darren1971

On 8/13/2018 at 11:52 AM, rasg said:

In almost four years I have seen three or four people complain including you in total on here. The system has worked well in Thailand for a while but it is wrong because Ket didn't pass. You've said pretty much the same about every aspect of the visa system because it doesn’t suit you or Ket. It's really irritating. 

 

Many people all over the world get nervous for exams. My wife was very nervous when she did A1 but she got through it and passed. She has B1 coming up (she is skipping A2) and she will probably be nervous for that. She will have lots of revision to do and that is key imho.

 

If Ket gets another visa and does it here she will probably be just as nervous. IMHO the A1 is easier here than in Thailand. It doesn’t mean it is as it is only my opinion.

Was it not you that started a thread with a lengthy letter of complaint to your MP about problems with the visa system, encouraging others to complain too. 

The inverse of your argument is your wife found the whole system easy and therefore there is no problem with it.

Have you considered the applicants and their opinions or are those all invalid too.

The fact you have only seen 4 complaints is just confirmation bias, I have never seen a black swan but it doesn't mean they don't exist.

7 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I'm not sure who "they" are, but I can assure you candidates are not assessed prior to the test, so it often happens that there are mixed abilities.  The examiners know how to deal with this as it's a key part of the training, and each candidate is assessed separately.  What the other candidate says, or does not say, during the test has no impact on the other candidate's score.  The entire test is videoed and recorded, so it is reviewable, at a cost, although it's probably cheaper to take it again.  Tests are usually monitored to check the examiner is following the correct procedures and scoring accurately.

 

If you're not happy with IDP, you can take the test with the British Council, although everything is likely to be the same as IELTS/UKVI insist on uniformity.  

 

As I've offered before, PM me and I may be able to help you.

You need to see it from the candidates point of view. Imagine you are sitting a Thai language exam and your Thai is not great. It is hardly going to help if you have to have a conversation with someone who doesn't understand the questions or your answers. The whole format of the IELTS exam is wrong and that is why we would like to sit SELTS in the UK. I have seen exactly the same complaint from other members where their wife was paired with someone of lower abilities.

5 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

As Ruttikarn says, the first part is just security procedures, nothing to do with the result of the test. The examiner plays no part in this. One of the reasons IELTS won the UKVI contract for outside the UK testing is due to their security procedures as other test providers had failed in this respect. IELTS have lengthy experience in running Academic/General Training tests, as well as Life Skills.

Check out the official sample tests on the IELTS website. Be careful of unofficial sites and YouTube as they are not always accurate.

If your wife decides to do it again, PM me; I may be able to help.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Yes we practiced the sample tests, the problem with the test is pairing with another candidate. They say they select a suitable candidate of similar abilities but I was with Ket in the waiting room, there were only two candidates and Ket was paired with a lady who had failed 4 times. During the test the other candidate was just repeating to Ket exactly what she had said. There is also no appeals process or a chance to review the scoring unlike SELTS. 

I'm not impressed with IELTS or how it is managed by IDP, with something as important as settlement I think we are better to try SELTS.

22 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

There is no Reading or Writing element for IELTS Life Skills A1 or B1. The required level of English grammar and pronunciation is minimal, however many candidates freeze and don't speak. Interaction (polite turn-taking and eye contact with both the examiner and other candidate) is part if the assessment criteria.

The OP is welcome to PM me if he wants more information.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

So I got an email back from IDP regarding the first part of the test. What amazes me is they do not let you know about this process prior to the exam. So if you're prepping for the exam you are hit straight off with something unusual and unexpected.

The purpose of the test is to show that the applicant can converse and understand basic English. I know my partner can do this because for the last two years it is exactly what we have been doing. 

We will try and obtain another visit visa and take the SELTS test because I have some concerns over the format and scoring of the IELTS version (which wasn't designed for the purpose but cut and pasted to fit the new visa rules).

Here is the email, if your partner is preparing for the test it is just something you can inform them about so there's no surprises

Hi Darren,

From what you have written, I think you have misunderstood this entirely. Your wife and other candidates were asked in to the voice sample room one by one actually and inside the room the record was made in mp3 and it has been recorded via GoPro camera. This is to keep voice sample of each candidate really. It was not a test.

What we asked each candidate to do inside that room (this is not a test yet) was just to read out loud what his/her name is and where he/she comes from and today came to take IELTS test at IDP Thailand. We have a script (same script) for every candidate all the same. This the candidate will say it 5 times with the same sentence or within 2 minutes. We even have it written in Thai just in case the candidate cannot read English.

