theoldgit

I'm a bit of a member card addict, what discount do they offer on drinks only? And what happens when they already have the 2 for 1 deal, any further discount?

They offer 15% on drinks only, not sure what the their rules are about a further discount on their 2 for 1 deals, normally I have got it but a couple of time I didn't, we had got such a good discount with the food I didn't notice at the time - though I should have done.

It's certainly saved us a wedge of money, but I have always been a regular anyway.

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

By far the best Sunday Roast is the Huntsman Pub (downstairs Landmark Hotel) they do a full buffet/carvery and i mean everything! think its only 650bt eat as much as you like, I have tried most of the places in BKK and this is the best!!!

And of course drinks are buy one get one free.

They also do a roast on a Saturday which is substantially cheaper.

If you are regular visitor to The Landmark it maybe worth purchasing one of their Club Landmark cards, they cost 5,000 Baht but for that you get reduction 50% when 2-4 people are dinning, a smaller discount for 1 or more than 4, in any of their restaurants, they also throw in a night at the hotel, and free meal for 4 in the Atrium during your birthday month - that gets your money back, as well as other benefits, including discounts on drinks.

Only really worth considering if you will use regularly.

A letter I have from the UK Inland Revenue/Pension Dept states that, "the UK retirement pension can be paid anywhere in the world".

I gave it to a friend and he has his pension paid into a Thai bank I believe.

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.

I find their website pretty helpful

http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/ipc/co...es/thailand.asp

Try Hong Express, they were advertising BKK-HKG-BKK for about 5000 THB or so not including tax.

Hong Kong Express dropped their route from Hong Kong to Thailand a few months ago, seemingly because of the competition from Air Asia, who are just about to increase their frequency to two flights a day.

Other carriers to Hong Kong are, apart from Thai, Cathay Pacific who have always been too expensive on the dates I have requested, though they do sometime have offers, Emirates and Kenya who are normally fairly competitive, there are others like Royal Jordanian.

I'm pretty sure that Bangkok Airways flys to Hong Kong from Koh Samui.

I am flying this weekend and when I booked Air Asia was about 3,000 Baht return, but as I have to make a connection I am flying Thai, at about 15,000 Baht, I hope my decision doesn't come back to haunt me.

Can she make this trip without your financial help? Does her employment allow such time off? Is she from a family that would allow children to make such a trip? Does she have firm ties to Thailand which indicate she will return and not overstay?

Obtaining tourist visas to the US is not an easy matter for those without apparent means to make such travel. And would not advise making any misrepresentations now that might come back to be a problem later if you do decide to get together. Unfortunately agents often do such without the persons knowledge and they will not be there to take the heat later when it comes unstuck. It is likely much easier for you to travel than for her. If not she probably does not have the ties to Thailand that would permit a visa issue.

Would be grateful for an idea as to my gf's chances of a tourist visa for and I to have a short trip to the US, I know you are the font of all knowledge lopburi3 but I will not hold you to it.

My gf and I, I'm a British National, live together in Bangkok and will have done so for about three years when we plan to visit the US. Whilst she works her salary would not be sufficient to fund such a trip, we have had couple of trips to Hong Kong and Singapore and we have also travelled to Laos, South Korea, Malaysia, Bali, France and the UK. Whilst she cannot fund such a trip herself would the fact that we have a stable relationship and future in Thailand, coupled with her previous travel history, normally be sufficient to convince the consular officer that we, or rather she, would return.

Again I realise you don't actually issue visas, so I will not hold you to any pointers you are able to give.

Thanks

the VFS are a goverment agency linked to UK visas

I'm sorry, that's simply not correct. VFS are a private company who are contracted by UK Visas to receive visa applications, pass them on to UK Visas and then pass the results back to the applicants.

The oldgit,as for failed applications my mates wife got refused for she didnt know anything about his children,reason why was he aint got any but she still got refused even after being married for over 2 years to him and he has a very successful business but they then changed it to they were not happy with the financial situation ???thing is they know he will pay again like most of us would to get our wifes let alone loved ones so thats another £500 in the pocket of the goverment,7 by 7 as you know i put an official complaint on the malpractices of the VFS and as a result they were investigated but nothing ever come of it,alot of wrongs go on at Regents house but as long as people pay there money nothing will ever change all youll get from VFS is be more careful

I'm sorry to hear that, I am very suprised that your friends application was refused because his wife didn't know about his non existent children, ample grounds for an appeal I would have thought, or was it refused because the ECO wasn't convinced about the financial status? I would be really suprised if they simply changed the reason for the refusal.

