Should I apply for a short-term visitor visa or entry clearance or just risk it?

After mulling through a bunch of the posts here, i've read that people were discoruaged from gaining pre-entry clearance and just went with all of the appropriate documents to show that they intend to return to the united states. so far i have a list of documents that i will be bringing with me:

-my personal bank statement
-my bank statement which i share jointly with my father
-my car note [which i am still making payments on]
-my car insurance policy [which i pay monthly]
-my registration for spring courses [which start in march]
-a letter from my lawyer explaining that i am in a current litigation.

i am not employed right now, but i was going to get a letter from a perspective employer stating that i would be returning for an interview in feb. i was orignally going to visit my boyfriend for 5.5 months, but now i am only going to stay for a total of 3 weeks. should i get a letter of sponsorship from my boyfriend, stating that we are not going to be getting married, no intentions of getting engaged, that i will be staying with him for the duration of my trip etc? the IO basically said that i showed no proof that I was intending on leaving the UK at the end of my stay.  Should i bring pictures of my family and boyfriend with me? I just dont want to get sent back again!! I even had a return ticket just not enough proof to "tie" me to the US.

The letter from a  prospective employer would be good, but otherwise I think that you should be okay.  There is certainly no need to apply for a visit visa.


Victoria

i am so panicked because of that refusal on my passport. it's seriously making me ill that i may be turned away yet again, even if i have all the proof! how much does it play into having a bad mark on your passport? i feel so helpless and frustrated at what happened. it was a horrible experience and having a racist IO made it even worse! i am frightened to go through it again!! my boyfriend said that trying to return will show determination on my part and further the fact that i have nothing to hide but im worried it will look badly. any suggestions for dealing with IO my second go around?

Impossible to say.  But with all that documentation, you should be ok.


Victoria

the guy said that once i get all my paperwork in order i could fly back that evening if i was prepared. on the letter i recieved there were a few things that didnt sit well with me, mainly saying that there were a few discrepancies between mine and my sponsors stories. he asked where we met and i said on the internet about 6 months ago...we met face to face about 2. when he asked my boyfriend he said 2 months [regarding our face to face meeting].  he said that there was a discrepancy about my working status. i told the officer i would be allowed to return to work after my trip and that i was on unpaid leave from employment. my boyfriend who doesnt know all of the logisitics regarding it was also questioned about it, and he said that i had resigned...which is essentially true because i wasnt allowed to work and was on disability, which is why i was able to take so much time off from working. it just makes me so mad that he took bits and pieces and made conculsions which were totally baseless. he even had to call my boyfriend a bunch of times to verify information that he had gotten wrong!

Sounds like the guy's interviewing technique needs a bit of work.  Good luck on your next trip, hope it works out for you.