Just to confirm with you that that was not even the test yet. The test was after that. The test was when the 2 candidates were in the room with an examiner. Those two candidates were asked to talk to each other. Please ask your wife again.

However, if you still have some doubt and do not understand what is really happened. I am happy to explain to you via phone. My contact number is below. Thank you.

Regards,

Ruttikarn Saengkaew

TCA

IELTS, IDP Thailand

Tel: +66 2 638 3111 ext. 114

2 hours ago, Maradona 10 said:

UPDATE: There isn't one.

 

Goes without saying that I'm totally sick of this farcical nonsense now, got to the point where Mrs M just wants her passport back. I did end up calling that 'hotline' number to see if I can get any clarity so after giving the woman (or in Thai Visa language the 'lady') my GW number, she just said 'your visa is awaiting a decision' LOL...I told her I knew that which is why I called to see if I can find out more but she had no additional info whatsoever....so basically a scam number, I was billed for 8.33 quid, at 1.37 a min it seemed high as I thought I was only talking for a few mins, but can't be sure. The 'lady' herself was fine and friendly, in fact a lot more informal than one would expect, she even agreed with me that the whole thing is a joke...

 

Anyway, will have to be more patient. If anything I think the longer the wait the more likely it is it will be ok..why wait this long just say no way Jose?

 

Nothing anyone says in regards to this 'update' will make one single smidge of difference to the outcome, but feel free to comment anyway.

 

DM10

Don't cry

14 minutes ago, rasg said:

I have watched many of the tests on the Trinity feed on YouTube and I was surprised that a few of them did pass myself.

 

Having said that you were not in the room with her. If she was nervous and also interacted badly with the other candidate, let’s just say she may not have performed as well as you know she can.

 

A1 is a six minute test if I remember correctly . I've said it before but I think it's much easier in the UK.

I agree it look's easier and I think more fit for purpose. So back to the visit visa we go. Have been advised to not mention that we are going for settlement and we want her to sit the SELTS exam in the UK which seem's totally irrational to me, but I'm well past expecting anything rational from this process.

6 hours ago, theoldgit said:

Yes she can, my wife took hers when we were visiting London, she was in and out in less than ten minutes with her pass.

No need to muddy the waters by including the fact in her application as that won’t be the sole purpose of the visit.

As a matter of interest it’s SELT in the UK and there’s no reading element, it still provides the A1 level that’s required.

 

 

 

 

 

This is where I go wrong on visit visas, I would always consider the fact we are going for settlement and that she wishes to sit her English test in the UK as strengthening the application, but I'm better just to put 'holiday with my BF'?

6 hours ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

I didn't think there was a written element to the IELTS "Life skills" test....... I thought this was just conversational English with a matched applicant..... have I got my wires crossed.

 

https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/ielts-ukvi/prepare-ielts-life-skills

There is no written or reading element in the IELTS, but my wife and the lady who sat the test with her were both made to do a reading element first. This part is still confusing me and I have emailed them for an explanation.

If this is an example of a candidate that passed (Ceren) I am feeling robbed!

https://www.trinitycollege.com/site/?id=3367

2 minutes ago, magicroundabout said:

Hi if you are doing in the UK you can sit the trinity college a1. Personally, I think its easier than Ielts. The test is only about 10mins long and is only listening and speaking. As far as I'm aware it doesn't cause an issue sitting it on a tourist visa. Go to trinity college website and you will mock test videos. 

Yes Rasg said the same about the trinity college test and I see they have a provider in Cardiff which is easy for me, it may well be the way to go.

1 minute ago, magicroundabout said:

I can understand the frustration. My wife has struggled with English test in the past and failed a couple of them. I too thought her level was good enough to pass. However, when I went into in more detail it was clearly a case of nerves. The only advice I can give is for her to watch the you tube videos of the test. Also for you to watch them and test her in the same format.  It worked for us. I'm not a fan of the ILETS by the way. Good luck hope she passes soon. 

Thank's for the reply.

I stayed in Thailand for 3 weeks prior to the test and we practiced every day using youtube. Something that annoyed me was she was required to take a reading section first which is not even part of the test. When she was asked a question she didn't understand I taught her to ask "can you please rephrase the question, I don't understand" to which she was told 'no', which is odd because that is just the sort of language skills you would think are needed and the point of the test.

We had a long chat today and think we might go down the route of getting a visitor visa and sitting the test in the UK, at least then she will have an opportunity to practice with me prior to the test. Back on the farm in Bo Thong she has little access to schools or even any English speakers and trips to and from Bangkok to sit the test are costly and difficult for her alone. Even access to the internet is difficult.

