andyandythai

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Hi,

I am in the same situation as you sorridstroker!! My wife and child (uk citizen) will be coming to the UK soon, once the visa is back. I know we can claim child benefirt (familly allowance) & tax credits but would this go against the application for ILR in 2 years time, do they class this as access to public funds?

Can this be used in the calculations of income and expenditure or not?

Another question a little off topic that someone may be able to help with, also coming will be my oldest step son age 16, he is Thai and a visa application (settlement) was submited at the same time as my wife that we are waiting for. Can he go to college in the UK, I know the visa would allow this but any idea how it works as he is not a UK citizen in regards to cost and applying for places etc?

Many Thanks

Andy

Have a look at Riverfront Residence

http://www.riverfrontbangkok.com/apartment/

I also plan to be in Bangkok in May with my wife and step sons for a few days and will probably stay here, it looks good on the website and reasonable for a 2 bedroom apartment.

May even see you there!!!

Andy

Hi,

Sorry I don't have the answer to your question but when you do get it back could you let me know as my wife submitted hers and her sons on Friday 26th March and I may get some idea of the timescales I need to wait.

We want to travel on the 25th May and were hoping to have it back by then, they did say it can take 12 weeks but the woman said she has seen them back in 4-6 weeks recently but your right a lot of student were also applying.

I bet your going crazy waiting, I know I am and its not even been a week yet....I will be glad when we all get on that plane!!!

Much Appreciated

Andy

Paul at the Picnic Basket may be able to help

He has an expat eatery in Bangrak and also does car hire

It's on the main road (Beach Road) If you were driving from Big Buddha it's on your left green and yellow signs, just after the 1st 7/11 on your left.

If anything this would make your case stronger, if you register the birth with the British Embassy, get an English birth certificate and a UK passport for the child as well as a Thai passport your child will then have dual nationallity meaning he/she can comne and go to the UK and Thailand as they please.

My stepson has dual nationality as his father was English, when he goes to England it's straight forward no visa needed, just wish it was that easy for he wife!!

When we first applied for a visit visa for my wife years ago they said, well your son is English so you have to go too!!! 3 days later the visa was ready to collect. Obviously this wasnt a settlement visa that your after.

Good luck for the future with your new familly.

Andy

Thanks for your help guy's. My wife was at the Amphur today sorting out the lads ID card and asked, they said the same, come back with the head of the village and a witness and they will sort it. Hopefully we will get it done this week then we can start the applications.

Thank once again for your sound advice.

Andy

Thanks....I did a bit of reading yesterday. As my wife never married the father this means by Thai law that he has no legal rights over the child, Is this ture?

Also any idea how long going to court will take and roughly what the procedure is? Time isnt really on our side at the momement, do you think that submitting a visa application with a full explenation of the situation will be enough? I am not sure what evidence I can submit to prove the my wife had sole responsibility over the child apart from the birth certificate?

I just dont want the application to be refused due to lack of paperwork.

Thanks

Andy

Hi,

My question is, Do we need written permission from the father to take a child to the UK on a child settlement visa, application will be made at the same time as his mother who will also be coming to the UK?

Here is a little back ground information

My wife is about to submit her UK settlement visa application, originally her son age 16 (to a Thai) was planning on living with his father in Bangkok and going to college.

To cut a long story short he can no longer live with his father, his father dosnt want any responsibility what so ever. He has not seen his father for 15 years and just spoke on the phone now and again, nothing regular at all. The father has not contributed what so ever financially or otherwise. He left my wife when the child was 1, they never married legally.

The last meeting my wife had with his father was in December to sort out his birth certificate and that became a viloent and dangerous situation due the fathers actions.

We will find it very difficult to contact the father again, more than likely impossible.

Two questions really?

1. Do I need anything from the father? If so what is needed?

2. If we can't contact the father what can I do then?

I also have another stepson who is aged 11 and has a British Passport so no issues with him coming to the UK, its just the Visa's I need for his mother and brother as we all want to settle in the UK.

I would appeciate any help and advice, thanks in advance

Andy

Thanks guy's I will copy and sign it......Cheers.

Hi Yorkieb

My wife was in a similar position a couple of years ago. She was studying ESOL and was at level 2 and hadn't progressed to level 3 so she had to apply again for FLR.

Application process was straight forward, we added a covering letter with the application form which explained why she was applying again for FLR. She now has ILR as she passed ESOL level 3.

Best of luck bud.

Clive

Hi Clive.....If they complete the ESOL at level 3 does this mean they don't have to do the test, I did the practise test and failed!!! It's a worry me and my wife have when the time comes for her ILR?

Thanks

Andy

Hi,

I am preparing to send all the paperwork over to my wife in Thailand to apply for her UK Settlement Visa. I just need to know if a copy of my passport will be ok as I don't really want to send the original it as I will need it in the meantime.

If a copy is ok, would it need to be certified?

My passport is the same my wife showed them for previous Visitor Visa's that I was the sponsor for.

Thanks

Andy

I take it you will be at the British Embassy? If so, when you come out walk across the road and go into the shopping Centre, go up one floor, where home pro is and walk following the signs to the sky train, on your left there is a translation shop there, I have used the woman in there for the last few visits, affirmation of marriage and marriage certificate and she charged 350B.

