bangkockney

Buy online, download and burn to DVD.

PS Please note the use of interpreter in the case of students. The UKBA is in no position to make a formal assesment of anyone's English language ability; that's not their game.

Rubbish. This could only apply if it was shown at point of entry that the applicant didn't take the test themselves yet submitted a test certificate in their name with their visa application.

The only people who currently can be refused entry for not being able to speak English without an interpreter are students.

You aren't the first to notice this, frogster. It has been brought to the attention of the British Embassy here, and probably elsewhere. We have been told that the Embassy "is aware", but we have not heard what will be done about it, if anything.

It is too good to be true.

But you may get a settlement visa even though the lady cannot speak English.

The test comes when you get to the UK. At UK immigration the lady will be asked some questions. If she doesn't understand the question and cannot provide a suitable answer her English will be tested a little further. If she is found not to meet the standard required she will be refused entry and put on a plane back to Thailand.

So for the sake of learning a little English, you can lose your visa fee and your air fare.

really,so if they get issued the appropriate visa and then arrive at an airport, are nervous, forget what to say as they feel under pressure they then get put back on a plane, even though the paperwork is correct?

is that actually factual or merely your impression of what would happen??

Refusal of leave to enter in relation to a person in possession of an entry clearance

321. A person seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom who holds an entry clearance which was duly issued to him and is still current may be refused leave to enter only where the Immigration Officer is satisfied that:

(i) False representations were made or false documents or information were submitted (whether or not material to the application, and whether or not to the holder's knowledge), or material facts were not disclosed, in relation to the application for entry clearance;

i.e it is clear that they do not pass the English test requirements. You would need to get your MP to make a request under the freedom of information act to find out how often this happens.

The problem I've found with most Thai BF2 servers is that they don't run the latest patch and are often unranked which kind of defeats the purpose.

It's all about ranking up and collecting badges and ribbons.

Will this game be popular online here in Thialand?

Here is some info on Battlefield 2 for a Thai server. Not sure how many Thai servers there are but would expect BF3 would be popular based on some Thai friends at the office.

Game Tracker

//edit - I heard something about the EA servers moving to Singapore though.

Almost all my bills come in English and Thai, True is no exception.

Go back to true. Even with all the complaints and losing feeds, it's still the best game in town.

ANTI FARANG ATTITUDE And Bad Service!

forget True, they don't even write their bills in two languages...

the whole world speaks Thai attitude!

cheers,

Burnside with his head down the toilet.....or surely someone can unlock it? Summon the Apple guys in to sort it out <deleted>. What a joke.

Anyone who has been robbed this way (as I have) would love to see stiffer sentences for this type of crime. Its no different than robbing your house!

Something like True Crypt is near impossible to crack. Hardly a joke. All comes down to the strength of the encryption password. And only possible if the device is captured still on with the keys in memory.

Having your card skinmed is massively less distressing than coming home to a house turned upside down or even being in the house when it's attacked. You can't be serious when you compare the two?

The applicant must be free from immigration time restrictions on the day they make their application for naturalisation. So she will need to obtain ILR.

Have a read of

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/britishcitizenship/eligibility/naturalisation/spouseorcivilpartnerofcitizen/

Er, No, and as far as I am aware no-one has said or inferred that. The ban was to try and protect the most vulnerable - and I agree that better legislation is needed. Read the dissenting judgement of Lord Brown.

All bans and restrictions based on age can be criticised, and often are by interested parties.

Contractor I couldn't agree more,

even in Thailand there is something strange about seeing a young girl with some old fallang, you get used to seeing it but that doesn't make it right, they obviously have nothing but her lack of money in common.

You take that and take it out of Thailand and unless the couple are within a few years and look reasonably normal together then it turns into a bit of a circus.

How can a teenager move into a completely alien culture with some middle or old aged foreigner and be expected to have a normal life when everybody is looking and sniggering

I know there are exceptions to every rule but waiting for a couple of years and giving the youngster time to mature and make sure that they know what they are letting themselves into should not be a major issue, its all about protecting the vulnerable isn't it ?

Yes everyone automatically matures at 21 don't they?

Culture shock is not age dependant.

