tribalfusion001

My wife doesn't expect me to support her extended family, I already told her thats her responsibilty and she understands this.

Not withstanding what tribalfusion001 has posted above there are many stories when the man and Thai lady have both agreed to not send money to Thailand only for this to go TiTs up the moment she arrives on foreign soil.

There was an excellent post here by a guy with that exact experience ... but a quick search could not reveal it.

If I can nail it later I'll post it as well.

Maybe someone knows of a similar story and add to the thoughts here?

I don't want to be the sole voice here ...

Luckily enough she can work from day 1 (if the settlement visa is granted), got 2 job offers for her, plus there are lots of Thai restuarants in the area if she doesnt like the one's that are interested. Her family are nice people, I've met them twice so far, but I don't want to be paying for them, it's cost enough to come back to Thailand, get married and apply for the visa's. She has told them that I've got very little money, enough money to pay for the visa and stay in Thailand whilst it's processed, I've got debts to pay for too.

I'm going off subject, enough...

My wife doesn't expect me to support her extended family, I already told her thats her responsibilty and she understands this. She works in Thailand and gives money to them and if she gets a settlement visa for the UK, she will work there too.

I find it quite worrying that she wants to have the baby in the UK after knowing you for such a short period of time. I don't think that the UKBA will look at this in a very good way for either visa, they may think she just wants to settle in the UK with a baby.

Can I ask you something, where did you meet your girlfriend?

Why the rush?

Yes, she is pregnant, but they have medical facilities which change that situation.

If your gf was unpregnant, would you be rushing to marry her?

The rush is really because of her.

She has only been back at home with her family for three days and she's already unhappy. We talk every day and she says 9 months at home is a very long time and that she wants to see me, either in England or Thailand. Because of this, yesterday we decided that it would make more sense for me to go back over there and for her to then come back here to have the baby.

I'm worried that she will get more and more unhappy over the next couple of months and might consider alternatives around whether or not to even have the baby. It's been brought up between us a couple of times already and my immediate reaction is that I want her to have the baby and that's why I'm where I am now... trying to find a solution and to ensure she's happy.

If she was no longer pregnant then I don't know where that would leave our relationship. I'd hope we'd stay together and try and do things at a more reasonable pace but you never know.

But 2 months is a very short time ... I suspect the Immigration officials in the UK will see that fact in a similar light.

I know! Does anyone have any experience of successful applications for settlement / fiance visas after such a short space of time. By the time I were to apply, the relationship would have been ongoing for nearer 6 months, only with the last 4 months as long distance.

Have you really contemplated the question that she will really hate it in the UK?

Yes which is why I wanted a visitor visa so she could get a first impression. But now we really don't have the time to do this.

Someone else gave me some advice that she could arrive on a visitor visa and declare herself too sick to travel back, having the baby here. I'm trying to find out where that would leave me financially as far as medical support considering there would be really nothing I could do to make her go back to Thailand.

What is Plan 'B' ?

Your gf is declined a Visitor Visa ... or any other type of Visa.

She is pregnant and can't get to the UK.

You go back and visit again.

I would be happy for her to have the baby in Thailand and for me to visit a few times, maybe once before the birth and then again for it. But what she decides to do in the next couple of months could change all that. She has said a couple of times very firmly that she doesn't want to have the baby in Thailand. If we were to get to 6 or 7 months and our application was declined, clearly she'd have no choice but she wants to know as of today that it's not only possible but realistic for her to come here in time to have the baby.

Could you live in Thailand full time?

No, definitely not and I'm not sure she'd want that - she wants to come to England.

Do you have the money to retire now and support your gf, the new baby AND her family.

No I'm 27. I have the money providing I work full time.

You do know that you will be expected to support her extended family?

Yes but I'll think about that if I ever get that far. We have had conversations in the past and she understands what is and isn't possible for me financially.

Does any of that help?

My wife doesn't expect me to support her extended family, I already told her thats her responsibilty and she understands this. She works in Thailand and gives money to them and if she gets a settlement visa for the UK, she will work there too.

I find it quite worrying that she wants to have the baby in the UK after knowing you for such a short period of time. I don't think that the UKBA will look at this in a very good way for either visa, they may think she just wants to settle in the UK with a baby.

Can I ask you something, where did you meet your girlfriend?

Can I ask when you got married?

