Waterloo

As long as Billy Connolly becomes President its a good idea .

In this mornings Metro.

Comedian Billy Connolly is refusing to vote in the Scottish independence referendum, which he described as a "morass that I care not to dip my toe into".

The 71-year-old Glaswegian said:"I think the Scots will come to a good conclusion in the referendum, they'll get what they deserve".

I've just spoken to a friend who works at the UKBA and processed applications before it was privatised.

Basically less is more, give them what they ask for, don't give them enough to question and your be fine.

Id redo your application stating you communicate daily and provide sample ranges say 2-3 samples of 10-15 days. Obviously make sure those days raise no concerns.

I use line localphone and occasionally my phone which show the communication but not the detail. In the case of my t mobile bill it even helps price I was with my gf because it has the original of the calls and texts and where they were sent to.

Hope this helps.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

With respect, no, it doesn't help. In fact, it is bad advice. If you think that submitting a new application, and avoiding the fact that the ECO previously refused the application because of the messages will suffice, then you are wrong, and it is wrong to advise the applicant and sponsor to do this. It is almost certain that the ECO will refuse the application again unless the matter of the messages is addressed.

Very sound advice and having read Jamies submission whilst I have never felt the need to use an agent myself I think he has unintentionally dug himself into a bit of a hole and the cost of an agent would be a wise investment now.

Good luck Jamie I hope you work it out.

Firstly, I think the mods should delete the OP's documents.

Home address, name, phone number, they're all on there. I found his Facebook in 10 seconds and that of his fiancee. Not good.

Secondly, too much information is sometimes a bad thing. I like the OP included everything but he kitchen sink, "our" cover letter was something like 5 pages! But my now wife's situation was somewhat different as she had worked abroad.

I think the application might need a little bit of "tweaking" but I think you'll get there. A quick chat with a professional should pay dividends.

Good luck with application!

RAZZ

did say the same thing earlier this morning not good putting all that personal info on an open forum

Not sure an agent is required for this. The advice from 7by7 seems to have it covered!

The ECO missing the overdraft limit on the statements is a bit annoying! Pointing this out might be enough but it should cost you nothing to get the bank to confirm the arrangement.

If you are relying on credit cards you really need to submit evidence that the borrowing is available. The ECO is not to know this! An up to date statement should suffice.

A fresh application to cover the points raised looks pretty straight forward to me.

+1

Jamie

Both Bobrussell & 7by7 really know what they are talking about I would trust there judgement on this.

Good Luck.

Without seeing the refusal letter (personal details removed) everything is a guess!

If I was a betting man however my guess would be that the reason to return has not been dealt with adequately, and that it is a little ambitious asking for 3 months?

Scan the refusal notice removing the personal details & post it, I am sure you will get some useful advice from the genuine experts like Tony and 7by7.

Indeed, nobody can give any meaningful advice regarding this actual refusal until the OP posts the Refusal Letter.

In the meantime a number of off topic responses have been removed, if you have any meaningful advice in respect of this actual refusal, then please post it.

Please don't just post hearsay tales about how individuals claimed to have beaten the system.

Thanks, I attach the rejection letter. As ever any help and advice is most welcome

I also attach a copy of the covering letter I submitted with the application (as it summaries all the documents that I submited)

Note to Jamie & Mods

Can I politely suggest that two many personal details have been revealed here on an open forum & it would be advisable to modify the post deleting the personal details.

5 years ago we had a visit visa for the wife's uncle to attend our wedding denied, we addressed the issues point by point and reapplied almost immediately.

The second application was successful, so address the issues successfully and you can apply as soon as.

As stated above I would also recommend you post the refusal notice after first deleting any personal details, there are some very knowledgeable and helpful individuals on here.

Without seeing the refusal letter (personal details removed) everything is a guess!

If I was a betting man however my guess would be that the reason to return has not been dealt with adequately, and that it is a little ambitious asking for 3 months?

Scan the refusal notice removing the personal details & post it, I am sure you will get some useful advice from the genuine experts like Tony and 7by7.

