killblues

Hi, Can anyone tell me if it’s possible for my wife to renew her Thai driving license whilst in the UK or would she have to do it in Thailand ? She’s just moved here and can legally drive on it for 12 months before needing to pass a UK test but unfortunately her license runs out in December of this year. 
 

Thanks 

Hi all, 

submitted all the documents for my wife’s uk settlement visa application a few weeks ago but we’ve been struggling to get an appointment for her biometrics . Finally got one today for March 18th. Can anyone tell me the average waiting time for a decision once the biometrics are done or is that just like asking the length of a piece of string ? 
 

thanks 

On 2/5/2024 at 11:58 PM, rasg said:

Surely if you leave it a week or two the date of the statement you are after will be a historical statement?  I find it hard to believe a bank could charge you a months interest just so you can find out how much cash you have in your account. I bank with Santander, Nationwide and First Direct and I can download statements with all of my details at the top and the logo any time I want to. I have done for numerous visas. The statements are identical to those they used to post to me until I ticked the box to "save the planet".

To wait a couple of weeks would indeed make it a historical statement but I’d still have to make a withdrawal to trigger it. I too have several accounts that I can print statements for free of charge but unfortunately they don’t pay as high an interest rate as the one my savings are in hence the terms and conditions that state that any month where a withdrawal is made will not accrue any interest.

11 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

Are you absolutely sure you've explored all download options? I can either download a plain sheet or a full copy with the bank Logo etc (subject to installing the correct programme to open the file).  I'm also pretty sure that my branch manager would happliy give me a letter confirming my downloaded statements are genuine and accurate for a fraction of £190.

Thanks but yes , I’m sure I’ve explored all options. It’s not downloading the statements that’s the issue (I can print or save historical statements) it’s the fact that if I want to trigger an up to date one then I have to make a withdrawal/lose a months interest. The only other option is to take a screen print but doing so doesn’t show my name on the printout (sorry, I probably didn’t make that clear in my o.p.) 

7 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

Surely your bank will allow a downloaded PDF account statement without charge. My Bank (Lloyds) offers a couple of choices for downloads. One seems to have full name, address and account info. Are you using a savings account? Hard to beleive they can get away with charging you £190 for a statement. Beauty of PDFs is that they can show colour logos and retain formatting same as a maled statement. This is what I used for a sucssessful UK Visit Visa application last year using current account statements.

 

I’m using a savings account , the only way to trigger a statement is to make a withdrawal but any time you make a withdrawal you don’t get interest for that month which in this case would amount to around £190. I think I’ll just have to suck it up. 

Hi all, 

My wife will be applying for a UK spouse visa soon. We’re going down the route of using proof of savings of £62,500 which needs  to be in my bank for 6 months before she can apply. My question is do the bank statements I supply need to be the original  statements supplied by the bank or will an online print off suffice ? The issue is that the online print off only shows my account number and not my name. Does anyone have experience of this ? 
 

I know it’s easy to to order a statement  but it costs me a months interest to do so ! (£190) 
 

Thanks 

9 minutes ago, Tony M said:

Just click "no".  I have no idea why the question is on the form (except when someone is returning from overseas employment to the the UK).  I have assisted in several "settlement" applications,, and answered "no" in all, with no problem. If you are concerned, then put your own explanantion in the section for extra information, and, at the same time, inform them that the  question serves no obvious purpose.  Don't worry about putting "no", as it can not be a reason to refuse the application.

Thanks , I’ll do that 👍

15 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

Me too. I hope you can get it sorted.   Perhaps contact a UK based Immigration specialist? 

Thanks , I’ll do that if I can’t figure it out 👍 

21 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

Have you recently filled in a Tax return, giving a Thai address? How about bank details or even some money transfer information, supporting your wife? Can't  think of anything else. 

Nothing like that as far as I know. I was only in Thailand for 8 months and had no dealings with hmrc in that time other than the freedom to marry certification. I’ve been back over the application 3 times now and there’s nothing in the there that would lead them to believe Im not in the UK. In fact there are several answers that show that I AM in the uk! Seriously confused 🤪
 

4 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

Not sure how you answered the other questions on the form, but presumably you have told them that you were living out of the country, or at least given the impression on the form, that you are not in the UK,  which would prompt that question.  I guess that you need to complete the form as a UK resident  already living in the UK . 

