Anonymous PLAB Visa Experience – I (from Bangladesh)

(This visa experience is important because the applicant had a previous visa refusal).

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Before Getting Started:

My first visa application was refused and I was completely shocked after the refusal. But Alhamdulillah I got my visa on my second attempt. I must thank Dr. Naseer Khan for his very very kind support. I have always applied for my visa by myself and I believe in this visa application the cover letter played a vital role. I took 7 days to prepare the cover letter and revised several times to check if I had left any confusion for my entry clearance officer. After I got my visa, I gave a call to thank Dr. Naseer and he suggested me to help the future candidates. Here is the format which I followed. I have modified the letter a bit to keep some of my information confidential. Otherwise, it’s the same format which helped me to get the entry clearance. I hope it helps others. Please keep me in your prayers.

And last but not the least, thank you, Dr. Naseer Khan. Lots of prayers for you. You are the BEST! (Y)

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My Cover Letter

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Date:

To
The Entry Clearance Officer

UK Visas and Immigration

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SUBJECT: VISA APPLICATION FOR PLAB 2TEST

Respected Sir/Madam,

My name is Dr. —— (Visa Application Reference Number:——, Passport Number: —–). I am applying for Business Visitor Visa for PLAB Part 2 examination. I am planning to take my PLAB Part 2 examination on —–.

I am a fully qualified doctor. I am registered with the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) and I have a license to practice as a Medical Practitioner in Bangladesh (Registration No. —-). I am currently working as a Medical Officer (MO) at ——-, Bangladesh.

I am also having a reference number of the General Medical Council (GMC) UK to appear in the PLAB examination. My GMC Reference Number is ——.(I have attached a documentary evidence^7a stating my GMC Reference Number. Also, I have given a copy of my BMDC Registration Certificate⁶ for your kind perusal.)

WHY I AM APPLYING FOR THE UK BUSINESS VISITOR VISA FOR THE EXAM:

I am applying for the Business Visitor Visa in order to appear in the PLAB Part 2 test. I have booked to sit for the PLAB Part 2 exam on —— (I have attached my booking confirmation^7e). This exam is held only in Manchester, UK. PLAB Part 2 exam is not held in any other city or country. It is part 2 of the licensing exam for International Medical Graduates who wish to practice medicine in the UK. I passed PLAB Part 1 examination in —- (I have given a copy stating my PLAB 1 result^7b) from my country of residence, Bangladesh (only part 1 of the PLAB examination is held in other countries).

 

WHY I WANT TO TAKE THE PLAB EXAM:

I am working as a doctor in Bangladesh for the last—–; now I want to work as a doctor in a better system where I can improve my skills even more. There is no doubt in the fact that the UK’s healthcare system is one of the best healthcare systems in the world. I want to make myself a better doctor by working in the UK and by learning from the doctors in the UK.

After gaining a sufficient amount of knowledge and experience as a doctor, and after serving the UK for a few years, I would like to come back to Bangladesh to help the people of my country, like many others have done before me.

MY TIMELINE:

Here, I’ve stated all my academic details. My school, my college and my medical college. I’ve also stated the date of my joining in my current place of work and how I maintained a very good record in my academic career.

 

MY FAMILY MEMBERS AND THEIR DETAILS:

Every single detail of my family members and how I maintain a very strong tie with them. I have also mentioned their immigration history in short to ensure a strong family background of good travel history.

 

MY DOMESTIC FINANCIAL CONDITIONS:

I am a permanent employee at —–. I get a regular salary of Tk. — per month^8c(— GBP). I don’t have any other source of income and I bear my own expenses. I usually do not contribute to my family on monthly basis. However, as a responsible younger son, I help my parents occasionally as per their requirements.

 

Explanations of major transactions that took place in the last 6 months (including payment of PLAB 2 Test):

I have explained my bank statement here. Every single transaction that took place during the last 6 months were explained and I also stated why I didn’t have to arrange any extra money this time for my PLAB 2 test booking as I got full refund from GMC after the refusal of my previous visa application.

 

PLAB-2 VISA REFUSAL (Date: — 2017):

(Application number: —)

My application for Business Visitor Visa for PLAB Part 2 examination was denied on —-. In deciding whether I meet the requirements of Appendix V: Immigration Rules for Visitors, my entry clearance officer considered:

• My application and any additional relevant information I provided with it.
• My immigration history.

The decision for refusal of my application for a visit visa was done because I couldn’t satisfy that I meet the requirements of paragraph(s) V 4.2 of Appendix V: Immigration Rules for Visitor because:

(Here, I just copied and pasted the lines that were written in my visa refusal letter)

For future applications, it is mentioned that it will be considered on their individual merit. However, I am likely to be refused unless the circumstances of my application change.

