GF submitting UK tourist visa application

[Stevetaylor123]

Just worrying a little that she has everything she needs to ensure this goes smoothly. 

 

• sponsor letter detailing the relationship and all the time I’ve spent here (3 out of the last six months since we met) and a copy of my data page and pages with stamps of my passport.  Also detailing that I will be supporting her and a brief explanation of the source of my funds 
• Bank statements for the last 3 months showing I’ve got the funds to financially support her visit as per the application
• A copy of my title deeds for the address where we’ll be staying 
• A letter from her employer stating she has worked there for two years and they’re happy for her to go during the dates we’ve put down on the application
• A translated copy of her daughters birth certificate (no idea if this is necessary) 
• A brief letter from her detailing why she wants to visit, explaining she has a daughter and family she supports and a job to return to

 

Is there anything else we need? Does she need to supply her own bank statements if I’m footing the bill? 

 

Very grateful for any help!

 

Edited July 23, 2018 by Stevetaylor123

[rasg]

6 hours ago, Stevetaylor123 said:

Just worrying a little that she has everything she needs to ensure this goes smoothly. 

 

• sponsor letter detailing the relationship and all the time I’ve spent here (3 out of the last six months since we met) and a copy of my data page and pages with stamps of my passport.  Also detailing that I will be supporting her and a brief explanation of the source of my funds 
• Bank statements for the last 3 months showing I’ve got the funds to financially support her visit as per the application
• A copy of my title deeds for the address where we’ll be staying 
• A letter from her employer stating she has worked there for two years and they’re happy for her to go during the dates we’ve put down on the application
• A translated copy of her daughters birth certificate (no idea if this is necessary) 
• A brief letter from her detailing why she wants to visit, explaining she has a daughter and family she supports and a job to return to

 

Is there anything else we need? Does she need to supply her own bank statements if I’m footing the bill? 

 

Very grateful for any help!

You don't need a copy of her daughter's birth certificate. So many Thai women work away from home, having a daughter is not really regarded as a reason for her to return to Thailand but it's also good to explain who will look after her while she is away. 

 

You are better off not supplying her bank statements if you can avoid it. Many visa applications have been picked apart and refused when UKVI see money has been put into an applicant's account to "make things look better". So many do it on the advice of Thai "friends" and it's a great way to get a visa refused. For my GF I simply said that she was paid cash each month and it was paid out in rent and money home so it never saw her bank account.

 

I supplied my mortgage statement for my GF's's application. The letter from her employer is critical and they are likely to get a call from UKVI to confirm details. If the letter is in Thai, the ECO will expect to speak to them in Thai. If the letter is in English the ECO will speak in English.

 

If they call your GF she needs to know the contents of her application and basic details of your relationship. Your full name, your birthday, the date you met etc. I wrote a "cheatsheet" for my GF and she put it in her handbag so she had it to hand if she received a call. She never did and the trick is supply all of the details needed so an ECO has no need to call.

 

I would suggest that you supply whatsapp/facebook/skype chat logs if that is the way you communicate.

 

How long have you requested for her holiday? I wouldn’t recommend requesting any more than month for a first visit visa. As she has only worked for her employer for two years and ECO will be sceptical if you ask for more. Again, so many first time visit visas are refused when applicants request six months. There are not many employers who would agree to a six month holiday after working for them for a couple of years.

 

I also supplied a couple of flight and hotel bookings that we had taken together.

 

Good luck with the application!

[Stevetaylor123]

Thanks for your help.

 

We have put in for 25 days I think it is.  With all the costs and hassle involved i didn’t think any less was really worthwhile.  

 

Is it worth including the certificates she has for a few of her qualifications that are relevant to her job to beef up that aspect of the application?  One of her friends went to Germany and they called her employer and so he is expecting the call this time around too. I will give her the sheet in case they call.

 

I will include the WhatsApp call logs and some of our reservations together.  The three main criteria set out in the sticky post on this page I think we satisfy so hopefully we will be ok. 

 

Her bank statements might not look great as I’ve topped it up a few times and whilst for good reason as it was to pay the rent on the apartment we rented (no paperwork to support this ) as she shares a room normally I can see how it can look to the ECO.

 

One last question, on the vfs site it says they can copy documents for you for a fee.  Can this only be done on the day or can we go the day before say so we’re all organised and get these copied?  If not, is there anywhere local where we can get everything copied in advance, we are staying on soi 11.

