rasg

What were her reasons to return to Thailand for the last visa? Without knowing that, it's a hard question to answer.

3 hours ago, theoldgit said:

When my wife first went to France her visa was dated for the day she'd advised she would travel there, and valid for couple of days after her advised return, that was more than ten years ago though. 

I can go a bit further than that as our experience was more recent. In 2016 we went to Iceland and it was my wife's first Schengen visa. The dates were exactly those on the flights that I subsequently booked. I took a printout of the flights I intended booking. I don;t think there is much flexibilty on a first Schengen visa.

I've never heard of anybody doing the translations themselves but I don't see why not as long as it's and accurate copy and it has a stamp on it. How would an ECO know the difference?!

All you need to show is that you can afford the trip. It's not like a settlement visa where they want to know everything.

A letter from your employer isn’t needed. You simply need to show you can afford the trip. You don't need payslips either.

It does help that she has had a visit visa for the UK before. Did she request a three month trip last year when she applied for the visit visa?

Please let us know how you get on.

You don't need payslips for a visit visa. You only need to show you have sufficient funds to pay for the trip. An up to date bank statement showing a balance that will cover the cost of the trip. You also need to prove your relationship, have sufficient room to accommodate to your GF and show reason(s) for her to return to Thailand. 

Save your money and do it yourself. Unless you use an OISC acredited visa company, don't expect to get good advice. Most of them do more harm than good with poor quality advice.

But you used the wrong system in the first place. Not sure how you can complain that they lost your documents when you shouldn’t have sent them. My guess, and it's only a guess) is they had a problem matching up hundreds, or even thousands, of parcels to the applications where many applicants didn't check what the new procedure was or if there was a new procedure. I found out early in April before we went to Reading library from a different forum by asking questions and also seeing posts from others who had been through the new application process. That's how I knew that I needed to scan everything or have them scanned at the centre. My guess is that the letters are computer generated. The main thing is that your wife's application is in the system. My wife's visa was granted in four and a half weeks. Under the old system it was 7 or more.

I doubt it. It expires after six months.

5 hours ago, P junker said:

Who knows what else they put in that letter, wont be going to a visa agent ever again !

Too many cowboys in the visa business and it's not hard to do it yourself. Are you saying the visa company wrote the letter and you didn’t; see it? Surely you must have signed it?

In the end, if you relied on what you said in the last post and got the visa, there is no real reason why the next will be refused. Just explain what you said in your sponsor letter about the 3 weeks, 3 months thing. Be careful. If they think you are trying to bypass settlement visa by asking for too long, it might be refused.

If her TB test is more than 6 months old at the time of the application, she will need another one.

1 hour ago, P junker said:

Hello all i was wondering if anyone could offer some advice and guidance.

 

Last year my GF (4 years together) came to the UK for 3 months. We used a visa shop last time but this time I wish to do the process myself. 

 

When the 1st visa was accepted they gave me all my documents back but they took out the letter of invitation, and i am worried what they might have put in or lied about eg how long she was coming for. Because my GF says when they did the phone interview the man asked her if she going for 3 weeks So clearly they stated that she would be holidaying for 3 weeks but did not bother to tell me that they would be lying about that.

Do i just I write my letter of invitation as if it was my 1st and not worry about what may or may not have been in that 1st one (will they even keep anything like that for reference anyways ?) and just state honestly how long she wants to come for this 2nd time.

 

Also about the length of stay is it better do 1-3 months again, id like 5 or 6 but will that make future visas harder or impossible?

You need to explain why she stayed here for three months when you requested three weeks. If, for example, you used her job to return to as her reason to return, an ECO will wonder how she was able to stay here for three months when she had a job to rush back to. UKVI know that Thai businesses don't typically allow long holidays.

7 hours ago, davejonesbkk said:

You dont need an agent and as long as you present lots of evidence in a clear and concise way you should be fine:

 

For her

 

6 months or more bank statements

 

6 months or more payslips

 

Letter from employer (if in Thai needs to be translated by an official company and then they stamp each document with their contact details).

 

Childs birth certificate translated to English

 

Id also include a translated copy of her tabian baan (it wont hurt) and her Thai ID card too.

 

Her rental agreement in Thailand or evidence of where she lives.