Thanks , I did consider that possibility but have been back over the application and can’t see anything that would lead to that conclusion. I’ll check again though. 

Hi all,  I’m currently helping my Thai wife apply for a spouse visa to join me in the uk permanently . 
 

One of the questions asks if I have a “confirmed offer of employment in the UK starting within 3 months of my return”. 
 

I don’t understand how to answer this as I’m already in the UK (I returned from Thailand 6 months ago) and have been working since August. I tried to put in the date that I started work but it requires a date in the future. 
 

Has anyone else had this issue and if so how did you answer or work around it ? 
 

Thanks 

Hi all, maybe a daft question but I just want to check - can my wife apply for a uk settlement visa whilst she still has an in-date 6 months visitors visa or would she have to wait until the end date of the visitors visa ? 

Thanks. 

Hi all,

I have just returned to the UK after 9 months in Thailand , my Thai wife intends to apply for a spouse visa to follow me in six months as soon as we can meet the financial requirements through having the £62,500 cash savings in a bank under my control for 6 months as per the gov uk website (as neither of us has been in employment during the last 12 months) . My question is does anyone know if the account the money is held in could be a joint account held between myself and a family member that is lending me the money or does it need to be in my name only ? 
 

Thankyou. 

Hi all,  I plan to marry my tgf in the near future , I was previously married to a Thai although we are now divorced , we were married and divorced in Thailand. I have been looking at the gov.uk website to find info on how to get the “freedom to marry” confirmation from the UK embassy and it states that if you have been married previously you must provide a copy of the “decree absolute” issued in the uk. Obviously I don’t have one of those as I got divorced in Thailand. Can anyone tell me if my Thai divorce certificate (I have a copy in english) will suffice ? 
 

Thankyou. 

Hi, I’m a  uk citizen . Applied for a 60 day tourist visa on April 1st entering Thailand 12 April. I was asked for an extra document which I emailed to the Thai embassy in London on April 5. At 16:59 today uk time I received an email from the embassy saying my application has been rejected as I need to be in the uk when I apply . I am in the UK and have been since I applied !!!!

My flight leaves before the embassy reopens at 9am so I’m going to have to enter visa free but does anyone know if I can appeal against this once I get to Thailand or am I just going to have to suck it up even though it’s their mistake ? 
 

Thanks 

9 minutes ago, Tony M said:

Still too many unknowns and variables.  At it's most basic, the requirement is to have an income, from salaried employment, of at least 18,600 GBP a year.  That annual income can be calculated on an "annualisation" of the 6 months income prior to the date of application. And you must be employed at the date of application.  After that basic qualification, it can get complicated. In theory, you could qualify on just one month's income, if you earned 18,600 GBP in the month prior to the date of application. None of this helps you, though. If you go back to UK, and get a salaried job, then you are probably looking at 6 months minimum employment at a minumum 1500 GBP a month basic salary level.

 

Re your gilrfriend's house. It cannot, as it stands, be used towards meeting the income requirement, but could possibly be used as cash savings if she is willing to sell it. You can PM me about that, if you wish.

 

Re your previous self-employment,  The tax year ending April 2022 is not, now, the most recent tax year. The last full tax year is now 2022/2023.  Had you applied a couple of weeks ago, you might have been able to meet the requirements. But, again, that would depend on whether you were a sole trader or a company director.

 

The above is very basic, as it can be complicated. I hope I haven't confused you too much.

 

Thanks for that , very clear and concise and very much appreciated.  
 

Just one more question - would it be possible for my parents to act as a sponsor ? They have a mortgage free home with plenty of space , are both retired but have savings in the bank. 
 

Thanks again. 

On 4/8/2023 at 6:03 AM, Tony M said:

Ignore the totally unhelpful advice from  KannikaP above.  You haven't really given anywhere near enough information for anyone to be able to offer help. You can either post more detailed information of your financial position, or PM me for assistance.