The visa process is supposed to be cost neutral, and I think it's right and proper that it should be so, I don't see why UK taxpayers should subsidise the cost of processing visa applications, I am a UK taxpayer as I suspect are you. Obviously collecting the fees to pay the costs is not an exact science, some posts will collect more fees, whilst some will collect less, I know Bangkok collects in fees than the actual costs involved, but I am pretty sure they do not decline applications simply to increase the revenue stream, refusals actually give them a lot of extra work, writting up refusal notices and dealing with appeals and the like.

Thank you.

I need a company in Pattaya, as my wife needs help filling out the appeal form. But thank you for the support as well.

I would also suggest you use Ralph, he really is the best in the field, though he is based in the UK I am pretty sure that would be able to help you and your wife from there.

There is a registered OISC advisor in Pattaya, Thai Visa Express, I am pretty sure that he would advise that appeals are not his area of competence and that he would probably advise Ralph Davies.

I certainly wouldn't approach anybody else in Pattaya, or even in Thailand.

He proposed that credit cards could be left with court officials without being swiped, and be returned to defendants when they show up at the right time and date.

Such a stupid idea on so many levels.

Agree, and I suspect against the terms and conditions of the card issuer, I think you would be safer leaving your card behind the bar in Soi Nana.

I have always used this firm and have always found them competitive, though I have never had to claim http://www.worldnomads.com/insurance.aspx

If you use the promotional code WNXMAS you get a 10% discount, I was quoted about £250 for 12 months worldwide cover, excluding the US, which isn't far off the mark a previous poster suggested.

the word probably or the balance of probabilties dosnt inspire confidence to me.she needs to get this right first time around,all more important if its her 1st visa to the uk.

yes your right she dosnt have to have a house,land,car etc,but i was saying IFshe has then submit these documents along with the application,to show she has very very good reason for rtn.

Also in the guys 1st post he is sounding like his parents,or himself IS going to be the sponser.

The term "Balance of Probabilities" is the burden of proof required by the ECO, it's a term actually used by the UKBA, I use the term "probably" because no one can be 100% sure.

Whilst you are of course correct that proof that a house and land are owned are excellent reasons to return, not so much a car, I was being realistic, I wonder how many young women recently graduated will have accrued substantial assets, strewth their lucky to have a job these days, a job and a stable relationship would be considered sufficient reason in the absence of substantial assets.

I think you are probably right that she will need a sponsor, but it's not a prerequisite, I was just pointing out that if she could afford the trip she doesn't need a sponsor.

At the end of the day we are all here to offer support and guidance to the OP.

But one does need to bear in mind that only a very small percentage of the fee actually goes to VFS; most of it is taken by the government!

Again agreed, but when VFS bid for the contract they should have included their proposals as to how they were going to ensure the integrity of the application process and protect the applicants from these vulchers, and costed accordingly. That said I have been involved in enough of these bidding processes to know that it's not the quality of the bid but the price that wins contracts like this, the UKBA have paid cheap and got cheap.

I suspect your link to the money made from the process is probably spot on and the underlying reason, though I doubt that they are activity seeking for applications to fail.

As for any comments theoldgit and noel2449rk have made about the signage being adequate I'll describe the only one there as you approach the VFS centre and you can made your own mind up/comment about it yourself. The sign itself is about twelve inches wide and eighteen inches high and is fixed on to a portable stand making the top of the sign about five feet from the ground. It is positioned to the right of the lobby area near the door to the adjoining gift shop. On my last visit two people were standing directly in front of it, talking, so it was completely hidden for anybody's view by their bodies and on a (recent) previous visit a Thai man who works for Visa World was standing in front of the sign, hiding it from view, as he looked for 'potential clients' coming into the waiting area. On neither occasion did anybody from the VFS centre ask them to move although it's only about ten-twelve feet from the guy handing out the tickets. This is the same sign that's been used since they opened the VFS centre and personally I agree with the independent inspector who said the signage is totally INADEQUATE, but you make up your own mind .

As 7by7 says it's all a matter of perspective, I didn't say it was adequate, I was just saying what I had seen. I saw a large sign as you enter Regent House, not as you get to the VFS office, visible from the ground floor. It's at a high level and, in my opinion clearly visible, well it was to me anyway. Outside the VFS office there may well be smaller signs and they may have been obscured, I really don't know because by then I knew where I was going.

I agree that in an ideal world, and for what we are paying in fees it should be an ideal world, it's not beyond the skills of the VFS management to provide a meet and greet service similar to that provided by the vulchers working for the various agencies, clearly the comments from TVE and others prove that these rouges are running a pretty smooth sting type operation. I think the security guards outside would out on a limb if they tried to interfere with the touts, not saying that it's right, I'm just pretty sure it would happen.

