It's not just Permanent Residence applications. Something similar happened to my wife with a Tourist Visa application. I'm a UK citizen, my wife is not, nor is

It's not just Permanent Residence applications. Something similar happened to my wife with a Tourist Visa application. I'm a UK citizen, my wife is not, nor is she an EU citizen. At the time, she was studying for a Masters level degree in an EU country, with a Student Visa for that country. Not ideal for married life, but she wanted the degree and we made it work (spent loads on airfares). During the summer holiday, we decided she should visit me in the UK. We applied for a Tourist Visa, which seemed to make sense as she was only coming for a few weeks. There was no need to apply for a Spousal Visa. Despite the fact she had multiple UK Tourist Visas and a UK Student Visa approved in the past, this one was rejected. No specific reason. There was a written appeals process. We appealed. The Home Office had months to submit their case. Nothing happened. Next, there is a court appeals process. We applied for a date, one was set several months in the future. Obviously only I could attend. Eleven months after the original Tourist Visa application we had our day in court. The Home Office didn't even bother to show up. The judge heard my side of the story, reviewed the supporting documentation and the Visa was granted. We were never given any official reason for the rejected initial application or the Home Office's refusal to engage in the appeals process. As you said, I think they were just going for sheer annoyance, hoping we'd give up. Lost a lot of faith in the UK after that. We now live together in Europe and of course Brexit is doing its best to screw that up too.