Mercury

Most of the shops which stock Thai goods are either Chinese in origin, as in Chinatown in London or generalists which stock items from a number of Asian cultures. There aren't enough Thais to warrant a specific Thai shop in many places.

As ever, if completely stuck for ideas, a trip to a Thai restaurant should yield some information.

The figures released by the UKBA for Bangkok are just lies, pure and simple. We have the empirical evidence to show that they are lies right here in this thread.

Even worse than their claim to process 100% in 60 days is their outlandish claim to process 67% in 30 days. Our evidence is 1 person under 6 weeks and an every increasing average. Perhaps they actually mean the time taken after they dust it off, not the months it sits waiting for them to start processing it ?

Really, with all our visa fees rolling in, you'd think someone with half a brain would put out figures which even resemble the truth. The current (and most likely past) figures are a work of pure fiction.

I would agree about sorting debts out, one way or another, but no debt plan can leave you with less than the minimum the law states a person or couple needs to survive on and we once again come back to UK benefit levels. If there is no official debt repayment plan in place then it is immaterial as there is no reason to disclose it and if it is in place then it must allow more free money than benefits, which meets the minimum income levels.

Any applicant would be best advised to have two accounts, one where money comes in and simple bills such as rent and council tax are paid from and another undeclared account where all the dirty washing goes on. Not rocket science.

I have been checking direct flight reguarly in the hope that my Fiancee get her visa very soon. The cheapest direct one way flights are with with EVA Air at about 20,000.00 Baht.

Good luck

I think you'll find that is most likely before taxes. BA before taxes is 21k and around 27k after taxes are included.

Waiting times have increased from around 6 or 7 weeks a few months ago to around 9 or 10 weeks now and they appear to be rising still. In the waiting thread, the last two people to get their visas were both over the 10 week mark.

Is there a reason for the delay ? No, not when they are processing tourist visas much quicker. However, tourist visas require very little justification for their small fee. If you got your settlement visa back the next day you would be arguing how on earth it cost Bt32,000 !

Though we have yet to receive a reply at 9 weeks and counting, all our photographic evidence, over numerous years, was presented as colour photos on A4 paper with very brief commentary such as "Christmas 2006 at home in Bangkok". We put about 6 photos on each page (you can move the margins to accommodate larger photos and resize photos simply by dragging them) in a MS Word document. They were printed out in colour on a laser printer (don't use an ink jet). It was also a simple exercise to include a copy. In fact, we included copies of everything, clearly identifying which was the original and which was the copy.

Good advice on planning and taking your time. We have thousands of photos and picking perhaps 20 pages and around 100 photos over many years was our decision. 100 photos of last week in a bar in Phuket is not what it is about, rather 20 photos over 2 years. They are not looking for your photography skills but merely ascertaining the depth and length of your relationship. For that, printed on paper seems to easily qualify and successful applicants can attest to that.

..Your debts wont go away if you ignore them; the last thing you want is a batch of CCJs hanging over your head in two years time when your wife is applying for her Indefinite Leave to Remain!

Why would his debts have any bearing on his wife's application for ILR ? Her debts perhaps, though I am not sure even that would be significant unless extreme, but his debts ?

I've been looking at flights and BA are very competitive for one way at the moment. Adult and child all inclusive one way for THB47,845.00 checked this morning and good out to 24th September (furthest I checked).

Indirect could be cheaper but if we get our visa, it is easiest for mother and child to fly direct by themselves (both flown long haul a few times before) and they are already in Bangkok which I accept makes matters much easier as well.

I'd check BA for returns as well if you are so inclined. Best of luck.

I'll happily queue jump. SMS on Monday please.

Try Addies Cafe in Earls Court. Can cater to western Thai taste but can equally cater to authentic Thai style and off menu items. http://www.addiesthai.co.uk/ Been using it when in London for 15 years.

They say it takes up to 12 weeks, so just approach it with the assumption that it will take 12 weeks!

I'd love to get it back before then, but its an unknown - whereas 12 weeks you will know either way.

Good luck to you all.

I don't think there is any guarantee that all will be completed within 12 weeks. If they could guarantee such a turn around, then they could equally guarantee any other time period, once any backlog was cleared. They could do it in 2 weeks if they so wished for many cases. There is certainly no reason why anything takes 12 weeks or indeed even half that time, if, a big if, it is being worked on.

However, the average from data obtained from people here has risen over the last couple of months from around 6 or 7 weeks to over 9 weeks and I suspect we will see that rise further towards this 12 week period during which they should have completed the process. I understand that it is also the 12 week period after which they will entertain questions on just how much dust is gathering on your application !

You are required by law to claim Tax Credits as a couple and as such the issue of her being subject to immigration control does not apply. There is some information here with links to the relevant authorities

My understanding is that Council Tax Benefit is a means tested benefit, unrelated to any work related benefits claim. If the OP were unemployed, he would qualify for a 2 bed LHA and Housing Benefit / LHA which would include full Council Tax Benefit.

Similarly, if the OP were on a low wage, it would be his income, not his entitlement to benefits, which dictated the amount of Council Tax Benefit he could claim. As a student, he may be able to claim Housing Benefit as well but levels of grant, the type of course etc. would all need to be taken into account.

Where there is a grey area, perhaps not legally but certainly on the standardised claim forms, is the issue of having a partner. He does have a partner but that partner is not relevant to many claims (Tax Credits) and is unable to join in some claims, such as Child Benefit. I would advise the OP to investigate how he wishes to put forward his claim, though finding a way to declare a partner whilst not confusing the paper shufflers in local government is going to be the easiest way.