 

Thanks again

 

 

[Mattd]

13 hours ago, Stevetaylor123 said:

A letter from her employer stating she has worked there for two years and they’re happy for her to go during the dates we’ve put down on the application

I would make sure that her employer also states that she has a position to return to, this letter from the employer is the most pivotal part of the application, so does need to lend as much weight as possible to the reason for her to return.

[Jip99]

6 hours ago, rasg said:

You don't need a copy of her daughter's birth certificate. 

 

You are better off not supplying her bank statements

 

If they call your GF she needs to know the contents of her application and basic details of your relationship. Your full name, your birthday, the date you met etc. I wrote a "cheatsheet" for my GF 

 

I would suggest that you supply whatsapp/facebook/skype chat logs if that is the way you communicate.

 

  I wouldn’t recommend requesting any more than month for a first visit visa. 

 

Good luck with the application!

 

 

Agree 100%..... the visa will be issued for 6 months anyway..

[metisdead]

Troll posts have been removed. 

 

Flaming posts have been removed. 

[7by7]

 

On 7/24/2018 at 12:43 AM, Stevetaylor123 said:

A letter from her employer stating she has worked there for two years and they’re happy for her to go during the dates we’ve put down on the application

On 7/24/2018 at 2:03 PM, Stevetaylor123 said:

One of her friends went to Germany and they called her employer and so he is expecting the call this time around too

If it is the UK application then they probably will call to verify the letter as most Thais only get 2 weeks holiday at most.

 

If they do call then if the letter is written in English they will expect to speak to the signatory in English and will doubt the letter's authenticity if they are unable to do so.

 

If the letter is written in Thai then they will be happy top speak to her employer in Thai; but, as with all Thai documents, you should include a certified English translation with the application.

 

[Stevetaylor123]

22 hours ago, 7by7 said:

You don't say which country she is applying to.

 

The replies you have received all seem to assume it's the UK; is this correct?

 

If it is the UK application then they probably will call to verify the letter as most Thais only get 2 weeks holiday at most.

 

If they do call then if the letter is written in English they will expect to speak to the signatory in English and will doubt the letter's authenticity if they are unable to do so.

 

If the letter is written in Thai then they will be happy top speak to her employer in Thai; but, as with all Thai documents, you should include a certified English translation with the application.

 

Yes the UK. I have spoken to the bloke and he speaks a respectable level of English.  

 

We’ve just gone through it all and she’s submitted the application now and paid for it so we’ve got the checklist , is the document to show where you live section important in this? She rents a room with a friend, nothing formal and no real paperwork

 

 

The other bit is evidence of family members remaining in your country.  Not sure what evidence you can really provide for this or whether it is important. 

 

Sorry for for all the questions, the missus is refusing to travel to the uk alone and I can’t wait here forever so really want to give this the best possible chance of being successful first time 

 

thanks for all your help so far

[puchooay]

On 7/25/2018 at 12:48 AM, 7by7 said:

You don't say which country she is applying to.

 

The replies you have received all seem to assume it's the UK; is this correct?

 

If it is the UK application then they probably will call to verify the letter as most Thais only get 2 weeks holiday at most.

 

If they do call then if the letter is written in English they will expect to speak to the signatory in English and will doubt the letter's authenticity if they are unable to do so.

 

If the letter is written in Thai then they will be happy top speak to her employer in Thai; but, as with all Thai documents, you should include a certified English translation with the application.

 

There is a question on the application asking what language they would like to speak in case of a phone call. The letter will, of course, be in English as that is the language required .

[Mattd]

26 minutes ago, puchooay said:

There is a question on the application asking what language they would like to speak in case of a phone call. The letter will, of course, be in English as that is the language required .

The language question is applicable to the applicant only not 3rd parties such as the employer.

@7by7 is perfectly correct, if the employer letter is written in English, then they will expect to talk to somebody in English and Thai if it is written in Thai, the disadvantage of being in Thai is that it would have to be translated in to English prior to submitting to VFS.

[revelstone]

My Thai girlfriend was granted a tourist visa in 2013. She had no children, no property and was self-employed (a hairdressing business). She requested 3 months. 

 

I would recommend you include photos of you and her together. I included many taken in different places, including some of her with my mother (who lives in a different country). The key to a successful application is establishing that the relationship is genuine and photos help to do that. The genuine nature of the relationship is in itself reason to return so as not to jeopardise a future visa. I made it clear in my sponsor letter that we both understood this. The photos with my mother were deliberate, as the guidance given to the home office staff explicitly notes (from memory) that meeting family is considered evidence of a genuine relationship, so if you have photos of you with her family then include those as well.

