bigyin

If her visa was refused, there's a letter returned with the passport that clearly itemizes the reasons for refusal.

What does that letter say?

Yes this is the key question here. My wife was there 3 weeks ago and there was no checklist handed out and I have never heard of this. When she went the staff were extremely helpful and checked for the absolutely must have documentation.

You'd be well advised to spend a couple of nights in Bangkok, where Songkran will be well over, and then go down to Pattaya on the 20th.

That is excellent advice and would sort your problem!

SantiSuk I will just reply here on the particular aspect of my having obtained a visitor visa for my non adopted Thai step daughter last year. It is wrong advice I think that you must get both parents to sign consent..well I don't think I know it is as it is often just not possible. You need to get a Por Kor 14 from the local amphur which states that your wife has had sole responsibility for the 'child'. As she is 17 now I do think that something from her on this subject would carry weight as she is virtually an adult and certainly is an adult in terms of knowing where she wants to go and with whom. Are you all living together in Thailand? If so, evidence of your life together in terms of pictures. Really all I did was provide the PK14 and pictures over a 3 year period. It helped that the biological father did not do the registration so he has no real standing under Thai law. Your situation may be different. If you are not all living together a bit harder. Need to address who she is staying with and make it absolutely clear that your wife/you were/are making all the decisions about your daughter. Hope this helps with your application.

Can you change your flight? Pattaya is a nightmare at Songkran especially if you want to get from A to B. Best avoided at all costs.

I got a visitor visa last year and have just received a settlement visa for my non adopted step daughter without any problems. We were all living together and the biological father was not on the scene so that made it easier.

You can make the application a bit at a time and save it. You don't have to do it all at once. So when you get to a bit that you need to think about just save it and resume when you are ready. Probably easier if you do the actual application.

02/03/15 My girlfriend applied online for tourist visa and got her appointment 09/03/15.

09/03/15 has appointment

15/03/15 (Sunday) get email advising decision made.

16/03/15 she collects passport and finds sadly rejected Decision dated as being made 12/03/15.

(Rejection was due to lack of proof to confirm that she would actually return once visa expired)

This is unfortunately just about the most common reason for the rejection of a visitor visa. The application really has to concentrate on making it absolutely clear that there is a good reason to return to Thailand. Good luck if you apply again and use all the resources on these forums. Turning back to my situation I have just worked it out. I got the e mail on 18 March but i suspect the ECO actually made the decision on 15 March and because I wanted to travel on 30 July he/she post dated the visa for the maximum 3 months to 15 June. I have to say that i am extremely impressed by this and it does show a degree of consideration in looking at the application. Proves that there are real people looking at the applications and that they are thinking.

I wonder what is going on here? I have just received settlement visas for my wife and step daughter within 3 weeks so no complaints and huge relief but....I asked for the visas to be post dated 12 May with a date of travel 30 July and they post dated the visas for 15 June. Obviously that suits me very well as going to the UK 30 July is nicely inside the 3 months so they have the full 30 months in the UK before the next application but what is going on with these dates? Anyway visas granted which is the main thing and the turnaround time is still very quick. VFS staff were still saying 3 to 4 months when we handed in the applications which makes planning a bit tricky as there is a big difference between 3 months and 3 weeks.

Yes follow 7by7's advice and you will not go wrong. The 2 main reasons for an application to fail are lack of evidence that someone has the means to cover the costs of the trip and doubts that the applicant will leave the UK at the end of the trip. Your wife's money and land seems like good evidence that she will return and copies of all of that should be submitted but also evidence that you are settled in Thailand as well and evidence that you live together. Someone has to show that they will pay for the trip and sponsor the applicant and there has to be evidence of somewhere suitable to stay. So you will need to think about how the trip will be funded. By your wife? By you? If you, can you show income or assets in the UK to fund the trip? Someone else? They must supply the same evidence. You will also need a letter from whoever you are staying with inviting you to stay and disclosing the accommodation they have and proof they live there (a utility bill is enough). There is a lot of work to do but if you can satisfy these points hen the visa should be granted.

I still don't think that this is correct as the UK is not part of the Schengen area. Married or not a non EU national would still normally need a Schengen Visa to visit another EU country. This would not be the case if the UK had signed up to the Schengen agreement but it hasn't. Being married just means that there should be no impediment placed in the way of the spousal applicant and it's free.

If you were married she would not need a visa at all, but if she was to get one anyway, would be compulsorily issued and free of charge.

Is that correct? I thought non EU spouses needed a Schengen visa for all EU countries but that they should be granted free and without any restrictions (although other threads report some serious issues with this although apparently not with the Netherlands).

When I got married in Bangkok last year we each got a marriage certificate. Have you only got one? As far as I am aware they want the original but 7by7 might know differently. I am also a bit confused by your reference to a settlement visa application in April and an FLR application in June. Are both of these for your wife????

If you want the translation back as well give a copy of that so 4 documents in total...2 originals and 2 copies. I have just done this and waiting for the result.