 

For your friend

 

6 months or more bank statements UK

 

6 months or more bank statements Thailand

 

Thailand rental agreement (if he has one)

 

Council tax bill or something similar in his name to show home ownership

 

Letter of invitation/sponsorship - in this he should confirm that he will be fully supporting the trip and her financially. Give the approx. dates when the trip will happen. Confirm the address of his home where she will be staying. Confirm all the above supporting evidence.

 

I would strongly recommend that your friend applies at least 6 weeks before they want to take the trip, if that isnt enough time then they will need to pay around 4k baht to get a quicker VFS appointment to submit the docs and I would strongly recommend they pay another 10k baht to get a visa decision within a week.

 

 

 

 

Lots of evidence isn't needed. Sufficient evidence is needed to show the sponsor can fund the trip, proof of relationship and that the applicant is likely to return to Thailand. Also that there is accommodation that will be provided in the UK. It might be in the sponsor's house, or a hotel if they are travelling around. She doesn't need to provide bank statements at all. Or payslips. Most payslips in Thailand are nothing more than the amount written on the envelope. I would advise against submitting either. Just explain that she is paid on cash each month. Child's birth certificate - No. Not needed. Thai ID is already in English and Thai. Translation not needed. Passport. Proof of her permanent address and a translation. If she has been divorced or changed her name, provide the documents and a translation. If she's had a visa and travelled before explain it in the sponsor letter so that the ECO checks her passport.

For the sponsor. Latest bank statement showing the balance the day my girlfriend applied showing that trip is affordable. A good truthful sponsor letter. Passport and a copy of the pages with stamps in and out of Thailand. I provided a letter of invitation for my girlfriend to visit me. Mortgage statement or house rental agreement. If somebody else is on the agreement a letter from them explaining that they are happy for the sponsor's girlfriend to live in the house.

Employer's letter - if it's in Thai and the ECO calls to confirm he or she will speak in Thai. If the letter is in English, the ECO will speak English.

Proof of relationship. We provided old flight and hotel bookings we had taken together. Whatsapp and Skype logs. In 2015 we also provided photos but they are no longer needed. 

If you have deep pockets you can pay for a super fast decision. £600-700 extra I think.

6 hours ago, Pilotman said:

An agent can get around or otherwise assist a great deal with that process, that is the point I am making for the OP.  

100% bs. Sorry. The majority of the visa companies, certainly in Thailand, can actually hinder an visa application with poor advice.

8 hours ago, BanMuangFarang said:

My wife is currently over in the UK on a Visit Visa [6 months] and I want to apply for a Spouse Visa [FLR] whilst she is in the UK. Looking at GOV.UK, the rules seem a bit unclear whether I can apply for a Spouse Visa whilst my wife is over in the UK on a Visit Visa.

 

The reason I didn't apply earlier for a Spouse Visa last year was due to time and the Marriage Visa was due to end shortly after we got married in the UK.

 

So before I go through the visa application process and paying the £1k, is it still possible apply in the UK or do I have to apply whilst my wife is back in Thailand?

We got married in the same way, about two thirds the way through my wife's settlement visa but I started putting her FLR together in the week that she arrived in the UK. All the work was done close to when we got married and all I had to do was add the marriage certificate to the document pack and send it off.

As the oldgit has said, she will need to return to Thailand to apply for a settlement visa.

hailand when

8 hours ago, Pilotman said:

Just to add to the very good advice here.  If you use an agent, and I advise that you do,  I recommend that you use one here In Thailand.  You can get in touch with a good Bangkok agent online.  They have all the connections with VFS here, who make the first determination.  They can also arrange the paperwork to best effect. Be prepared to have it refused the first time, especially if the young lady has only recently started a job, but persist and you may get lucky a second time. 

The idea that VFS has any sway over the decision is plain daft and untrue. VFS collect the information from you and send it by scanning it to the decision in India where the decision is made.

8 hours ago, ruedecascades said:

The immigration lawyer I saw is an acquaintance and may have not been the best choice but I wanted to get some guidance on what to do next. 

 

The best solution would be for her to get a tourist visa so she can come visit UK for about 20 days and see what she how she feels about it's definitely a different culture. I have an indefinite leave to remain so will not be affected by Brexit if we do crash out on the 31 October. I also work in the security industry and I am on the enhaced DBS record so i think from my side it shouldn't be an issue. 

 

It's not that I don't want her visiting my home country but since I no longer live there or plan on moving back I don't see the point; i'd rather she come's to Uk and the sort of decide if we can have a future together or not. 