Even if you asked for one week , you would get a six month Visa. Technically she could stay for the full six months as long as she exited the UK before the end date on the Visa.

This is extremely bad advice and having applied for a number of family visit visa's over the last 7 years I am well aware that the standard visa is 6 months.

Yes you apply for 2 weeks you receive 6 months, but take 3 months and see what happens next time you make an application if you can't justify the change of plans.

Also bear in mind the OP is hoping to form a lasting relationship and it would be extremely foolish to blot his copy book this early in the relationship.

3 months visits are not impossible you just have to put a convincing case, when the wife & I got married a little over 5 years ago we got 3 month visa's for both her mother an an uncle to come to the UK.

unless I am missing something your wife currently has ILR & has not yet received citizenship, to apply for a passport she needs to have citizenship.

ILR as does not expire but if you spend to long out of the country it can be revoked.

Citizenship cannot be revoked unless under exceptional circumstances like terrorism. 

I am sure 7by7 will be along shortly with a more fuller & eloquent explanation.

Without seeing the refusal letter (personal details removed) everything is a guess!

If I was a betting man however my guess would be that the reason to return has not been dealt with adequately, and that it is a little ambitious asking for 3 months?

Scan the refusal notice removing the personal details & post it, I am sure you will get some useful advice from the genuine experts like Tony and 7by7.

I don't think you have any choice but to pay for a courier!

yes my mistake clearly 14%

The unit cost is the how much the government, or UKVI, reckon it costs to process one application; taking into account wages, overheads etc..

I make the increase for naturalisation, single applicant, from £794 to £906 to be 14%, not the published 4%; typo?

But the unit cost, they say, is only £144, giving them a profit of £762; 529%!

Another example, settlement visas; unit cost £378, new fee £885. Profit to UKVI; £507 or 134%!

When Labour first introduced such vast profits for visa and leave to remain fees both the Conservatives and LibDems complained vociferously. But since taking power the coalition has continued with this profiteering. The old political trick; say one thing in opposition, do the opposite in government!.

Cheers 7by7 I thought that might be the answer.

As to the fees, I seem to remember Gordon Brown describing the extra cost as a contribution to UK plc for a product received which he says has great value to the recipient, rather than profit.

As statements go difficult to argue with, it is extremely valuable to me to have my wife in the country and eventually have the freedom of travel a UK passport affords.

As to whether the fees are fair I'm sure opinions are split on that one.

Still over the last 7 years it has added up to quit a substantial amount, just one more large bill to find!

Just looked up citizenship as that is the next step for the wife and it says it will jump from £794 to £906 for an increase of 4%.

Now correct me if I am wrong but I make that an increase in the region of 12% & what is the column for unit cost?

I really don't think it would be an issue.

When my partner and I have travelled to the UK and stayed with friends and family, I have asked our hosts to supply no more than a brief letter inviting us to stay and giving a line describing the house and the accommodation available, and included a contact number and/or email address.

If they are family then no more details have been supplied, in the case of friends then a line about why we have been invited.

I wouldn't see the need to supply utility bills, and certainly not details of their finances, or a copy of their passports.

Same Same When my mother in law visited for 3 months after the birth of our youngest in 2012 that is all the information we supplied & she did not have the luxury of her own room.

If you have to come some way and have some time to kill, the natural history & science museum are a very short walk away.

No photos needed they will take her photos there when they take her finger prints for the bio metrics.

As has been said it is worth getting there early it is only a small room & it can get very busy.

We went last year to renew the wifes passport & get our youngests birth certificate & passport there before the doors opened in & out in an hour.

For the Record ... I met MissFarmGirl at the Airport.

Well, maybe I am the only one with a (Fish) Farmers Daughter ...

Not at all, the Wife's family farm a mixture of rice & fish

The license doesn't expire when the picture does (every ten years) but the penalty for not updating it is a fine of GBP 1,000.

As for the Thai license: I am not allowed to drive using that license because I already have a UK license, albeit one with an out of date picture on it.

Shocked to hear about the fine that is a new one on me!

But as you can't renew your license for the reasons stated how do you avoid the fine?

