leafmould

My missis put the application in on wednesday, 11th, so you can add me to the list too.

good to see it happening for some of you guys.

this happend with me in december with emirates, i called them and they said i could only go to the office (i went to manchester) and present the credit card, they then gave me a bit of paper which i had to scan and email to the missis and she presented that when checking in, they did ask for it and indeed took a copy themselves, check with your airline though, it could be different

i find skyscanner seems to be cheapest search engine though not much cheap these days, good to change days back and forwards a bit to see if they are more pricy or cheaper at weekends etc

photos together, as many as possible, preferably with date burned on electronically, if not write date and place on back or on photocopy. no data sticks or dvds.

Can I just confirm who had the job offer the sponsor or the one applying for the visa?

If it is the sponsor then surely the ECO would NOT pass the spouse's visa if the sponsor was only working part time in a shop? I thought the job had to be a full time job or a job which covers the minimum income which the government says that the family should live on?

i don't think i said it was a part time job. I simply know that the sponser was offered a job (not even sure it was a real job but they could confirm it was real business, callable phone numbers etc and i guess he could have taken it if needed) and the guy who was a friend of his folks owned some shops or maybe an amusment arcade, not sure now, it could have been cashier or manager position, i don't know but yes i assume it was a liveable income. all i'm saying is that an offer of a checkable job is much more concrete evidence than unstarted selfemployment, the ECO need certainty not hopes, however promising. i don't see why the applyee couldn't have a job lined up too, my wife was offered work in a restraunt while she was visiting the UK and we could use that as potential future income too.

Bellboy, Leafmould is asking about the New English language requirement for visa applicants coming to join partners in the UK, which came into effect on 29th November last. This must be satisfied before submitting the initial visa application, and evidence of this must be submitted with the application.

The test for ILR/ILE is Knowledge of language and life in the UK. This can only be taken in the UK.

yup, thats right.

thanks bellboy but different thing, she's only doing for the settlement not the ILR yet, so not in the UK.

that sounds good bangkockney, seems the printed online report will do, yes we got that in 12 days but ETS website says for the posted report- "Allow 7 – 10 days for mail delivery in the United States and more than four weeks for other areas. We recommend that you take the test two to three months before your earliest application deadline." !

i don't like the way TOEFL was done, she could only use the ฿3 pencil provided to take notes and if it broke during the 15 seconds allowed listening you could only put your hand up and wait to be given another, she also couldnt hear the passages easily because of other folk nattering away very close, not so good, seems the smaller operations that have been closed down may have been better!

hi returnee

all the above very good advice. also could you not get any friends, family, friends of family etc in the UK to give you a letter offering you a job? my cousin's wife got her settlement visa in 2 days with only 4000UK in the bank, and a job offer, it was only shop work i think and he has a teaching degree so he had no intention of taking that job but it worked, they were going to stay at their folks too and had two kids, a real job offer will improve chances loads, i'm about to apply with only 3000 in bank but have two (real) job offers as i was just working in uk and am reasonably hopeful. good luck

hi guys

my wife just got the online results for the toefl test, ok thankfully but the score page doesn't really look like a certificate, the border agency asks for a test certificate. i called toefl in usa and they post out the results but it takes 4/5 weeks! and they say they don't provide a cert either, only a list of scores, probably same as online. we don't want to wait another month to apply. The question is does anyone know if the printout will be ok? i guess we can explain and if thats all they provide i assume it should be ok but i never assume stuff about them folks

cheers

Your guess is correct, there will not be a problem.

Be aware, though, that this is a busy time of year for visa applications and settlement ones can take up to three months to process. During this time her passport will be with the application at the embassy, so she obviously will not be able to use any remaining time on the visit visa.

thanks 7by7,

not good news about the 3 month wait, i was hoping everybody tried to do it before the price went up, ce la vie.

good point about the passport, we wern't planning a trip to Uk but maybe to malaysia, we'll check if she can get there with only ID card or something

hi guys

Does anyone know if there would be a problem applying for a UK settlment visa while the UK family visit visa is still usable?

my wife got the 6 month visit visa in november and visited me in the UK for 6 weeks over christmas but we are about to apply for the settlement visa and its still usable, i guess there's no problem but....?

i think they only show available appointments for the following week - and no further in advance. If you want an appointment for the middle or end of May - you will have to wait, but keep checking every day.

my wife says when she booked end of last year she could book weeks in advance, of course that could have changed.

i hope it's possible to just turn up after 2nd still or more become available as we were hoping to go apply next week too.

