opened up to me that she was going there to meet with her sister who is currently living in Russia with an incomplete document.
Somehow, I was convinced that my instinct didn’t go wrong because obviously, she looked somewhat like what a regular Nigerian would refer to as a hook-up girl. And she was too young for that even the agent testified that she was. Long story cut short before I left the place, we were already in agreement that she wouldn’t get the visa.
This little story links back to the subject of reasons why many have been denied visas as a result of insufficient explanation for the purpose and circumstances of the planned stay.
Have it at the back of your mind that no consular office would want their country to be a dumping ground for illegal immigrants causing nuisance all over the country. Failing to have the needed justification for your purpose and conditions of the planned travel and stay is a good point that you aren’t going to get that visa anyways.
The tourist or family visitor visa is mostly rejected due to doubtful intentions (weak ties in the home country), insufficient funds to sustain your stay or large unexplained deposits in the bank statement which in most cases happen suddenly.
However, there could be other reasons for tourist or family visitor visa rejection such as false documents, limited or no travel history, poor documentary evidence, etc. whichever it is, once it can be traced back to the fact that you may have an ulterior motive to travel, denial is most likely to happen.
Below are the popular Ways to Prove Intent to Return Home After Travelling to a country.
- Have properties under your name in your country of residence. This can include a house deed, car registration documents, land title deed, stock certificate, etc.
- Marriage certificate. For some Embassies, submitting a civil status certificate to prove your marital status is mandatory, while for others, it is optional. However, if you are travelling out of your country alone, submitting your marriage certificate is one of the best ways to bring evidence of your intent to return home. Take UAE for instance, recently there was a guideline that Nigerian youths who are unmarried were no longer permitted to visit the country unless they are 40+ for males and 35+ for females.
- Having a steady source of income is extremely important to prove your rootedness. Being employed and earning enough money to live comfortably brings strong evidence of your intention to return home once your trip is over. So make sure you do have one before applying, and do not try to use a tourist visa to relocate to another country.
- If you have children, submitting their birth certificates is a great way to prove your family ties and deep-rootedness in your home country. The more pieces of evidence you can provide to support your intent to travel, the lower the chances of denial. Let it be clear that you are only travelling for a particular purpose be it education, tourism, business, or a visit.
- Write a detailed cover letter even if your cover letter is optional, we are strongly encouraging you to submit it. Your cover letter is an important document that allows you to make your travel purpose clear. In addition, if you do not have other proof of intent requirements, you may want to write a very detailed cover letter outlining your genuine intentions to return to your home country. For example, you may want to return home to take care of your elderly parents or bring a business idea to life.
In conclusion, remember that honesty is the best policy. And there are different ways one can get a visa to travel out to another country. Just try to get the requirements for each visa type you want to apply for rather than cutting covers. Lastly, life is in stages, men are in sizes, eventually, you will get to the stage in your life when you can travel to any country you desire legitimately.
Thanks for reading.