 

I did put money in her account and she did supply her bank statements. The key is that the money needs to be in her account for a minimum of 2 months before she applies for the visa. I made it very clear that I had sent her the money to finance her stay here and that she would be staying with me; the money in her account was for her added security should anything happen to me while she was in the UK. As long as you're not trying to "window dress" and make it seem like she has a higher amount of savings then there should be no issue. Just note explicitly that the money comes from you.

[Pat in Pattaya]

6 hours ago, revelstone said:

My Thai girlfriend was granted a tourist visa in 2013. She had no children, no property and was self-employed (a hairdressing business). She requested 3 months. 

 

I would recommend you include photos of you and her together. I included many taken in different places, including some of her with my mother (who lives in a different country). The key to a successful application is establishing that the relationship is genuine and photos help to do that. The genuine nature of the relationship is in itself reason to return so as not to jeopardise a future visa. I made it clear in my sponsor letter that we both understood this. The photos with my mother were deliberate, as the guidance given to the home office staff explicitly notes (from memory) that meeting family is considered evidence of a genuine relationship, so if you have photos of you with her family then include those as well.

 

I did put money in her account and she did supply her bank statements. The key is that the money needs to be in her account for a minimum of 2 months before she applies for the visa. I made it very clear that I had sent her the money to finance her stay here and that she would be staying with me; the money in her account was for her added security should anything happen to me while she was in the UK. As long as you're not trying to "window dress" and make it seem like she has a higher amount of savings then there should be no issue. Just note explicitly that the money comes from you.

Btw, they state no photos.

Edited July 27, 2018 by theoldgit
Needless comment removed.

[Jip99]

1 hour ago, Pat in Pattaya said:

Btw, they state no photos.

 

 

 

 

 

.... and VfS will refuse to accept them.

 

 

Additionally, I see no reason for a sponsor to 'pad' the applicants account - 2 months before or otherwise. If a sponsor is required, their financial evidence is what is required to satisfy the financial adequacy criteria.

[theoldgit]

6 hours ago, revelstone said:

My Thai girlfriend was granted a tourist visa in 2013. She had no children, no property and was self-employed (a hairdressing business). She requested 3 months. 

 

I would recommend you include photos of you and her together. I included many taken in different places, including some of her with my mother (who lives in a different country). The key to a successful application is establishing that the relationship is genuine and photos help to do that. The genuine nature of the relationship is in itself reason to return so as not to jeopardise a future visa. I made it clear in my sponsor letter that we both understood this. The photos with my mother were deliberate, as the guidance given to the home office staff explicitly notes (from memory) that meeting family is considered evidence of a genuine relationship, so if you have photos of you with her family then include those as well.

 

I did put money in her account and she did supply her bank statements. The key is that the money needs to be in her account for a minimum of 2 months before she applies for the visa. I made it very clear that I had sent her the money to finance her stay here and that she would be staying with me; the money in her account was for her added security should anything happen to me while she was in the UK. As long as you're not trying to "window dress" and make it seem like she has a higher amount of savings then there should be no issue. Just note explicitly that the money comes from you.

Much of this advice is out of date and no longer accurate.

 

Photos are not accepted for visit visas, the advice regarding transferring cash is likely to cause problems, why would you need to send her cash to finance her stay with you?

[rasg]

11 hours ago, revelstone said:

My Thai girlfriend was granted a tourist visa in 2013. She had no children, no property and was self-employed (a hairdressing business). She requested 3 months. 

 

I would recommend you include photos of you and her together. I included many taken in different places, including some of her with my mother (who lives in a different country). The key to a successful application is establishing that the relationship is genuine and photos help to do that. The genuine nature of the relationship is in itself reason to return so as not to jeopardise a future visa. I made it clear in my sponsor letter that we both understood this. The photos with my mother were deliberate, as the guidance given to the home office staff explicitly notes (from memory) that meeting family is considered evidence of a genuine relationship, so if you have photos of you with her family then include those as well.

 

I did put money in her account and she did supply her bank statements. The key is that the money needs to be in her account for a minimum of 2 months before she applies for the visa. I made it very clear that I had sent her the money to finance her stay here and that she would be staying with me; the money in her account was for her added security should anything happen to me while she was in the UK. As long as you're not trying to "window dress" and make it seem like she has a higher amount of savings then there should be no issue. Just note explicitly that the money comes from you. 

As theoldgit has said, a lot of this is well out of date. Who told you that money needed to be in an account for two months?

