aussiebob

No need for any paranoia here Chris Lawrence.

My wife got her Spouse visa quickly and painlessly a year ago thanks to this forum and the helpful information from Burns and Mighty Mouse. I see this is your first post on this thread and in case you haven't grasped the debate over applying at the VFS versus embassy if you read the previous replies you will see the G burns ,David 96 and the Embasssy all say there is no difference . So whats the point except trying to jump the queue

Fish hook,

You were only asking the question as all of us have at some stage on this forum . No problem .Ihope you get all the best advice this forum can give

Druckmans insistence that you ring the embassy, be persistant and dont take no for an answer is a load of dribble.

Yes i work for a living and my time is important too

Bob

Druckman,

I hate to disillusion you but ther is only one road and in this case we are talking about one service.

Your focus should be centred one submitting the strongest possible case for your partner.(the stronger the submission the quicker the approval) Focusing on trying to get an interview ahead of other applicants (and thus shoving them down the queueif you were successful,which i doubt very much) strikes me as being delusionally self important and possessing a F--- you Jack attitude

As G Burns points out : There is NO difference

Some people THINK there is a difference.

Some people THINK their time is more important than everybody elses

Some people THINK they are just so darn clever

My wife lodged her application at the VFS in Jan 2007 and had her interview at the Embassy exactly 1 week later. In my opinion, people who wish to go directly through the embassy are the same type of people who would try to pinch your spot in the queue for grand final tickets

Bob

.

"when your wife is living with you in Australia it is a lot easier for her and you if she was to use the name of her husband in many cases. Thai family names can be long and difficult to pronounce".

David 96,

wife and I havn't encountered any problems witrh her using Thai name in Oz yet Could you give us some examples so we will be prepared.

Cheers Bob and Lek

My wife and I married in Oz and her name went from Miss to Ms. No other change. Spouse visa Application done in her original name. No problem.

ChrLadAll i'm suggesting is if you are currently in Oz then it is easier to pay with your credit card here but you must ATTACH the RECEIPT to the application when lodged in Bangkok.

Why don't we all have a group hug and just agree that it is CHEAPER and EASIER to pay the $1390 here in Oz

sezzo,

if you are currently in Oz I wold suggest going to your nearest Immigration office and pick up the application forms there.

At least you can begin filling in your sponsors form at your leisure. Pay the application fee at the same time (they take Visa)as this will be one less headache over there for those of us who get easily stressed and make sure you take the receipt with you.Make sure you take a certified copy of said receipt in case those idiots at the application centre happen to misplace it Down load the Partner migration booklet from the Departments website (this will save you $10)

Goodluck

Dear Fishhooks, My wife Lek applied for her provisional spouse visa in Feb this year and approval came 4 weeks later.

We both did our covering letters completely independant of each other as I didn't want it to appear there had been any collusion whatsoever.I wrote my letter here in Melbourne as a stat dec.( I just typed statutory declaration on the top with the appropriate wording and had it witnessed as such). My wife wrote hers in Bangkok and had it translated by an approved agency in Bangfkok.

We also supplied the 2 x 888 declarations as advised in the migration booklet . It obviously didn't have an adverse effect on the application.

Bob

Good luck Graham. Should be a piece of cake for you and Apple.

Bob and Lek

I paid for spouse visa ($1340) at DIMA in Melbourne with my Visa card. I kept the white copy here in Melb. and my wife took the pink copy (which was stapled to the application by me ) along with photocpy certified at the local police station just in case.

Sure enough a few days after lodging the application at the VAC in Bangkok she got a call from the embassy asking why there was no receipt with the application. She told them it was but that she also had a certified copy. They told her to bring it to the interview a couple of days later.

Moral to the story?

Be prepared.

Wife lodged application on Jan 25

Interview with CO (Lena) on Feb1

I arrived to meet wife on Feb22

Got the call from Lena on March 1

About to leave for Cambodia for belated honeymoon and back to Oz early April.

Many thanks to all those who have been providing help and support on this forum.

It has been an invaluable reference.

Good luck to future applicants

Bob and Lek

Dont know who the case officer is. Spoke to the wife by phone and forgot to ask.

That should read interview on thursday

Wife lodged application for spouse visa at visa application centre last thurday. Got the call from embassy today (tues.)for thursday 1Feb.

She just got home to Kalasin by bus today and now she has to get the bus back tomorrow. Will keep readers informed

Bob

Thanks Farangsay , thats what I thought.

I should know better than believe some people on lonely planet .

Notable exceptions of course.

Bob

Taking the thai wife to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.Does she need a visa?

Last year took her to Laos and it only cost her 20 baht.

Iwas just reading a post on lonely planet and this person said their Thai friend had to pay 1200 baht for a visa at Poipet border. I didn't think thai nationals needed a visa?

Thai Police have been offering an "Express " service since Methuselah was in nappies

Wife currently in Bangkok to submit Spouse visa Application (married Melbourne Dec 16). Quickie police check currently not available (will not accept money under the table). must wait nearly 2 weeks

Can also pay visa application fee at nearest immigration office ( City or Dandenong). Keep white copy of receipt and attach pink copy to 40SP form

thanks guys,

as soon as we get the paperwork through from thailand i can organize the celebrant and wedding for december. I cant afford to keep sending her home so we may as well get married (HA HA )

Will keep you all informed at a later date,

cheers Bob + Lek

Thanks for your reassurances mighty mouse but if you look to your post to Atlee on 11 Septyou will see why I had cause for a mild heart attack.

Also , now that the embassy issues 12 month M/E visas do you think it will be easier getting the spouse visa considering all the information provided backthen to show the ongoing relationship which they should have on their records.

Regards Bob+ Lek

Have not posted for quite awhile but its good to see the regulars (burns and mighty mouse in particular) are still providing wonderful help for those who are bureaucratically challenged.

In a previous post Mighty Mouse stated that the embassy needed to see that the relationship was in excess of 2 years.

My g/f has just returned to oz for her third stint of her 12 month m/e visa and we were planning on marrying in december and then applying for spouse visa on her return to Bangers in Jan. but our relationshipwill only run to about 18 months although we wre corresonding before this.

Do you think we have a problem?

One more question.

G/f is currently organising birth certificate etc to be taken to bangkok for translation at accredited service.Is this translation and stamp all that will be required by marriage celebrant or wil it need some further stamp from embassy?.

Cheers bob and lek

P.S.

Have you done the deed yet Mr burns or are you at the same planning stage as myself?