paulsingle

On ‎25‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 1:06 PM, Rc2702 said:

No Wilso but it's widely known the area is not too family friendly at certain times and there is plenty of other places where you could have gone to which were the opposite of your experiences. Tarring thailand on the basis of one road. I guess HK is the same everywhere as chunking mansions.

I sympathise with Wilso about having Ping Pong flyers waved in his face while walking with his 9 year old daughter but as Rc2702 says, there are certain areas where this can be anticipated and especially certain times.

I have spent hundreds of evenings at a popular bar on the main street in Karon and the goings on there make the place unsuitable for children after about 10pm. It makes me angry to see families in there later at night drunk and raucous with their kids in tow. I've never been offered any sex show flyers though. I thought that only happened in certain streets in Patong and generally in the evening. Easily avoided I would have thought.

47 minutes ago, bobrussell said:

Adjusting the visit length on an application but not sticking to the plans can backfire later. Without good reasons it impacts the credibility of the applicant in subsequent applications.

This may be of little significance if the next application is for a settlement visa but may well blot her copy book for further visit visas.

It does little to help other applicants that do follow the rules!

If you say she will stay three months then I would suggest she stays three months!

It may be difficult to persuade an ECO that this is not an attempt to by-pass the settlement rules. My wife had problems at Heathrow returning on a marriage visit visa after a trip back to Thailand.

Indeed, I wasn't thinking of shortening the application and then staying longer than applied for. We could possibly squeeze the marriage visit down to 10 weeks but I wouldn't apply for less than 12 weeks. She would have to go back without me as I need to stay in UK until the January or February next year.

I would like to think that I could win approval for my fiancé to come for 6 months when on a marriage visitor visa in the light of the above but I guess a different officer on a different day can produce a very different response.

1 hour ago, rasg said:

I know we have spoken about this before but if you went for the Settlement (Fiancée) visa she wouldn’t need to go home. Just apply for FLR from here.

I think between us we came to the conclusion that the Marriage Visit Visa was the best option because I would like her to stay here for as long as possible - within the 6 month limit of course. Then we want to go to Thailand for several months. So a stay of up to 6 months would be easier to justify if we are going to marry and we wouldn't have to worry about absence during FLR.

7by7 and Brewster pointed out that the fiancé route is expensive for my situation:

"As a type of settlement visa it is considerably more expensive than a marriage visit visa, the financial and language requirements must be met, she will need a TB certificate and pay the NHS surcharge."

Now I'm just wondering how hard I have to trim the length of this visit application to ensure it meets with a favourable reception.

It seems some people get away with using the full 6 months but some don't.

28 minutes ago, bobrussell said:

Just be aware that a 24 week visit may not meet with enthusiastic ECO acceptance. It is still necessary for an applicant to demonstrate reasons to return.

 

We could ask for less time but getting married is a major life event. We have to give notice at the registry office after she arrives in the UK and at least 28 days before the wedding. As I can't be sure when the visa may be granted, I feel inclined to allow for a little leeway in case of any delay (not to mention refusal). I  also thought it would be reasonable to allow a few weeks for all the wedding preparations. So my plan is for her to arrive late in August, give notice early in September and marry mid to late October.

After a honeymoon period of a couple of weeks, we would be within 6 weeks of Christmas and I thought it may be seen as reasonable to want to stay on for Christmas while she's here.

I take your point though. I could certainly tighten up the timeline and aim to return to Thailand immediately after the wedding if that may mean the difference between granting or refusing the visa.

peterpaz I'm following your story with interest. I am taking a similar path to rasg who is very generous with his help and advice as are many others including the 7by7 who seems to be the oracle in these matters.

I have made several visits to Thailand to be with her and we got her a visit visa to come here last year. I have decided to go ahead and marry here in the UK and am currently applying for the Marriage Visit Visa. I'm in the process of booking the venue and applying to give notice for the wedding in the hope and expectation that the 6 month marriage visit visa will be granted.