 

Now UKVI will want to know the source of the funds in her bank account. If you have been padding her account and your GF doesn't earn a lot it will be suggested that she is totally relying on your money and will have no reason to return to Thailand. I sent hundreds of photos of the two of us with her family and us from all around Thailand for my GF's visit visas. They no longer encourage photos at all but I still supply a few. Especially for my wife's settlement visa in 2016.

 

As I mentioned in my first answer, you are better off not supplying bank statements.

 

I mentioned on my GF's first VV that I had given her £100 for coffees and bits and pieces when she flew over on her own.

[revelstone]

6 hours ago, theoldgit said:

Much of this advice is out of date and no longer accurate.

 

Fair enough. Rules do change....I did mention this was 2013. Sorry for the out-dated info.

[Stevetaylor123]

She put the application in today,  we went for the fast track 5 day option as she hasn’t left Thailand before so is refusing to fly to the uk alone.  They suggested it would be longer than 5 days.  

 

Obviously I couldn’t go in and the staff at VFS have no say but she said the person dealing with her said everything looked good.

 

I suppose you can only put in what you have, if they say no we will come back more prepared in the future.  It’s not been easy with me being over here and us only really deciding on this trip a few weeks ago to put everything together but I think we satisfied the criteria at the end of the day so fingers crossed.

[rasg]

5 hours ago, Stevetaylor123 said:

She put the application in today,  we went for the fast track 5 day option as she hasn’t left Thailand before so is refusing to fly to the uk alone.

I totally get why she wouldn’t want to fly here on her own. My girlfriend did back in 2015 but she is quite adventurous and we had flown together a few times within Thailand. I also made sure to book a direct flight. I didn't want her missing a connection and that would have worried her.

 

I doubt the staff as VFS would have a clue whether a visa application is good or not. Only that the various bits and pieces are included in the application.

 

Good luck with the application.

[Stevetaylor123]

Still waiting despite paying for fast track

 

I rang the help line and they said a decision hasn’t been made, so my question is does that mean the passport is still elsewhere and once the decision is made it will be sent back to VFS meaning it could be a while still even if the decision was made today?

 

Very frustrating experience, I can accept a no but to pay extra and be left waiting around is pretty shit

[cornishcarlos]

3 minutes ago, Stevetaylor123 said:

Still waiting despite paying for fast track

 

I rang the help line and they said a decision hasn’t been made, so my question is does that mean the passport is still elsewhere and once the decision is made it will be sent back to VFS meaning it could be a while still even if the decision was made today?

 

Very frustrating experience, I can accept a no but to pay extra and be left waiting around is pretty shit

 

That is frustrating for you...

We did a fast track application in June, before the new scanning docs thing came in.

Passport was back within 5 days..

Fingers crossed for you

[theoldgit]

I rang the help line and they said a decision hasn’t been made, so my question is does that mean the passport is still elsewhere and once the decision is made it will be sent back to VFS meaning it could be a while still even if the decision was made today?

Yes, very frustrating especially as you’ve paid extra for the application to be fast tracked, I believe it’s bordering on the disgraceful.
I think that the helpline will have access to the online application server wherever the processing centre is in the world, so will access the progress remotely.
I also think that you’ve correct in your assumption that even if the decision is made today, it will be a working day or so before the passport, with the decision, reaches VFS.
The decision making centre in India will forward the decision to the UK Embassy in Bangkok, I understand electronically, the locally employed staff will then either insert the visa vignette into the passport or print the refusal notice, the passport will then be sealed and forwarded to VFS.

[Stevetaylor123]

3 minutes ago, theoldgit said:

Yes, very frustrating especially as you’ve paid extra for the application to be fast tracked, I believe it’s bordering on the disgraceful.
I think that the helpline will have access to the online application server wherever the processing centre is in the world, so will access the progress remotely.
I also think that you’ve correct in your assumption that even if the decision is made today, it will be a working day or so before the passport, with the decision, reaches VFS.
The decision making centre in India will forward the decision to the UK Embassy in Bangkok, I understand electronically, the locally employed staff will then either insert the visa vignette into the passport or print the refusal notice, the passport will then be sealed and forwarded to VFS.

I feared as much.  The lack of ability to track anything (unless I’m missing something) is also very frustrating.

 

Looks like we could be heading into the weekend not knowing which is causing a lot of stress now as I really need to get back to the UK  but GF never left Thailand and simply won’t entertain long haul flights / airports / potential questions at immigration alone no matter how much reassurance I offer.