 

MY EXPLANATIONS:

• My application and any additional relevant information I provided with it.

I didn’t know I had to provide a detailed travel plan and need to specify my intentions about what I am going to do during my stay. Unfortunately, I also didn’t know it may somehow reflect my intentions differently and may cause visa refusal. Here, before explaining further, I would like to provide my travel plans (that I planned last time) which could have helped me to get the entry clearance if I had explained previously:

— Then I explained in detail about what I planned previously and I also apologized for not giving appropriate papers in support of my visa application.

• My immigration history:

I have always maintained a very good immigration history. I have never overstayed or disobeyed any rules or regulations and never had any bad experience while travelling abroad. I believe my immigration history is good enough to consider me a good traveler. I would like to give a detail of my travel history for your kind consideration.

Date	Place of Travel with explanations (in last 10 years)

*I’ve given the visa papers¹. Also, I believe my passport pages¹ will provide documentary evidence of my good immigration history.

 

SUMMARY OF VISA REFUSAL(—–):

(Application Number: —-)

My visa refusal was my own mistake. I have never applied for UK visa previously and didn’t have any idea that I have to provide my detail travel plans before I submit my application. I would like to apologize for my mistakes.

In my Visa Refusal Paper, it is stated that for future applications, it will be considered on their individual merit. However, I am likely to be refused unless the circumstances of my application change.

Now, I would like to explain the plan for my UK trip in —- 2017.Also, I would like to explain about my personal circumstances that has changed since my last visa application:

 

MY PLAN FOR THE UK TRIP IN —-:

(Application Number: —-)

Day 1		Arrival in Manchester, UK
Day 2		Rest and acclimatization with weather
Day 3		Checking my venue. Final preparation for my PLAB 2 test.
Day 4		PLAB 2 Test
Day 5		Departure

 

CHANGING OF MY CIRCUMSTANCES IN BANGLADESH:

Here I have explained how the things have changed in last 2 months.

 

CHANGING OF MY CIRCUMSTANCES IN TERMS OF STAYING IN UK:

In my first application, I applied for a 45-day visit. This time, I am planning to stay for 5 days for my exam including acclimatisation with the weather. Last time I had a plan to visit my cousin’s place, stay in London, roam around the capital and then attend the academy in person. So, the time frame was unusually long. This time, I am not going to visit my cousin. I am not planning to visit London as well. Now, I will fly directly to Manchester, will take three days before my exam date and after the exam, I will take the return flight to Bangladesh without further delay. As one of my friends will help me entirely with my PLAB 2 preparation, I believe 5 days in total with full focus on PLAB 2 test will make it more logical in terms of participating and passing my exam. During my 5 days’ visit, I will stay at — Hotel (—, United Kingdom) which is near my exam centre. As I booked my hotel a bit early so I am lucky enough to get a comfortable room at 120 GBP. Therefore, my total accommodation cost will be 120 GBP for four nights (5 days). I have given a booking confirmation¹² for your kind perusal. Also, I have attached my flight itinerary¹³ which explains by departure and arrival time in detail.

 

CHANGING OF CIRCUMSTANCES IN TERMS OF THE TOTAL COSTS OF MY TRIP:

I planned to apply for my visa a bit early (to get enough time for the online course and the preparation following the course). So, I believe I got my accommodation and air fare a bit less than the regular price. My revised expenditure for this trip in comparison to my last trip is as follows:

Traits	Last Time	At Present
Plane ticket	800 GBP (DHK-LHR-DHK)	920 GBP (DHK-MAN-DHK)
Accommodation	37 GBP	120 GBP
Living Expenses	900 GBP	100 GBP
Total Cost of my Trip	1737 GBP	1140 GBP
The Amount of Money I Have for This Trip	2500 GBP	2700 GBP
Available Balance in my Bank Account11	6253.72 GBP	6598.04 GBP

 

CHANGING OF CIRCUMSTANCES IN SHORT:

Traits	Last Time	At Present
Intention to stay in UK	45 Days	5 Days
Detailed Travel Plans	Didn’t explain	Explained
Immigration History	Didn’t explain	Explained
Total Cost of my trip	1737 GBP	1140 GBP
The Amount of Money I Have for this trip	2500 GBP	2700 GBP
Available Balance in my bank account	6253.72 GBP	6598.04 GBP

 

NO OBJECTION FROM MY EMPLOYER:

I have taken an unpaid leave of absence from —— for two weeks, from—- 2017. They have issued a “No Objection Certificate” regarding my trip, which I’ve attached^8a with my application. As per my travel itinerary, I will depart from UK on —-and will return to Bangladesh on —– 2017. After having worked and studied nonstop for so long, I will rest for four days. I will resume work at (my work place) from —–2017.

