Liam Payne was forced to extend his trip to Argentina after his visa application to stay in the United States was initially refused due to his drug abuse, a close friend has revealed.
The One Direction star travelled to Buenos Aires to renew his ‘extraordinary achievement’ visa, which would allow him to continue his new life in Florida with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy.
But his application was not granted because he admitted to having abused alcohol and drugs and was forced to undergo psychiatric and medicals tests.
However, it was eventually cleared and he was due to have his passport stamped with the visa on Friday – just two days after he died in a fall from his hotel balcony.
‘Everyone is devastated,’ a member of his inner circle revealed. ‘Kate is destroyed.’
Liam Payne was forced to extend his trip to Argentina – which he initially went on with girlfriend Kate Cassidy (seen with the singer) – after his visa application to stay in the United States was initially refused due to his drug abuse, a close friend has revealed
The One Direction star fell to his death from the third floor of his room at the CasaSur Hotel (seen) in Buenos Aires on Wednesday
He had been in the city to renew his ‘extraordinary achievement’ visa, which would allow him to continue his new life in Florida with Ms Cassidy
People bringing Tributes to the CasaSur Palermo Hotel on Saturday afternoon in Buenos Aires
Fans consoled each other as they flocked to pay their respects
His friend explained how Payne had had to go abroad to renew his ‘O-1 non-immigration’ visa and decided to make the application at the US embassy in Buenos Aires so he could watch his former bandmate Niall Horan perform in concert.
‘Liam had to get his US visa extended,’ the friend said.
‘He was on an O-1 visa, which is for artists, sportsmen and other people with extraordinary achievement.
‘But one of the questions on the form asks, “Have you ever abused alcohol or drugs?” Liam’s problems with drugs and alcohol are well documented.
‘It is widely known that he had been to rehab in the US, so he had to tick the box, and because of this he had to have medical tests. He had to be checked out by a doctor and a psychiatrist.
‘All this took time. So Liam was forced to stay in Buenos Aires longer than he had planned.’
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services website describes the O-1 non-immigrant visa as being for an ‘individual who possesses extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or who has a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry and has been recognized nationally or internationally for those achievements’.
Payne, 31, was given a clean bill of health from the medical and psychiatric tests, his friend claims, but died before he could have his passport stamped with the renewed visa.
Kate had originally flown with Liam to Buenos Aires to watch his former bandmate Niall Horan’s concert on October 4
The pair are pictured together at Wimbledon last year
Liam rose to fame with band One Direction. He is pictured with bandmates (left-right) Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik
Fans seen mourning the singer’s death in Buenos Aires on Thursday after the news was confirmed
Fans weeping at the hotel where Liam died, on October 19
‘The results of the tests were good,’ the friend revealed. ‘Liam was 100 per cent sober.
‘He was supposed to have a meeting at the embassy on Thursday and collect his visa on Friday.
‘When I last spoke to Liam, I had no idea he that he was going to do anything stupid.’ Payne arrived in Argentina with Ms Cassidy on October 1 in time to watch Horan’s concert at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires the following evening.
The couple initially stayed at a luxury Airbnb property in the Argentinian capital, but were forced to move out when Payne’s visa application was delayed and their booking expired.
The singer then checked into the boutique CasaSur Hotel, while Ms Cassidy returned to their Miami home on October 12.
Four days later he plunged to his death from the balcony of his third-floor suite.