I think that a high percentage of applicants and their partners would be pretty worldly wise with the amount of information and warnings of these scams, but people like the chap who just said "I leave it up to her" are, sadly, probably beyond help.

one of the most important things your wife will need to do is to show enough evidence that she will rtn to thailand after her visit to blighty,

does she own assets in thailand,ie house or land or a car?if so put a copy of everything that you can think of linking her with thailand so the eco can see she has good reasons for rtn.

also remember most all tourist visas that are rejected are for that the applicant has failed to show that they will rtn to there own country after there intended visit.

And also remember that it is her application for a visit,yes you are the sponser, but she will still need to fullfil the requirement for this V V.

I think this is a bit of a generalisation, whilst it's true that the reason to return is the most important thing to address, it does not have to be proof that a house, land or a car is owned by the applicant, though that would obviously clinch it, proof of the commitment with her UK husband living in Thailand as well as a steady job with an expectation that the applicant will return to work would probably convince the ECO, that on the balance of probabilities, she would return after the trip.

You are right that it's her application, but if she can prove that she can pay for the trip herself, she wouldn't need a sponsor, the OP would only need to sponsor her if he was providing financial support.

My Thai GF and i will be married on 09/09/09, and next year on 10/10/10, we will be having a thai ceremony to celebrate the marriage.

My parents in the UK wish to fly us to the UK for a reception there.

Given that we would be married already, what would the best visa option be for my wife? Would that complicate matters, or make it easier? We do not require a spousal visa for the purpose of marriage in England, as we are just going for her to meet my family, and have a reception there. We would then be returning here to THailand.

Info about us:-

We'll have been together for over a year with all photo's, emails etc to prove it.

I will be 31

Wife will be 29 (at date of intended travel)

We will have got our marriage recognised at the British embassy after the registration this year.

We would be going back for no more than 2 weeks, and could provide travel itinerary

My parents could sponsor her I guess, so could I (What would this entail)

She has never been a bargirl

She is University educated (BA honours)

She is fluent English speaking

She will have been in her current employment for over a year (Job at Payap university in CHiang Mai - secretary)

I think she should be able to get a letter from her boss too, as reason to return.

We also have pets here (3 dogs, 4 cats) - Dont think it would count for reason to return, but it may do, so I've said it here.

What is the process, and what are the costs? Is it hard, or easy? Can be done in Chiang Mai, or Bangkok only?

First of all congratulations on your forthcoming marriage, I wish you all the best.

If you are getting married in Thailand, as TVE rightly points out, it needs to be registered at your local Amphur, it is they who provide the marriage certificates, one each, that's when you are legally married and it is recognised in the UK. There is absolutly no need to waste money on registering your marriage with the British Embassy, all they do is forward the details to the UK, there is no legal requirement to do so and it will have no effect on your wife's visa application. You will of course need to obtain a doccument from the British Embassy to confirm to the Thai authorities that you are free to marry

TVE is also correct in saying that she will need a family visit visa, the details on how it can be obtained is on the VFS website http://www.vfs-uk-th.com/ have read through this and it will give you everything you need to know, pretty sure that she cannot apply 12 months ahead of the intended date of travel though.

I think you have covered everything for her reasons to return, proof of employment is good though you are right the ECO will not take into account your cats and dogs any more than they do kids. If you intend to stay in Thailand then also give your commitment to do so, are you working? if so give the details, do you have accomodation together, again give the details, anything that can prove you are both committed to a future in Thailand, stick it in and you're almost there.

The reason for sponsorship is to prove that the trip is affordable without recourse to public funds, if she has sufficient funds then she doesn't need a sponsor, if you are paying for the trip then you have to prove that it is appropriate for you to do so and that you can afford it, all you need to supply is six months of bank statements and proof of your employment, if you are staying with friends or family members then get an invitation. If your family are paying for the trip then they should sponsor, providing the same details.

The process itself is pretty straightforward, read the guidelines on the VFS website and if you then have any specific questions then ask on this forum.

Some people use an agent, I personally wouldn't do so, but that's me, your wife's application seems pretty straightforward and I wouldn't do so in your position, but if you do so only use one that is OISC registered either here or in the UK, and certainly not one of the vulchers circling round Regent House.

Wow, some bargain, I have just looked for flights from BKK to LHR, in January, and was offered an economy special deal at 41,555 Baht - guess I will keep looking.

Jetstar are running a promotion with flights to Singapore, you pay for the outward flight from 1800 Baht ex Bangkok and the return flight is free apart from the airport tax, they throw in a Singapore Flyer ticket, S$5 duty free voucher and the second night is free in any Accor hotel in Singapore, you cannot check luggage but I think the carry on is 10kgs.