Ignore any of the touts than come out of nowhere when your trying to cross the road.

Good quick service, I got it back within an hour then straight onto the Ministry Of Foreign Affairs to get it legalised and all done in the same day!

My wife checked all the translationsand there are spot on, well we are married now so must have been!!

Andy

If you havnt already got this coverd you may want to include some kind of evidence that your girlfriend will return to Thailand e.g proof of employment, business, property etc.

Good luck, hope it all works out for you

Hi,

Yes you can obtain a Thai passport in Surat Thani. The office is on the main street, if you pass the Diamond Plaza Hotel on your left then it's just down the road on your left before the tennis courts.

My wife and I went to get her replacement passport a couple of weeks ago, they do all the process then EMS this to your home address in 3 days.

You dont need an appointment just take a number and wait your turn, we were all done and out of there in half an hour.

Make sure you take all the relevent documents with you ie. Birth & marriage certificates, both parents passports / ID cards and the blue book (house paper) usual paperwork needed for a new passport application, it may be worth finding the number just to check exactly what you need.

You had better get it done before the rules change next month and the Embassy in BKK stop issuing passports.

From what I understand about the changes is that you still send your application to Bangkok the usual way. They are now to be produced in Hong Kong but the application procedure is exactly the same.

The only change for anyone applying after the change is it may take an extra few days.

Hi,

You can do it by post and no need to go to Bangkok. You can download the forms then send it EMS to the embassy, get a postal order from the post office (dont forget to add the return EMS fee 100B) send that with your application and they will EMS your new passport back to you in a couple of days.

Link: http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/passports/how-apply

Another option is either the Seatran Discovery http://www.seatrandiscovery.com/home.php or Lomprayah http://www.lomprayah.com/E/index.htm

You get the VIP bus from Bangkok to Chumporn, then the catamaran to Samui via Koh Tao & Koh Phangan, takes around 10 - 12 hours in total, one leaves Bangkok at 6am and arrive in Samui 5pm

You also have the option of what they call a Buffer Ticket 1250 Baht and if your not in a rush can stop over at Hua Hin, Chumporn and all the islands on the way.

Enjoy your trip!!

When you check in for your Emirates flight in the UK, let them know you have a connecting flight with Thai and they may be able to check your luggage all the way through and then just collect your Thai Domestic boarding pass in Bangkok at the transfer desk.

I use Bangkok Airways for my domestic flight that connects with International all the time in Bangkok and check my luggage through but it does depend on the airlines though but it's worth asking.

If not you need to collect your luggage and check in again but you have enough time. Bangkok Airways say 1 hour 15 mins connection time so maybe Thai are similar..

Enjoy your stay!!

For the last 2 weekends it has been at Tiparat School in Maenam, there has been a football tounament on with all the schools in Samui and the school must have arranged for it be there.......We didnt need to pay to use it though!

This is great news for me...I travel down to Koh Samui upto 4 times a year and as I am a gold member of Etihad I get almost 20,000 points for each return trip from UK to BKK.

For a one way from Bangkok to Samui using Etihad miles is 10,000 points + the taxes (700B) so my usual expensive flight to Samui just got a hel_l of a lot cheaper!!!!

Hi All,

Just a question on behalf of a mate...I understand ILR for the UK will expire if out of the UK for 2 years, my mates wife has been back in Thailand just over 2 years now and needs to know if she has to start again and apply for the settlement visa follwed by the ILR when they return to the UK.

Also what would happen if they tried to go without applying again, would she be turned away in BKK or the UK?

Thanks

I got a good deal from a place on the ring road almost opposite Charming Restaurtant between Chaweng and Lamai..If you drive from Chaweng towards Lamai down the hill and just passed the entrance to Jungle Club and Panyadee School there is a right turn and it's set back on your right there, he orderd mine from Bangkok and got them the next day, when I checked the price on the mainland there were the same so I was more than happy!!

Andy

Thanks guy's this has set my mind at rest now.....Much appreciated.

I am preparing my wife's UK settlement visa at the moment and need a bit of advise about accomodation when we get to the UK.

We plan to rent or maybe buy a house but we would like to do this together in the UK, in the meantime my parents (where I also live) will let us stay there until we find somewhwere, maybe just a couple of weeks.

They own the house with the mortgage paid, its a large 3 bedroom semi with usual kitchen, dining room, lounge, 1 bathroom....The only people who live there are my parents, they will use 1 bedroom, another room for me and the wife and the 3rd room for my 11 year old step son.

I understand this is ok according to the overcrowding regulations in the UK but will this be ok for the UK Visa Application process?

Also what doumentation would I need, a letter from my parents was ok when we applied for the tourist visa last year but this one is a settlement visa?

Apart from this the application seems strong, employment, proof of relationship & marriage, previous visa's and step son a UK citizen, what I dont want is it to be rejected just because of accomodation, would I be better renting somewhere just before we apply so it's stronger??

Any advise would be appreciated

Thanks in advance

Andy