She is 37 and I am 59. (I only mention this because I don't want some cynic thinking this is about a 70-something man with a girl of 20-odd)

We are making the following points with this application:

She will give up her work position to travel to the UK to marry.
She will not overstay in the UK, firstly because she does not want to jeopardise possible visits to the UK in the future, secondly because we must return for my son's wedding in Thailand and thirdly because we plan to move to north-east Thailand to live and work.
I have travelled to Thailand to be with her for the following visits:
February 2015 - first meeting on 2 week visit
August  2015 - 10 day visit
December 2015 - 7 day visit
February 2016 - 15 day visit
September 2016 to May 2017 - 8 month visit
She has travelled to the UK to be with me:
March 2016 to June 2016 - 12 week visit
We had a traditional marriage at her parents home in Khon Kaen in January 2017 but this has no legal status.
We have lived together for almost a year in total and when we are not together we speak by video call every day.
She will have international travel and medical insurance for my visit as she did on her previous visit.

We are explaining that we she will stay for about 24 weeks as we plan to visit my relatives, plan the wedding, give notice, take a honeymoon in the UK and finally take the opportunity to have Christmas in the UK before heading back to Thailand.

While she is in the UK, we will arrange for her to take and approved English test - but not do any study course. I see no need to mention this in our current application.

Next year we will begin the process of applying for a settlement visa for her to come and stay and work in the UK.

On ‎03‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 9:55 AM, tibap said:

Hi

 

Last year I transferred my pension pot into a SIPP in the UK with Hargreaves Lansdown and took 25% in tax free cash, the remaining I can take as a monthly income (subject to tax) or I can take the whole of the remaining fund at any time (subject to tax).

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

I did the same about a year ago. I have invested in 3 multi-funds of low to medium low risk. I have taken part of my tax-free allowance but tax-free or otherwise, as you say, the entire fund can be taken at any time and will be subject to income tax (other than the tax-free allowance).

My query was whether it will be considered acceptable under the financial requirements. ISA funds are considered acceptable even if stocks and shares ISA rather than  cash ISA so I see no reason why SIPP funds should not be acceptable. SIPP accounts are considered to be like bank accounts under the new pension rules.

1 hour ago, 7by7 said:

 

Can you provide all the relevant evidence as per paragraphs 11 and 11A of the specified evidence appendix?

 

Thanks for your response 7by7.

I can provide that evidence. I will ask my provider to write confirming that I can withdraw all or part of the funds in my SIPP immediately and confirming that I do not have to give notice.

Thanks for that as well. Good plan - we will work on her English together ensuring we don't contravene visa rules about study and try and get her tested by Trinity in Hammersmith which is the nearest to us here in Basingstoke.

1 hour ago, rasg said:

If your GF's English is good there is no reason why she can’t take a more difficult test from the off. For example they recently changed the requirement on second FLR from A1 to A2. Or B1 straight off but they may change the goalposts... 

Unfortunately her English is poor and I think the tests will be a bit of a mission so we'll start with A1 and get working on her English for either A2 or B1 depending on her progress.

Thanks again Rasg and brewsterbudgen.

Due to commitments in the UK, I don't want to go back to Thailand until February 2018.

In the meantime I would like my girlfriend to come and be with me in the UK for 6 months until we both go back to Thailand for my son's wedding.

I'm thinking my preferred route would be to get a Marriage Visitor Visa to cover that 6 months from August 2017 to February 2018. Marry in the UK during this time, then both of us go to Thailand for 4 or 5 months. During the 4 or 5 months in Thailand (Feb '18 to June or July '18) apply for 'family of a settled person' visa. (£1,464) which would set us on the 5 year route. Also during this time arrange the A1 English test and TB test. I understand I will have to pay the NHS surcharge (£500 for 30 months). I understand I will have to pay the NHS surcharge again for the second 30 months assuming we are granted that further leave to remain. I think the extension/further leave to remain will cost another £1,464 but I'm not sure about this.