Last 12 months strangest weather I can ever remember - more flooding in more counties - bit like planet is peed off -very sorry for folks in trouble

The Mayan calender predicts that the world will end by 2012 so enjoy what we have left

i agree with reason, in fact i've had bollokings recently on facebook for sugesting that the shit people are facing maybe is karma because man is acting like a parasite on earth rather than in harmony with it. i do realise that even if you live in harmony, floods tsunamis earthquakes still affect us but we are probably just a bit more mai pen rai, maybe.

but pingman, the mayan calender only ends its cycle in 2012 as its finite and not perpetual, just like a clock hitting midnight, its not the end just another cycle. it is also only a calender, it does not predict anything, let alone doomsday, it is supposed to be a bit like astrology though, good and bad days etc. besides if the shit hits, the world will not end, only most larger life forms, mai pen rai ??

deepest sympathys to all those affected though, lets hope for a bit more harmony for all

Oh, my! And that on top of locally-grown veggies contaminated with all sorts of chemicals, hormone-infused pork and chicken, a generous dose of MSG in practically every bowl of noodle soup (and other dishes as well, mind you) and wonderfully healthy Kr***y Kr**e doughnuts and other trendy foods? Soon an entire nation will be sterile because of those potatos, I am certain.

nowt wrong with Kr###y Kr##e (aparently), they recently won an award for best fresh food shop in milton keynes where i'm working at present. !!! not only amazing thailand but amazing MK too

but its food stored in plastic, especially water and oily food that will turn us sterile, i hear it increases the levels of estrogen in men and women, ie no sperm, all the other crap just turns us spiritually sterile, as well as sick

"There is no specific minimum amount of money required; simply enough to live on in the UK without the need for public funds. If this can be covered from income then there is no need for any money in the bank at all. See the maintenance and accommodation link in my previous post".

this is very interesting to me, i have been fretting about how much i need in the bank for my wife to successfully get a uk settlment visa, i am in the uk at present and working and would love to put the application in asap so maybe letters from present employer and future (i have a better job lined up in july) and a couple of thousand pound in the bank sounds like it would work, is there any known cases of "no money in the bank at all" being ok? as maybe i get back to siam right now until july partly because the present job is about to end (construction and buiding is nearly finished) and i don't want a break in work record screwing things up. i figure a trip back to see her and to help her with english test, visa application and comfort after her fearing the earthquakes might be a reasonable break,

on one of my first trips to thailand 7/8 year ago i took a short cut through a jewish shop to the alleys behind koh san rd and to my suprise and delight ( to see tradition and freedom, not a free show) there was a couple of middle aged plump ladies in only sarong up to the waist going around quite naturally and casual, in many early 20th and late 19th century photos many women are topless and natural on the streeet at market etc etc so when folk say covered is culture that is BS it's just modern day fashion and prudes the farang topless on the beach are bringing back true thai culture and should be welcomed and applauded by right minded thai and farang alike, i have been told that unmarried girls covered up but after marrage was ok.

i've heard that in india the small blouse that women wear with saris was only introduced when muslim influence became stronger there, the burka and veils are to stop the men getting too exited muslim men have told me, shame they can't control themselves and we could all have a bit more freedom

If the Burmese don't like, they can always go home. The law does not prevent them to leave Thailand.

If that was your country there would be outrage.

More's the pity when I've seen what the 'immigrants' have done to the construction industry in the UK.

Wake up and smell the coffee...

yes wake up and smell the coffee,

borders were created by the rulers and maintained to keep parts of the world and different people poor, while making themselves - themselves! not thier own people, rich, if thier own people won't work for low pay like the engish did during and before the industrial revolution they would get others in like the irish navis in victorian england, the indians in the 60's, the poles and romanians recently, even if it meant changing imigration laws and bugerin up the working classes lives. the only long term solution to economic migration is that wherever you are in the world you will get the same wage for the same work and only have natural boundaries, then people will only travel and move if they really want to not because they starve at home even while business men make billions by sending food elsewhere etc. utopia perhaps but it has to happen eventualy but say goodbye to cheap holidays in third world countries, we see it start happen in LOS as it did in spain etc.

by the way i do work in construction in uk and i know it sucks but it's the "leaders" making this mess and when the romanians etc can have a fair wage in romania, ( i have worked in construction in romania too so i know they get/got survival wages) most will go and if it means fareness for everone it must be good, after all we like thailand among other things because of the buddhist view of compassion don't we?

