theoldgit

Insulting troll post has been reported and removed.

Troll post reported and removed

I’m with Santander, they wouldn’t accept a mobile phone or credit card bill, but they did accept a Kasikorn statement that l downloaded via the K+ App.

As this a Thailand related topic, rather than for visas for other countries, I’ll move the thread to a more appropriate forum.

The salary requirement is always going to be contentious as a one size fits all figure doesn’t actually mean anything, maybe it should be assessed on affordability, as it used to be, but that wouldn’t allow “tick box” decision making. The £26k figure is still well below the current average earnings figure, which is in excess of £30k. A good question regarding the legality of using the increased visa fees, which in the most part already cost more than it costs the UKBA to process applications.

I personally don’t think the first two suggestions are unreasonable, but the suggested increases in the NHS Surcharge for immigrants who are more than likely paying UK income tax and making National Insurance contributions in their own right certainly are. As I’ve mentioned previously Sunak has a history of using this route which would appease the Daily Mail readers and Brexit fans.

All the previous answers are spot on. There are few, if any, visa processing centres in a High Commission. I’ll close the thread due to the question being answered.

The increases were announced by the Prime Minister when asked how the recommendations of the Pay Review Body for various Civil Servants would be funded, he said the government would raise over £1bn by "significantly" increasing charges for migrants coming to the UK when they apply for visas and the levy they pay to access the NHS. Taxes on legal migration and tourists are an easy target and popular amongst Daily Mail readers and Brexit voters, as l recall it was Sunak who significantly increased the NHS Surcharge in a previous tax grab when he slipped it in an earlier budget. The fact that those charged the NHS Surcharge, will in all probability, also pay Income Tax and make National Insurance contributions in their own right, means nothing to the average member of the Great British Public.

Nonsense troll post removed.

Nonsense troll post reported and removed.

@KUGSyour post is discussing visas and residency in Thailand, but you have posted in the Visas to other countries forum, non Thailand, I’ll move your post to a more appropriate forum. As has already been pointed out there is already a long running thread on this subject.

Nonsense troll post removed

And they do this by reducing the Personal Allowance by the amount of the State Pension thus ensuring that the tax is collected at source by, in my case, my Pension Provider. The Personal Allowance has been frozen until, and including, the 27/28 years, the media is reporting that many middle income taxpayers, including pensioners, are being dragged into the 40% tax bracket as a result of this stealth tax.

After five years, not three, Indefinite Leave to Remain can be applied for, after which the Citizenship process can start.

Just to be clear the new Electronic Travel Authorisation is being rolled for travellers who don’t need a visa to visit the UK, Visa Nationals will still need to apply for Entry Clearance, a Visa, to travel to the UK. The ETA application costs £10 with similar schemes already in operation in a number of countries, including the USA and Australia, and shortly in theEU. I’ve removed a troll post. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/electronic-travel-authorisation-eta

Which country is your wife applying for her visa via, Austria and Italy use VFS and the French TLS? You’re probably aware that she should apply via the Consulate who has jurisdiction for her main destination within the Schengen Area, ie where she’s spending the longest time. If she’s spending an equal amount of time in a number of Member States, then she should apply via the Consulate with jurisdiction for her entry into Schengen, so that would be France managed by TLS, who might understand that you can enter by rail or Ferry. My wife has certainly successfully applied to the French, Dutch and Italian Consulates when travelling by train. l will confess that we’ve encountered issues with all three service providers who didn’t understand the rules, on each occasion we insisted that the application was forwarded for processing, and on each occasion visas were issued. Maybe TLS staff will appreciate that visas will be granted for rail and ferry passengers, though the French, at least in our experience, are strict on which Constitute has jurisdiction.

Apart from dentists, yes they are, or retired Civil Servants like myself, and your point?

I agree with you wholeheartedly, and l doubt if in the two instances you refer to the Border Force Officer, and their manager, would deny entry, but they might. l think this is the problem that the “one size fits all” range of visas generates.

@chelsea fanmy point was made to clarify the point made by another poster who stated that a married couple applying for a Spouse Visa would need to demonstrate that they’d been living together for two years, as well as being married, that wasn’t correct, many successfully apply for spouse visas when one lives overseas and the other in the UK. l think that your wife has been pretty lucky that she has in effect been living in the UK for almost half of the year when entering as a visitor, Border Force Officers are supposed to ensure that a visitor is not living the UK using “regular and successive visits” and whilst there is no set time frame for this, she has been lucky, has she ever been challenged? The Spouse, aka Settlement, Visa is certainly an option, albeit an expensive one. it would cost thousands of pounds for the initial application, which would allow her to remain in the UK for thirty months, and a similar amount to apply for FLR after 30 months to allow her to remain for the remainder of the five years. l’m not sure if the time spent out of the UK during the initial thirty months would be an issue during her FLR application, l think that’s more for the ILR application, so that shouldn’t be a problem. You mentioned the affirmation at the UK Embassy, that was only required to allow you to marry in Thailand, it’s not used for a Settlement application, though you do need to provide details and evidence of any previous marriages with the settlement application. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

It would affect 100% of those who previously enjoyed the benefits of free movement up until the decision of a minority of the UK population to give up those rights. Whilst it doesn’t prevent UK Nationals travelling to the EU it makes it far more cumbersome, as it does for our spouses. We are where we are with Brexit, and we’ll have to live with it.

I witnessed a number of forms in Thailand and posted them when l visited the UK a week later, obtaining a free proof of postage from a Post Office. No questions were asked, though l did include a note explaining what l’d done. l think you’re right though, questions could well be asked if somebody whose pension wasn’t frozen witnessed that they’d had actually seen the original passport, a note of explanation might probably suffice and allay any suspicions.

No there is no flaw in my logic, my post was describing what should happen, that’s why I advised that the local police are supposed to advise the relevant embassy, who in turn are supposed to advise the relevant department. If one or more agency doesn’t process the relevant information as per their own processes that’s not a flaw in my logic.

Indeed, and as the local police are supposed to inform the relevant embassy of the death of one of their country nationals, and in turn the embassy are supposed to inform the relevant departments in the UK, it’s indicative of how bizarre the whole system is. Meanwhile those who “cheat the system” have nothing to worry about.

No they don’t. I’ve signed numerous life certificates over the years, and friends and former colleagues have signed mine, clearly being retired none of us have official stamps, it’s never been questioned. Some countersigners include their NI number, but l doubt even this is needed.

@treetopsMaybe you might want to research the official data published by the ONS rather than relying on “Bings chat box thingy” as the evidence to support your claim that “one in five murders are committed by former murderers released on parole”. The Bot thingy has informed you that 348 murders were committed by those under the supervision of the Prison and Probation Service, the Bot thingy doesn’t claim, according to your quote, that they had previously been convicted a murder or had even served a custodial sentence.