The only question is, can she use a visit visa to sit IELTS A1 in the UK or is that considered education which is not allowed on a visit visa.

1 minute ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

Which service ?

scanning the documents

Is there a charge for this service?

Done a google but can't find any info.

2 minutes ago, mnop said:

Well I managed to get through to them, they said nothing could be done until 15 more working days had passed from escalation (making it 35 days/7 weeks). I asked if I could withdraw my application so I could get my bloody passport back and at least make something out of my holiday. They said, very simply, "No". 

 

Back to bashing my head against the wall. Surely there is some way around this? 

The whole system is a shambles with the primary concern being how much money can be raked in from it. Just save some time and go straight to the bashing your head against the wall section.

I wanted to connect with any members who have had difficulty getting their Wive's through this exam. My Wife just failed her test and in my mind her basic English is more than adequate (she speaks it as well as most of the kid's coming out of school these days!).

The problem is there is no way to review what parts she did well on or not, you don't get to see the questions or her answers which make it difficult going forward.

When we were waiting to take the test there were a lot of women on multiple fails, one on 4 fails after spending a lot of time in the UK and attending a lot of English classes.

With no way to review the test it does leave it open to abuse by the companies running the exam, they must be making a lot of money and there will no doubt be more money generated by more fails (cynic or realist, you decide!)

14 hours ago, Maradona 10 said:

So does your post. I got dizzy just reading it.

Award for the most helpful reply.

getting back to the original thread title for a minute.

Does this mean that ALL supporting documents for UK spouse visas need to be scanned in Bangkok now before being sent to sheffield (including income, accommodation, relationship proof)

I ask because it would mean me sending everything to Thailand, sending it all back to the UK and then sending the TB and English test back to Thailand again, seems a bit cockaloopy!

On 6/27/2018 at 2:46 PM, rasg said:

After the first visit it is a lot simpler. My wife was asked many questions for 40 minutes on her first visit and none since apart from how long she intended staying and was she aware that she had x days left on her visit visa. That was about it.

 

UK immigration have access to a visa application for a visit visa so they can double check anything that was used to apply for the visa in the first place. I think it's a good thing. I wonder how many don't adhere to the rules? Quite a few I would think.

 

Never any questions since she had her settlement visa.

I agree, in my experience first visits are always scrutinised more closely. As for wether it is a good thing or not is a topic of debate, I have yet to see any evidence that it is a problem. If they are coming here and taking all the jobs then we should see unemployment rising in line with net immigration figures and in fact we see the opposite.

entry officers in my experience always have an issue, if they hold a valid visa and they are the named person on the visa then they should be waved through. Conditions of entry should be cleared prior to granting of the visa. The message is that even if you hold a valid visa and adhere to all the rules there is never any guarantee.

So I have removed the waffle, it feels counter intuitive because all previous visa's have been visit visa's which seem to require excess waffle...

Settlement/Spouse visa application for S aka K.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to present some additional information in support of K's application.

PERSONAL DETAILS

I am 46 years old and a British national. I have one daughter M who is 18 years old and lives with her Mother AP in London. From 2009 to 2017 I ran The R public house, P with my then business partner A. In 2017 I left the partnership but remained at The R as a manager and head chef.

RELATIONSHIP HISTORY 

I first met K in Thailand in March 2016 and we stayed together for one month at the condo I was renting. I have since been to Thailand six more times staying with K for a month each time (July 2016, November 2016, March 2017, June 2017, March 2018 and July 2018) In September 2017 K was granted a visit visa to the UK and stayed for 5 months at my home in the UK.

In July 2018 we were married at the Amphur office in Bangkok, K had her TB test and sat her A1 English exam and we then went to visit her family and begin making plans for our Thai village wedding in 2020.

(I have included photos of K and I together, copies of money transfers, flight bookings and passport stamps showing my visits to Thailand, our Thai marriage certificate and certified translation)

INCOME

I am currently employed by Mr A as a manager/head chef at the r public house and restaurant. My Salary is £19,000 a year plus gratuities and overtime as and when required. My contract of employment began on October 1st 2017 and is a permanent live-in position.

(I have included my contract of employment, 6 months of bank statements, 6 months of pay slips and a letter from my employer Mr A)

ACCOMMODATION

I live at The R. My job is a 'live-in' position and includes private accommodation and utility bills excluding Council tax. I share the accommodation with my friend and employer A. We share a 3 bedroom flat above the restaurant/pub and it has a private entrance. There is one double bedroom solely for A's use, one Double bedroom solely for me, my spouse, partner or dependents and one double bedroom for guests which A and I share. There is a shared family bathroom and a large kitchen/diner/lounge room that is also shared. Currently just A and I live here but K did stay whilst she was here on her UK visit visa and my daughter does stay occasionally in the guest bedroom.

