raven0099

Just interested to know how long it took you from when you first met to your settlement visa being granted , for me we have had a relationship of 1 year and 9 months , we decided to get married about a 8 months ago and we are planning our marrige 2 years from when we first met , so if all goes to plan we should get the settlemnet visa after 2 years 6 months , and i remember thinking how could i ever manage a long distance relationship ? its been a tough experience and i would say far from ideal but if you want to be with someone you love its worth the wait

Apply for the Family Visit Visa first, your wife visits you in the UK, then returns to Thailand and applies for the settlement visa. You do not need the TB cert, English tests etc. for the visit visa.

Explain your plans in the first application ie. she wants to visit you, then later will apply for settlement, giving your reasons, eg. it's not the right time yet, she needs to tie up her affairs in Thailand, whatever your reasons are.

My wife has just been granted a Family Visit Visa, it was pretty straight forward, a lot of paperwork to get together, but not as bad as it can seem at first.

If I were you, I'd wait until you are ready to apply for settlement before getting all the TB/English tests, just makes it a simpler, more easily explainable timeline.

The fact that you're already married does not mean you'll have problems with the visit visa.

yes that is an option but she came here for 4 months at the start of this year on a tourist visa , so i really want to make sure her next visa is a settlement visa for two years , its so expensive to have to fly back and forth all the time , and she would like to come here and be able to work so we can start saving for the future , so i think our next priority is to get married , then apply for the settlement visa in March, probably the best way to get around the problem of the three months ,

Cheers

Hi ,

Just a thought but are there any issues doing it this way around , marrying in Thailand , doing tb test , english test requirement , then apply for a tourist visa for wife ,if granted travel uk then apply for a settlement visa whilst in the UK , obviously explaining beforehand that this is your intension , are there any reasons they would object this way of doing it ?

Ok I asked for 3/02/11 on my g/f visitors visa on the the visa it said from the 20/1/11 too 20/7/11 but whe didn't end up gettin to the uk till the 9th of feb and she returned on the 23rd of July has she overstayed ?

Am goin for a fiancé visa how can explain the situation ?

It was her responsibility to check that the visa had been postdated as requested and have any error corrected at the time. It was also her responsibility to ensure she knew the expiry date of her visa and left the UK on or before that date.

However, if she explains the situation as you have done above she will probably be ok. The overstay was only for 3 days and her request to have the visit visa postdated will be on record.

mmm interesting to here this , me and my fiance are planning to get married at the end of November and then plan to submit a settlement visa application , sometime in december , so allowing 10 to 12 weeks for the processing of the visa application this would take us to mid to late march , we were however only planning for my then wife to travel to the UK at the end of June ,

So would i be correct in saying that you can only postdate the visa from the date of subbmission of the application ?

Or is it postdated from the date the visa is granted ?

And how much is the expensive extension you mentioned ?

The '3 months' is counted forward from the date the application is submitted, so if submitting an application in December the latest you could have it post dated to would be March. The visa will begin on the date the applicant requests or the date it is issued, whichever is the later.

Waiting times for all applications start to increase around March and then start reduce again around September each year. There is no guarantee that your wife will have a processing time of 10 to 12 weeks. If she submits in December it could easily be 10 to 12 days; or less!

If the intention is to move to the UK in June, then I'd submit in March with a request to postdate to June.

The cost of the extension, known as Further Leave to Remain, is currently £550 by post or £850 in person. These fees have regularly been increased above inflation by successive governments.

Hi , thanks for your reply , so the further leave to remain extension is always granted if you pay for it ?

How long does the extension last ?

I was thinking that we would still apply in december then if not successful we could re-apply later in the year

I actually was excpecting the extension to be a lot more expensive than that and could probably go for it, if it was for a decent amount of time

What happens with appeals could you give a brief explanation regarding this ?

Thanks

mmm interesting to here this , me and my fiance are planning to get married at the end of November and then plan to submit a settlement visa application , sometime in december , so allowing 10 to 12 weeks for the processing of the visa application this would take us to mid to late march , we were however only planning for my then wife to travel to the UK at the end of June ,

So would i be correct in saying that you can only postdate the visa from the date of subbmission of the application ?

Or is it postdated from the date the visa is granted ?

And how much is the expensive extension you mentioned ?

WHY ARE YOU HERE!?!?

I thought about this a long time ago. And I think the answer is quite simple. Problem is ........ for many people the truth is hard to accept.

Think about it this way. Imagine you're back home in London or NYC or LA or Sydney. Imagine you've got a great job. Imagine prospects for promotion are looming. Imagine you love the wife and the kids are doing great at school. Imagine the house repayments are going well, and in only another year or so the car will be completely paid off.

In this situation, are you going to wake up one morning and decide to scrap everything so that you can come and live in Thailand?

I think people here in Thailand can be classified as follows ................

