tahaan

Fingers crossed, but it sounds like it'll be OK... Good luck

Thanks. I'm not worried. It'd take a very special organisation to enquire when you want to go to the UK and then issue a refusal

We got a call from the embassy yesterday asking when we intended to travel and got confirmation from vfs today that passport is ready for collection. It took them 50 plus working days to process our app which was submitted on 18 Feb.

Good luck to all those still waiting.

I made a simple remark once about being a Marine who served in Iraq (along with 200,000 or 300,000 others by now who have done that.) Not SAS, SEALS, M16, etc, just a Marine.

There is no such thing as, "just a Marine" soldier. Chesty Puller is turning over in his grave!

Yeh, they're ...Royals!!!

Marangue

Jeez, waiting 8 weeks for a straight refusal is a bit rough. Did they have an interview?

The longer this goes on the more worried I get. When my wife applied I thought we'd ticked all the boxes - been married legally and living together in Thailand for 6 years, monthly income, savings and accommodation in UK. I remember when we were at VFS one of the guys from the visa office next door looked at her application and said "it didn't look very big - most people have lots more paper" It didn't worry me at the time because I thought quality was perhaps more important than quantity. However, now I'm not so sure

Incidentally, what I considered our most important piece of evidence, my expired passport showing 5 years of unbroken Thai visa extensions granted on the basis of supporting a Thai wife (including police visits by the RTP checking we're living together) was returned to her by the application officer as not needed despite the mrs's assurance that it was. They did however insist on her photocopying the entry page of my new passport which shows I'd made one visit and been in Thailand for 3 months! After making my protests I was later given the special privilege of entrering the application centre myself to make sure the passport and copies were included in the app.

Anyway, 11 weeks for me now and still not a peep from the embassy or vfs!

According to the UK Governments web site on processing times for settlement visas in February over half, 65% (about 105 people) had an answer within 30 working days and in March again over half, 54% (92

people) had their applications processed and answered within 30 working days yet this thread has been running for 7 weeks and I don't think anybody has posted to say they got their settlement visa within 30

days. Has anybody had, or know of anybody who's had their application processed within 30 working days of submitting the application, or is everybody who posts on thai visa in the unlucky half who seem to

have to wait forever? I know we can't all get an answer quickly but surely by now somebody would have posted to say they were in the 'quick' half, even if it was only to gloat.

Firstly, congratulations to kooyooni on your success.

I find it difficult to believe these statistics mean anything and for me they are just adding to my frustrations. I'm not really interested in their past performance because I doubt we'll ever need to apply for another settlement visa. If they have to post them as a benchmark for customer service I think they should also be prepared to let people know when they are not going to be able meet them.

The only information or contact we've had since submitting the application is the bland statement on the tracking web page that the application was passed to the embassy on 18 Feb 09. I'm in a kind of limbo at the moment unable to make plans for travel, finance etc. I wouldn't mind waiting longer if I had some assurance that our application is not sat at the bottom of someone's 'in tray' waiting their return from sick leave or propping up a wonky desk! Surely, if there are delays in the system it can't be that difficult to send a courtesy email, sms or to post a statememt on a website.

Also i asked her how much longer and she just said al settlement visas are taking about 3 months.But atleast their starting to work on mine now,i applied 11th march btw, so im assuming that their working on the march applications now.

They haven't finished Feb's yet - applied 18/2 and still waiting

My wife's application was made on the 18 Feb and we're still waiting. Resign yourself for a three month wait and you wont be disappointed.

Just looked on the application receipt and the fee for SMS notification is 15 baht. However. day 37 and still nothing <deleted>' heard!

Congrats on your success. I was going to ask if anyone had heard anything. Hopefully, I've not much longer to wait. (applied 17/2)

Btw, does VFS always contact the applicant by SMS?

Wife applied 18 Feb for travel in Mar and we've heard nothing yet. Online tracking simply states that the application was passed to the embassy on the 18 Feb.