14th February, one year after we met. We are both in Thailand now waiting to see if the 2nd settlement application is successful or not, we have been in Thailand for 7 weeks now!

We have just been refused a settlement visa and submitted again this week. My wife and I have been together everyday since we met in February 2011, first in Thailand for 6 months and then 6 months in the UK when she was granted a visit visa.

You need eveidence that your relationship is subsisting and genuine. We had about 165 photos of us, my family, her family, my friends, her friends, her family home, my family home.

2 month relationship and pregnant may ring alarm bells with the ECO, you will need to present a very good case for a visit visa or settlement!

Good luck tribal fusion. Still waiting for our visa. Applied on the 23rd feb and still no news......

Hopefully you will hear soon.

Another application submitted today, first application refused on 15th March, re-applied on 27th March. All the extra information UKBA required, has been submitted with 1 firm job offer for me and 1 firm job offer for my wife, plus another a trial/test in a restaurant if visa is approved and the 4 pension statements from my parents who are my 3rd party support. Hopefully they will process it quickly now that paid them another £810!

I've just done 2 tests, 18/24 and 20/24, passed, there are some tough questions though!

I had £7500, but got refused, I didn't have a job or job offers. They are looking for regular income, I don't think money in the bank will sway them, unless it's a lot of money.

Posted A minute ago

tribalfusion001, on 38 minutes ago, said:

I'm in the process of either appealing, which could take up to 4 months or apply again, with the hefty visa fee. I have the required documents they require regarding my father's finances and 2 job offers, 1 for me and 1 for my wife. The job offer for my wife is dependant on a visa being granted and the work would be available as soon as she gets to the UK. Hopefully this should answer they concerns and visa should be granted.

A new application could take up to 3 months, although they are around 5/6 weeks at the moment. Since the information for the new application will be basically the same as the information for the appeal, then it is a matter of deciding which route you want to take. My own view ( but I am not in your position of wanting to be in the UK with your wife) is to appeal. It will cost 80 GBP as opposed to 810 GBP, and I think that there is a good chance that the refusal will be overturned at the ECM review. If, for any reason, your new application is refused, then you will have lost another 810 GBP. If you win the appeal, then hopefully the Immigration Judge will award costs against the UKBA, which means that you might get your appeal fee back.

I'm concerned that the job offers will classed as new information and having to rely on the addtional 3rd party support documents. This is why I'm thinking of applying again and addressing their concerns in a new application. Someone said that the ECM would contact a review if I emailed them, but I did this last year and the ECM said that they would not accept any new evidence.

It could depend on what you said in the first application. On the application form, where it asks if the applicant intends to work, what did you put ? If you answered yes, then her job offer could well be regarded as additional evidence ( IMHO), and not new evidence. It is matter of interpretation, and this is the guidance for ECOs:

APL7.5 Post decision evidence

The relevant date in entry clearance cases is the date of refusal. This is established from

case lawand s. 85(5) of NIAA 2002. Any material change in circumstance or evidence not reasonably foreseeable after the date of refusal should not be taken into account. In practice this means when conducting the review the ECM should only look at circumstances leading up to and including the date of refusal. An ECM or Immigration Judge is entitled to look at circumstances / evidence after the date of decision only if they relate to circumstances before or at the time of decision.

There is a distinction to be made between new evidence and additional evidence.

New evidence:

New evidence which postdates the decision cannot be considered by the ECM. This evidence should be acknowledged in the Review and the ECM should indicate that this should be used to support a fresh application.

Examples of new evidence

These are common examples and are not an exhaustive list.

• Unexpected increase in funds postdating the decision.
  
• Sponsor obtains new employment that was not engaged in / expected at the date of decision.
  
• An offer of accommodation which was not available at date of decision.
  
• A new sponsor appears in the grounds of appeal. This is not reasonably foreseeable.
  

Additional evidence:

If evidence relating to the initial application is submitted with the appeal this should be taken into account by the ECM. The most common instances of additional evidence will be documents that the appellant omitted to include with the application.

Examples of additional evidence

These are common examples and are not an exhaustive list.

• A bank statement issued after the date of decision that shows a satisfactory balance on or leading up to the date of decision.
  
• Satisfactory evidence of accommodation submitted by the sponsor relevant to the decision.
  
• Evidence of employment at the date of decision which was omitted from the original application.
  
