KunMatt

Hi.

 

My Thai wife and I live permanently in the UK.  We would like her two parents to visit and stay with us for the first time for a holiday.

 

We are both in the UK at the moment.  My wife has found several agents in Thailand who could assist with her parent's UK visit visa, compile and translate all of their paperwork and documents, fill in the application and apply for the visa for them, but there is no consistency between what any of them are saying needs to be done.

 

My in-laws are in Ubon Rachathani.  Once agency is saying that they will have to travel to Bangkok just to do biometrics at VFS at the Trendy building.  Is this correct or can biometrics be done in other cities?

Could somebody please help me by telling me what the actual formalities are now?  I applied for all of my wife's UK visit visas while we lived in Thailand but it was much easier being there to do it, and the procedure sounds different to how it is now.

 

Are there any agents in Ubon who would do everything for us, including Biometrics there?

 

We would just like to get this done in the easiest way possible for her parents.  Shipping them to BKK and back just to do biometrics doesn't seem like the easiest way!

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

27 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Thai nationals do not require the 10k covid insurance 

 

"How do you extend the 30 day entry stamp? No border runs required now?".

 

You can extend the 30 day entry by 30 days at immigration. 1900baht.

All you need is some basic photocopies of passport. Photo page, entry stamp, TM6 etc. 

 

You can also do border runs for a 30 day visa exempt entry and also extend that.

You don't need any of that for 6 week stay. 

 

Will your family be entering on Thai passports. 

 

Regarding your onward flight within 30 days you could consider "rent a flight".

Just Google "onward flights" and you will find information. 

Awesome.  Thank you.

 

My family will all be entering on their Thai passports.

21 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Visa exempt entry provides 30 day permission of stay enter via land or air. 

Each entry can be extended by 30 days. 

The 30 day throw away flight within 30 days is for airline at departure.

Currently to enter Thailand you require a Thailand Pass.

Very simple to obtain online.

You require 10k covid insurance with a 30 day coved.

Cheapest approx 650 baht.

If vaccinated provide details of 2 shots of vaccine..

Thank you for the reply.

 

So I can just buy any flight to depart Thailand within 30 days of my entry and receive the 30 day entry stamp like before?

 

How do you extend the 30 day entry stamp?  No border runs required now?

 

Will my Thai wife and our Thai/British kids require the COVID insurance too for this 6 week trip?

 

Thanks

We are planning a family trip to Thailand this summer to visit the in laws after not being able to for the last 3 years.

 

I've just found the online Thai eVisa system and I cannot provide a lot of the information at this time like flights etc.

 

Is it still a 30 days entry free stamp when landing in Thailand?

 

Are land border runs still possible and give 15 days?

 

Could I book a throwaway flight that would depart Thailand after 30 days but then do a land border run instead?

 

Apart from the ePass, what other paperwork is involved now for visiting Thailand on an entry free stamp?

 

Thank you in advance.

36 minutes ago, bigyin said:

A cover letter Is certainly not necessary. I did do a covering letter for my wife’s indefinite leave to remain application as there was one question I wanted to clarify my answer to. I didn’t however do a covering letter for the naturalisation application. Both were approved without any problem whatsoever. So if you’re happy with your application and think all your answers are clear then don’t do one but if there is something you are not 100% sure about then a covering letter is a good idea. At the end of the day the caseworker at the Home Office only has a limited amount of time to look at the application and really doesn’t want to have to read any more than they have to.

 

I submitted the application today and uploaded all of the scans.  I scanned all of my wife's two 66 page Thai passports!  Both of which only have a few pages with stamps on them.  Do you know if they require every page even if empty?  Or do they want the complete passport?

 

I made a simple cover letter explaining a few things and listing all of the documents I am submitting.

 

We got an appointment in a couple of weeks for £70.  There were others at the same centre for £135 around the same dates.

 

Thank you for the advice.

Do you guys write a cover letter for everything?

Thanks guys.  I am going to complete and pay for the application tomorrow.  Is there any point scanning and uploading documents?

Also, I think that we submit all of the documents at the Biometrics appointment, is that correct?

 

Do they require copies or will they make the copies?

 

Do we need passport photos, or they take those?  They are not mentioned on the checklist.

 

Anything else we might need?

On 1/12/2021 at 2:36 PM, bigyin said:

I just did all this myself in July for my wife. You might want to do one more application after this if your wife wants to become a British citizen. Anyway I can confirm that you are doing the correct application set (M). The application itself is much less detailed than that for FLR (M) so don’t worry about that. If you have got to the checklist just provide exactly what they ask for in that checklist and everything will be fine. After you submit the application and pay you will be directed to the UKVCAS website to book a biometric appointment. I would just warn you that it is quite difficult to get an appointment at the moment and people are finding that around midnight is the best time to book. The appointments are generally one month in the future. There are very few free appointments and the costs can be anything up to £200. Good luck.