You have to book via the web banner link http://www.jetstar.com/sg/en/cheap-flights...aign=caas200908

Have not flown with them but worth a look for the short hop if you can be flexible with dates.

Edit: sorry I have just noticed you asked about flights from Phuket, but it might help some one.

Cheers. Transitting through Hong Kong airport do I need to go through immigration or is it just a security check between arrivals & departures?

You will transit airside, you will probably get your boarding card for the second leg when you check in on your departure from the UK, if you don't you will need to go to the airside transit desk, to get your boarding card for the second leg.

The TW comes to England in a couple of days (alone) and I know its too late to change things but has anyone ever known anyone get 'hassle' or even sent back by our boys in immigration? Heard some vague reports it can happen but I can't see how with a valid settlement visa+passport,enough english(and knowledge of me) and a upto date TB document.

It's not something either of you need to worry about, the visa was issued by the Entry Clearance Officer and that's exactly what they have done - clear your wife for entry into the UK.

Whilst they always say that a visa does not guarantee entry, entry cannot be refused unless there has been a material change in circumstances since the visa was issued or there is compelling evidence that the entry clearance was fraudulently obtained. So unless your wife falls into either of these categories she will have no problems whatsoever. For an Immigration Officer to refused entry they must have compelling evidence and be able to convince a superior officer of their concerns.

As you say your wife will have her passport and visa and an updated TB certificate, as well as sufficient proficiency and knowledge of your good self to answer any questions the IO might pose, that's all she needs - tell her not to worry.

All that now remains is for her to sit back, relax, enjoy the flight and enjoy your new lives together.

Thanks to everyone for your replies, My wife was refused on two reasons,

1, they didnt think we had enough proof or our relationship between Oct'06- Oct'07, (We only have 1-email and 4-5 photos all texts, proof of phone calls have gone ) But i have lots of proof from Jan07- present day.

2, My wife has been in the UK before ilegally, she has also stated that she knew she was comming to the counrty ilegally but did so anyway, they have said she has shown disrespect for our imigration laws, we told them the complete truth and havent tried to hide anything, also my wife handed herself over to the authorities herself and she was not forced to leave, im hoping this helps.

If anyone knows of a specialist who has done cases like this before, please pass on the details.

I am sure you could build up more evidence of your relationship, but the illegal stay in the UK will cause her a problem you will need to convince the ECM that it's not a marriage of convenience, but though it's a hurdle she still might be able to overcome it, I have have sent you the contact details of a very able immigration advisor, I still don't think you need the expense of a barrister.

Was your wife an overstay or did she enter the country illegally, maybe with false documents, it looks like the ECO is seeking to punish her.

He can, and withdraw the appeal if the new application is successful; but I would advise waiting for the ECM's review before forking out for another application.

Absolutely right.

Torment, the clock has already started ticking for your wife's appeal so you need to post the full reasons for the refusal given by the ECO together with the details supplied in the application.

There is a good chance that, providing you can provide evidence that satisfies the concerns of the ECO, that the refusal could be overturned by the ECM before the appeal is formalised to the UK.

There are are a number of "lay experts" on this site who can and will offer support and advice, if the application is complicated you could contact a OISC registered advisor, you certainly don't need to instruct counsel, but the best advice will probably come from the many who have been through exactly the same as you, and are now happily in the UK.

Don't give up hope.

The misses said lots of people there when she collected the visa, Many had been refused..

Before you start a mass panic with people jumping in front of BTS trains, I think you need to clarify that statement a bit.

There are always people being refused visas the majority being for visit and student visas, I understand student visas are being refused in greater numbers since the new procedures have been implemented with some colleges failing to provide the evidence in the required format.

A properly prepared and evidenced settlement visa application will always have a good chance of approval, even if it does take a ridiculously long time, and I doubt very much that is who your good lady witnessed receiving refusals.

No she is awaiting a connection within the airport.

apologies not sure what you mean, Because she wont be leaving the airport in United Arab Emirates and will only be in transit will my GF be ok to travel onto the UK??

I have to say I found that answer confusing, especially as you had already found out the answer, and posted it.

Your information is correct, your girlfriend will not need a visa as she is only transiting the airport and remaining air-side.

Abu Dhabi is a major hub for transiting passengers and she will have no problems.

Has just said on the news that, sadly, there is one fatality and a number injured.

How long does the wine stay drinkable in those boxes once opened?

All day, should give you ample time

Other suggestions for a nice break include Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong, or Virgin Atlantic also via Hong Kong.

I'm actually doing that next week, Thai to Hong Kong and then Virgin to Heathrow. Doesn't save any time, in fact the Hong Kong to London leg is almost 13 hours, but am having a mini break in Hong Kong before enjoying the, far superior (in my humble opinion), flight on Virgin.