• A birth certificate evidencing the relationship of parties which was not produced at the time of decision.
  
• 
  

As you can see, your own job offer would probably be considered as new evidence, and maybe your wife's too. However, an ECM, reviewing the case, should be aware that the IJ might determine in your favour ( taking all the evidence into account, including the 3rd party support), and, if common sense prevails, the ECM should overturn the decision.

However, the matter of 3rd party support seemed to be the only reason for the refusal. If you now have firm financial documentary evidence of sufficient 3rd party support -funds and accommodation, then that should overcome the refusal, with or without any job offers.

The decision to appeal or re-submit, is, of course, yours alone.

I know, the decison is mine, quite a hard one to call. I did read your posts on the new appeal procedure last night and did see that one case was overturned in about 5 weeks

I've had a chat with my wife and she wishes to apply again, we have firm job offers for her. She wants to help with the costs of the visa application and the sooner a visa is approved, the sooner she can earn money and cover the costs of applying again.

Posted A minute ago

tribalfusion001, on 38 minutes ago, said:

I'm in the process of either appealing, which could take up to 4 months or apply again, with the hefty visa fee. I have the required documents they require regarding my father's finances and 2 job offers, 1 for me and 1 for my wife. The job offer for my wife is dependant on a visa being granted and the work would be available as soon as she gets to the UK. Hopefully this should answer they concerns and visa should be granted.

A new application could take up to 3 months, although they are around 5/6 weeks at the moment. Since the information for the new application will be basically the same as the information for the appeal, then it is a matter of deciding which route you want to take. My own view ( but I am not in your position of wanting to be in the UK with your wife) is to appeal. It will cost 80 GBP as opposed to 810 GBP, and I think that there is a good chance that the refusal will be overturned at the ECM review. If, for any reason, your new application is refused, then you will have lost another 810 GBP. If you win the appeal, then hopefully the Immigration Judge will award costs against the UKBA, which means that you might get your appeal fee back.

I'm concerned that the job offers will classed as new information and having to rely on the addtional 3rd party support documents. This is why I'm thinking of applying again and addressing their concerns in a new application. Someone said that the ECM would contact a review if I emailed them, but I did this last year and the ECM said that they would not accept any new evidence.

It could depend on what you said in the first application. On the application form, where it asks if the applicant intends to work, what did you put ? If you answered yes, then her job offer could well be regarded as additional evidence ( IMHO), and not new evidence. It is matter of interpretation, and this is the guidance for ECOs:

APL7.5 Post decision evidence

The relevant date in entry clearance cases is the date of refusal. This is established from

case lawand s. 85(5) of NIAA 2002. Any material change in circumstance or evidence not reasonably foreseeable after the date of refusal should not be taken into account. In practice this means when conducting the review the ECM should only look at circumstances leading up to and including the date of refusal. An ECM or Immigration Judge is entitled to look at circumstances / evidence after the date of decision only if they relate to circumstances before or at the time of decision.

There is a distinction to be made between new evidence and additional evidence.

New evidence:

New evidence which postdates the decision cannot be considered by the ECM. This evidence should be acknowledged in the Review and the ECM should indicate that this should be used to support a fresh application.

Examples of new evidence

These are common examples and are not an exhaustive list.

• Unexpected increase in funds postdating the decision.
  
• Sponsor obtains new employment that was not engaged in / expected at the date of decision.
  
• An offer of accommodation which was not available at date of decision.
  
• A new sponsor appears in the grounds of appeal. This is not reasonably foreseeable.
  

Additional evidence:

If evidence relating to the initial application is submitted with the appeal this should be taken into account by the ECM. The most common instances of additional evidence will be documents that the appellant omitted to include with the application.

Examples of additional evidence

These are common examples and are not an exhaustive list.

• A bank statement issued after the date of decision that shows a satisfactory balance on or leading up to the date of decision.
  
• Satisfactory evidence of accommodation submitted by the sponsor relevant to the decision.
  
• Evidence of employment at the date of decision which was omitted from the original application.
  
• A birth certificate evidencing the relationship of parties which was not produced at the time of decision.
  
• 
  

As you can see, your own job offer would probably be considered as new evidence, and maybe your wife's too. However, an ECM, reviewing the case, should be aware that the IJ might determine in your favour ( taking all the evidence into account, including the 3rd party support), and, if common sense prevails, the ECM should overturn the decision.

