Has anyone on this site been through the appeal process? If so how successful were you? How did you appeal, to a judge or written letter? Cheers
Have you been refused a settlement visa? As you may know, whenever a visa refusal is issued the full details of how proceed with an appeal is included with that refusal. The refusal letter will detail both the main reason why the ECO refuses and usually either one or two minor reasons. You need to fully understand those reasons. If you felt that you were compliant with all the immigration rules but you believe the ECO made an error of judgement or made mistakes then you must appeal. I would strongly suggest you opt for an oral hearing as that will give you a much better opportunity to actually say what you feel as you look into the eyes of the Judge. The proceedings are much more informal that you might imagine. I would also strongly suggest you write a letter to the ECM (Entry Clearance Manager) at the local Embassy and request a reconsideration of decision. When you make an appeal this request for reconsideration will be done as a standard procedure, but no harm in taking the initiative. Be advised that the appeals process can take a very long time. Please provide some details to enable a much better informed response for you. For example some people represent themselves and others engage professionals. It really all depends on the original application and submitted evidence and the refusal reasons of the ECO. ECO's are known to make errors. You need to provide a more detailed background for asking. Often no new evidence is allowed, but there are many cases where the tribunal Judge will actually nake allowance for additional evidence not originally supplied if it is felt that questions should have been asked or if clarifications should have been sought. Hope this helps you a little Statistically, the UKBA does not do well at appeal hearings. Additionally many refusals are overturned by the ECM upon request both by the applicant and by the tribunal.
