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I am South Asian national, and was in the UK on student visa till dec2011, I left UK due to incomplete study due to my guide problem. When I left UK, I had 3 phone contracts and credit card dues up to 1000 pounds.
Now after 5-6 years, I want to come to UK for a business visit, I am scared whether they will give me visa to enter and even if they do, will they caught me and ask me to pay dues.
I heard that all the debt records are valid for three to four years.
Can anyone please guide me.
Whether or not you'll be allowed to enter the UK is a topic for a different forum (and really more a topic for a lawyer rather than strangers on the internet). That being said, as a non-lawyer giving my opinion of the situation, you should be granted access to the UK as the banks/money lenders/phone companies don't have a relationship with Border Entry.
With regards to debts in the UK, there is some precedent to debts being waived after a certain period of time, but the minimum is 6 years for unsecured debt, and the companies you owe money to can still chase you for payment, but can't use legal proceedings to force you to pay. However, the big caveat to this is that this only applies to residents of England and Wales.
From the cleardebt.co.uk site:
What is out of date debt?
Debts like these are covered by the Limitation Act 1980, which is a statute of limitations that provides time scales as to how long a creditor can chase you (the debtor) for an unpaid debt. The Limitation Act 1980 only applies when no acknowledgement of a debt has been made between you and the creditor for six years for unsecured debts or 12 years for mortgage shortfalls and secured loans. This law only applies to residents of England and Wales.
When does debt go out of date?
If the creditor fails to maintain contact with you for six years or more, you may be able to claim that the outstanding debt is statute barred under the Limitation Act 1980. This means the creditor cannot use the legal system to enforce payment of the outstanding debt. The time limit starts from when you last acknowledged owing the debt or made a payment to the account.
When can a creditor pursue an unsecured debt?
You may think a creditor has written off your debt if you haven’t heard from them for a long time. The reality is that the debt still exists. The creditor can still contact you and they are entitled to chase the outstanding debt, even if the debt has been statute barred, but they are unable to use legal proceedings to force you to pay. Creditors can pursue an unsecured debt if:
- The creditor has taken court action against you within the past six years for unsecured debts or 12 years for mortgage shortfalls (e.g.
CCJ)- You made a payment to the account within the last six (unsecured debts) or 12 years (mortgage shortfalls), which includes people named on the credit agreement and not just you
- Acknowledgement of the debt has been made in writing and signed by the person making it
