kunash

when i applied for my visitor visa in january this year, ( ok, not settlement visa, but still an appointment ) i could only ever see 1 week ahead and no longer. so if you want an app. for 20/5 - then maybe look from 10/5.

i think when i applied - it was only 4 days in advance - and i checked every day from at least 2 weeks before. so keep checking is what i say

aww sweet, good on ya guys and your misses

i am 43 now, but hope to try for my first child early next year with my wife - will need IVF.

my mum had me when she was 39, and i always thought, when growing up, her to be to old. i wished she was younger. so i will be at least 5 years older than my mum, when i hopefully have my own baby. so yes i think i am getting too old to have a baby, but i would dearly love a child. if it is meant to be, it will be.

if you are not in a hurry, many hotels sell bed linen. I have bought from intercontinental the pillows and pillow slips ( the very large pillows - which i could never find in the normal shops ). they will also sell the duvet cover etc.

No matter what regs/rules are posted if you try to leave the UK with £999 or less in cash no problems - period.

£1000 plus and you have to prove where its come from if stopped.If you cannot than its seized pending you proving where it did came from.Discretion applied by Customs but dont expect to walk away with £2000 for example with no decent explanation.

Personal Experience !!

but then i was stopped just before boaring a thai air flight, from the UK, with about 5000 pounds on me. the customs man had a sniffer dog - ones that can smell bank notes - the dog found the money, but the customs man just looked at it, and let me carry on. i did say i had a large amount on me before the dog started.

seems in singapore they show the champions league on Singtel MioTv ( the hotel does not have this channel )

in thailand, well, i guess most of you know, channels 3 or 7

26 april - man utd vs schalke ( not sure if home or away )

i will be staying in a hotel in Singapore while this match is on. is anyone familiar with Singapore TV. is the champions leaugue shown here, and if so, what channel please?

4 May - man utd vs shalke ( not sure if home or away )

I will be in thailand. is this shown on terrestrial tv? ie 3,5 or 7? what channel normally shows champions league please?

thank you

On the LHR-BKK Thai used to have an offer of USD800 to upgrade if there was room, not sure if they still do it. I know USD 800 looks a lot but compare the prices for economy and business.

it is 1080 US dollars now

i bought economy seats with thai air back in january, in thailand, for my girlfriend's trip from thailand - uk, return, the cost of economy and business flights bought in thailand are about double what you would pay in the uk. at the thai airport, last week, i was on stand by for 2 business upgrades and got them ( 2 people did not turn up ) paid about 600 pounds + the price of the economy ticket - each. will do the same at heathrow when we return. the thai business class is not the best in the world, but i like the direct flight.

have a wall all the way round your land / house. that way if anyone is inside and un authorised then you know they have crossed the border which is suspicious because they have had to climb over a fence. they cannot have an excuse and say they were just casually walking past.

If your house has allot of glass door and windows. the put steal on the inside or out side. there are some good designs

have a heavy lock in your bedroom. and a spare mobile phone. If someone does spray something under the door to knock you out then they will still have a problem getting into my room before dawn. Also if ypu wake up then you have a phone next to you.

Motion sensors around the walls.

keep all kids safe as robbers might use these as tools to gain the upper hand.

CCTVhelps but it is not much of a tool for catching up with them. If you are out u can view your house via the internet then great.

if you leave the house for days weeks months. then timer switches migt help and send give a copy of the keys to one trusted friend. they can water plants and make some activity in the house in the day time and take the post inside.

one big give away is piles of post outside someones house. means they have been away for a while.

also maybe have two safes. one with a little money in ( enough to make the robbers happy ), and can be found easy enough. and a second safe hidden - under the floor or... with yor main valuables

as for what u do if u catch a theif. is up to you.

