Academic visitor for interview visa rejected

[grif-fin]

Friend of mine has been in UK for 8 years he visa expired when she wanted to switch to T2G but she couldn't find an sponsor so she went back to home country.

Now she is trying to get visa as she has an interview with a professor at University she did her PhD but they rejected her visa as an 'academic visitor'. Now she wants to appeal under the Rule:

"(2)he has been working as an academic in an institution of higher education
overseas or in the field of their academic expertise immediately prior to seeking
entry;"

Given in the "Immigration Rules - Part 2": https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... _final.pdf

She is applying from outside of UK and she has been back since 2 months ago, do you think she can appeal and get her visa back for her interview?

[MPH80]

2 months have passed since she was in the UK.

Has she been working in her home country in her field of expertise? If not - she's not eligible.

[grif-fin]

No she has not been working in the home country but she was working 2 months ago in the UK.

[Frontier Mole]

She is wasting her time appealing as she did not qualify under this visa route.
She should have applied for a General Visitor visa, have the interview and return home to apply for her tier 2 visa.

[grif-fin]

Can she still go and apply for the General Visitor Visa?

[MPH80]

Yes.