I used baht for the cab to the hotel but then USD after that in Cambodia. Funny how you mention using baht in Laos. Other than restaurants, everyone else couldnt exchange baht for kip at all without ridiculous incorrect exchange rates. Tuk tuk drivers and coffee shops were completely incapable and often looked surprised when I tried using baht. I would stick with kip in Laos. Also regarding large notes, the cash machines in Cambodia always gave me 100 bills and I never had trouble exchanging them for smaller denominations in the bank or hotel. It is true that the notes were fresh from an ATM so maybe that is why I had no problem. Enjoy Siem Reap! If you need a great tuk tuk man who speaks English and is very reasonable for short rides, half day, full day or even multi day service PM me. I am talking like $15 for a whole day of touring. It was like having a chauffeur for a week. Guy was a gem.

This is I suppose really off topic but this is not my experience in Vientiane where Baht and kip prices were quoted together and everyone was perfectly happy to take either kip or baht. Only 1 time did they try to use an incorrect exchange rate, apart from that it was fine.

I suspect more than 50% of the population of the UK would fail this without prior revision and it does therefore seem unfair that overseas wives of UK citizens should be expected to know more about UK history etc than a large part of the native population. Having said that and as has been said on this forum the rules are the rules so revision and lots of it is I suppose the only way to go.

I agree that the test would challenge many Brits, but on the other hand, I am kind of glad that people need to put in at least a little effort to get a British passport

This is not to get a British passport but just to be allowed to stay in the UK as the husband or wife of a UK citizen. In addition I don't think the requirement here could ever be described as 'a little effort'. There is no way that it can be justified that the spouse of a UK citizen should have to go through this to live with their spouse. Citizenship and the granting of a British passport might be a different question and at that point there might possibly be grounds for something like the LITUK test.

I concur with 7by7 on this. The only thing I would add is that having done a visitor visa last year and a settlement visa application 2 weeks ago for my Thai step daughter the first thing they ask for at The Trendy Building is the PK14. We have one and they were content. I don't know what they would do if you didn't have one as it is not their job to comment on an application but the very fact that they are so hot on this suggests that it does carry some weight when the application is being reviewed. They seem to treat it with the same importance as passport photograph and copies of passport. They even moved the original from my wife's application pack to my step daughter's pack so I would most certainly do everything you can to get one. I would also add here that they are issued at the discretion of the officer in charge of the ampur and we had some difficulty getting it. The lady in charge at that time had a favourite word which was 'cannot' but perseverance prevailed.

Yes, theoldgit is correct as usual. The decision is made in Bangkok but not by the staff at The Trendy Building. Equally there is no interview when lodging the application. They check your documentation to make sure certain basic requirements are there and do the biometrics but neither of these things could be construed as an interview. My wife was there 2 weeks ago and they were actually quite helpful.

The difference from 1 Immigration Office to another is astounding. I live in Phitsanulok and the first time I went my wife came with me. They didn't want proof of residence or anything very much and when I tried to give him it he said that my wife was my guarantee. So I take her every time now and we breeze in and out very quickly. Mind you Phitsanulok is small with only 2 counters and they both do everything.

This is a very valid question however and one I am a bit worried about as well. If the ECO grants the visa starting not on the date requested can the visa be changed and if so what is the procedure?

That's OK. I just hope I was right. Good luck.

Yes the settlement visa is a lot of money so you would need to be very sure that you would have everything in terms of evidence by the appointment date. It would be safer to wait and take the hit on the fee increase but at least then you would know you had everything you needed.

I just did it and I completed the full financial side of things same as for my wife. To be honest I never considered she could be exempt. Why would she be? I am sure it is part 3.

Sorry. disagree. My wife has had my sir name for 10 years, is the mother of my son, been there before, and supplied all relevant paperwork, EXCEPT sufficient funds in her and mine Thai bank accounts. The reply looked like they had not even read the sponsor's (my father) supporting letter. And did not even attempt to contact him by phone/email.

This is a very strange reason to refuse a visitor visa as the money is required in the UK and not in Thailand. I applied last year for visitor visas for my wife and step daughter. She had about 20 baht in her bank account and I live month by month on mine so there wouldn't have been much and visa was granted. But I have a monthly pension paid into my UK bank account so I could prove that I could fund the trip. I am pretty sure there are a lot of visitor visas granted where neither the applicant nor the sponsor have substantial funds in a Thai bank account.

I suspect more than 50% of the population of the UK would fail this without prior revision and it does therefore seem unfair that overseas wives of UK citizens should be expected to know more about UK history etc than a large part of the native population. Having said that and as has been said on this forum the rules are the rules so revision and lots of it is I suppose the only way to go.

I have to be honest and say that I am not sure. Somehow your wife will have to provide evidence to show that she has been the sole support of her daughter. There is no definitive answer to this simply weight of evidence. How old is her daughter? if she is old enough then I think her testimony could have a bearing. Hopefully Tony M or 7by7 or theoldgit will have something more concrete to offer.