Mr C and his family arrived in the UK on a four-year visa in 2004. Before the visa expired Mr C applied for an extension, but his card payment for the fee was declined and his application was rejected by the UK Border Agency. Mr C reapplied shortly afterwards and was granted leave to remain until 2013.

In 2009, Mr C applied for indefinite leave to remain in the UK, but because of the short gap between when he first applied for a visa extension and when it was granted, his application was turned down by the Agency.

Mr C contacted his MP, who referred the complaint to us.

During our assessment, Mr and Mrs C supplied bank statements showing there was enough money in their account when they applied for the visa extension. They also provided their bank card number which was two digits longer than the number held by the Agency. With this new information, the Agency agreed to reconsider Mr C’s application and he and his family were granted indefinite leave to remain.