People who are "quite wealthy" rarely take "group tours".

true. the wealthy people who do go on cruises, perhaps go on 2 or 3 or 4 + cruises a year. some even cruise for about 9 months a year, as a way to avoid paying tax. they have been to every destination. they do not care for the tours. if they do get off the ship at port, they would have lunch or dinner with friends or family at a 5 star venue.

last Jan/Feb 2010 i went to thailand for the first time (phuket). i arrived by cruise liner. anchored out at sea and took a tender to shore. a coach took us to phuket town. we were dropped off at a rather poor shopping centre. i was on one of the first coaches, and when we arrived there was already many many taxis waiting there. the dropping off point had already been passed on to the taxi men. i arranged with one taxi man to take me around some souvenir shops, and a restaurant and he stayed with me. probably about 4 hours in total. i paid him 15 US dollars. ( 500 baht ) he seemed very happy when i paid him, he had a big smile on his face, and showed the money off to his friends who were waiting at the shopping centre for more passengers.

very sad. a waste of two lives. RIP

I am getting my Girlfriend to contact Language Solutions tomorrow, we are at the stage where my love is looking to do the A1 test for her UK Spouse Visa.

Totster, I will let you know how she gets on, can you do the same for me too, as in let us know how your Girlfriend gets on.

Alan

Hi, I am actually inquiring for someone else..they had their appointment cancelled the day before the test and the next available appointment they (she) has been offered is in May

totster

You say your friend had their appointment cancelled the day before the test. I would hate this to happen to my girlfriend. She has her test in May or June. Can you say who the company was - that cancelled. ?

although i am not married yet to my girlfriend ( will be in the summer ) - she has two great children from a previous failed, abusive relationship. They are both fantastic children, and i will bring them all to the UK to live. I also hope to have my own baby with my girlfriend.

what surname does your wife's children have? the mum's or dad's. do all the children share the same surname?

you can show and have shown sole responsibilty which is good.

did you have to show legal custody for the eldest son?

i think your best bet would be for your wife to phone the ampur office in her home town

i am sure someone will correct me if i am wrong, but i think your GF will have to return to Thailand and apply there. Good Luck

Thanks for all your replies.

Yes, I was asking, 'when is the earliest date I can submit my application?'

I've added a wee reminder I want it post dated in my letter as sponsor. Will make sure we check it when we get wife's passport back.

I would also suggest maybe a separate letter asking this, at the front of the application, or let your wife make the request in her letter - it is her application. Unless it is very clear in your sponsors letter they may well miss it

i had to wait nearly 5 months to get a refund, via a travel agent, on plane tickets. and it was the airline dragging its heels

if the visa is granted on 1st june, for example, i believe you have until 1st september to use it.

http://www.manohracruises.com/ this looks very nice but the menu seems a bit hot and spicey - and it seems a set menu. would love to go on this dinner cruise, but maybe my ''western'' palat wont like it. i do like thai food, but not hot and spicey

Not to hijack this post, but what is the obligation of the husband to children of a previous marriage that have not been legally adopted by the husband...... if divorced??

if you marry a woman who has children from a previous marriage, and you all set up home together, then the children will be part of the family, so if you divorced, you would be financially responsible for those children. in a divorce there is a certain pecking order, as far as the courts are concerned; children first, the wife, then you are at the bottom of the pile, so to speak

edit; i am talking about the UK here

# I repeatedly see the urban myth spouted on here that prenuptials are a waste of time and not recognized in the UK

it is my understanding that pre nuptuals are not legally binding in the UK. In the event of any divorce the judge or courts might take one into account, as long as it is fair to both parties. What can make a prenup stronger, and more likely to be recognised are regular post nuptual agreements.

we will be around Brighton and London. only a few days and i will fly to thailand and meet her. so looking foward to it.

Just wrap it and pack it in your suitcase.

I have taken all sorts of nam jim back to the UK but put in your suitcase.

i might have done that, but when i went back to the UK in February i was stopped by customs, and they went through everything, so i dont want to take any chances - especially as my gf is on her 1st UK visit (visa)