However, the matter of 3rd party support seemed to be the only reason for the refusal. If you now have firm financial documentary evidence of sufficient 3rd party support -funds and accommodation, then that should overcome the refusal, with or without any job offers.

The decision to appeal or re-submit, is, of course, yours alone.

I know, the decison is mine, quite a hard one to call. I did read your posts on the new appeal procedure last night and did see that one case was overturned in about 5 weeks

Posted A minute ago

tribalfusion001, on 38 minutes ago, said:

I'm in the process of either appealing, which could take up to 4 months or apply again, with the hefty visa fee. I have the required documents they require regarding my father's finances and 2 job offers, 1 for me and 1 for my wife. The job offer for my wife is dependant on a visa being granted and the work would be available as soon as she gets to the UK. Hopefully this should answer they concerns and visa should be granted.

A new application could take up to 3 months, although they are around 5/6 weeks at the moment. Since the information for the new application will be basically the same as the information for the appeal, then it is a matter of deciding which route you want to take. My own view ( but I am not in your position of wanting to be in the UK with your wife) is to appeal. It will cost 80 GBP as opposed to 810 GBP, and I think that there is a good chance that the refusal will be overturned at the ECM review. If, for any reason, your new application is refused, then you will have lost another 810 GBP. If you win the appeal, then hopefully the Immigration Judge will award costs against the UKBA, which means that you might get your appeal fee back.

I'm concerned that the job offers will classed as new information and having to rely on the addtional 3rd party support documents. This is why I'm thinking of applying again and addressing their concerns in a new application. Someone said that the ECM would contact a review if I emailed them, but I did this last year and the ECM said that they would not accept any new evidence.

I'm in the process of either appealing, which could take up to 4 months or apply again, with the hefty visa fee. I have the required documents they require regarding my father's finances and 2 job offers, 1 for me and 1 for my wife. The job offer for my wife is dependant on a visa being granted and the work would be available as soon as she gets to the UK. Hopefully this should answer they concerns and visa should be granted.

We picked up our application today, submitted on 15th February and refused on the 15th March! I thought I had a strong enough application, even though I currently enemployed, I was working until Christmas, but accounts showed £7500 in the bank and my parents offered to be 3rd party support with £14000 in the bank and 4 pensions between them. Refused that I didn't have a job in the UK and I didn't include what they pensions were, it seems that I didn't provide a clear enough picture of their finances, even though I supplied 6 months of bank accounts for them. I'm not very happy with these pen pushing UKBA retards!

Wow, sorry to hear that! Have they provided instructions on how to proceed with an appeal?

Full instructions provided and will be appealing online in the next few days. I think the UKBA are getting tougher with the possible new rules coming in.

I am in a similar situation, sold my business earlier this year so currently unemployed in Thailand. I'd be absolutely gutted if they refused our settlement visa as the appeal process could take a few months I'm led to believe. Good luck with the appeal and please keep us updated on your progress.

My dad is compiling the additional clarification of his finances that they require, I've been told that it could take up to 4 months for the review to be made, longer if they UKBA uphold their decision, as the appeal will be sent to the UK for a tribunal. I may have a job offer to include with the appeal, but this maybe not acceptable as it could be viewed as new information. I'm going to file the appeal on Monday, so working on a few things today and the weekend. I hope you have better luck than me.

I've sent a pm to you, I'm off to get a scan of the refusal letter and some breakfast.

We picked up our application today, submitted on 15th February and refused on the 15th March! I thought I had a strong enough application, even though I currently enemployed, I was working until Christmas, but accounts showed £7500 in the bank and my parents offered to be 3rd party support with £14000 in the bank and 4 pensions between them. Refused that I didn't have a job in the UK and I didn't include what they pensions were, it seems that I didn't provide a clear enough picture of their finances, even though I supplied 6 months of bank accounts for them. I'm not very happy with these pen pushing UKBA retards!

Wow, sorry to hear that! Have they provided instructions on how to proceed with an appeal?