Just picked up some regular Thai stuff from Asda, not online, but in their World Food section. More and more places have stuff. Chinatown can be expensive but you don't buy fish sauce every day. Thai rice available in decent quantities (I buy 25kg at a go) at foreign supermarkets. Also, if you have some form of garden, you can grow stuff, though you may need a greenhouse.

If we have to wait much longer it will prove quicker to get a Thai passport for us !

So there you have it. No explanation of what "work" the company could possibly have done, even in such a short period as 24 hours, to justify refusing a refund, even in part. Quite what work could justify a fee of £650 I do not know but fools and their money are often easily parted.

Stitched up ? £650 for a form ? sure but caveat emptor and in the world of visa agents, doubly so.

Thanks for all your thoughts, invaluable. To answer your questions, one always leads to another. We will look to buy a house in about 12-18 months time so that should tick a few boxes, she also has a shop where she sells fruit and I have a house in the UK where my children live,so, would be there most of the time with maybe a swary down to Cornwall and Dorset to see and stay with friends, no hotels envisaged. So I will look at the site requirements in due course and see what documents we will need then its off to the ECO who we need to satisfy we will be back( in my best ARNIE} and that should be OK. Just need to do the costings.

Again, thanks for your time and efforts it is most appreciated:D

Any intention to do something which could help has to be largely if not wholly disregarded. I could say that I was going to inherit a gazillion dollars in a month but it would have no merit. Showing the funds with which you would be able to buy a house would have merit but only as a value of assets, not as suitable accommodation.

She may well have a shop where she sells fruit but unless she has a company, a lease, audited accounts etc. then I could also say I have a shop selling fruit.

I understand your points on accommodation but I am guessing you will possibly need to furnish proof, such as letters from these friends, outlining dates perhaps but certainly offering you accommodation.

Airfares from Thailand vary a lot and indirect is nearly always cheaper. A good resource online for indicative rates, updated weekly is http://www.massictravel.net/promofares/?EUROPE The current cheapest seems to be Jet Airways (also check their website) at around Bt21k plus taxes so about Bt28k all in I suspect. OK, not the best, but fine.

Another thing I might consider would be to be economical with the truth, to a minor degree and without her knowledge (as she would be the one interviewed). If you are challenged financially a little, then saying you are going for 2 weeks when you are really going for a month would reduce any funds required once in the UK. I do say not to tell her, at all, and as you would not book your tickets until you receive the visa, you could simply have changed your mind. I would not stay 6 months, but a week or two on an original 2 week stay or a month extra on an intended 3 month stay would hardly matter. No-one but you would ever know.

I don't have all the answers and you may not require a cast iron application to succeed, but if you have a more complete and thought out application, it cannot do anything but assist your chances.

You can see the stress levels rising with each passing hour here !

Instead of them sitting on the application (check yours for dust when returned), I'd happily pay more to get it to the front of the queue. When I work out what it has actually cost in supporting a second household for these intervening (and as yet unquantified months), even a significant premium would have been welcome !

My thoughts are that the easier you make it for them to decide then the more chance you have. Thus, if you have your own house, paid for, and therefore have no accommodation costs, that part of the equation is sorted. If you are intending to stay in mid range hotels around the country, then £50 to £100 a night simply for accommodation costs could be in order. Intending to stay with a multitude of friends over many weeks with limited funds would possibly raise their eyebrows and even if you had evidence that all these friends would let you stay free, it makes for a messy application and I think that introduces doubt.

To travel to the UK from Thailand needs about £1000 for airfares and even without accommodation costs, another £200 plus a week just for basic sustenance. Add other bits and pieces and you soon rack up quite a cost, a cost you have to prove you can pay.

As you are in Thailand and she has no job (that I can see) the burden would be purely on you. However, as noted above, you do need to show a valid reason for her to return, irrespective of your decision. A life together, your job or business in Thailand, cash in the bank, income proof and if available something which would show her need or desire to return would go a long way to proving your bona fides.

Congratulations. At your time period, we've another 2 weeks plus. Bugger !

Dump this clown of an agent. You don't need one.

You don't actually believe they look at the applications for months do you ? And even when they do, they do not need any passports, as you will have provided them with copies. The only 2 minute period they actually need your passport is to put the visa in. However, they will undoubtedly have a myriad of unfathomable rules.

On a practical note, cannot Thais simply get two passports as UK people can ?

No reason to have the waiting time extended. Then again, no reason to make people wait so long at all. All a big con to try and explain away the huge fees.

Say the worst happens and your settlement visa is rejected, what can you do ?

Appeal, and waiting months is hardly a viable alternative in my case, though it obviously remains the absolute fall back position. But can you do anything before then, to address the issue in Thailand, to counter their decision, to appeal in Thailand so to speak ? If so, what can you do and are there time periods ?

I don't like to think negatively but I am sure that many who hope for the best could do with an update on the options available should the worst happen.

We're at the 6 1/2 week stage in the waiting process for our UK settlement visa decision. Whilst I think we have a very strong case and I do not fear rejection, I want to ask opinions on whether you can and indeed whether it is worthwhile submitting additional documents which strengthen your position.

Specifically I have been longer in employment and have far more funds on deposit. When we applied I had only received a few salary payments, though luckily, I am remunerated very well and have included my contract of employment and much financial paperwork. I could now add additional bank statements showing all salaries received since the application was made.

I do not believe they have even begun to look at our application. In fact, I am partially convinced that one reason why they make you wait so long is to justify the huge fees they charge. Imagine if they returned it after only a couple of days, as they do with low fee tourist visa applications; people would seriously question why they charged so much.

So my first question is whether you can actually submit additional documents. Secondly, I ask whether it would be a good idea. Additionally, if you can submit documents, forcing them to get your file out from under the gathering dust could perhaps make them look at it and grant your visa without further undue delay.

Any thoughts ?