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Finances for PLAB 2 Visa

Dr. Naseer Khan
Reading Time = 4 minutes

I’m sure you have enough money to cover the cost of your PLAB 2 trip. However, you need to convince the ECO of this.

The more money you have, the better, provided you can prove, that you have legally earned it or that you legally own it. In case somebody is sponsoring you, you have to prove that they have legally earned it or that they legally own it.

 

Bank Statement

It is ideal to attach a bank statement for the last six months. There’s no rule that says you have to attach it for the last six months. There are examples of people who attached statements for three months and still got their visas. But it is ideal to attach it for six months.

 

Bank Balance

This is directly related to your cost of trip. Ideally, your cost of trip should be 10 to 20 percent (maximum 33 percent) of your bank balance.

 

Explain Opening Bank Balance

You have to explain your bank balance at the beginning of your bank statement. You have to show documentary evidence to prove that you own this money legally.

 

Explain Transactions

You must explain all incoming and outgoing transactions in your account in proper detail. You need to show that any money that you deposit in your account was legally earned. They also want to know that any money that you take out of your account was spent for legal reasons. Explaining your salary might be easy. But you must also explain all other transactions in your bank balance. The ECO wants to know that you’re not involved in any financial corruption or any other illegal activity. They also want to know if your balance matches up with your story.

 

Financial Sponsor

To make your case stronger, it’s best to have a financial sponsor. It doesn’t matter how much money you have in your own account, it’s always wise to have a financial sponsor. It’s best if the person sponsoring you is your parent or your sibling. Your uncle or aunt can also sponsor you.

So you have three options:

i) Finance this trip yourself

You have to be employed and there should be a steady inflow of income into your bank account every month.

A) If you are a salaried individual, you need to be careful of the following:

  1. You should attach a letter from your employer clearly stating your monthly income.
  2. Your bank statement should have regular deposits of your salary (as stated by you in your cover letter).
  3. Your salary should be deposited in your account each month, roughly around the same time of the month through the same means.
  4. Your salary deposits in your statement should match the salary mentioned in your employment documents and your cover letter.
  5. You should explain all transactions, with proper reasoning.
  6. You should have a very healthy bank statement.

B) In case, you are self-employed:

  1. You should attach your documentary evidence of your business being legal and proof of your earning.
  2. Your income tax details can help.
  3. You should explain all transactions, with proper reasoning.
  4. You should have a very healthy bank statement.

ii) Allow someone else to finance this trip for you

It’s completely understandable if you can’t finance the trip yourself. You’re a young doctor who’s at the beginning of your career. In this case, ideally, you should do the following:

  1. Provide proper reasoning for not being able to finance the trip yourself.
  2. Explain why someone else is sponsoring you. You can mention that they’re very close to you; you have an attachment to them; they’re concerned about you and your progress; they care about you; they want to see you doing well.
  3. Show that they can finance you; you should attach their bank statement; it would be ideal to prove their source of earning as well.
  4. Prove your relationship with them, using ID documents.
  5. Prove that they’ve legally earned this money and that they’re legal residents, no matter where they live.
  6. Prove that being your sponsor will not be an unnecessary financial burden on your sponsor.

iii) Have enough money in your own account and allow someone else to financially back you up as well

You can mention the fact that you have enough money of your own to finance this trip. However, just to be safe, someone else is also sponsoring you. This is just to reassure the visa office that you won’t use public funds in the UK and you won’t ask the UK government for financial aid at any point. In this case, ideally, you should do the following:

  1. Explain your own finances and your bank statement.
  2. Explain why someone else is sponsoring you.
  3. Show that they can finance you.
  4. Explain your relationship with them, using ID documents.
  5. Prove that they’ve legally earned this money and that they’re legal residents, no matter where they live.
  6. Prove that being your financial sponsor will not be an unnecessary burden on your sponsor.

I chose this third option in my third attempt. You can go through my cover letter to see how I explained it.

 

Conclusion

Keep a healthy bank balance. Explain all transactions. Have a decent amount of money in your own bank account. But have someone else financially back you up, just to be on the safe side.

 

Helpful Links for Applying for Visa

Helpful Documents

Helpful Links for PLAB 2

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