The client with a prior refusal in another country

Application forms ask whether the client has ever been refused a visa, permit or entry by any country, or been ordered to leave one. Clients routinely forget an old Schengen refusal or a US B1/B2 denial, or assume it does not count. It counts, and an undisclosed one found later is treated as misrepresentation.

Get the full history

At intake, ask specifically about every country the client has applied to, including transit and tourist visas, and about any removal, deportation or voluntary departure. Ask for copies of refusal letters where they have them. Check old passports for stamps and visas that contradict the stated history.

Explain, don't minimise

Disclose the refusal and give the officer the context they would otherwise guess at: what was applied for, when, the reason given, and what is different now. A US visitor visa refused eight years ago for weak ties, where the client has since travelled widely and returned home each time, is a very different story once you tell it — but only if you tell it.

Anticipate the inference

Officers assessing a new application will consider whether a prior refusal suggests a pattern — of weak ties, of inconsistent information, of non-genuine intent. Address that head-on with the evidence that rebuts it (travel history, current employment and family, corrected information).

Where the prior refusal involved false information

If the earlier application — even one filed by someone else — contained misrepresentation, that is a separate and serious problem. Advise the client candidly, in writing, before deciding how to proceed.