 

I've only just seen this reply.  Thaivisa has been really glitchy and down for me most of the time recently.

 

Thanks for the reply.  So we need to pay for the Biometric appointment too?

 

And her BRP expires in a month, in fact we cannot apply until Monday which is 28 days before it expires.  If the Biometrics appointment takes a month doesn't this take her past her current visa date?

 

Cheers.

 

I'm really hoping this is the last time we ever need to do any of these applications!  ????

 

I'm now filling in the Set(M) application online for my wife.  I wanted to check it is the correct application type before I pay for the wrong one.  We've been in the UK for 5.5 years including the 6 month fiancé visa, she has had 2x FLR visas, the 2nd of which is now about to end so we are applying for an ILR.  I assume the Set(M) is the correct type for us?

 

Also, apart from saying yes, we have kids together, there are no questions about them in the application at all, not even how many or their names!  Last time we had to submit their birth certificates etc.  In fact all of the documents are much less than for a FLR application, the document checklist doesn't even ask for passport photos for either of us.

 

Is there a more complete checklist of everything that is required?

 

Can someone please put my mind at ease about this application?

18 hours ago, 7by7 said:

From Find out if you can apply to settle in the UK You can apply as the partner of a British citizen or person settled in the UK

The start of that route includes 

 So I believe that the earliest she can apply is the fifth  anniversary of her arrival with her fiance visa; i.e. July 2020. Provided she meets all the other requirements, of course.

 

However, if I'm wrong then she could be refused and you would lose the exorbitant fee!

 

So, as fees usually increase every April and the KoLL will remain valid, IMHO you have nothing to lose by waiting until February 2021 to be sure. It is only 4 months.

 

Although it would put her eligibility for British citizenship back by 4 months as she needs ILR for that.

 

Plus, in these uncertain times, there is the risk, however slight, that you and she wont be able to meet the financial requirement next year.

 

Thanks.

 

I understood it the same way as you have explained but I also have the same worry that any mistake in applying too early will forfeit the £2,400 application fee.

 

I would like to get it done asap so we fan be free to do other things in Jan and Feb'21.

 

I think it would be best to call the home office and get a definitive answer.

 

Cheers for the reply.

 

My wife moved to the UK in July 2015 on a fiance visa.  We got married and got the first FLR visa on Feb 2016.

 

The 2nd FLR visa expires on Feb 2021.

 

Could we apply now for the ILR as she has been in the UK for 5 years?  Or do we need to wait until 28 days until the expiry date of her current FLR visa?

 

Shes been in the UK since July 2015 except for 2 trips together to Thailand totalling about 12 weeks.

 

TIA

I found their T&Cs where they openly state that you can book the test on Gov.uk without their £26 admin charge but you wont get their study aids (which we never got anyway) or cancellation fee.

 

I just found it weird that there are no reviews or recommendations for this company.  Even their FB page is devoid of any customer activity.

 

A lot of my wive's friends have used the same test centre but none of them have passed to be able to say it was legit.  She passed earlier this week and a friend of hers failed yesterday.

 

I'll report back here after we have submitted the ILR application and we find out at that point!  ????

My wife has booked and passed her LitUK with the only company offering the test in our area http://booklifeintheuktest.org/

 

She got the URN and everything seems ok but shes now starting to worry that this place isn't legit.

 

I cannot find out anything either way.

 

Anyone know?

 

TIA

Thanks.  Her LitUK test is booked for 3 weeks time.  That's the backlog for that test.

 

The B1 test isnt fully reopened yet and several centres are still shut including all both centres closest to where we live.

 

It would really help if the City and ESOL cert could be used for the B1 qualification.

 

Does anyone know?

 

TIA

My wife did 3 terms for an ESOL course in the UK and has got an "ESOL Skills for Life single-mode qualification" for "Speaking and Listening to obtain and convey information Entry 3" awarded by the City and Guilds of London Institute.

 

Is this equivalent to the B1 and can it be used for the ILR application?

 

Thanks

15 hours ago, puchooay said:

Test centers are open. Tests can be taken.

They were closed for the last 6 months and now have a huge backlog.

 

Are there any extensions being given due to this?

15 hours ago, torturedsole said:

Without being harsh, I do wonder why your wife has left it so late in the first place. B1 and LitUK can be taken at any time and much easier to get it all out of the way at the earliest opportunity. Very expensive lesson if she doesn't pass in good time.  