Full instructions provided and will be appealing online in the next few days. I think the UKBA are getting tougher with the possible new rules coming in.

tribalfusion001

Firstly, the appeal can be done online, and the payment too. When it is submitted, details are then sent to Bangkok from the UK in order for the Embassy to start preparing the appeal papers. At the same time, an ECM review should be carried out. I have had many discussions with the Embassy about the time frame for the ECM review, as I believe it should be done quickly in order not to disadvantage genuine applicants. I think 3 months is too long to review these decisions. To be fair, the Embassy, although not agreeing that there is any urgency when reviewing refusal decisions, have told me that they hope to get the reviews done in less than 3 months ( depending on what resources they have available ). So, your review could be done fairly quickly, or it could take up to 3 months ( that is 3 months from when it is received in Bangkok . I think the time frame for getting it from the UK to Bangkok is up to a month, so you may be looking at a maximum of 4 months ).

Secondly, your wife can apply for a visit visa ( a general visit or a family visit) if she wants. But, the chances of getting it are very slim as the ECO is likely to argue that he has reason to believe that your wife wants to settle in the UK. There is no provision for an applicant to go to the UK to attend his/her own appeal, but, that said, if she qualifies for a visit then she might just get one. You could well be wasting your money, though.

Thirdly, you could go back to the UK and find work. However, I don't think that will help the appeal itself as that will likely be decided on the evidence you submitted with the application. A new job could be considered as new evidence, whereas proof of your parents finances will be considered as additional evidence ( it was put forward as support in the original application ). Asking for a new job to be taken into consideration is likely to need a new application altogether ( with a new fee !).

Are you based in Thailand or in the UK, it possible to have a chat and go over what I need to submit for an appeal, I not sure after reading the appeal form if I need to include everything from my apllication inc photos, letters, bank statements.

I feeling quite disillusioned with the whole process today and may head back to UK next week.

We picked up our application today, submitted on 15th February and refused on the 15th March! I thought I had a strong enough application, even though I currently enemployed, I was working until Christmas, but accounts showed £7500 in the bank and my parents offered to be 3rd party support with £14000 in the bank and 4 pensions between them. Refused that I didn't have a job in the UK and I didn't include what they pensions were, it seems that I didn't provide a clear enough picture of their finances, even though I supplied 6 months of bank accounts for them. I'm not very happy with these pen pushing UKBA retards!

This should really be the subject of a new post. Maybe 7x7 will start a post for you. You have to act fairly quickly on this for several reasons.

You have the right of appeal. You must appeal within 28 days, and pay the appeal fee ( either 80 GBP or 140 GBP). You must submit the evidence of your parents' ability to provide the 3rd party support with your appeal. It can be submitted, and considered, as it is not new evidence.

Once the appeal has been submitted, and the fee paid, in the UK, the Embassy will be notified, and they will then have to review the decision along with the evidence you have provided for the appeal. If they are satisfied, then the decision will be overturned here in Thailand, and it will not go to appeal in the UK. They have a maximum of 12 weeks to review the decision here ( after receiving notice that you have appealed ).

Your other choice is to resubmit an application. But be aware that there may be changes to the requirements for spouses very soon, possibly in the next couple of weeks. One of those changes may be the end of 3rd party support, so you may have to qualify in your own right as a sponsor. This change may not happen, of course, but please be aware of the possibility. The UKBA, operating as it does, will introduce any changes with very little time for applicants to react.

I'm aware of the proposed changes and that is why I submitted the application in February. My Dad is going to appeal, my wife gave full authority for me and my parents to act on her behalf, my dad is a retired chartered town planner and has gone to court many times for local councils and won many of his cases. He is currently gathering all of the relevant info needed and will email me back shortly.

That sounds good. If your father has the evidence of pensions, etc, and it is submitted with the appeal, then I think you have a good chance of getting the decision overturned. It will mean a delay of up to 3/4 months though while they do the ECM review at the Embassy in Bangkok. Unfortunately, because of the newly introduced charges for appeals, you will not get the appeal fee back if they overturn the decision in Bangkok. But, if it goes to appeal, and you win, then the Immigration Judge can award the costs of the appeal against UKBA ( only the appeal fee ). It is, therefore, likely that the decision would be overturned ( if the evidence you provide is good) in Bangkok as the UKBA will not want any costs awarded against them at appeal.

I'm currently in Thailand with my wife, I hoped that the application would be approved. I don't whether to stay here and look for work or go back to the UK and look for work, I have worked in Thailand before teaching and doing telesales, my wife has found a cooking job today and starts Monday.

