Total number of spouse visas processed and refused by selected nationalities, 2016
Author : Steve
A while back I made this Freedom of Information request in response to an online discussion, as I was curious about numbers of rates of refusals for a balanced selection of different nationalities, including some of the most common countries for foreign spouses. The text of the request is here :
I would like to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act.
1. Total number of spouse visa applications processed for the following nationalities from January 1 2016 to 31 December 2016 :
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, United States
2. Total number of refusals for spouse visa applications processed for the following nationalities from January 1 2016 to 31 December 2016 :
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, United States
This was for a whole year, to even out anomalies such as local holidays. The response is in (see link above) and includes data per quarter, with information about applications made, processed, refused, withdrawn, and lapsed.
The table below shows the numbers of refusals divided by the number of applications over the whole year, followed by a percentage of refusals/applications. Note this comes with a few caveats, e.g. withdrawals and lapses are included in the total so don't assume that every visa not refused was processed; however the numbers for withdrawals and lapses are very low and wouldn't make much difference to the overall figures even if excluded. Note also that an application made in 2015 or 2016 may not be processed until 2016 or 2017.
These are included without comment as there is likely more than one reason for the differences. However the results are enlightening and seem to match the lived experience of both BritCits members and members of other online support groups and forums.
Country Refused/Total = Percentage (2016)
Japan 17/272 = 6.3%
Argentina 4/42 = 9.6%
Australia 93/881 = 10.6%
SouthAfrica 99/834 = 11.9%
Russia 70/582 = 12.0%
Canada 73/517 = 14.1%
USA 371/2544 = 14.6%
Brazil 76/480 = 15.8%
Mexico 28/175 = 16.0%
China 222/1071 = 20.7%
Israel 19/87 = 21.8%
Thailand 242/1094 = 22.1%
Turkey 176/787 = 22.4%
Egypt 102/338 = 30.2%
India 1236/3888 = 31.8%
Pakistan 3032/7472 = 40.6%
Nigeria 555/1131 = 49.1%
Note to the reader : You can make your own FOI request at whatdotheyknow.com, and I think an FOI request is something everybody should do at least once in their lives.
Showing posts with label argentina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label argentina. Show all posts
Monday, 27 March 2017
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Spotted on Facebook #useful
A little something I discovered which might be of interest to those British Nationals with Central or South American Spouses. My wife is Ecuadorian and if we take the SS route then Spain would be the obvious choice. However if you exercise EU treaty rights in Spain then an "Ibero-American" (basically a native of any Spanish speaking country in the world) can apply for Spanish citizenship (and EU passport) after just two years residency enabling them to walk into the UK through the same immigration channel as you or I would.
(This includes spouses from the Philippines, Brazil and former Portuguese colonies).
A little something I discovered which might be of interest to those British Nationals with Central or South American Spouses. My wife is Ecuadorian and if we take the SS route then Spain would be the obvious choice. However if you exercise EU treaty rights in Spain then an "Ibero-American" (basically a native of any Spanish speaking country in the world) can apply for Spanish citizenship (and EU passport) after just two years residency enabling them to walk into the UK through the same immigration channel as you or I would.
(This includes spouses from the Philippines, Brazil and former Portuguese colonies).
Sunday, 25 August 2013
Argentina opens its doors (a model for the world, a Latin American alternative to Surinder Singh?)
http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2011/11/15/argentina-opens-its-doors
Argentina's current law treats immigration as a human right and consequently prioritizes the reunification of families, facilitates the ability of immigrants to obtain residency, and allows free access to health care and education. Immigrants are also granted a right to legal counsel.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/22/argentina-open-doors-migrants-settle
It is also possible to look for a job once in Argentina on a tourist visa. Europeans can travel to Argentina without a visa and are automatically given a free 90-day tourist visa upon arrival. After finding a job immigrants can go to the migrations department with a letter from their employer and a certificate of good conduct from their country of origin.