Just been reading about more evil employers- foxconn, a taiwanese firm employing mainly migrant country folk in china, low wage, long hours, unpaid disapline meetings, beatings, humiliation, forced school kid 'interns', lots of suicides recently, they make apple stuff, HP, dell, sony etc etc, they could learn some from the burmese no shit taking attitude, these businesses make billiones from hard working honest folk and probably fiddle the taxes as well. best of luck to the burmese and hope the chinese get some balls and hope some posters and thais and everyone get some more compassion

although when i went to hull to get mine i said i was visiting friends, i noticed from the regulations posted on the walls that you can not legally participate in any type of courses (thai language, mai thai, massage, cooking etc) however short on a tourist visa, so you should apply for a non immigrant type O if you intended to do these, this is not full time study so could not get student visa, i guess you would need letter or info of course and of course this could have changed but it's worth a check with them,

i tend to rent places after i get there so dont have rental agreement or tabian ban copy in advance

"only a fool breaks the two second rule"

we got the visa no problems. she had appointment for monday morn 22nd but arrive early so did it first thing, had text to inform was proccessed and sent to courier wednesday afternoon, it arrive chiang mai thursday 25th morning. probably smooth because of researching this forum, thanks guys :jap: we didn't even use the letters from students folks

I think some of her students parents are quite high up police, maybe we can get letters stating her intention to return from them, when in thailand do as the thais do

Yes it will be a uk family visit visa.

the only physical things to return to, apart from family, are rented apartment, rented shop, motorcycle, washing machine, i know not much, the landlady of the shop can say she has many thai students who study with her (her ocupation) and she will state that she needs to return to continue teaching, alas no other documents of employment, i think the main thing that we can say is that we hope for her to eventually settle in the uk and work in medical field and in no way do we want to jepardise that application

the reason we hope to get her here so soon for christmas is i we both will have free time, not sure when again.

Hi Guys,

I'm looking for some info about getting a visitors visa for my thai wife to come to visit me for 3 weeks at christmas in the uk.

we have been together nearly a year, (actually a year tomorrow, i'm glad i remembered that !) we lived together with joint names on tennant agreament since february, married late august a few weeks before i came back to uk to work to support us, cos i was cr#p at teaching english in thailand, i admit we married so it would better for her to come into the uk in the future but also to give her some security while i was away and because i knew "she was the one" (i have been in Thailand about half the time since 2002 so not too naive, but you do learn somting new every day, eh?).

we have quite alot of evidence of partnership and she keeps renting her appartment and separate shop in chiang mai so i hope that would be enough proof to return but because i was in Thailand for almost a year i nearly spent all the cash i had and only started working since mid september and have little savings yet because of getting sorted again - car, bills etc. although she works self employed as a private tutor and would have the cash for the plane ticket and visa, i would sponser and support her while here,

we would like to know how much cash i would need to show to imigration before applying and it being succesful, basically how soon she can apply? cos we would like to book tickets and make plans. i take home about 500 english a week and by christmas will have enough no problem, is that ok for them with a letter of proof from boss and some payslips up to now? would it be better to borrow a couple of grand from a friend long term to stick in the bank to show them? any other advice?

many thanks

phil n som

i dropped by the thai consulate in hull, uk, last week, chatted with the receptionist about the visa rules and got a 1 year multiple entry non imigrant type O in about 20 minutes, thats 4, 3 month, back to back.

i get this a lot with thais here and in siam, treat them with respect, follow the rules, be friendly and alls well, whatever you do, don't think of them as fat, arrogant and stupid or they will give you the respect you deserve, i.e. none.

wether its because of the tonal languague or less cluttered minds i often think thai folk know what we're thinking better than we know ourselves, be aware!

the bumf says a tourist visa is for visits for tourism, if you want to visit friends, make an extended visit even to do scuba course or thai boxing etc you need type 0 non imigrant visa.

i also have 5 fine stamps for overstay- mai pen rai