theoldgit

I have to laugh when I read how smart farangs think they are: forms completed incorrectly, the inability to read simple instructions, and a refusal to get a recent photograph. "Gosh, the embassy is treating like I'm stupid, or something".

The OP made a small mistake and all you can do is post an abusive reply to "farangs" in general, really helpful.

Of course you have never made a mistake in your life, oh how I wish I was so perfect.

From what you have described I can see little evidence that your girlfriend used deception in her application for a tourist visa to enter the UK.

Yes she ticked the wrong box indicating this was her first passport but then gave details of her visas and subsequent travel. On what you have said it seems like an honest mistake as she would have everything to gain to providing proof of her previous travel history and little to gain by deceiving the ECO that it was her first passport.

The only caveat is if the first passport contains proof that her visas were not fully complied with, but if that was the case, and she was attempting to hide the fact, then why declare the trips?

As orchidofsiam states it would be better if you could post the full details of the refusal notice.

Whilst there is no right of appeal there should be no harm in writing to the ECM outing the facts that no deception was used in either application and actually ask that they review not only the ten year ban but the refusal itself. It's a long shot, but she has nothing to lose.

don't bother using an agent. They're a rip-off.

This statement is a generalisation and very misleading, for sure there are some people that call themselves agents and make outrageous claims, but there are a number of honest and reliable advisers who will give honest and practical advice and a number of people have used them and speak highly of them. They are of course businesses and will require a fee for their services, but the legitimate ones charge a reasonable fee and for some people this is a small price to pay.

I personally wouldn't use the services of an agent as I feel the system is pretty straightforward, but others have taken a different approach, it's their choice.

So please don't say that all agents are rip offs.

By the way barnanby666, well done you are a good example of how it can be done.

An off topic amusing story from a friend, honest.

A friend requested an in-room massage, I presume expecting a little more, when the attractive young lady was giving him the massage treatment it was obvious to her that he was enjoying it, she asked him if he "would like some hand relief" to which he replied "yes please", she gave him a box of tissues and said "give me a shout when you are finished".

I believe the tale to be true, it was not in Thailand.

Always best to ask one of the immigration officers at the beginning of the queue beforehand though.

Actually the person at the end of the queue isn't a UKBA official they are employed by BAA and probably haven't got a clue what you are asking.

That said it's not UKBA policy to split up families so travelling together is normally ok though I'm not sure about people with ILR, though your wife's experience seems to show that the IO has shown some common sense.

I get on at the next stop and the boats are very crowded in the rush hours, it's sometimes a pain to move across to the correct side of the boat to get off at Asoke, but you will be boarding on the correct side and a lot of people get off at Asoke/Phetchburi, presumably for the MRT, and yes the fare is 10 Baht.

Why am I never in the area when these episodes happen or at an ATM that has been loaded with the wrong notes - such is life.

JC

Yes I realise that, I was just responding, clumsily, to the poster who could not find the out of date details on their website.

I cant see anything on there website about the Sunday Roast at all, maybe they took it down now.

http://mollymalonesbangkok.com/pub_grub4.htm

I am going to give Mollys a try though The Landmark is nearer my my home and my discount card gives me a 50% discount.

On a slightly related topic I recently needed a car in the UK for four days, I booked on-line with Hertz and was quoted a rate of £74, this was confirmed when I collected the car. When I returned the car the price had gone up to £125, "because I lived in Thailand and had a Thai licence", as I had the confirmation they did actually honour the lower price, but certainly no mention of a lower tourist rate that others have experienced.

My gf and I have been to Hong Kong a few times, as recently as a couple of weeks ago, and whilst she has been asked how long she was staying and does she a ticket out of Hong Kong, pretty routine stuff, she has never encountered a problem.

I would respectfully suggest that you shouldn't ask "would I have a problem getting her in", it's her travelling and her who could possibly have the problem, that said on my gf's visit, which was also her first trip out of Thailand, she was asked if she was travelling alone and when she indicated that she was travelling me me, I was called forward. You don't say how old you are, but if you were a lot older she might expect some extra questions but they would be more concerned that she was attempting to enter Hong Kong to work.

It's a great place, hope you both enjoy the trip.

I would just like to personally thank Paul and all his staff at ThaiVisaExpress for all his support and advice in helping me and my wife, first get married in bangkok (13/06/0), and secondly and most importantly get a spouse visa (Granted 10 weeks 2 day on the 10/09/09).

THANKYOU THAIVISAEXPRESS

Nice advert !!!

Yes, but credit where it's due.

You should send a copy of these letters to the Home Secretary:-

The Rt Hon Jacqui Smith MP

House of Commons,

Westminster,

London, SW1A 0AA

Just be aware that Jacqui Smith stepped down as Home Secretary in June, she was replaced by Alan Johnson - come on 7by7, you are usually more on the ball

I would also copy your letter to Lin Homer who is CEO of UKBA, your letter to the Home Secretary would be sent to her agency to draft a reply anyway, and it might save a bit of time.

I need to send £100 to a friend in the UK and I no longer have an account there, can anybody recommend an economical and straight forward method, for both of us, I bank with Kasikorn.

Must admit have never asked for 5 years (as 2, 5 and 10 cost the same amount). For her, 2 years is a rip-off typical of the UK as she only goes every other year...

Not quite correct, the current application fee for a 1 or 2 year visa costs 12,470 Baht, whilst the application fee for a 5 or 10 year visa costs 23,200 and 29,000 Baht respectively, not an insignificant amount.

I think ants in the food is an Issan thing, my girlfriend wouldn't dream of eating a full blown roast dinner but it's just about acceptable if there are at least some ants in the meal, I prefer mine in a side dish.