And a great bit of stereotyping there. Home Office figures for you:

Pre-Age Restriction: In 2007/08 the majority of Thai spouses were in the 31-40 years old range (40%). Contrast that with 2% in the 18-20 range and 8% in the 21-23 range. These both represent the two lowest age ranges.

After the age restriction was introduced: In 2009/10 the majority of Thai spouses were in the 31-40 years old range (44%). Contrast that with only 6% in the 21-23 age range, which is in fact the lowest.

Away from the age gap red herring and back to the issue of forced marriages: some take place within the UK with no immigrant element and some even involve British nationals being forced into marriage overseas. An arbitrary rule just for those coming to the UK is discriminatory and fails to fully tackle the issue of forced marriages.

Take a British woman aged 18 years who wants to marry a foreign national (the age restriction affects sponsors too, not just applicants). You support that she should be exiled from Britain to live with her husband or have to live apart from each other? Or indeed to put her life on hold, leave friends, family and job, moving to an EEA Member State in order to exercise her treaty rights (spot the irony)? The problem with any rule based on age is that it negatively affects genuine couples more than it protects potential victims of forced marriages, in my opinion.

Length of planned stay in Canada?

What exactly was she refused for in 2006?

There is a greater emphasis on cash money held by the applicant than for other countries. Obviously linked to time of stay.

Your best best is to get a copy of the father's long birth certificate. According to Direct Gov (and confirmed in that thread on TV about Abhisit's nationality, if anyone remembers):

You can order births (full certificate only), marriage or death certificates online from 1837 onwards as long as you have the General Register Office index reference. If you do not have the reference, you can order certificates for events from 1900 if you know the exact date of the event.

This can be done online too, or perhaps better for you, over the phone, so you can speak with someone directly to answer any questions you may have.

http://www.direct.go...cates/dg_175628

Failing that, if you intend to spend any time with your family as residents in the UK, you could go the UK adoption route and secure citizenship for your-then-adopted step child.

Good luck and keep us updated.

What nationality are you?

The last time I was back in Thailand I was told to withdraw an application for an EEA family permit because I'm not married. I knew at the time that this was *@*#! as she has been my unmarried partner for the past 4 years.

My girlfriend is in the UK on a 6 month visit visa, which expires in about a month. I went with the sure option so she could spend time here again. I will now apply for an EEA family permit again.

Is it possible to apply for a family permit within the UK?

I ask this because their guidelines state:

EUN2.2 Where can an EEA family permit be issued?

EEA family permits may be obtained from any visa issuing post. It is not necessary for an applicant to be lawfully or normally resident in the country to apply.

but I cannot find any way to apply in the UK. Online or in person. I cannot find the form to download and print. The one I have found states:

This form is for use outside the UK only.

Typical.

Thanks for any help

-Jack

I stand to be corrected but AFAIK in Ireland it is the Immigration Officer who decides on length of stay not the ECO. Therefore whatever date is stamped in the passport is the only length of stay possible. They could stamp up to 90 days, but it's decided at port of entry. Therefore can't be extended I think.

So many, but Baldur's Gate series, Battlefield series, GTAs, and Minecraft have all come close to costing me my marriage!

Minecraft, not everyone's cup of tea but massively popular and hugely addictive.

It's a completely open-ended game where your imagination is the only limit to your gaming experience.

Plus, massive amounts of mods and community generated maps that can completely change the game.

Must be applied for at a British Diplomatic Post overseas. . All applications made in Thailand are online.

PS An unmarried partner can be considered for an EEA family permit as an extended family member if they are in a 'durable relationship' with the EEA national and would satisfy similar criteria to those in place for the unmarried partner visa - i.e. that the that the parties have been living together in a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership which has subsisted for at least 2 years.

Except there was no empirical evidence to support such a ban. Nor for the exemption given to members of HM Forces.

If you believe in public policy based on evidence then this is a good victory.

Great news

Not for those for whom the ban was designed to protect perhaps.

Immigration through arranged/forced marriages (whether for religious or financial reasons) can lead to suffering and abuse, and I can see why the Government was trying to do something about it.

If you've got a decent budget, keep it in-house.

1. A strategy that has stood the test of time is to create your own galaxy of sites that provide highly relevant links. Obviously, this is long term.