During that 5 years we will need to ensure that my wife (as she will be then) does not spend more time out of the UK than is permitted. I don't yet know what the rules are around that. I also understand that she will need to pass the more advanced B1 English test by the end of the 5 years in order to be eligible for ILR.

From Appendix FM Section 1.7 (May 2016) Financial Requirement

"7.4.4. For example, in the UK a ‘stocks and shares’ Individual Savings Account (ISA) does meet the definition of a savings account and the funds can be considered as cash savings if all the requirements above are met. Likewise, a pension savings account from which savings can be immediately withdrawn."

Does anyone know if funds within a SIPP count as cash?

In the past 8 months I have twice taken tax free cash from my SIPP. Withdrawing takes two or three weeks as forms have to be sent, filled out, returned and processed.

Apologies, I couldn't turn off the bullet points in this editor to continue.

What confuses me is that you can apply for the 30 months from within the UK except if you have permission to be in the UK for less than 6 months unless you got your visa to get married.

7x7, thanks, you're right. I was confusing two different statuses.

From the UK.GOV website eligibility for "Family visas: extend your stay in the UK" the following lead me to believe my girlfriend could come on a marriage visitor visa, marry within that 6 months and then while still in the UK apply for this.

"Fees

How much it costs will depend on how you apply.

You must also pay the healthcare charge as part of your application. Check how much you need to pay before you apply.

You might not have to pay any fees if you’re destitute and applying on the basis of your human rights. If you’re eligible, you must apply by post.

"How long you can stay

You can stay for 2 years and 6 months. You’ll be able to apply to extend again towards the end of that.

You can also apply to settle permanently in the UK once you’re eligible."

You can apply to extend or switch in any of these routes if you’re eligible, except if you have permission to be in the UK:

• as a visitor
• for less than 6 months - unless you got your visa to get married or become civil partners or you got your visa to wait for the outcome of a family court or divorce"

Rasg, thanks for your help.

It had occurred to me as well that justifying a 6 month stay could be tricky. I'm sure you're correct that the marriage visa would be the better option.

Something I don't understand is that the UK.GOV website states that you must prove you will leave the UK at the end of the visit but the section for family visas says that you can apply to extend your stay if you are married and in the UK.

That seems to say it's ok to come on a 6 month marriage visitor visa with proof that you will leave by the end of six months but once you are married you can change your mind and apply to stay for a further 30 months?

My wife-to-be would like to work in the UK once we are married so hopefully we can tailor our periods of absence from the UK to meet any rules that may apply.

I plan to marry my Thai girlfriend in the UK if granted a Marriage Visitor Visa. I am trying to decide whether to apply for the marriage visa for her next visit to UK or get a standard visitor visa and delay marriage until a subsequent visit.

I want her to come to the UK in August this year and stay with me for 6 months. At the end of the six months, in February 2018, we plan to go back to Thailand to attend my son's wedding in March and then spend several months in Khon Kaen and in Chiang Mai. Going forward, we plan to spend British winters in Thailand and British summers in the UK.

We met in February 2015. Since then, I have made 4 visits to Thailand and we spent all the time during those visits together. My last visit was for over 7 months. We have made 2 visits to her family home in Khon Kaen. The second visit was for us to have a traditional wedding. I understand the traditional wedding has no legal standing or recognition but in the context of our travels and time together it helps to build a picture of our relationship. Prior to my last long visit to Thailand, my girlfriend was granted a visa to come and visit me and meet my family. We applied for 10 weeks but she ended up staying 12 weeks and 3 days. I'm hoping this doesn't raise any queries. She was in the UK 24th March 2016 to 19th June 2016.

If we marry on her planned visit this August 2017, we would subsequently like to apply for a family visa or leave to remain. This would allow us to go back to Thailand for my son's wedding in February as above but would give us the flexibility to come back to UK sooner, say June 2018, to spend summer here before heading back to Thailand for the British winter around October/November 2018. Then we can aim to continue with the seasonal moves.

