Indian Woman Denied Visa to UK as Her English is Too Advanced: Report

A pregnant Indian woman has been denied visa to join her Scottish husband because her language qualification for entry to the United Kingdom is too advanced. Alexandria Rintoul, a 22-year-old musician with an English degree, took an International English Language Testing System exam (IELTS) on the advice of her immigration lawyer. The Home Office requires an IELTS pass for immigration — but not the more advanced one she cleared.

Rintoul was shocked when her visa to join her husband, Bobby Rintoul, in St Andrews, Fife, was refused. The Home Office said she could apply again for the £2,000 visa.

“We were told the visa process is difficult so we should hire an immigration lawyer to help us, which we did,” Bobby, 33, told BBC Scotland. “They told Alexandria to do the higher test and we submitted all the evidence requested of us.”

He added: “However, we have now received a rejection letter on the basis she has over qualified herself with a more technical test than required. It says she should do a lower one so she can be entitled to be here and that she did the higher one unnecessarily.”

Calling it a “money making outfit,” Bobby told the news website that the Home Office asked them to apply again, but it costs £2,000 for each application.

“They could have used some discretion and accepted the higher qualification,” he said.

The Home Office spokeswoman was quoted by BBC News saying that for some applicants to settle in the United Kingdom, they need to “pass an English language test at an approved centre that is specified in the immigration rules.”

She said: “Mrs Rintoul failed to do this and also failed to submit the necessary supporting evidence for her application. It is open to her to reapply under the Priority Visa Service.”

Alexandria, who hails from Meghalaya, has been staying in hotels in Bengaluru waiting for her second application to get a go-ahead. “I’m supposed to be spending money on my baby, my house, my new family and here I am paying bills for this money sucking visa refused because they aren’t satisfied I come from a country that speaks English,” she told the Scottish Sun. “We learn in English, fight in English, write and practice law in English.”

The couple met when Bobby spent a year and a half in India as part of his work in oil and gas industry. They moved to Dubai before Bobby returned home. Their baby is due on May 2, the Scottish Sun reported.