2. Content surrounding links to your site is becoming more and more important.

3. Don't underestimate the power of internal linking!

4. Meta data keyword stuffing carries much less relevancy than before.

5. Strongly consider aggressive competitive strategies where you pinch links that point to your competitors.

6. Get off shared hosting and buy a dedicated IP, if applicable.

7. Server location can give a modest boost in corresponding country SERPs

8. Content is king

9. If you produce good content, natural links will follow

10. Did I mention the importance of content

All fine on 3BB and AIS 3G

Nonsense. You do know that Thailand has permanent travel advisory warnings, and has done for donkey's years?

Why all the hand wringing? The travel advisories are responsible statements: Please stay away from the flood stricken areas. That's all they are saying. None of the government advisories redflags Thailand. If that were the case, the direct flights to Phuket from Taiwan, Australia, China etc. would be halted.

Travel advisories mean your travel insurance is invalid. This is the issue. This is the problem. If you travel to a country while there is a travel advisory your insurance company can and likely will refuse to cover you whether your injury is related at all to the cause of the travel advisory or not.THIS is what scares off travelers.

No, historically airlines don't cancel flights due to travel advisories.

Residency is the qualifying factor when judging someone to be a home or international student for the purposes of fees, as set out in the Education (Fees and Awards) (England) Regulations 2007.

Any visa endorsement is irrelevant.

In order to qualify as a home UK student, you must meet all of the following criteria:

you must be 'settled' in the UK on the 'first day of the first academic year of the course' 

AND

you must also have been 'ordinarily resident' in the UK on the 'first day of the first academic year of the course'

AND

you must have been 'ordinarily resident' in the UK and Islands (the Islands means the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) for the full three year period before the 'first day of the first academic year of the course'

AND

the main purpose for your residence in the UK and islands must not have been to receive full-time education during any part of that three year period.

If residency was enough there would not be the 'No recourse to public funds' printed on the visa.

ESOL is a further education course. The cost depends to some extent on the college. Other further education courses such as university degrees come with a much mightier fee structure (up to £9000 a year) so these are far from free to British citizens! I pay what feels like a fortune in tax but my children (or me) will still need to pay for their education once they leave school.

Residency allows those between 5 and 16 years of age to get a full time education free. That is what taxes are for!

As I said earlier a few hundred pounds to improve someones language skills and understanding of how the UK 'ticks' is very good value.

You don't need all of that if the applicant is married to an EEA citizen and is resident in the UK.

Completed form, 2 x photos, fee, marriage certificate and proof that application has been made at correct Embassy (main destination or point of entry).

The applicant often needs to go to the Embassy or private company processing visas with passport, letter of invitation, hotel reservation, ideally return tickets. Bank statement or other means of showing that the applicant can support themselves over the period of the stay (more money for longer stay!) and give reasons for visit and reason to return!

Not quite as easy as some may give the impression. If you are on temporary leave to remain you need to have at least three months remaining at the time you return! My wife wanted to go with friends to France and was told that as her visa is close to expiry she would not be granted a Schengen visa. You need to show proof of travel insurance as well.

We live in Hampshire so would need to go to London. If we were in Dorset or on the Isle of Wight it could be done by post!!

Check what is required by the first/main country you are visiting. Not difficult to do (and free for a spouse of an EU citizen) but a real pain!

This made me laugh since the majority of tourists visiting Thailand are from East Asia!

Tourist numbers are seriously down, regardless of what's being said. You only have to use youer eyes and ears.

Was in Pattaya 2 weeks ago. Vacant rooms and special deals advertised almost everywhere. Sois 7 and 8 just about desreted, and some bars closing early.

Back in Bkk, wlaked from Robinson on Sukhumvit to Pantip plaza last Wedenesday, and saw 19 westerners over the 3-4km.

If the tourists are here, where are they?

On the other hand, if nobody is coming, nobody else coming will not affect the figures.

Usually only a few days.

I think you'll find external pressures are much more significant than the floods.

For those interested here's a link to the report quoted by Mr Cameron. Do read it, there's some quite interesting stuff, though the sample size is quite small (533).

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/occ94/occ94?view=Binary