Visitor visa for less than 6 months

[shreem]

My mother holds a 5 year multiple entry visitor visa to the UK. She spent 5 months between March-July 2006 in the Uk and travelled to the US. She returned to the UK in Dec 2006 and returned back to India in Jan 2007.

Due to unforseen circumstances she needed to come back to the UK to see us. She arrived today at LHR (Feb 5--only 10 days has elapsed between the exit and re-entry) and was given a limted leave to enter for 2 months (not the usual 6 months visitor visa).

I am surprised and clearly upset as well. Is this usual? What could be the reasons for the curtailed stay on a visitor visa?

Is this a consequence of the frequency of visits? Clearly she has never overstayed her visa period on both the recent visits.

Or is the reason because she hasnt spent sufficient time in her home country prior to coming back?

I looked up the rules briefly and suspect that we could apply for an extension to upto the max 6 month period. But the IO needs to ascertain that the reason for the curtailed visa does not still apply. But to me it is not clear why the curtailed entry period.

I dont want to apply for an extension lest it will jeopardise any future visits to the UK.

Any thoughts or similar experiences?

[shreem]

Just a quick update.

My previous post was following a telephone conversation with my mother once she arrived at the airport.

My mothers visa is a standard multiple entry 5 year visa, with a maximum stay of 6 months (180 days). She arrived with a confirmed 6 month return flight ticket. Today on arrival, the IO verbally instructed my mother to change her return date to within 2 months and instructed that she leaves the UK within 2 months. My mother changed her ticket to a new date (infact the date of return is just over 2 months!) and went back to the IO, at which time the IO had been changed and a new IO stamped my mother passport and let her to board a domestic UK connection flight.

I have checked the passport and there is no endorsement on the original visa sticker or elsewhere, restricting this visit to 2 months.

The only stamp is that of a standard IO stamp with the date of entry in it. Do I now assume that in the absence of any stamp to curtail her stay, would the 180 day rule still apply?

Would there be any use in actually writing to the HO to clarify?

thanks

shreem