 

@rasg  you managed to get your girlfriend a visa in 4 months after meeting her; well done. Do you mind if I ask what was she doing at the time for work? I think this is the most important criteria?

 

It's her side that is a problem. She supports herself but I do send her money occasionally to help out. She is really comitted to get a job but probably will a normal one like a cashier or waitress etc not something very prestigious because she doesn't have high qualifications. 

 

I am not sure about using an agent and I found a lot of useful information here but I wanted to get a better perspective before applying and be safe not sorry! 

She was the restaurant manager at the hotel I visited but that is pretty irrelevant as far as getting a visit visa is concerned. A job to return to is one of the best reasons to return. Having kids or owning a motorbike don't really have any bearing on whether a visit visa will be issued. Sending money to her in Thailand can have a detrimental effect on her getting a visit visa if she is heavily reliant on that money. Without a source of income other than you an ECO will wonder why she would return to Thailand when she is closer that source by being in the UK with you. I would suggest that she gets a job asap and waits a good few months before applying for a visa. An ECO will be unlikely to believe that she would get a long holiday from a company if she has only just started working for a new company.  

This is the same answer I have just given somebody else with a couple of additions.

I had only known my girlfriend for four months when she applied for a visit visa and she got it without any problems.

Without knowing your individual circumstances it's impossible to know if she is likely to get the visa. How much information did you give the immigration lawyer for him/her to tell you that she was unlikely to get it?

If you insist on using a visa agent don't go near an agent that is not OISC accredited. If you use an agent you will still need to do 90% of the work as most of it is gathering information. With the help of the people on this forum it's fairly straightforward.

  

If you are her sponsor she will need to prove that you are a couple in a genuine relationship, show that you have sufficient funds to pay for the trip and your girlfriend will need to show that she will return to Thailand at the end of the trip. You will also need to show that there is somewhere for her to stay. It might be at your place, it might be hotels etc, depending on your plans when she gets here.

Any reason why you don't want her to visit your home country?

If you insist on using a visa agent don't go near an agent that is not OISC accredited. If you use an agent you will still need to do 90% of the work as most of it is gathering information. With the help of the people on this forum it's fairly straightforward.

If you are her sponsor she will need to prove that you are a couple in a genuine relationship, show that you have sufficient funds to pay for the trip and your girlfriend will need to show that she will return to Thailand at the end of the trip. You will also need to show that there is somewhere to stay. It might be at your place, it might be hotels etc, depending on your plans when she gets here.

It wasn't clear from your post if you live in Thailand or the UK. I would approach the visa in a slightly different way depending whether you live in Thailand with your girlfriend or not.

It sounds to me that you sent your documents to the wrong place right in the middle of the change from the old system where previously you posted or couriered everything to a PO Box in Durham and the new system where your wife's goes to one of the Sopra Steria centres dotted around the UK. I understood that settlement visas were sent to Sheffield and I specifically remember that I sent my wife's first FLR documents to Durham.

My wife went to Reading Library on the 2nd May for her second FLR where she supplied biometrics etc. You now have a choice of scanning and uploading your documents yourself or taking them with you where the centre will scan them for you.

I know of at least one other applicant who posted their documents when they should have used the new system.

14 hours ago, wgdanson said:

No flight or hotel bookings are required, the application form says this. 

I should have said, previous bookings. They can a useful way to show you have been together over a period of time. I used five or six for my wife's visit visas before we married.

That's fine then but why anybody feels the need to apply early, unless a price rise is coming up, is beyond me.

As always, the Oldgit is spot on with his advice. What will your girlfriend's reason(s) to return to Thailand be? If it's a job to return to and you ask for four months, the ECO will doubt that anybody working in Thailand will be allowed four months holiday from their employer.

If she requests a month, and then stays for four, you will need to give a valid reason why in the next visa application.

My wife applied for a months holiday back in 2015 and when she was laid off from her job which was her reason to return) she stayed 18 weeks. She then applied for a second visa to stay for Christmas with my family (she went back to Thailand in the middle of October), and there was no problem as we explained why she stayed longer than originally requested.

My only comment would be this. Are you sure that the extra three months that is added on to the initial settlement visa is part of the time that can be used as time towards ILR? So many things are not. My wife's six month settlement (Fiancée) visa is not and I have been told that the time between applying for FLR and the actual decision is not. The extra three months on a 33 month settlement visa, if you get married in Thailand, is to get affairs in order before the move to the UK. Just asking the question as I don't know.