Eff1n2ret

There shouldn't be any difficulty applying for a UK visit visa for someone who is legally working long-term outside their own country. As long as your g/f can meet the normal criteria, i.e. support and accommodation whilst in the UK and show that she has the job in Doha to go back to, she'll be fine. Airline employees are regarded as relatively low-risk as potential immigration offenders.

Will there be a way to apply for the 2000 baht a day we were offered ?

How do I do it ?

Write a little note to Santa Claus and post it up the chimney

It might just be feasible, but she needs to know exactly what she's letting herself in for - so does she know what job is awaiting her, and is she qualified to do it? If she's been told she's going as a waitress, hairdresser, housekeeper or the like, it's unlikely that a visa would be granted for such employment and it's quite possible she's being trafficked to work in a brothel. If she doesn't fancy that line of work, better to find out before she goes.

"So - welcome tourists to the friendly state of the Peoples Republic of Very Nasty."

I know nothing about Vietnam, but people who don't do as they're told on aircraft ask for all they get. He broke the oldest rule in the jungle - Never say b*ll*cks to a witchdoctor.

This is my insurers' reply to the email I sent them when we were stuck there last week:-

"Please note that we are unable to confirm coverage of any claim at this time,

and in this partricular instance we must advise that, as the incident relates

to war, terrorism, civil unrest etc, it may not be covered by your insurance.

It may be possible for you to claim for Curtailment, Medical Expenses and/or

Personal Possessions, however we would be required to refer any such claims to

the insurers of your policy for their assessment.

Regarding additional accommodation, car hire and travel expenses, these are

normally beyond the scope of cover in circumstances such as these, however

should you wish to claim for these please retain all invoices, receipts,

tickets, documentation etc."

As we have our own place there, our only additional cost for the 7 extra days was car hire, and rail tickets from Gatwick to home (our prebooked coach tickets from Heathrow being unuseable). I've come to the conclusion that it's not worth arguing the toss over not much more than 200quid for an extra week in the sunshine.

Actually the Bangkok Bank card had no date on it and a small Plus symbol on the back, so I tried it in a UK ATM. Got £30 out ! Still about B200 left behind though.

That's very interesting. I too have a Bangkok Bank passbook account which I opened about 3 years ago at the Silom Road Branch. The ATM card has a small symbol resembling 'dz' in the top righthand corner.

I've always assumed that I could effectively only transfer money one-way, and have used the account accordingly (very easy to transfer funds in via internet). As I'm off to LOS this evening I'm not about to try anything with the card now, but it could be useful for future reference. In case it makes any difference, which UK bank ATM was it?

Has anybody else done this?

"From my simple understanding of the UK visa rules if she has a HK Passport = does not need a visa. If has a Thai passport = needs a visa."

That pretty well sums it up. Citizens of the People's Republic of China need visas to travel to the UK, those Chinese citizens who are fortunate enough to qualify for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports don't. I would be surprised if your g/f's qualification for residence in HK would have also qualified her for citizenship there, but I don't know the rules. If she only has a Thai passport she'll have to apply for a visa.

I think you had better check the requirments on the visa situ. If she has only have 1 month to run when trying to re-enter the UK I think you will have problems. I am suprised the Indian lawyer guy (Mr Khan) didnt pick up on this

Not relevant, from a legal point of view anyway. She's coming back with "continuing leave" for the same purpose as which she was granted the visa, i.e. it's still valid. She has to apply for further leave or ILR within 28 days of the expiry of the visa, and can qualify for ILR if on the date of the application she's been living in the UK for 2 years minus 28 days. Ie if she originally travelled within 28 days of the visa being granted she hasn't got a problem. The odd few weeks out of the UK on holiday don't affect this. If she can't qualify for ILR like that, she has to apply for Further Leave to Remain.

Some over-officious airline check-in clerk may labour under the same misapprehension as "whatsoever", but they have no reason to do so.

I'm sure that Indian lawyer guy (Mr Khan) will tell you the same.

post deleted

Can anyone tell me can she go to the Maldives without any other visa other than a UK settlement visa??

Yes. Only needs a valid passport for entry up to 30 days, and enough dosh to cover the visit. Check out their website:

Maldives - The sunny side of life...

Your information source for the maldives island resorts and holidays, hotels,

saffari vassels and travel information - the official website of the Maldives.

www.visitmaldives.com

Never say b*ll*cks to a witchdoctor.

Whether or not the application form was submitted within 10 years of the asylum claim/refusal may not be the whole story. The applicant was also interviewed, and if the ECO asked her whether she had EVER been to the UK or EVER applied to stay there and she said no, she hasn't got much of a case. Her failure to come clean then, particularly combined with her failure to confide in her partner, put her on very shaky ground.

You need to get hold of a copy of her interview notes to see exactly what was said. As regards applying again, if they've already hit her with a ban for deception (which may be included in the refusal wording), this would be a waste of time and money.

You do need to seek professional advice about this, and make sure you lodge your appeal within the time limit.

It's 8 or 9 years ago since I was there but I stayed in this place:

http://www.bangkok.com/wall-street-inn/

It was ok, and just a block or so away from the alleged delights of Patpong

Is your wife's 6-month visa a fiancee visa, i.e. it permitted her to come here and marry you here, or is it just a visit visa?