(I have included a letter from A, my council tax bill, photos of the property and all rooms. I have also included a floor plan showing the room layout and approximate sizes.)  

Thank you for considering this application. If there is any other information you need in order to make your decision please contact either S (K) on +66 or myself, D. on +66  / +44 .

5 hours ago, theoldgit said:

To be frank, and it's only my opinion, there's far too much waffle in the first draft of your supporting letter, the decision maker in Sheffield will just need to be satisfied that you are legally married, have actually met, and meet the financial and accomodation requirements.

 

How you guys met and your relationship developed, her visa history and the fact that she's met some of your friends and your daughter are, again in my opinion, are only going to muddy the waters.

 

Of course you need to satisfy the decision maker that there is suitable accomodation but I really think you've over egged it.

That's what I thought too, I will go back and try and simplify it. Thank's

Working on the supporting letter for my partners uk settlement/spouse visa, and from past experience with visit visas know it is important to write a good one. I believe it is all in order and straightforward but I have concerns over our accommodation in the UK. Essentially I have live in accommodation supplied by my employer and outlined in my employment contract. My employment contract states I am allowed to use the accommodation for myself, my spouse and any dependents until my employment ends. My employer does not own the property he has a lease for the business, I will include a copy of his lease and a letter from him and the owner stating they have no objection to my wife living in the accommodation. I feel everything is in order but I'm also concerned the ECO may be confused and rather than clarify or request more information will just refuse the application.

Here is the supporting letter I have been preparing.

Settlement/Spouse visa application for S aka K

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to present some additional information in support of K's application.

PERSONAL DETAILS

I am 46 years old and a British national. I have one daughter M who is 18 years old and lives with her Mother A P in London. From 2009 to 2017 I ran The xxxxxxx public house, Priston with my then business partner A. In 2017 I left the partnership but remained at The xxxxxxx as a manager and head chef.

RELATIONSHIP HISTORY 

I first spoke to K online in March 2016. I was in Thailand at the time and we met and we went on a few dates together and really enjoyed each others company. We spent much of that first month together at the condo I was renting and planned to meet up again when I returned in 3 months time.

I returned again in July 2016 for a further month and we decided we would like to have a more permanent relationship together. We then spent three more one month trips together in Thailand (November 2016, March 2017, June 2017) and we travelled to Chiang Mai, Thaton, Chiang Dao, Phuket and Bangkok together.

In June 2017 we began making plans for a permanent future together and we discussed marriage and where we could live together. We decided that it would be best if K first come to the UK on a visit visa and see if she liked it here. We applied for a visit visa to the UK in June but unfortunately it was refused. The visa was refused because it was considered that our plans for marriage and K's lack of strong economic ties to Thailand may mean that K would not return at the end of the visa. We were both devastated by the refusal but decided we would re-apply straight away addressing the concerns of the ECO. K's second visit visa application was granted in September and she flew to the U.K to stay with me in October 2017.

K enjoyed her stay in the U.K much more than we anticipated, originally our plan was for her to stay for just one month because she helps her family a lot on the farm and I was not sure she would cope well with a U.K winter, but she was fine and after a call back to the family we all agreed she should stay as long as she wanted and would return to Thailand before her visit visa expired. Ket got to meet my parents who were visiting from Spain and they were both very happy that we were making plans to marry and live together. She also got a chance to meet my daughter  'Mia Littlewood' and some of my friends.

We returned to Thailand together in March 2018 and went on a holiday for 4 weeks to Phuket, Khao Lak, Bangkok and Jomtien. At the end of the month I had to return to work and finalise our plans to marry in Bangkok in July 2018. I returned to Thailand in July and we were married at the Amphur office in Bangkok, Ket had her TB test and sat her A1 English exam and we then went to visit her family and begin making plans for our Thai village wedding in 2020.

K and I are very much in love, happily married and looking forward to finally living together as a family in the UK. Ket does not work and she lives at home with her mother, her brother and his wife and their two children. She also has an older sister and a twin brother who don't live in the family home.

K is very committed to her family and loves them very much. Her father died when she was 14 and her mother's health is not the best. K finished school early to help out. She has had a couple of jobs over the years. Working on a rubber plantation and then a spa and at one point worked away from home in Bangkok in a restaurant. 