An update- the lady in question got to the immigration officer, who did have a problem with the dual passport issue. Although, I had suggested this might happen as they like to delay pretty girls. Anyway, she was told she should choose between one or the other. They wasted her time for a good 30 mins before she had to get "uncle" on the phone, or at least threaten to, and they eventually relented.

The usual BS, but there we have the facts as they happened. She was eventually let on without further issue.

Another good friend of mine, left the country with his Thai wife and child. He is American. He joined the foreigner lanes, and the wife/child went to Thai. He recommends this is a mistake. Anyway- interestingly- the official was hesitant to let the wife and child through until he could ensure the husband was OK with it. Nice to hear it works both ways, I thought.

did she show both passports to immigtration (and why on earth would she do that?)

Why didn't she just use the electronic gates. No one checks you there...

Hi had a family holiday in Thailand late last year and as always queued in the Thai que as the wife is a Thai national & both our children hold dual nationality.

First time I have noticed the electronic gates, presumably as I hold a UK passport it was not an option for us to use them & we need to continue using the manual Thai gate for the reason stated in OxfordWill's post.

Out of curiosity how long have the electronic gates been operating?

The official response, from an unnamed person at the Embassy in Bangkok, says :

Thank you for your email dated 10 January.

UK Visas and Immigration is embarking on a programme of modernisation, which includes moving to an online application process where almost all customers around the world will apply and pay for their visas online. UKVI has already successfully launched online payment for visas to over 90 countries.

Customers in Thailand already apply for their visa online. From 16 December 2013, Thai customers (and all those applying in Thailand) have also been required to pay for their visa application online, using either a MasterCard or Visa credit, debit or pre-payment card. Additional online methods of payment are expected to become available over time, including other payment cards and e-wallets. Online payment is mandatory for all customers and other methods of payment, including payment at the visa application centre, are no longer accepted.

Online payment allows a more streamlined application process and is consistent with a wider global trend to online transactions and payments; it helps to cut costs in the management of the visas operation which in turns helps to keep visa fees down, and it is also a safer system for both customers and staff as it reduces the risk associated with handling large amounts of cash during the visa application process.

Initially in Thailand, it is only possible for customers to pay for their visa in US dollars ($US), although we expect further currency options to be made available at a later date. Some applicants may incur currency conversion charges levied by their card issuers, in addition to the visa fee, if they do not have a payment card intended primarily for use in the designated currency. UKVI will not refund currency conversion fees or processing charges levied by card issuers.

To clarify this for our customers, in this region we no longer quote prices for UK visas in pounds sterling (GBP) – visa application fees are now quoted in US dollars on the Thailand website, and an application for a UK short-term visit visa currently costs $136. The cost of a visa in GBP will vary depending on the exchange rate at the time of purchase. The current consular exchange rate is £1 = $1.70 as of 13 January. The previous consular exchange rate was £1 = $1.65.

The Home Office has considered all options carefully and chosen the best approach on behalf of our customers. The currency options are not driven by the UK Government but by global financial services markets, banking regulations and operational requirements within our global visa services network and our online payment service providers. Alternative currency measures may involve high-cost local arrangements with the banks and online payment providers in each country, which when added to the visa application fee would make the process substantially more expensive for all applicants. This would far outweigh the currency conversion fees suffered by applicants who do not own a payment card intended primarily for use in the required currency.

I hope this has clarified the position for you.

Thanks Tony most enlightning

Snapper is a wonderful fish so long as it is not over cooked which is often the case. I prefer it steamed myself.

Sea Bass and Bream are also great but like snapper, cannot be considered Thai fish.

The missus does an excellent job of red snapper & tamarind sauce, one of my favourites

my wife renewed her passport last year in London and had her name changed at the same time after being married for 5 years, we have the old passport along with all her other expired passports.

Honesty! if you want to form a long term relationship why start it with a lie she is bound to catch you out on latter down the road?

You might find the following attached guidance notes I downloaded of the UKBA website about a year ago, no idea just how up to date it is but it does give some indication of there thinking.

ch11annexa.pdf