themongoose

Do not show that you are afraid of them. Do not show that you are intimidated by them. Show them that you are ready for a fight if they want it. Show them that you are the bigger dog, if they mess with you there will be more trouble for them than there will be for you. They will very quickly get the message and leave. Whenever I am out running, if I hear the barking and see them approaching me from behind or the side, I just turn and run straight at them, usually shouting. They soon turn around and run away.

Not had that problem myself, but sounds like a Natwest problem. You said your brothers is not Natwest, but I am assuming it is another "traditional" UK "high-street" bank. They are all the same. I have however had similar problems with HSBC business account with Wise. There are so many scammers, and you only need to read online about all the duped fools who fall prey to them, but then expect their bank to bail them out. "Why didn't you stop me from being scammed, its not my fault!" That now the banks have to be on the side of caution and refuse the transaction. You can get the pension paid directly into the Wise account if its any easier, and with the Wise card it functions identically as any other current account in the UK (and also pays interest as well which alot of them do not). Thats what you have to do now, if the banks give you grief, then move!

My daughter is half Chinese, and I made the decision before she was born that she would NOT attend school of any kind in China. Daily social & morality philosophy lessons (i.e state brainwashing) and the relentless schedule and homework expectations are no way to be a child. For all the long hours and constant learning, I have to say that most of the adult Chinese people I have interviewed for positions are quite hopeless. They know how to do alot of things very well, but they often don't know how to put that knowledge into practice in the real world, and cannot deal with unexpected consequences or things that were not part of the original requirements. Our company (Chinese company) deals with alot of bespoke client requests and it is simply mind blowing how often the simplest basic requirements are not done, with scrappage or contractual penalties, just because the staff think they know what they are doing and will not listen to the client (or me).

M for Multiple

There are alot of questions on the online form which don't seem to make sense, or make assumptions that do not fit all cases. When I did my wifes, it asked us if she had children in her home country (yes), to confirm their location (Thailand), to confirm if the child would travel with the parent (no), and then to confirm the date that th child would travel to the UK. The answer required a date, and there was no possible option to answer that they were not travelling. He was 17 and in full time education at the time, and had no intention of coming. In the end we had to just put the same date as his mother and included on a cover letter stating that he wasn't coming as it was not his intention. Visa approved with no issues. The best advice I can say is answer as the quesiton states, with a false answer if you have to, but make sure your proof with supporting documents is accurate to your current situation. And a cover letter is always a good idea.

When my wife orders the food, with the staff they tend to discuss the spicyness in terms of age. i.e. she will order and "adult" spicy dish for herself, and "grade school" for me. Until I have to correct her and say I am fine with the same as her... ...and then regret it the next morning.

From my experience with my first (Chinese) wife, the Chinese tourists will go where the Chinese Weixin influencers will go. First time we ever went to Thailand was with her, and all she wanted was a photo of her on Kao San Road, as soon as that was taken care of she was pretty content to just stay in the hotel and/or buffet. Trends and fashions change... Nowadays the actions of the Chinese government have put a stop to alot of the conspicious consumption of the wealthy. Those that have money are too busy trying to hide it to go travelling, and those that don't have money can't afford to travel anyway. Most of my Chinese colleagues are too busy working 7-day weeks trying to pay off their mortgages to worry about travelling.

...but does apply to renewals. The official term by the Home Office for FLRM is "extend". Which is could be another word for "renewal".

Differently or perhaps optimistically. I wouldn't put in past the government to move the goalposts. An immigration lawyer can say what they like, but as I said, there have been no comments from the government to confirm that the changes will or will not be retrospective in these cases. Family visas are a small proportion of the overall 300K figure, but it seems that the disruption caused by these changes could be much more severe for families and relationships.

However, those of us, including myself, you have already brought there family members to the UK, had to meet the previous requirements of £18,500. The visa at that time is not permanent residency. After 2.5 years, we have to do an Further Leave to Remain (FLR) and after another 2.5 years the Indefinte Leave to Remain (ILR). At each of those stages the income threshold applies. I see no comment from the government that the increase from 18,500 to 38,700 will NOT apply in these stages, and everyone is only focusing on new immigrants. As the comment does say, "not retrospective, but it would apply to renewals in the future". Therefore a foreign spouse can already be in the UK, but now has to meet higher requirements in order to stay. So, as my point was, the difference is that the foreign spouse can use the UK partners income together as a joint income, but for anyone retired or on "low" income, that is going to be a major problem.

Those already in the UK are retrospectively affected from their 2 1/2 year renewals from April 2024 onwards, however if you are already in the UK and already working, then they can use combined income of both partners to meet that requirement. If the spouse is outside the UK, then the UK partner must meet that requirement alone.

Yep, another vote here for the do it yourself route. Never had any problems and I have done it twice in the last 15 years. Using an agent is just asking for them to charge you for correcting their own mistakes.

Proof of Onward travel is not a requirement to clear immigration, although if you cannot do so they are likely to ask you why. One of the supporting documents for the visa stage you have already done is to provide a travel itinery. If you did not have this, or are unable to give it at immigration, you may again be asked why. In all cases you are relying on the judgement and decision of the Border Force officer on duty, so its always better to have answers. You do not need to have a specific plan. My wife has been asked many times all kinds of inane and stupid questions, they are gathering their decisions based on the response, not the content.

My first wife (Chinese) meant I got involved in the family business alot. I was frequently trotted out to meet local government officials when they were visiting etc. I was (and still am) working for the 'business so I didn't have to charge, but it was an expectation. Didn't happen too often, but it would happen without warning and I had to drop everything and go, which was annoying.

I never been asked when I have flown into BKK, but when I flew into Don Mueang from Shanghai a couple of years ago, I was asked. I just showed them a wad of Renminbi notes I had brought with me and they waved me through without counting.