Before we met, her brother and sister-in-law were the main bread winners for the household like so many families in Thailand. I have been helping support her and I have been sending her money to help. I send her regular payments by international money transfer directly into her bank or into my Thai account which she has the ATM card for.

(I have included photos of K and I together, copies of money transfers, flight bookings and passport stamps showing my visits to Thailand)

INCOME

I am currently employed by Mr A as a manager/head chef at the xxxx public house and restaurant. My Salary is £19,000 a year plus gratuities and overtime as and when required. My contract of employment began on October 1st 2017 and is a permanent position.

(I have included my contract of employment, 6 months of bank statements, 6 months of pay slips and a letter from my employer Mr A)

ACCOMMODATION

I live at The xxxxxxxxx. My accommodation and utility bills are included with my employment and I am only liable to pay the Council tax. I share the accommodation with my friend and employer A. We share a 3 bedroom flat above the restaurant/pub and it has a private entrance. There is one double bedroom solely for A's use, one Double bedroom solely for me, my spouse, partner or dependents and one double bedroom for guests which A and I share. There is a shared family bathroom and a large kitchen/diner/lounge room that is also shared. Currently just A and I live here but K did stay whilst she was here on her UK visit visa and my daughter does stay occasionally in the guest bedroom.

(I have included a letter from A, my council tax bill, photos of the property and all rooms. I have also included a floor plan showing the room layout and approximate sizes.)

A holds the lease for The Ring O' Bells which includes the business premises and the accommodation above which we currently share. My contract of employment with A grants me (and my spouse/partner and dependents) use of the accommodation as long as I remain employed by him. 

(I have included a copy of the lease and a copy of my contract of employment and a letter from the landlord stating no objection to K living here)

Thank you for considering this application. If there is any other information you need in order to make your decision please contact either S (K) on xxxxxxxxx or myself, D. on +66 xxxxxxxx / +44 xxxxxxxx.

Yours faithfully,

D

Just now, Baerboxer said:

 

The investor type class of visas does have a simplified route to citizenship and the current, shall we say everyday, spousal type visas.

 

The biggest issue is the minimum earnings requirement, the issues on this for the self employed and low earners, and the now quite expensive costs associated with each stage. 

Yes, if you thoroughly check, understand and follow the rules, then it isn't the hardest thing in the world. But it is full of complexity and some quirks. Whereas plonking down a large sum of money - hey presto! Especially if you can afford top class immigration lawyers to do the necessary.

 

You do indeed get what you pay for in many things. But there is something disgusting about societies with tiers of privilege based on wealth. Something Britain suffered from for generations and seems to be creeping back.

 

 

Wealth is more important than family and community in the UK. If you work full time on minimum wage you should be able to bring your spouse or children here to live with you but you would find yourself more than £6000 short, more if you have children. 

7 hours ago, theoldgit said:

I'd be interested to know which European country has issued Yingluck with a passport, holders of passports from most countries in Europe don't need a visa to enter the UK. 

Let's be honest, visa rules don't really apply to people who are mega-rich, the whole system is a scam.

4 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Also haven't seen a Cobra yet, however on the last day of last year, I bent over to pick up the bucket with all the car wash stuff in it, which was at the front and under a bench on the porch, and on top of the bench were about 3 of those straw mats that the wife puts down on the floor when eating outside on the porch with her sister/cousins etc etc

 

As I bent over to get the bucket something lunged forward at my face, I wasn't really looking, but my boxing days of my younger years came back to me as I pulled back to the side and stood up, then I noticed this long tail of something go into the straw mats, I yelled out snake to Superwoman and the Mrs arrived quicker than Superwoman, must have taken her out on the way.

 

She said lift the straw mats quick, so I did, and he took off through some privacy slates and in to her garden, my Mrs took to it like a dog to a bone, I said just shooo it away across the road to the river, NO this snake is dangerous snake, I said how do you know, the colour she said, the colour !!!, me thinking yeh yeh, but tried to reason with her about not killing it, then she turned to me and said listen, we have 4 kids, you want them to get bitten by a snake, that's when I passed her a shovel and said this should help........I later went on the internet and found out that this snake was actually dangerous and as there is no anti-venom, if bitten, I would have died.

 

Pictures below, a week later and a day after that she found two more snakes in her front garden, so the garden has been remodelled not to allow snakes in.

 

Have never been one to want to kill anything, but snakes on now on the top of the list, as are rats occasionally in the roof, followed by geko's who cost me 2,700 baht for short circuiting one of my air conditioning mains board, and yes I feel guilty ever time, but hey, its us or them 555

 

 

How do you make an anti-snake garden then?