 

MY CURRENT VISA APPLICATION IN LIGHT OF MY PREVIOUS VISA REFUSAL:

My previous visa application was refused under paragraphs V4.2 (a) and (c). I would like to address those concerns for my current visa application:

“(a) will leave the UK at the end of their visit”

I would like to reassure you that I am going to leave the UK after the end of my visitas I have to join as a Medical Officer at — to perform my responsibilities. I have taken unpaid leave of absence for two weeks from — which expires on —, 2017. As the letter from my employer states, I have to resume my duty from — 2017. Therefore, it is not possible for me to overstay my visit in the UK. Moreover, I have had this job for — and I’m a permanent employee with a very good performance and reputation. My seniors and my employers love and motivate me all the time. My records are also very good and shows my seriousness about my job. There is no point to give up my current job or career. Therefore, I will most certainly return back to Bangladesh to resume my duties at work.

“(c) is genuinely seeking entry for a purpose that is permitted by the visitor routes”

I have booked my PLAB Part 2 examination and already got a date to sit for my exam. It is conducted by the General Medical Council (GMC), UK. I’m a member of the General Medical Council and I’ve my own reference number.I’ve attached documentary evidence^7a of this. I have also attached my booking confirmation^7e for PLAB 2 Test issued by the General Medical Council, UK where the General Medical Council has invited me at their Clinical Assessment Center at Manchester, 3 Hardman Street, Manchester, the United Kingdom on — 2017 at — AM. Also, I have given my travel plan in detail. I am looking forward to staying for five days focusing only to my PLAB 2 test and I will depart as soon as my test is over.

All of the above show that I’m genuinely seeking entry into the UK as a visitor, to appear in the PLAB Part 2 examination. You can confirm my details with the GMC UK and my exam invitation from the General Medical Council by calling them at +44 161 923 6602 or emailing them at gmc@gmc-uk.org or plab@gmc-uk.org.

SUMMARY OF MY VISA APPLICATION:

It’s completely subjective. I just wrote my own story and tried to convince my entry clearance officer. Yes, I followed the same format written by Dr. Naseer and I am requesting all the future candidates to follow his letter. As I said earlier.. He is The Best.

 

I ended as:

Best Regards,

(Signature) 

Dr. Name

Medical Officer│ Place of Work

General Medical Council (GMC) Reference Number: —-

BangladeshMedical &Dental Council (BMDC) Registration Number: —

Permanent Residential Address: —-

Phone Number: — │ Skype: —

P.P.S All BDT (Bangladeshi Taka) to GBP (British Pound) conversions in my cover letter are done by taking rates from https://themoneyconverter.com/BDT/GBP.aspxon [mention the date here] (1 BDT = 0.0098008 GBP).

 

I HAVE ATTACHED A-4 SIZE COPIES OF THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS:

1. My Passport and relevant visa papers.

2. My National ID Card.

3. My driving license.

4. My Academic Certificates:

a) Secondary School Certificate.
b) Higher Secondary School Certificate.
c) MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) Certificate stating my university and medical college.
d) Internship Completion Certificate.
e) Supporting document stating that my medical institution is recognized by GeneralMedical Council (GMC), UK.
f) My IELTS Certificate.

5. My Character Certificate:

a) From School.
b) From College, Dhaka.
c) From my Medical College.
d) A letter issued from the Principal, — Medical College stating my extra-curricular activities.

6. My Registration Certificate of Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council(BMDC).

7. Papers related to General Medical Council (GMC), UK:

a) Email stating my General Medical Council (GMC) Reference Number.
b) My PLAB 1 passing letter.
c) Email stating the validity of my PLAB 1 test.
d) Email stating the refund of PLAB 2 Test Fee after my visa refusal.
e) My PLAB 2 booking confirmation, an invitation toattend the PLAB 2 test.

8. From my work place:

a) A letter from my employer confirming that I am a permanent employee and working as a Medical Officer in that institution and they have no objection on my travel to UK.
b) A letter from my Managing Director requesting for issuance of my visa.
c) My salary pay slips (last 6 months).

9. Documents related to my family:

a) Passport Pages of my parents with some relevant visa papers.
b) Passport Page of my elder brother.
c) Passport Page of my cousin and paper supporting his resident status in UK.

10.Documents related to our property- Copy of the deed of our apartment (where my father is the owner).

11. My bank statement (last 6 months).

12. My hotel booking confirmation at —,Manchester, UK.

13. My round-trip travel itinerary

I hope the aforementioned documents will be sufficient enough for my visa to be processed. However, if you need any other clarification or document, please do not hesitate to contact me.

(Signature)

Dr. Name

Medical Officer

Place of Work

Contact Number

 

(This post was originally written for my blog. It was shared by the writer’s permission)