Pros and cons :
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090609143624AA4IbNZ
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http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2011/11/15/argentina-opens-its-doors
Argentina's current law treats immigration as a human right and consequently prioritizes the reunification of families, facilitates the ability of immigrants to obtain residency, and allows free access to health care and education. Immigrants are also granted a right to legal counsel.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/22/argentina-open-doors-migrants-settle
It is also possible to look for a job once in Argentina on a tourist visa. Europeans can travel to Argentina without a visa and are automatically given a free 90-day tourist visa upon arrival. After finding a job immigrants can go to the migrations department with a letter from their employer and a certificate of good conduct from their country of origin.
Pros and cons :
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090609143624AA4IbNZ
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Larissa & Nicolas
“It’s a shame the UK government is blind to common sense and so averse to doing the right thing, in the interest of massaging some numbers.”
Larissa is a British citizen, born and raised in London. She has lived and worked in Argentina with her fiancé, Nicolas. They intend to get married in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 9th, and then "fight" their way into the UK.
They are facing a fight because of both, the salary rule and the English requirement – requirements which have been brought in because of, the government says, the basis of ensuring the foreign spouse is not a burden on UK taxpayers and that s/he can integrate well into the community here.
Nicolas is the son of an English teacher – he has been learning English since he was a baby, studied it in a private institute for over six years and received his own ‘Elementary English Teacher’ certificate, allowing him to teach Argentinean school students English as a foreign language. Between them, they earn more han £25,000 a year.
Yet the rules are such that they are disqualified, despite earning enough to NOT be a burden on the taxpayer and Nicolas being fluent in English.
Nicolas doesn’t have an issue with doing the test. He will pass it. The issue is that the test has to be completed in very specific locations, with no thought to the time, expense and location issues it raises for the couple.
To earn over £18,600 by herself, Larissa will have to get another job, to supplement her £14,000 income. Not easy at the best of times, but especially in this economy – and she has been trying. And even when she is successful in obtaining this job, they will have to wait six months before they can even apply to be together. And then, going by statistics obtained from UKBA, up to another six months before the visa would be granted. So the couple faces 12 months apart, even after Larissa obtains the elusive £18,600 job.
This despite the fact that their joint income is OVER £25,000.
Larissa has been told, "Well, you're marrying someone from abroad, go start your life abroad then".
The issue is Nicolas speaks English, Larissa doesn't speak Spanish.
Larissa is really close to her family in London (as is Nicolas), while Nicolas’s family is scattered around the globe.
Nicolas can take his job with him, it doesn't matter where he is. Larissa’s job is less mobile.
So for many valid reasons, it is just not the same for this young couple to start their family in
Argentina. It’s a shame the UK government is blind to common sense and so averse to doing the right thing.
---
Editor's note: Regarding the issue of timescales. Relevant here are the news stories from late January 2013 of the UKBA backlogs in dealing with delays to partner and family visas :
'Border agency backlog keeps Britons and their foreign spouses in limbo' : http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/feb/08/immigration-marriage
'UKBA backlog: Inspectors find thousands of new cases : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21170495
When inspectors visited a UKBA office in Sheffield they found a further backlog of 2,100 "complex" temporary migration cases. These included 180 marriage entry or settlement applications which had not received an initial decision. Some dated back to 2003.
One inspector said the unresolved applications had been effectively "dumped" on the Sheffield team after being transferred in a box from the UKBA's Croydon offices. Officials have since dealt with these cases.
We posted on this issue on 24th January 2013 : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/a-good-day.html
It's worth reading the stories and following the links. This situation - not just the unfairness of the rules but the poor implementation of the rules - causes heartbreak and uncertainty for many people. Several contributors to the BritCits pack contributed to the linked news stories. See also our very special 'bureaucracy' tag : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/bureaucracy
The Independent Chief Inspector on Twitter : https://twitter.com/ICIBIVine
“It’s a shame the UK government is blind to common sense and so averse to doing the right thing, in the interest of massaging some numbers.”
Larissa is a British citizen, born and raised in London. She has lived and worked in Argentina with her fiancé, Nicolas. They intend to get married in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 9th, and then "fight" their way into the UK.
They are facing a fight because of both, the salary rule and the English requirement – requirements which have been brought in because of, the government says, the basis of ensuring the foreign spouse is not a burden on UK taxpayers and that s/he can integrate well into the community here.