Thanks 7by7. I've been married and living with my wife over here for 6 years. Hopefully, we've ticked all the boxes and she wont need an interview - just need to be patient.

I've been following recent posts regarding settlement visa apps and have a question about interviews when they are deemed necessary.

My wife submitted an application on 18 Feb for travel late Mar/early Apr. She was told to expect a wait of about a month for an answer. Am I right in thinking that if the embassy had decided that they needed to interview her that she would have been contacted by now and given a date to return for questioning?

I'm concerned that she'll have to wait six weeks or so only to be told to attend interview in another six weeks time

As for the SSR Epic Ride, it was awesome! Covered lot of good roads in 7 days... I'm sure when everybody finds the time the beans will be spilled

Beans spilling from a Givi box mounted on a locally produced rack?

Any SAS out there.

Special Army Soldiers?

Cheers CharlieB - I appreciate your help. Let's hope there's no protests. taxi strikes etc etc on the 17th!

I used to be in the S.A.S. (But I can't tell anybody that)

Gosh ...what colours the boat house?

I naively thought that testing was done under the same roof. We have a test booked for the morning of the 17th and a date at VFS at 1000hrs the next day. Assuming that the test result is negative and she doesn't need further screening, is the time frame doable?

I wouldn't bother. I've had a dish quietly rusting outside and a decoder gathering dust for the last 2 years after ending my contract and ignoring their demands to return all equipment.

Hey, room for one more? I'm back in 12 days ...but who's counting.

Andy, When will you be home?

[*]Any idea what new run of the mill 9mm would cost?

What is the mill 9mm

...at a guess, a new, ordinary, common or garden no frills semi auto 9mm. Perhaps, a Beretta M9, Browning HP etc.

I like those thumpers too.

Try to get a green book if at all possible.

But, here's a thought if you're really bent on having one:

Do you ever notice how the BIB only glance at the registration sticker to see if it's the right color/year?

Now, I suppose you could borrow a valid sticker from your Honda Wave, but if they ever catch you, be ready with extra dosh

As I understand it, having a false plate and or sticker is a greater offence than openly riding an unregistered bike.

There's some great hair in the Sopranos. Paulie always reminds me of the grandad character from the Munsters and Silvio's 'syrup' conjures up images of Homer Simpson's possessed wig from one of the Treehouse of Horror episodes. And, that's only the blokes.

Rememberance is a personal and ongoing process for me. But let's not lose sight of what tomorrow's celebrations mean though.

I'm not an Aussie or Kiwi but from what I understand, Anzac day is more than a time to remember the past sacrifices made by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps or those who've died in wartime. It's a day for those nations to recocgnise and say thanks to all past and present members of their armed forces. Sure, there are services of rememberance but it's also a national holiday to celebrate the part those men and women have played in making their nations histories and the ongoing part they play in shaping their futures.

As a Brit, I wish the UK had something similar. We've got Rememberance Day and I think there's been lame attempts to start a Veterans Day but, they are not holidays or public celebrations in the style of Anzac Day. I spent over 30 years in uniform and for most of that time I couldn't wear it in public. It must be great to be a an Aussie or Kiwi serviceman or veteran and have people come up and say "thanks mate" and maybe even buy you a beer.

As a Brit, I'll be raising a glass for all those who've served and who are serving and toasting the memory of their mates who didn't make it back.

From personal experience, there seems to be a marked difference between Tourist Area (Pattaya, from experience) and countryside (remote Issan) police. In Pattaya, corruption is very blatant. But to be fair, police in Issan are 'rotated' to tourist destinations - perhaps so they can share in the 'spoils.'

Peter

I understand they're expected to make a personal "investment" to ensure their rotation.

Thanks for the informative answer I was trying to be a little provocative with my post, no disrespect intended.

I've only seen the Greater up here. I used to have lots of them visiting my land and they would pay very little attention to me allowing me to get within a couple of feet or so without spooking them. Sadly, they've now all disappeared since the surrounding plots were cleared