If the former, and you have got married as planned, she can go ahead and apply under the rule you quoted. If not, she can't.

Once when we were in Pattaya I was surprised when the missis apparently suggested we go to Scotland for the day. We got the ferry to Ko Lan instead

In most circumstances one cannot apply for settlement in the UK whilst in the UK as a visitor.

However, as already said, there is no reason why she cannot apply for settlement now.

Get the application in quick and, given your circumstances, there is a good chance she will get the visa in time to come in October not as a visitor but to live.

Thanks for that, But my question was can we apply here ?

If not why not ?

Because the Immigration Rules say that you can't. She has to have been given leave to enter for more than six months to be able to apply. Also, the conditions attached to a visit visa include the requirement to leave the UK on completion of the visit. If someone enters the UK as a visitor intending to apply to stay here, it's an infringement of the visa.

Unfortunately in previous years the facility to come here under any pretext and then apply to stay as a spouse was much abused, and that's why the rules were tightened up.

As has already been suggested, if you have time you could apply for a settlement visa before you travel, otherwise make your preparations for a future application in Bangkok after her return there.

Basically she was deported from Oz 4 years ago having entered illegally.

She actually entered illegally? In the same manner as the boat people that immigration went all nazi on entered illegally? Wow! That's a heck of a lot more industrious than just paddling across the Mekong...

Hopefully it won't count against you either way. Good luck with it all.

Illegal entry would include deceptive methods such as using a forged passport. Bangkok is world renowned as a centre for the supply of false documents.

Not to doubt, but how do you know she was abused?

Whether the OP knows or not is scarcely relevant. He's said there isn't any evidence, and without that she is unlikely to be able to construct a case to remain under the rules. She isn't committing an offence by staying with the OP until her visa runs out, or it's curtailed by UKBA - but unless it's got a long time to run they are unlikely to do that, even if hubby has bothered to notify them.

If the OP takes a long-term view, he might conclude that she should leave when her visa expires and they spend a couple of years cementing the relationship before she applies for another visa. It would be in her favour that they had a lengthy period together here and that she did not stay here illegally.

Our last 2 trips, November last year and this April, we flew LHR-BKK economy on EVA, at around £480-£490 each time. Their new plane isn't bad, and unless you're oversize I don't find it uncomfortable enough to warrant paying for elite, or whatever they call it. You don't get there any quicker. The food is dire on the way out, not bad coming back.

For this November they're showing at over £650, so I'm not booking at that price at the moment. If there aren't any offers later on, we'll be going on an indirect flight.

On another forum there was a post quoting an update on the British Embassy website regarding Dengue fever, including the following:

"Rayong Province is among the areas worst affected, in August 2008 the Rayong provincial administration declared the Province a Dengue fever disaster zone." No stats quoted to support this statement, although it mentioned over 31000 cases in Thailand in the first half of 2008.

Anybody seen any evidence of particular contrameasures in Rayong? Having declared the place a disaster area, are they doing anything about it?

I wonder if some kind soul could render 'Inisfree' in Thai script.

Total whimsy on my part, but I would like to make up a name-plaque to put on the house.

อินอิซฟรี

EDIT; Why don't you give it a nice Thai name ?

Many thanks.

There are 2 reasons why I am pursuing this flight of fancy:-

Firstly, it's a bit of a family thing, I recall as a nipper visiting my grandparents' home in Belfast, which they called Inisfree, and they had a framed copy of Yates' poem which is now in my possession. The escapist sentiments of those verses appeal to me.

Secondly, I like to make the point now and again that it's not a Thai house, it's my bloody house, and there's no harm in gently reminding assorted in-laws of such. They're welcome to it when I've gone.

I haven't really noticed whether Thais do name their houses. Is there a Thai equivalent of 'Dunroamin'?

I wonder if some kind soul could render 'Inisfree' in Thai script.

Total whimsy on my part, but I would like to make up a name-plaque to put on the house.

If your wife is claiming public funds to which she would be entitled if she wasn't married to you, e.g. child benefit, or even jobseekers allowance for herself, this does not contravene the "public funds" provisions of the Immigration Rules. By all means, seek advice from the CAB so as you know exactly where you stand.

.I say "football" because in USA we call it soccer.Football is a game for men,whereas soccer is only played by little girls.

- and most of them foreigners, to boot. Reminds me of a trip to the USA many years ago, where a kind host took me to see a baseball game at the Chicago White Sox. I enquired if any of the team were locals. "hel_l no," he said, "they're nearly all Puerto Ricans and Canadians."

Ditto. But I found that showing up as paying customer often yields a further reduction in the (quoted) price without any haggling. This happened at SENA PLACE on Phaolyothin Road. In the past, I used to book online using sawasdee.com

I've also had the opposite experience. 3 or 4 years back I booked via online agency a couple of nights at a hotel in Rayong province, cost about 1800baht/night. Once we got there we decided to stay another 3 nights, but when I enquired at reception they wanted 2800baht/night. When I pointed out the obvious, they said "oh no, that price only through agency." So, I had the bizarre experience of going online and making a further booking for the hotel in which I was sitting at the time.

You'd have thought they would have been happy to charge the online price and trouser the agency's margin. Perhaps things have changed recently, as the OP indicates.