1. Genuine expats. These people are the senior managers who have been transferred here. They usually stay for a year or two. They live in expensive rented accommodation and enjoy massive benefits. Their children go to the top international schools.

2. Failures. These are people who lost their jobs or their wives (or both) and became disillusioned with their own countries. They came to Thailand for a kind of sex vacation, and then decided to stay. Many failures re-invent themselves and start new lives here. Some become successful and blend in well with the local culture

3. Born losers. These are the mis-fits that never made it in their own countries and will never make it here in Thailand. Many born losers are surprisingly nice people. Many are educated and intelligent. Many teach English at government schools.

4. Criminals. There are many criminals here in Thailand. Some operate boiler room scams; others get invloved with drugs, pornography and prostitution.

5. The mentally ill. I have met many men over the years who quite clearly were mentally ill. I think they receive some kind of disability pension from their own country and then come here to live modestly and enjoy the warm weather and friendly people. Many mentally ill people I've met were Americans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

6. Sexpats. These men are usually low-budget retirees who come here for sex. They often meet their wives or girlfriends online, and then live here in cheap or rented accommodation. Many of these men are very happy with their lives in Thailand, and some of them make great drinking buddies.

Maybe there are other categories I've overlooked, but I've been here long enough to know that what I've just written describes the majority of foreign men here in Thailand.

I would add another category - the successful relocator.

I had a top job in corporate banking in the UK, I didn't like the way I could see the banking industry, or the UK in general heading so retired at the age of 33 and relocated to Thailand - that was nearly 6 years ago. After a few years of partying I decided to re-qualify, I am now a senior manager for a Thai company working in the oil and gas industry. I travel globally and earn more than I could possibly spend.

I still have property assets in the UK and now some here. I am paid in Thai Baht so have no currency concerns, in fact I am heading home for a holiday next month and will be paying around 35% less for everything than a few years ago

So am I a failure, a loser, or just mentally ill?

Edit// Forgot to mention I never had a wife or kids in the UK, which I guess makes a big difference.

Any chance of fixing me up with a job ? im a maintenance technician in a mechanical disipline

I dont think you have to spend a load of money to keep healthy , eat a balanced diet , dont smoke , drink in moderation , dont have unprotected sex ,buy a bycycle , walking and swimming , its not goin to cost you a fortune to lead a healthy lifestyle if you use a common sense approach to it.

I agree you don't need to spend a load to keep healthy, you just have to live a crappy life that will make you willing to jump off your balcony in a heartbit.

Strange mentality , i fail to see how someones life could be described as crappy and so negative for following a normal healthy routine , at the end of the day if you abuse your body and dont look after yourself then you have a higher chance of medical problems , therefore whatever money you have aint no good to you if your life is affected by ill health ,

If someone has not satisfied the knowledge of language and life in the UK requirement when their leave to enter remain expires and so are not eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain then they must either apply for Further Leave to Remain or leave the UK.

See here

As said, to obtain FLR as a spouse or partner they will need to provide an A1, or better, English certificate in speaking and listening.

Ok so if they complete the esol course to the required level, they are therefore exempt for taking life in UK test ?

I dont think you have to spend a load of money to keep healthy , eat a balanced diet , dont smoke , drink in moderation , dont have unprotected sex ,buy a bycycle , walking and swimming , its not goin to cost you a fortune to lead a healthy lifestyle if you use a common sense approach to it.

So what happens if they fail this test and they are near the end of thier 2 year settlement visa ? they return home or not ?

Indeed Soup!!! My living expenses are close to 300,000 per month and expect them to rise at least another 20% within 8 years. Oh well, time to suck it up.... Careful budget work to consider.

300K a month? Then your understanding and grip of money is as good as most Thai ladies.

I know i was shocked , is it possibly a typing error and he only meant to put 30k ?

Depends on so many factors.

How old you are

Married or single

Whether you are working here

Whether you are living on a pension or savings from overseas

Whether you have kids at school here

Where in Thailand you are living

What you consider an acceptable standard of living

If you want to live in central Bangkok (between Sukhumvit 50 and Sukhumvit 4 approx) and you want a decent sized place (minimum 100 sq/m) then you will be paying from 40K to well over 100K a month for rent.

Decent international schools for your teenage kids are very expensive apparently (I don't have kids so can't give you figures).

If you have kids then one would assume you have a wife too and unless you've married someone from a poor family then she's going to want to shop in Paragon etc.

Of course if you have kids and depending then a 100 sq/m (2 bedroom) place is nowhere near big enough so better add another 100K for a suitably sized abode.

Don't forget all the little things because they really add up - Add an iphone 4 (or 5 soon) for every member of the household (don't forget to included the maid and your driver so you can reach them easily) - Lets assume 2 kids, you and the wife, maid, driver that's 6 phone accounts that need paying for.