Nicolas is the son of an English teacher – he has been learning English since he was a baby, studied it in a private institute for over six years and received his own ‘Elementary English Teacher’ certificate, allowing him to teach Argentinean school students English as a foreign language. Between them, they earn more han £25,000 a year.
Yet the rules are such that they are disqualified, despite earning enough to NOT be a burden on the taxpayer and Nicolas being fluent in English.
Nicolas doesn’t have an issue with doing the test. He will pass it. The issue is that the test has to be completed in very specific locations, with no thought to the time, expense and location issues it raises for the couple.
To earn over £18,600 by herself, Larissa will have to get another job, to supplement her £14,000 income. Not easy at the best of times, but especially in this economy – and she has been trying. And even when she is successful in obtaining this job, they will have to wait six months before they can even apply to be together. And then, going by statistics obtained from UKBA, up to another six months before the visa would be granted. So the couple faces 12 months apart, even after Larissa obtains the elusive £18,600 job.
This despite the fact that their joint income is OVER £25,000.
Larissa has been told, "Well, you're marrying someone from abroad, go start your life abroad then".
The issue is Nicolas speaks English, Larissa doesn't speak Spanish.
Larissa is really close to her family in London (as is Nicolas), while Nicolas’s family is scattered around the globe.
Nicolas can take his job with him, it doesn't matter where he is. Larissa’s job is less mobile.
So for many valid reasons, it is just not the same for this young couple to start their family in
Argentina. It’s a shame the UK government is blind to common sense and so averse to doing the right thing.
---
Editor's note: Regarding the issue of timescales. Relevant here are the news stories from late January 2013 of the UKBA backlogs in dealing with delays to partner and family visas :
'Border agency backlog keeps Britons and their foreign spouses in limbo' : http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/feb/08/immigration-marriage
'UKBA backlog: Inspectors find thousands of new cases : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21170495
When inspectors visited a UKBA office in Sheffield they found a further backlog of 2,100 "complex" temporary migration cases. These included 180 marriage entry or settlement applications which had not received an initial decision. Some dated back to 2003.
One inspector said the unresolved applications had been effectively "dumped" on the Sheffield team after being transferred in a box from the UKBA's Croydon offices. Officials have since dealt with these cases.
We posted on this issue on 24th January 2013 : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/a-good-day.html
It's worth reading the stories and following the links. This situation - not just the unfairness of the rules but the poor implementation of the rules - causes heartbreak and uncertainty for many people. Several contributors to the BritCits pack contributed to the linked news stories. See also our very special 'bureaucracy' tag : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/bureaucracy
The Independent Chief Inspector on Twitter : https://twitter.com/ICIBIVine
Friday, 15 February 2013
Jade
“As a British Masters student, I can’t live in my own country with my partner, because he is Argentinean and I don’t earn £18,600 – how many British students do?! However, international students coming to the UK from elsewhere in the world can live here with their partner and kids, without needing to earn £18,600. The UK is slamming the doors on its own people, just because we accidentally fall in love with someone from outside Europe’s borders”.
Jade is a British citizen; 28 years old, a graduate and a former advertising professional from Greenwich, London. She is currently living in Argentina with her Argentine fiancé Luis.
A couple of years ago, she took some time off work to travel. Whilst in Argentina, she met and fell in love with Luis.
Jade stayed in Argentina for ten months during which time Luis and his family financially supported Jade (she worked part time as an English teacher but it wasn't enough money for her to live on).
They then travelled together, first living together in Rio de Janerio, Brazil for two months; then for six months in London, where they lived with Jade’s family.
Jade returned to her job in advertising where she earned £22,000 – over the £18,600 now required. As Luis was on a tourist visa, he did not work and instead, spent his time researching for his thesis.
In September, they returned to Argentina for Luis’s graduation. For two years either Jade's, or Luis's life has been put on hold, just so they could be together.
In Argentina Jade can’t get can't work in a career progressing job, as fluent Spanish is essential and the language and cultural barriers also make it difficult for her to make too many friends (they live in a small city). Luis has a good job in an international winery. He put his university and career on hold to spend time in London because Jade was homesick, and now, Jade is putting things on hold while they are both in Argentina.