"Yes, it can be paid to anywhere the world, but they will not pay directly into a Thai bank, they will only send a Stirling cheque to a Thai address or bank, so they are technically correct about paying to anywhere in the world."

Yes that is correct but be aware the time it takes for a check to arrive at the Thai Bank and then they return it for confirmation or something anyway the whole process can take well over a month before you can actually get the money.

Yes, I am aware of that, so I get mine paid into my Nationwide IOM account, as well as my Civil Service Pension, and electronically transfer to my Thai bank every couple of months or so.

Bizarrely enough my Civil Service Pension can be paid into my Thai bank but only in Stirling, so I get a better rate having it paid offshore, then if anything happens I haven't got to worry about getting my cash out of Thailand.

No joint paperwork, everything has been in my name (must have read too many horror stories on TV )

We have a good relationships with previous and current landlords which cover almost 3 years, would letters from them be acceptable?

I would have thought that letters from the landlords would suffice, even letters to addressed to either of you at your home, anything that leaves the ECO in no doubt that you live together. I supplied a letter from the letting agent as well as letters addressed to us together and individually

What do you mean by a 'robust sponsors letter'? Is that a letter from me?

Yes indeed, the ECO needs to be satisfied that the application is genuine and that she will return and he or she doesn't have too much tome to make a decision. In your letter describe your relationship and your plans for the future, give details of the trip and how and why you are paying and that it's affordable. Provide documentary evidence to support everything you have said. It also helps if your girlfriend provides a covering letter, if she is not too good with her written English and you help her say so in both of the letters.

Leave the ECO in no doubt that the trip is genuine, as is your relationship, your plans for the future are currently in Thailand, and you should be there.

I was thinking about this the other day, not really worth a new topic as it is basically the same subject, so can anyone tell me how I would prove the status of my relationship with my g/f for a tourist visit? I would be looking at next year.

Brief history, I moved to Thailand 3 1/2 years ago, and have been together now for 3 years. As I was living in Thailand already there is no paper trail of emails/ phone bills etc. We have lots of photos but these could have been taken at any time. We have been living together in rented houses for virtually 3 years now, effectively as man and wife.

I work for a Thai company travelling all over the world, she doesn't work. It would only be a short visit due to my work commitments back here, probably 2-3 weeks. I still have property in the UK and some appartments here, she doesn't have any property in her name. Neither of us have any kids. I would be staying with my mother (who has been here and met her), and travelling around my brothers' houses around the UK (2 of whom have been here and met her).

The one good thing is that with her previous boyfriend she visited Europe, HK, Bali and all the neighbouring countries here, so she has some history.

The only angle I can think of is to get letters from all my family members who have been here and met her, they all really like her and would love to see her in the UK, any ideas?

If you have been living together for three years do you have any paperwork to prove it? proof of a sustaining relationship seems to be acceptable as a reason to return. I recently did it for my gf of two years, our current condo is in both of our names and I also provided a letter from our letting agent to cover the first year.

You will need to provide details of where you will both be staying in the UK, but I wouldn't have thought letters from your family would be necessary.

I would have thought proof that you are together in Thailand with details of your Thailand based employment together with a robust sponsors letter and details of your finances coupled with her previous travel history would mean that she would be in with a shout.

Flying out of Suvarnabhumi at the weekend and transiting in Hong Kong, just wondering which is the cheapest for a couple of cartons of ciggies, or are they much about the same?

Have to factor in the possibility of an extended stay in Bang Kwang I suppose.

I use this programe to print my photos at home, it's free for home users and produces photos to the required format.

http://www.idphotos.info/Overview.aspx

JF

The Huntsman is indeed downstairs, it's bar where there was a Thai Visa do some months ago, I seem to recall meeting you there.

The smoking section is on the lower level, where we sat before, the buffet is placed outside the main door of the Huntsman.

My Landmark Card, see my earlier thread, gives my partner and I a 50% discount, so it's basically a buy one get one free, coupled with the same offer on drinks means I can get a seriously good lunch and a couple of pints with my SO having a couple of glasses of wine for about 1000, which is within my budget.

Re the Huntsman Pub at the Landmark Hotel, to the best of my knowledge, their buy 1, get 1 free drink special only runs from 3 pm to 9 pm daily...

I believe their Saturday and Sunday buffets start earlier....and probably finish before 9 pm as well.... So the two deals overlap some, but not entirely...

Certainly on a Sunday the Happy Hour drinks special start earlier to coincide with the buffet with the buffet only being for lunch, I don't know if it's the same on Saturday.

The buffet itself is enormous, apparantly bigger on Sunday, but to answer your other question, doesn't include a glass of wine or coffee, it only works for me because of my discount card.

The only downside with The Huntsman is that they have an illegal smoking section on the lower level, and smoke rises.

How about some exact location on these places, "Bullies" etc

Courtesy of Google

http://www.landmarkbangkok.com/location.html

http://www.bullysbangkok.com/location.htm

http://www.the-londoner.com/map.aspx

http://mollymalonesbangkok.com/location_map.htm

The Black Swan is near BTS at Asoke, just before the Sharaton

No problems whatsoever, the six month multi entry is exactly what it says and she will be allowed to return, subject to satisfying the IO at the port of entry that it's a genuine visit and that she has sufficient funds.

You have probably factored in that she will need to by out of the UK by the time the visa expires.

Don't worry about her not declaring her intentions when the visa was first applied for peoples plans change and it is quite acceptable. I cannot imagine that a person applying for a two year, or longer, visa to declare all their travel plans for two years in advance.

She might want to include details of extra trips in her covering letter if and when she applies for a visa in the future.

I'm glad she likes the weather. but I thought you said she was flying into Glasgow