Dinner out with the wife and friends twice a week to top restaurants, followed by drinks at Bed Supper Club or Spasso - easily top 100K a month

Couple of nights out with your business associates each week - 10K a night give or take.

Golf course fees

Country club fees for the family

Holiday home somewhere else in Thailand so you can get out of Bangkok now and again

Foreign holidays for the family to get out of Thailand now and again (shopping trips to HK and Singapore for the wife every couple of months for example)

Cars

etc etc

Frankly I don't know how he manages to live on as little as 300K a month.

You can't even buy a decent Patek Philippe timepiece for that.

Buying everyone an i phone 4 , and eating out with drinks twice a week for £500 , 10k a night with buisness associates ! if your throwing money away like that i have no sympathy for you !

and talk about it or go home !

Nice to see there are compassionate people on TV......

Rather than seeking advice on TV, think he has illustrated even with decent forward planning, things can go down the toilet pretty quickly...

I can see this degenerating into bi-monthly Cheap Charlie thread, where are resident cheap charlies out do each other on who can spend the least....

So let me open the bidding....my monthly budget is THB 200,000/m and these days, I just dont know how to make ends meet these days in Thailand....

Indeed Soup!!! My living expenses are close to 300,000 per month and expect them to rise at least another 20% within 8 years. Oh well, time to suck it up.... Careful budget work to consider.

300K a month? Then your understanding and grip of money is as good as most Thai ladies.

I know i was shocked , is it possibly a typing error and he only meant to put 30k ?

Interesting postings here, 300000 baht a month by one guy , jesus ! what are you livng in a palace ?

A question to the OP , have you considered going back to work ?

You could work six months in UK then go back for six months in Thailand , maybe not possible for you but just a suggestion depending on your age ?

In my experience finance and loans have always been a bad idea or me, best to stay away from HP , unless you get a very good low interest deal.

Would it not be possible for you to sell the property you are living in and rent somewhere in a cheaper area , use your capital from the house sale to pay off any finance and buy a good quality secondhand car ,

Cut out any unneeded spending , what luxurys could you do without that are hitting you financially ?

Hi , can someone explain why the test is needed is it to gain citizenship ? and do they get a uk passport after , also does the Bulats A1 english test have any impact on this ? Do they have to do both tests ?

Im confused !

Hi ThaiVisaPlus

This should help i received an email today: Pomchob

Here is the copy of my reply from Vantage- siam :

To protect client confidentiality, we can't give out scores via email because there is no way we can ascertain the validity of the sender.

Having said that, I can confirm that (edited your wife) did take the BULATS tests with us on 20 May 2011. I can also say she exceeded the UKBA requirement for an A1 level in speaking and listening.

(Edited). However she would have had to submit more than one test report result to show all the required language skills required by the UKBA.

As far as test accreditation goes, BULATS, which is run by Cambridge ESOL, has been an approved test since the start of the new requirements for Settlement visas that were implemented in late November 2010.

More specifically to your situation, the UKBA announced a new list on 6 April 2011. BULATS remained on this updated list. This is the relevant list that was in effect when you wife took the test in the latter part of May.

Here's a link to an April Cambridge ESOL news release noting that "Cambridge English qualifications satisfy the new English language requirements for all categories of visa for immigration to the UK…"

BULATS is included in that listing of Cambridge ESOL tests.

Please feel free to have the concerned authorities call or visit us if they have further questions regarding BULATS and its inclusion on the Approved Test Provider list.

Best Regards,

Thailand's Authorized BULATS Agent

65/213 Chamnan Phenjati Bldg., 25^th Floor

Rama 9 Road, Huay Kwang, Bangkok 10310

http://www.vantage-siam.com

As you can see on my wife refusal letter it states as follows;

You submitted your application on the 26/ 5 /2011

You have submitted an English Language Test certificate that was not on the approved

test provider at the time.In the absence of an original English Language Test Certificate in

Speaking and listening from an English language test certificate provider approved by the

Secretary of State in your name and which meets or exceeds level A1 of the common

European Framework of reference i am not satisfied that you meet the requirements of

paragraph 281 (i)(a)(ii)

Quote from my wifes A1 English tester about her result " I can also say she exceeded the UKBA requirement for an A1 level in speaking and listening."

Pomchob

Hi

So what was missing from her test ? ,

my partner is due to take this test soon so im very concerned about this as we are using vantage siam !

Hi

I had to pay £1388 for a return trip when my fiance was granted a tourist visa , it was only booked after the visa was granted so was a full price ticket , the good thing was i was on the same flight so she sat right next to me , and when she returned home i took a months holiday and travelled back with her so it worked out perfect ,

One thing i will say is that on our arrival to the UK the guy at the foreign passport desk grilled her with various questions and it was only when i walked over and explained the situation that he stamped her passport and let her threw , with a parting shot of , You Must Not Get Married While In the UK !