It's a complicated life but they really love each other and are trying to make it work.
Jade wishes to return home to study for a Masters in Sustainable Tourism; she has found the perfect course. However, this is only feasible if Luis can also come to the UK and develop his career, whilst supporting Jade in her studies.
In Argentina, a good salary is about £500 a month. There is no way she could earn £18,600 a year whilst in Argentina, so it is totally impossible for her to meet that income threshold from Argentina.
Neither Jade nor Luis want to get married if it means their marriage begins with a six month separation, while Jade returns to England alone, returns to an advertising career, just to make an arbitrary salary of £18,600.
Jade feels that her mother country has closed the doors on her. She is feeling a mixture of anger and sadness; it’s scary to think that were she to fall pregnant, she would have to choose between pregnancy at home with family and friends around her, and the father of her child. But the choice is difficult but obvious – she would have to stay in Argentina and therefore be forcibly exiled from the UK.
Jade is aware that she could move to Spain where she and Luis would be welcomed with open arms, as part of the EU treaty. However this still means putting her life on hold; dreams of studying in the UK are postponed and she would continue to have to teach English as a foreign language for another few years.
Jade just wants the UK to keep its doors open to her, welcome her back and not punish her for travelling around the world and accidentally falling in love with someone from outside Europe's borders.
“As a British Masters student, I can’t live in my own country with my partner, because he is Argentinean and I don’t earn £18,600 – how many British students do?! However, international students coming to the UK from elsewhere in the world can live here with their partner and kids, without needing to earn £18,600. The UK is slamming the doors on its own people, just because we accidentally fall in love with someone from outside Europe’s borders”.
Jade is a British citizen; 28 years old, a graduate and a former advertising professional from Greenwich, London. She is currently living in Argentina with her Argentine fiancé Luis.
A couple of years ago, she took some time off work to travel. Whilst in Argentina, she met and fell in love with Luis.
Jade stayed in Argentina for ten months during which time Luis and his family financially supported Jade (she worked part time as an English teacher but it wasn't enough money for her to live on).
They then travelled together, first living together in Rio de Janerio, Brazil for two months; then for six months in London, where they lived with Jade’s family.
Jade returned to her job in advertising where she earned £22,000 – over the £18,600 now required. As Luis was on a tourist visa, he did not work and instead, spent his time researching for his thesis.
In September, they returned to Argentina for Luis’s graduation. For two years either Jade's, or Luis's life has been put on hold, just so they could be together.
In Argentina Jade can’t get can't work in a career progressing job, as fluent Spanish is essential and the language and cultural barriers also make it difficult for her to make too many friends (they live in a small city). Luis has a good job in an international winery. He put his university and career on hold to spend time in London because Jade was homesick, and now, Jade is putting things on hold while they are both in Argentina.
It's a complicated life but they really love each other and are trying to make it work.
Jade wishes to return home to study for a Masters in Sustainable Tourism; she has found the perfect course. However, this is only feasible if Luis can also come to the UK and develop his career, whilst supporting Jade in her studies.
In Argentina, a good salary is about £500 a month. There is no way she could earn £18,600 a year whilst in Argentina, so it is totally impossible for her to meet that income threshold from Argentina.
Neither Jade nor Luis want to get married if it means their marriage begins with a six month separation, while Jade returns to England alone, returns to an advertising career, just to make an arbitrary salary of £18,600.
Jade feels that her mother country has closed the doors on her. She is feeling a mixture of anger and sadness; it’s scary to think that were she to fall pregnant, she would have to choose between pregnancy at home with family and friends around her, and the father of her child. But the choice is difficult but obvious – she would have to stay in Argentina and therefore be forcibly exiled from the UK.
Jade is aware that she could move to Spain where she and Luis would be welcomed with open arms, as part of the EU treaty. However this still means putting her life on hold; dreams of studying in the UK are postponed and she would continue to have to teach English as a foreign language for another few years.
Jade just wants the UK to keep its doors open to her, welcome her back and not punish her for travelling around the world and accidentally falling in love with someone from outside Europe's borders.
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