Refused UK Visit Visa - now I want to study there

Question

In February I was denied a UK General Visitor Visa because

1. I didn't have sufficient funds
2. I didn't provide a letter of consent from who I would be staying with
3. I didn't provide enough evidence of ties to my home country (USA)

Before the visa application I had visited my boyfriend a total of 3 times- 5 days, 7 days, and 10 days.

In March I tried to visit my boyfriend after being denied and they held me and interviewed me for a total of 7 hours. I was eventually let in and stayed with him for 5 weeks. I just got back yesterday.

Now I have been accepted to University in London to study psychology. The course starts on October 16th. Will the recent visitor visa refusal affect my application? Will they think I'm not a genuine student?

I have sufficient funds from my parents to pay and I will be staying at the dorms at the university. My goal is to study and be closer to my boyfriend. I am a genuine student who just wants to study and be closer to my s/o. How are my chances?

Answer 1

Your prior refusal of entry will be investigated and your chances will depend on the reason(s) you were denied entry. When you were denied entry, I believe, you should have gotten a refusal letter with a bunch of tick boxes. If the letter indicates you were not forth coming with answers or attempted to use deception, your chances are greatly reduced than if you were open with the immigration officer.

The fact that you were let in at a later date, somewhat amazes me, and is a very good sign. The fact that you left when you were supposed to is another good sign. Hopefully you got a passport stamp from the US on your return. If not, you will want to keep you tickets showing you left. If you can afford it, a quick trip to canada, mexico, or the Caribbean could help prove you left the UK.

Your capitalization of University in London is a bit odd. University of London is a well respected school, but there are other universities in London with questionable track records with international students.

The only thing to do is to fill in the immigration paperwork truthfullyand provide all supporting documents. As your situation is slightly tricky due to the prior refusal and the presence of a boy friend, and you may be better served by using an immigration specialist/laywer.

Answer 2

The previous refusal will be considered, but if your application stands on its own merit, it should be approved. There is no prohibition to someone who visits deciding to later study, even if that reason is obviously to be with one's partner. I'm assuming that the school and course are legitimate and fully accredited within the UK, and that your course of study leads to a recognized degree/certificate. Visit visa refusals are the least likely to cause problems as long as there was no deception involved (as is evidenced by your subsequent entry recently). You may be held and interviewed again. Just tell the truth, if your visa was approved, that should be enough.