theoldgit

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.

3 hours ago, Greenhill said:

So, your friends are all doctors, dentists, lawyers, policemen or people of similar rank??   That's what's requested on the form, isn't it??

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

1 hour ago, hotandsticky said:

I really don’t see why 180/185 days UK/Thailand should be an issue.

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.

8 minutes ago, keithkarmann said:

Asking for a friend whose pension is not frozen. Would the DWP become suspicious if it was witnessed in Thailand.

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.

30 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

If the British embassy inform the 'relevant departments' in the UK of someone's death, there sould be no need for life certificates. So I suspect that there's a flaw in your logic.

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.

2 minutes ago, Greenhill said:

But they need to have an 'official stamp', as well?!

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.

3 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

What annoys me also is it seems to me that these parole people don't take into account of the victims families.

There be allowing him to get married next like the other geezer in the news who killed 3 women.

Victims and their families are able to make representations to the Parole Board, and their views are supposed to be taken into account.

As the law currently stands there is no legal route to prevent Bellfield marrying in prison, it’s certainly nothing to do with the Parole Board.
Raab promised to introduce legislation to prevent such marriages, but didn’t.

4 hours ago, stratocaster said:

In the UK one in five murders are committed by former murderers released on parole.

What is the source of that claim, l don’t believe it to be correct?

@brewsterbudgenyou are painfully aware the getting a child’s first UK passport is complicated as are the rules surrounding citizenship.

DNA testing could be requested as part of the process but it’s not common and certainly not at the behest of VFS.

I’m not aware of any changes in the procedure from Thailand, nor do l know of anyone who has been required to undergo such a test, that doesn’t mean it never happens.

5 minutes ago, Calmer said:

BTW, I noticed there are many 'professions' suggested for people to use to counter sign these 'life forms'. Which do most people use? I've tried bank managers, even police here with this kind of stuff before, and always ended up with expensive lawyers (2000 baht for a stamp and a tel. no.). Professions don't seem to like to do this kind of thing here. Haven't tried my dentist yet. Maybe ...

One of the acceptable occupations for countersigning these forms are UK Civil Servants, including those who are retired, l suspect they are two a satang in Thailand, many of whom would be only too pleased to countersign the form without a fee.

There are also a number of retired bank managers living here who might also do the honours.
 

13 hours ago, youreavinalaff said:

There is no " running back and forth from BKK".

 

One visit to VFS is all it takes. You'll need to find out where to take the English test and TB test. 

 

The UKVI website is very straight forward. Proof of marriage, living together for past 2 years and proof of finances is about it. No need for an agent. 

Indeed there is no running back and forth to and from Bangkok, though the applicant does need to visit the Visa Application Centre once to have their biometrics captured and deposit their passport, and this is required whether an agent is used or not.

A visit to Bangkok may also be required for an English and TB tests, again using an agent doesn’t cancel this requirement.

Whilst the use of an agent is certainly not required, basically the applicant qualifies or not, and though the application process isn’t arduous, some applicants prefer the comfort that hand holding by an agent provides.

A married couple don’t have to prove they’ve been living together for two years, though an unmarried couple living in a subsisting relationship would need to do so.

2 hours ago, Jim1000 said:

Can I ask you which company's you have used ? Hoping  to rent next month in London using my 

Thai DL.?

My most recent rental was with Avis at Heathrow, my previous rentals were with Hertz and Enterprise, all of whom accepted my Thai licence.

5 hours ago, LittleBear57 said:

Cheapest? Please explain. 

Using an agent could work out cheaper if the applicant lives a long way from one of the two application centres, or their time was valuable, but as the OP is suggesting Pattaya l imagine that using an agent would be more expensive, though the applicant would save the time of two round trips from Pattaya to Asoke.

As @OJASrightly points out using an agent is no quicker, they are basically couriers dropping of the application and collecting the new passport, they can not speed up the process.

Nothing to do with visas, I’ll move to banking.

A typical Daily Mail “scoop”.

I’ll close for now, can reopen if any firm proposals are made.

Moved to the Thailand visa forum

13 hours ago, DUNROAMIN said:

Need 6 months valadity before entering into most countries. Better sooner  than later.

But no six month validity required for Australia or, as a matter of interest, the UK.

Non Australian or New Zealand citizens must hold a passport valid for the duration of the trip, there is no six month requirement.

That said, airline staff often revert to their assumption of a six month “rule” so, given how quick and easy it is to obtain a Thai passport she might want to consider renewing her passport, though she would need to update her visa.

On 5/26/2023 at 4:12 AM, scorecard said:

Make sure you click the box 'sending money earned in Thailand'.

I’ve done a number of international transfers to Singapore using the Kasikorn App using that option, all were transferred successfully.

However on the last occasion, after the transaction had been completed l received an email from Kasikorn asking for the source of the money with evidence of the income, and a copy of the relevant work permit.

I didn’t have either and whilst they didn’t recall the funds, they advised l wouldn’t be able to make further transactions using those codes.

l now use Wise from my account in the IoM to send funds to Singapore.

Offensive troll post reported and removed.