I have sent my Dad the refusal letter via a scan and the appeal form via pdf, he is working on his finances, tax returns, pensions now and sending me a draft back, I noticed that you post an appeal online and will it be forwarded back to UKBA in Bangkok?

I don't really want to go back to the UK on my own, we have every day together since we met February 2011, here in Thailand and in the UK, my parents are both 79 and they enjoyed having my wife stay with them. We were in the UK for 5 months on a general visit, I even supplied a breakdown of the costs me and parents spent on her living costs and they were £235 per month including food, drink, clothes, mobile phone top ups.

I have spent a lot of time and money getting my wife a visa last year and coming back to Thailand to apply for this visa, this visa application and the trip to Thailand has cost about £3500 so far and I'm looking another 3 months of waiting!

Would she be able to apply for another general visit visa so that we can go back to the UK together and then I can look for work and hopefully secure employment whilst her appeal is being processed?

Frustrated and very annoyed farang in LoS.

Graham

We picked up our application today, submitted on 15th February and refused on the 15th March! I thought I had a strong enough application, even though I currently enemployed, I was working until Christmas, but accounts showed £7500 in the bank and my parents offered to be 3rd party support with £14000 in the bank and 4 pensions between them. Refused that I didn't have a job in the UK and I didn't include what they pensions were, it seems that I didn't provide a clear enough picture of their finances, even though I supplied 6 months of bank accounts for them. I'm not very happy with these pen pushing UKBA retards!

This should really be the subject of a new post. Maybe 7x7 will start a post for you. You have to act fairly quickly on this for several reasons.

You have the right of appeal. You must appeal within 28 days, and pay the appeal fee ( either 80 GBP or 140 GBP). You must submit the evidence of your parents' ability to provide the 3rd party support with your appeal. It can be submitted, and considered, as it is not new evidence.

Once the appeal has been submitted, and the fee paid, in the UK, the Embassy will be notified, and they will then have to review the decision along with the evidence you have provided for the appeal. If they are satisfied, then the decision will be overturned here in Thailand, and it will not go to appeal in the UK. They have a maximum of 12 weeks to review the decision here ( after receiving notice that you have appealed ).

Your other choice is to resubmit an application. But be aware that there may be changes to the requirements for spouses very soon, possibly in the next couple of weeks. One of those changes may be the end of 3rd party support, so you may have to qualify in your own right as a sponsor. This change may not happen, of course, but please be aware of the possibility. The UKBA, operating as it does, will introduce any changes with very little time for applicants to react.

I'm aware of the proposed changes and that is why I submitted the application in February. My Dad is going to appeal, my wife gave full authority for me and my parents to act on her behalf, my dad is a retired chartered town planner and has gone to court many times for local councils and won many of his cases. He is currently gathering all of the relevant info needed and will email me back shortly.

We picked up our application today, submitted on 15th February and refused on the 15th March! I thought I had a strong enough application, even though I currently enemployed, I was working until Christmas, but accounts showed £7500 in the bank and my parents offered to be 3rd party support with £14000 in the bank and 4 pensions between them. Refused that I didn't have a job in the UK and I didn't include what they pensions were, it seems that I didn't provide a clear enough picture of their finances, even though I supplied 6 months of bank accounts for them. I'm not very happy with these pen pushing UKBA retards!

We picked up our application today, submitted on 15th February and refused on the 15th March! I thought I had a strong enough application, even though I currently enemployed, I was working until Christmas, but accounts showed £7500 in the bank and my parents offered to be 3rd party support with £14000 in the bank and 4 pensions between them. Refused that I didn't have a job in the UK and I didn't include what they pensions were, it seems that I didn't provide a clear enough picture of their finances, even though I supplied 6 months of bank accounts for them. I'm not very happy with these pen pushing UKBA retards!

I'm in a similar situation. I was living in Thailand from December 2010 until August 2011, working and not working. I met my fiancee in February 2011 and she is currently in the UK with me on a general visit visa, we are going back to Thailand on 7th February. On return to Thailand we will be getting married and will be applying for a settlement visa.

I found employment back in the UK after 2 weeks and I was laid off just before xmas with 14 other employees, xmas/new year is not the best time to find employment and now I have 3 weeks left and no job! I will be able to show an account balance of about £7000 when the application is forwarded to UKBA and my parents will be 3rd party support, their account balance will be about £14000.