We can delay getting married and simply apply for a standard visitor visa for this August to February visit. I'm guessing we would then have to wait until late 2018 to apply for the marriage visitor visa just to show some has elapsed between visits but I'm not sure about that.

I think a marriage visitor visa this year would give us greater flexibility going forward.

I would like to know if the chances of success are any different between a marriage visitor visa as opposed to a standard visitor visa.

For the curious, I'm 59 and she is 37.

3 hours ago, cardinalblue said:

Are you saying only 5-10 dogs a year ago? I doubt it....just following your logic....

 

Can we also apply your  "what's the point" to feeding starving people in African countries? 

 

They have no future, correct?

 

i guess you're not well versed in the story of a man was walking on the beach after a major storm among hundreds of washed up starfish....

 

Growing populations of stray dogs are a problem. Simply feeding the dogs can only help to increase those populations.

Comparing African people to dogs is beyond my comprehension. People are not animals.

Feeding is good and compassionate (whether for dogs or people) but neutering or spaying would seem the only humane way of preventing the dogs from breeding.

Also, spaying the bitches is a far better bet than castrating the dogs because a dog can smell a bitch on heat from miles away. A dog may come some distance to mate and it's not possible to castrate all dogs that may be within mating distance.

On 13/04/2017 at 9:15 PM, FruitPudding said:

 

A guy younger than herself or younger than you?

Does it matter? That seems like a rather salacious question to me. 

3 hours ago, Anthony Loh said:

Agree! The OP is requesting for advice and for ourselves, is just to share and advice to help them.


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

You're right. I seem to have been influenced by an attitude that is quite prevalent on this forum.

My observation was not helpful and I'm sorry for that but still can't help wonder how that situation would arise.

You overstayed your education visa by 5 months "due to scum agent".

You were in possession of a visa and so knew how long you were entitled to stay.

Regardless of what any agent might say, I would make arrangements to cross the border instead of staying illegally.

Surely you realise that an agent has no control over immigration officers?

I'm assuming the agent did not forcibly detain you?

24 minutes ago, oldlakey said:

Glad to see you kept on top of things while you were the manager

It wasn't possible to prevent an individual dropping a lighted match when one had 5000 acres to watch 24/7.

Simple to throw a lighted match and then disappear. Anyone scratching around in the ashes later would obviously deny having started the fire.

I take it you were being facetious? 

2 hours ago, SpeakeasyThai said:

Thais lazy! NOOOOO..

I lived in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe and Malawi for 20 years. The first time I came to Thailand it immediately struck me how hard working and enterprising Thai people are compared to Zimbabweans or Zambians or Malawians. I had never seen a little kitchen built onto the side of a small motorbike before. There are many other examples of ingenuity and industriousness here compared to Africa. There I saw far more laziness than here. Africans are very quick to ask for aid but slow to address their fundamental problems. There are plenty of lazy people in my home country - UK. They simply rely on benefits generated from the remuneration of others that do work.

I don't think Thais are lazy.

On the issue of burning, Africans would set fire to fallow land in the dry season so that after it had burnt clean, they could find the nests of field mice and dig them out to cook and eat. I wouldn't mind but this used to happen on the farmland I managed and invariably got out of control. Hundress of acres sometimes got burnt so someone could get a bag of mice.

21 minutes ago, Paul Laycock1 said:

They deserve everything they haven't got, what your witnessing is Thailand in the future - a new dessert.

Sweet.

2 minutes ago, jspill said:

You'd still have to leave the country after 90 days yeah, but could go anywhere, if you got bored of Cambodia. But there are other easy places to get a visa, like Laos and Malaysia. 

Jspill I like your idea of 3 visa exempt entries with extensions. That would seem to be the most hassle-free way to do it. As I want to travel the region anyway, the trips are no extra cost. I would actually save money on visas and save time and trouble - so it seems.