British lawyer refused visa he never applied for by Home Office

LONDON: A British lawyer has been unable to bring his new wife to join him in the UK because the Home Office rejected a visa he did not apply for, foreign media reported.Samir Pasha, 31, paid a total of £3,204 plus legal costs to bring his new wife Zunab Fareha Pasha, 24, a dyslexia specialist, to the UK.

The couple married in Pakistan in December 2019. Pasha, in immigration terms his wife’s sponsor, submitted hundreds of pages of supporting evidence about his relationship, his financial circumstances and his employment to the Home Office to support the partner visa application.

However, the Home Office rejected an application for a simple visit visa costing £95 that he did not make. Applicants for visitor visas are not expected to supply the amount of supporting documents required for a partner visa.

Pasha says he is stuck because he has no right of appeal against a visa he did not apply for.“I have no right of appeal and no right of administrative review. I’m in Pakistan with my wife. Our trust in the British immigration system has been shattered. I will have to stay in Pakistan for as long as it takes for this to be rectified,” he said.

Pasha received a letter of apology “for sending you a blank visa refusal notice”. It added that the refusal has now been overturned and the spouse visa application will now be reconsidered.“We followed all the rules, we meet the income requirements and we have a genuine relationship,” said Pasha.