My employment prospects are still good in the UK, I worked in customer service and debt collection for a large utility company for 5 years until June 2010 (made redundant) and recently I was working as a window fabricator, it is possible that they may recall me when the work picks up. My fiancee is a cook by trade, she can cook Thai food and western food, she has 7 years experience of cooking in Thailand, I think she would have no problem in getting a job as a cook in the UK, hygeine certificate needed, her English has greatly improved with her time in the UK and she is taking the English test with Tirnity next week, GESE exam. I live in Essex, so not a deprived job area and will be staying with parents again if the visa is granted.

Any helpful advice welcome...

She has a letter from employer stating how long she has worked there for, how much her monthy salary is and its ok for her to have a 3 week unpaid visit to the UK.

Hi

I've been reading the Thai visa forums for a year or so now, only just signed up. I've been living in Thailand since the end of November 2010.

My Thai girlfriend and I have applied for two UK general visit visa's, these were refused on 13/05/2011 and 25/05/2011. The first application was a bit of a mess, didn't include much information, no photos of us together, my friend advised me to put as little as possible in the application as we had only known each other for about 3 months. Refused on no substantive evidence of a relationship, no bank details from myself, I had offered to pay for the return flight, refusals were paragraph 41 of HC395, i,ii, vi. My father is the sponsor for the accomodation and the financial sponsor, his 6 months of bank statements were included and also my girlfriends 6 months of bank statements. My girlfriend has a full time job as a cook, no children, no property, no land, no business and earns 8000 baht a month paid in cash to her.

The second application I thought I had covered their points, lots of photos of us together, photos of my family home, my fathers bank statements, my girlfriends bank statements, but I did not include mine as I am not the sponsor, evidence that we have lived together since 28th February 2011, we met on 8th February 2011, over 300 text messages, no emails or letters, becuase we are here together in Bangkok. The purpose of the visit was the same as the first one, we wish to visit my parents and do some sightseeing together in London. In hindsight I made two errors, I did not include my fathers other account which had £5000 at his disposal and I made the mistake of saying I was going to come back to Thailand to work after our 3 week visit to the UK, i also said that I had been working too. The refusal was that my fathers account had a low end balance of £500 and it was not enough to provide return flight, be maintained and accommodated in the UK, paragraph 41 of HC395, vi, vii. The other two refusal points were that I did not include my bank statements or any funds that I hold, also that I have provided no information on where I had worked and if I would be permitted to return to work in Thailand, paragraph 41 of HC395, i, ii. They did note that we had known each other for over 3 months, that my father was now the sole sponsor.

A firend of mine told me recently that the UK border agency will not give visa's if you have known someone for less than 6 months.

We applied for a 3rd time on Monday 8th August, exactly 6 months after we first met. This time the application has been updated to include that we got engaged on 29th June 2011 and that we visited her parents in Sakon Nakhon a few days later at the start of July. I included both of my fathers accounts which have a balance of £5800, enough for a 3 week visit and return flight, I included my UK and Thai bank statements for 6 months, both have very little funds at present, the UK bank is overdrawn, my girlfriend signed up for internet banking, so a full 6 month statement, rather than a passbook update. I included over 40 photos of us together, photos of us in Sakon Nakhon, photos of her family, her work colleagues, my family home, every room and bathroom, the garden etc, photos of my mum and dad. I included every page of passport to show that I've been in Thailand since 28/11/2010, my expired non b, my expired work permit, emails from the company I was working for. I also included coach tickets to Sakon Nakhon, coach tickets for visa runs when we went together, boarding passes to Trat in March, the text messages. My girlfriend also wrote a letter which accompanied mine, her letter stated that she was the eldest child and had to support her family with money to be sent back, she did not want to stay in the UK, just visit my parents, she has a job and does not want to lose it, she doesnt want to be apart from her family, this was her reason to return, she has no land etc and she is 21 and not had enough time working to have more in Thailand. I stated that I am not working at present so do not need a work permit, a tourist visa is sufficient for me and I will be returning to Thailand with her after 3 weeks to look for work and will obtain a suitable visa when I have secured a job. I am working at present as a part time English teacher, but without work permit, so hence saying I'm not working.

I think I covered their refusal points, but I get the feeling their don't like the applications, maybe that she is a cook, 21, no return to reason, i don't know, but I hope that it goes through as I have to go back to the UK later this month to sort some affairs out.