 

Plan was to do the tests early in the year but then COVID got in the way.  She has studied and done courses for both.  She did an English course in UK for over a year for the English test.

 

Just checking that all she needs is a B1 english and LitUK?

 

If she doesn't get the tests done in time can I just get her another FLR?

 

TIA

Sorry if this has already been covered.  I did a quick search but couldn't find anything here.

 

My wife's application for her ILR is due in Feb 2021.  We've been in the UK for 5 years now and she's currently on a 2.5 year FLR.

 

She needs to do a B1 English test and a LitUK test for her ILR but obviously COVID has restricted any chance of doing it so far this year.

 

Is the Home Office giving any extensions to her current Visa because of COVID?

 

If we cannot do the tests in time then can we apply for another 2.5 year FLR?

 

TIA

Lol.

 

Thank you for the links.

Hi.

 

Instead of starting a new thread about the same subject, can anyone confirm if it is still the same rules for entering Thailand on an expired Thai passport?

 

Any source for this being the rule?  (Wife doesn't believe me/you!)

 

TIA.

7 hours ago, OmarZaid said:

Indeed, my wife (pic) was 53 in this pic

You're right. That lady does not look a day over 52 (for an Asian) . 

I've read and re-read the questions, and these are the answers I think are correct.  Can somebody please confirm or correct me?

 

 

1.  Have you previously lived in a country outside the UK including your country of birth?

a.  I put that she lived in Thailand from birth until we moved to the UK

 

2.  IMMIGRATION HISTORY:  When did you enter the UK?

a.  I put when she last entered the UK 6 months ago from a holiday

 

3.   When did your child first enter the UK?

a.  I put the date they first came on holiday to the UK 6 years ago

 

4.  Has the child ever visited or lived in another country?

a.  I put that they lived in Thailand from birth until we moved to the UK, and I put the dates of a 6 week trip to Thailand we made.

 

4.  Is this the first time you have applied for a partner route, or an extension, with your current partner (including as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner)?

a.  I put "yes"

 

5.  Please choose the reason you are applying for an extension, this includes if you are switching to a partner visa from another type.

a.  I put "First extension as a partner (following an initial period of entry as a partner, or as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner of a settled person)"

 

6.  Kid's passports place of issue (country or county).

a.  I've put HMPO and IPS.

 

 

 

But lastly, is going to Gibraltar for a holiday an absence from the UK?

 

Thank you.

Does anyone know the correct answers to the above questions?

 

Thanks.

3 hours ago, 7by7 said:

You can apply online, in person or by post.

 

If applying online you complete the online form, if applying in person or by post the paper FLR(M) form. So both links are correct depending on how you are applying.

 

See Family visas: apply, extend or switch: Apply as a partner or spouse for more.

 

I've been filling in the online application today.  I assume that once it is complete I print it out and post it in along with all supporting documents.  Is that correct?

 

 

Here are some obscurely worded questions which have confused me:

 

1.  Have you previously lived in a country outside the UK including your country of birth?

a.  So does this mean we should answer that she lived in Thailand from birth until she came to the UK, or does it mean "not including your country of birth"?

 

2.  IMMIGRATION HISTORY:  When did you enter the UK?

a.  Does this mean the date we last arrived in the UK 6 months ago from a holiday, the first time she ever entered the UK, or the date she arrived 3 years ago and began the 5 year route?

 

3.   When did your child first enter the UK?

a.  Is this the date of their first ever visit to the UK, or the date they moved to the UK with us 3 years ago?

 

4.  Has the child ever visited or lived in another country?

a.  They were born in Thailand and lived there until we moved to the UK 3 years ago.  So do I put Thailand, or put no?

 

4.  Is this the first time you have applied for a partner route, or an extension, with your current partner (including as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner)?

a.  No idea what to answer for this.  We done 1x 30 month LTR visa, and this is the extension for that.

 

5.  Please choose the reason you are applying for an extension, this includes if you are switching to a partner visa from another type.

a.  Again no idea, the most logical choices from the list are;

First extension as a partner (following an initial period of entry as a partner, or as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner of a settled person)

or

Additional extension as a partner

or

First application as a partner from within the UK (for example, you are currently in the UK on another type of visa or permission to stay)

 

6.  Kid's passports place of issue (country or county).

a.  I've put HMPO and IPS, as there is no country of issue on their UK passports.  One was made in Thailand and the other in the UK.

 

7.  Is going to Gibraltar for a holiday an absence from the UK?

 

 

I think I'm ok with the rest of the application, I just needed some help with the above answers in case I slipped up.

 

Thank you.