Trevor Johnson, a prominent Chartered Quantity Surveyor (member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) and a Dominican-born citizen residing in Trinidad since 1998, was denied a United Kingdom Entry Visa on August 14, 2023.
On July 27, 2023, Mr. Johnson submitted an application for a 10-year United Kingdom Entry Visa (GWF no: GWF072044939) and was refused. The reasons given for his refusal are as follows:
His company, Johnson & Halls Associates Limited, does not generate enough business. However, Mr. Johnson had provided a Republic Bank Limited (Trinidad) statement showing deposits to the Company’s account which clearly shows business activity for the Company’s financial year commencing October 2022 to present.
- That he is not in receipt of the declared income stated in his application. Mr. Johnson is self-employed and trades under his Company, Johnson & Halls Associates Limited. Since the only financial requirement for a Tourist Visa to the United Kingdom is for an applicant to provide evidence of funds available, and which are clearly accessible by the applicant, Mr. Johnson did not see the need to provide details of his other financial information including his joint assets with his wife valued in the millions.
- That he may not leave the United Kingdom at the end of his planned 5-day visit. Mr. Johnson’s first visit to the United Kingdom was in 1995 when he was awarded a UK International Development scholarship to study Quantity Surveying at Leeds Beckett University (formerly Leeds Metropolitan University). After completing his studies in 1998, he immediately left the United Kingdom. Since 1998, he has been a regular visitor to the United Kingdom. Within the past ten (10) years, he has visited or has been in transit in the United Kingdom sixteen (16) times. Between October 2022 and July 2023, he has traveled or has been in transit fourteen (14) times due to his wife’s relocation to Doha. His most recent visit to the UK was on July 18, 2023, a day before visa restrictions were imposed on Dominican citizens. When asked why would the UK authorities believe that he may choose not to leave the UK on the expiration of his 5-day visit, his response was “I don’t know. Why would a hard-back man like me want to remain in the UK when I had the opportunity to work and live there when I was a recent graduate? I am way better off than my peers who graduated with me in 1998. Some are still asking me to assist them in relocating to the Caribbean so why would I remain in the UK to struggle economically?”
- That the British authorities doubt his intentions for visiting the UK; Mr. Johnson saw that as the most alarming reason for the refusal of his visa application. “Carlisle, everyone knows about Trevor Tossy Johnson. I am an open book. I am an anti-corruption activist. For these people to write to me indicating that my application is not credible is hurtful. They are saying I am a liar and possibly have bad intentions for traveling to the UK. This is a strike against my character, and it is very hurtful.
Mr. Johnson said he was on a British Airways flight from London to Trinidad when he received a WhatsApp message confirming the new UK Visa measures for Dominicans and was very happy because for years he has been campaigning against the corruption and criminality in the CBI program. He was hoping that these measures would weed out the international criminals who engage in cross-border crimes. However, he was never expecting these measures to affect him and other ordinary Dominicans. “Carlisle, at the end of the day, we are to blame our government. I mean, I studied in the UK, traveled there several times and now I am not good enough to visit there? Trust me, this is not really about me. It is a strike against the Roosevelt Skerrit Administration and the people of Dominica should be protesting against the government. The Government of the United Kingdom must do what they have to do to protect their citizens so I am not upset with them. I am upset with Roosevelt Skerrit, and it is time the people of Dominica go to Roseau and protest peacefully in the thousands”.
Mr. Johnson has since re-applied for a visa. However, in the meantime, he has already booked a trip to Qatar to visit his wife using the Trinidad-Amsterdam-Qatar route. Hopefully, the EU does not put restrictions in place for Dominican citizens. “Carlisle, I have never been interested in a second citizenship, but as of last week, my lawyer was instructed to make an application for Trinidad & Tobago citizenship on my behalf. I am no longer going to be facing such embarrassment just because I hold a Dominican passport. NEVER AGAIN”!
I know Trevor Johnson, and I commend his anti-corruption stance. In this instance however he might have to eat a bit of humble pie. The income of his company is not his personal income. Immigration authorities are interested in your funds, what do you personally have available to support you while in their country. Tossy lapsed by sending his company statement and not his own.
“His company, Johnson & Halls Associates Limited, does not generate enough business.” Now it’s quite possible that the company only reflected a part of his income and we don’t have actual figures, but the immigration officer can only make a decision based on what he has before him. If his business activity was not enough to sustain a visa application he should have submitted more substantial supporting documents.
I totally agree though, that the idea that we even have to apply for a visa is sad and indicates that Dominica has reached a pitiful and pathetic state of affairs. Canada closed their doors to us and now The UK. This CBI thing was a mistake from the beginning and ALL our governments have failed us by promoting this immoral and shameless sell-out.
Some people do not read and understand! The first point was that I submitted my personal bank statement? Did you even read that point? Secondly, I am self-employed under my company so I attached the company’s bank account to link to how I earn an income? Understand now? The visa application requires that you provide information about your employment history!
The company’s account clearly shows business activity so I cannot understand why what the officer saw?
Well Tossy, maybe you are right but I totally missed the part where you say that you submitted your personal bank statement. I looked again but couldn’t find it. Just commenting on what the article said! Maybe you said that somewhere but not in the above article.
Come again.