Editorial: The Endless Visa Denials: The British High Commission Should Explain!!

Editorial: The British High Commission in Banjul should clear the air. The High Commission has been accused of denying visas to the sick, the business community, students and legally married couples. Most of the applicants denied visa had claimed that the denials, were not justified at all. That the visa officer rejects their applications without compelling reasons.

Yes, there are set rules attached for the issuance of visa. That applicants must fulfilled certain requirements before a visa can be issued. These requirements varies. The visa officer reserves the right to issue or deny visas at any given time. But we must hasten to add that such decisions can be contested, if affected parties believe that the visa officer or consular erred in his decision. Such appeals must be supported by material evidence to convince the board responsible for reviewing visa application denials.

Sadly, very few applicants in The Gambia, are aware of their rights to appeal such denials, even though it‘s the clearly stated on the visa application form. The British Home Office is one of the places where aggrieved parties can channel their appeals, after exhausting all local remedies. Applicants are at liberty to contest the consular’s decision.

The recent visa denial involving 34 year old Momodou Sanneh is a cause for concern. Mr. Sanneh has been diagnosed with elephantiasis. The visa officer at the British High Commission in Banjul in a communication addressed to Mr. Sanneh justified the visa denial.

“I am not satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that you meet the requirements of paragraph 41 of the Immigration Rules, in particular you are genuinely seeking entry for a limited period not exceeding 6 months; you have been required to show that your proposed course of treatment is for a finite duration and I am not satisfied that you can do so ... I have considered your application on the evidence you have provided. This includes your responses to the minimum 57 questions on the visa application form and the document you have submitted, as well any additional information provided by you in section 10 of the visa application form.”

The visa officer went on to add “The onus is on the applicant to provide satisfactory information of evidence that you meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules. You have been required to produced satisfactory evidence of the medical condition requiring consultation or treatment and in view of the fact that last evidence of your condition is dated 14th May 1998, I am not satisfied that you can do so. You are also required to show that your proposed course of treatment is a finite duration and I am not satisfied that you can do so. You submit no evidence of any ties in The Gambia. You have no dependents and you are not employed. You proposed to go to the United Kingdom for a full six months. There is no evidence of how long your treatment will last and I am not satisfied that you intend to leave the UK at the end of your treatment.”

Many visa applications have been denied in the recent past due to the applicants failure to provide proof of employment, family ties, physical assets in The Gambia, just to name a few. We thank our firend Michael Scales for the concerns he raised on this matter.

It’s imperative to note that The Gambia is a developing country, like any other country in West Africa. Very few people are fortunate enough to secure houses and highly paid jobs. As such, patients like Sanneh might be victims of unemployment. The Government cannot provide enough jobs for its citizens. The very few lucky ones are hired by the private sector.

In short, The Gambia is a private sector led economy. Faced by lack of investment, The Government, which is expected to create safe business climate for the private sector, is on the other hand scaring potential investors with the unfinished reports of expulsion of investors from the country. The latest case involves a British sand mining company.

We are aware of the growing mass economic migration in The Gambia. Many youngsters are leaving the country in search for greener pastures. These migrants have different goals. Some left The Gambia to further their education, some are hustlers and political asylees.

Visa officers should be bit considerate in their decisions. Patients under critical conditions should be given special preference no matter how strict their policy is. The visa officer is at liberty to use his own discretion to give waivers to such applicants since they are between life and death. We all know how deadly elephantiasis is. It’s a serious disease.

The Gambia is a former British Colony. We sometimes wonder what was the rationale behind such colonization. Our colonial masters should not treat our people in such a way. England should be able to receive and shelter Gambians no matter what.

Liberians are enjoying the glory of colonization. The United States Government has been very supportive to that West African war ravaged nation. Thousands of Liberians have benefited from US Humanitarian Programs, ranging from airlifting, food ration, educational programs, refugee status, just to name a few.

Admitted, Gambia’s case is far different from that of Liberia case, but the truth be told, Britain has been treating our people with contempt. Numerous Gambians have been denied asylum, even thought they have proven to have well founded fear for present and future persecution. How about the Gambian illegal immigrants in the UK, who are deported without given the right to court hearing. Immigration agents from the British Home office, just bundled these immigrants and guess what the next minute such immigrants found their way in Banjul. They have been acting in contravention to the laws of the Geneva Convention.

We think Gambians deserve better. Britain being our former colonial master, should revisit Gambia’s pre-independence era. Gambians are the most obedient and disciplined people you can ever find on this universe. This was why before and after the born of New England, once a Gambian you are automatically qualified to travel to the UK without visa. A good number of our seniors secured British Citizenship then.

Considering the exorbitant visa fees these days, it’s our firm belief that visa denials, must be supported by credible evidence and not that of mere speculations without solid foundation. The visa officer should be in the position to reassure and counsel such applicants so that they can comeback and reapply for visa. They should also allow applicants pursuing appeal to be heard without any prejudice or early conclusions on their fate.

While, we support the British High Commissioner’s move to deny visas to corrupt Gambian officials and their spouses, we appeal to the High Commission to issue visas to genuine sick patients who are seeking for further medical attention in the UK. The High Commission should also read this Editorial with an open mind. Genuine travelers should be issued with visa. We rest our case!!!

For comments and reactions, the editor can be reached at the following emails: panderrymbai@gmail.com, pancmbai@gmail.com  or editor@freedomnewspaper.com We can also be reached by phone: Corporate Phone Number: 919-872-50-28, Cell: 919-798-81-22 Thanks for your attention.