Thanks Tony , I will have around £20k of savings so it seems that would not be enough. I didn’t phrase the last part of my question well, what I meant was how long would I need to be in employment to meet the requirements ? ie would I need to show so many months payslips or would the fact that I can prove I have a full time job suffice ?  
 

My gf has a house in Thailand in her name worth around 2 million baht . Could that help at all ? 
 

Another thought  has just sprung to mind - I was self employed up until May 2022 therefore my most recent tax return posted posted in January of this year would show that I met the earnings requirement for the most recent full tax year. If I showed that would that work or would  they also need payslips from the current tax year ?
 

Thanks 

Hi, my fiancée and I intend to marry soon and we want to live together in the UK. I have been in Thailand for the last 6 months and haven’t worked for almost a year therefore won’t be able to show payslips until I return to UK and gain employment. I have money in my bank and have been making money from an investment for the last 4 months  in Thailand (does this help towards the financial requirement or would I need to be in employment?)  Can anyone tell me how long I would need to be in employment in order to meet the financial requirements for a spouse visa to be issued ? 
 

Thanks 

Hi all, I’m currently in the UK applying for a 60 day single entry tourist visa with a view to applying for a “retirement” visa once in Thailand and just wondered if anyone can clear a couple of things up for me with regards to the online application form. 
 

1 - With regards to the proof of accommodation in Thailand requirement - I currently have a six month lease on a condo in bkk but unfortunately I don’t have a copy of the contract here with me to download. If I were to book a hotel just for one night on the date of my arrival and download the booking would that suffice ? 
 

2 - I don’t work anymore as I earn a living from an investment in Thailand , the application asks for a confirmation letter from employer,school,self assessment or pension statement. Non of these apply to me although I do have an old self assessment statement from April ‘22 . Would this suffice or if not can anyone suggest how to get around this ? 
 

3 - “Applicant for evisa via specific embassy/consulate confirming with his/her consular jurisdiction and residency. Applicant is required to upload document that can verify his/her current residency.”

Does this mean that they just want proof of my UK address eg phone bill or similar ? 
 

Thanks 

Hi, I plan on applying for a “retirement” visa in the near future. I’m currently in the UK for the next  two weeks and will be returning to Bangkok after that. Can anyone tell me if there are any advantages or disadvantages to applying from the UK or waiting until I am back in Thailand ? Does anyone know roughly how long a decision would take if I were to apply in the UK ? ie would the two weeks I’m planning to be here be enough time ? 
 

Thanks 

18 minutes ago, problemfarang said:

im also divorced. I used an agency to stay on my non-o marriage extension. My ex-wife and i didnt go to the immigration and cancelled my non-o. 

 

later i left the country after covid. I came back with a non-b visa because im working. went to the changwattana IO for my new non-b extension. Everything was ok TILL officer noticed my old non-o without cancelling it getting a new non-b. Immediately she asked me my wife's Id and our marriage certificate. I was s hitting myself. i thought game over. 

 

then i told her i dont have with them. she asked me if i have copy of them. luckily i had in my phone. went to copy shop. she took all the copies then i asked her if i need them again for my next extension she said no she wanted them to CONNECT and LINK my new visa. she also told me actually SHE should be with me here but she said its ok. i trully believe she let me go because i was talking to her in thai and very nicely because she said i look like a good man. simply she just let me go... i was lucky no question.

 

so what ever you do from now on they will ask about your ex non-o marriage visa. because you didnt cancelled it visa immigration. i hope you will be lucky as i was. If you will marry again that will be a 100% problem for you. they will ask for your divorce papers.. and they will see the date on it and your date on non-o visa... that will be a problem.

 

i suggest you to leave the country and come back with a TR visa. OR go to immigration and report.

 

PS: your lawyer is right but he is dead wrong. yes, you can stay but like i said it will create more problems in the future and you might not be lucky as i was. dont listen to him about this

A lucky escape mate , thanks for sharing that. I was told that as I’m on the 90 day and not an extension that it would be ok but if anyone else on here can clarify this it would be a great help ????????