For someone travelling alone for the first time it can be quite a daunting task especially if there are connections involved , is it not possible for you to travel together ?

I recieved a quote from vantage for the English Test Level A1 , THB 6,950 , seems to have gone up from " Cost of the test was 5600baht " . an increase of 1350baht , i dare say they have seen a good way to make a lot of money out of the falangs , oh well just have to look happy and pay up !

Given that they are now one of only three on the recently updated list of test providers, it seems inevitable that the price would have to go up sooner or later

I know and it seems to be at the time when i have 101 other things to pay for , but nevermind just have to go for it , how long did the test take ? and how long is the certificate validated for ?

Cheers

I recieved a quote from vantage for the English Test Level A1 , THB 6,950 , seems to have gone up from " Cost of the test was 5600baht " . an increase of 1350baht , i dare say they have seen a good way to make a lot of money out of the falangs , oh well just have to look happy and pay up !

shocked !

A six year old thai child is supposed to understand that ?

You would think they would show a bit of consideration that the child lives with grandparents and not the father.

It may be worth contacting your member of parliment regarding this, its worth a try.

Goodluck hope you get it sorted

The TB and English tests can be in her maiden name; your marriage certificate will provide the link to you. So she can do them before the marriage, if you wish.

She can only change her ID card at the ampur where she is registered, i.e. the one that issued it. She cannot change her passport at an ampur but will need to do so at a passport office; whether the one in Bangkok is the only one or there are regional ones, I don't know. Edit, see post above.

There is no requirement in UK law for a wife to change her name upon marriage. So as far as her UK visa application there is no need for her to change her passport before submitting her visa application; the application can be in her maiden name. Again, the marriage certificate will show the link to you.

I'm not sure, but I think there is also no compulsion under Thai law for a wife to take her husband's surname. My wife changed her ID card when we married, but didn't change her passport until she renewed it at the RTE in London, some 4 years after moving to the UK. For about a year she had a Thai passport in her maiden name and a British passport in her married one!

Remember, though, that when booking tickets the name on her ticket must be the same as the name in her passport.

Good this all sounds straight forward and achievable ,

Ok so the settlement visa will basically just be all the documents that were submitted for the tourist visa , plus english test cert , tb cert , marrige cert , anything else ?

Im sure we have enough relationship evidence and with a trip to the UK in the bag already we should stand a good chance for a 2 yr settlement visa ?,

The only concern i have now is we dont have much e-mail history only a bit from the start of the relationship , and the calls to Thailand are now mobile to mobile with lebara ? Landline from UK not used anymore , plus she has different number because couldnt find old sim after trip to UK , will this have an impact on the decision ?

Thanks

Will she be taking your name after you marry? If so she'll need to change her ID card & passport too. Remember the tb test has to have the same name from the passport that she will use to enter the UK.

Also you don't mention the English test. Has she done the test yet? if not you'll have to factor that into your timescale. Took us just over a week to get my wifes certificates sent to her.

Regards

Hi , Goodpoint these are the potential pitfalls we need to avoid so thanks for your reply.

Yes she will take my name so i take it we can change passport and id card in local office after we marry ?

So its best i think to do the tb test right before we submit the settlement visa , then the names will be right ?

As for the english test , i sent an e-mail to the same company you used and originally the plan was to do the test in the next month or two with her travelling to bangkok with a friend to do it , but if that also needs to be the correct name , maybe we are better to wait until after we marry ?

Cheers

Your GF just gives her ID card and divorce certificate to the amphur and that is it for her side. The amphur has all her details, including about her divorce already.

The letter from the embassy is only about you, but bring a copy of her IDcard for her details.

Thanks Mario , the plan is to meet my fiance in bangkok in mid nov , do affirmation to marry , she does tb test same time , then travel to her home town get hitched , relax couple of days , travel back to bangok submit settlement visa application ,

what do you think ?

Thanks for 7by7 , i think trying to work with this after a group of nightshifts was a bad idea !

We're going through the process of preparing my wifes settlement application and pretty much up the same point as Kunash. I've been keeping a blog about the process from marriage, English test & TB test so far. May be of help to some:-

http://farangeye.blogspot.com/

Regards

hi just read your blog and its very good , i also sent you a pm regarding further info

Hi

I did the tourist visa about six months ago and yes it was very daunting at first , but turned out to be ok , a bit over the top with paperwork in my opinion ,

The marrige process and settlement visa seems to be a minefield of potential problems and a lot of stress , im hoping it gets better and im sure this forum will help , because im not using an agent as i think it viable to do yourself.

The whole process is designed to slow up the application , because the goverment doesnt want it to be easy they want it to be difficult , thus meaning less people come to live in the uk , and thats what they want , only my opinion of course

But goodluck to you