 

With the closure for Buddha day too that somehow the gf forgot about ( not their fault of course) it’s been a blooming long wait already since we filled it in together and paid for a walk in appointment 

 

[Maradona 10]

20 minutes ago, Stevetaylor123 said:

I feared as much.  The lack of ability to track anything (unless I’m missing something) is also very frustrating.

 

Looks like we could be heading into the weekend not knowing which is causing a lot of stress now as I really need to get back to the UK  but GF never left Thailand and simply won’t entertain long haul flights / airports / potential questions at immigration alone no matter how much reassurance I offer.

 

With the closure for Buddha day too that somehow the gf forgot about ( not their fault of course) it’s been a blooming long wait already since we filled it in together and paid for a walk in appointment 

 

Look, you just have to accept that your application and passport disappear into the abyss and you won't hear or know anything until the bloke driving a honda 125 toots outside your house carrying an envelope...btw, can totally understand why your gf won't go it alone, far too daunting for her.

[Stevetaylor123]

45 minutes ago, Maradona 10 said:

Look, you just have to accept that your application and passport disappear into the abyss and you won't hear or know anything until the bloke driving a honda 125 toots outside your house carrying an envelope...btw, can totally understand why your gf won't go it alone, far too daunting for her.

 

 I do understand why she won’t go it alone, she worries about going to different parts of Thailand and doesn’t even like to leave the hotel in Bangkok.  Just her nature I guess.

 

 

Anyway rang the helpline, decision made.  I hope that passport is at the Trendy tomorrow

 

 

[Maradona 10]

1 minute ago, Stevetaylor123 said:

 

 I do understand why she won’t go it alone, she worries about going to different parts of Thailand and doesn’t even like to leave the hotel in Bangkok.  Just her nature I guess.

 

 

Anyway rang the helpline, decision made.  I hope that passport is at the Trendy tomorrow

 

 

Good. At least you know it's on the way now. Remember Monday is a holiday.

[Stevetaylor123]

Text message came just after they close saying ready for collection..

 happy days.  If they say no they say no but at least we can get on with our lives and come back better prepared next time.

 

Turns out they sent an email saying further investigation required the day after they said they’d received it but ‘me not use email’ so at least there would have been an explanation had she checked.  Or if she did check I suspect it was a ‘it didn’t sound good so I didn’t show you’ approach I’m getting used to.

 

 

[Maradona 10]

10 minutes ago, Stevetaylor123 said:

Text message came just after they close saying ready for collection..

 happy days.  If they say no they say no but at least we can get on with our lives and come back better prepared next time.

 

Turns out they sent an email saying further investigation required the day after they said they’d received it but ‘me not use email’ so at least there would have been an explanation had she checked.  Or if she did check I suspect it was a ‘it didn’t sound good so I didn’t show you’ approach I’m getting used to.

 

 

No doubt just an excuse as they know they were slow.

[Jip99]

2 hours ago, Stevetaylor123 said:

Text message came just after they close saying ready for collection..

 happy days.  If they say no they say no but at least we can get on with our lives and come back better prepared next time.

 

Turns out they sent an email saying further investigation required the day after they said they’d received it but ‘me not use email’ so at least there would have been an explanation had she checked.  Or if she did check I suspect it was a ‘it didn’t sound good so I didn’t show you’ approach I’m getting used to.

 

 

 

 

Next time use your email address.....

[Stevetaylor123]

Refused.

 

Said she hadn’t provided sufficient proof of employment/finances, ties to Thailand and even said weren’t satisfied evidence we were in a stable relationship

 

It felt like they hadn’t even looked at half the stuff, to say we didn’t provide evidence of a relationship is a piss take. In the 25 weeks or so since we met I’ve been here 14,  had a lot of travel plans together and a few video calls (mostly they got deleted and we haven’t had any in the 10 weeks I’ve been back here) all submitted.

 

I can accept the job and money thing as we decided not to put her bank statements in to get picked apart and getting paid cash that doesn’t see a bank account (or appear to be taxed) isn’t really easy to prove. I expected it really. The relationship thing is a piss take though, i will get a video uploaded to xhamster for them next time 

 

But in all seriousness, maybe we shouldn’t have rushed into it.  Her circumstances will improve soon with a new business (not bought by me I hasten to add) that will be registered properly and have a bank account showing (hopefully) some income.  Probably won’t bother trying again now until the spring.

 

She says ‘they say no to many today’.  How you make Facebook friends at the Trendy I don’t know but she said nobody got a yes.

 

oh, also they said the plans were vague.  They were laid out perfectly clearly

Edited August 10, 2018 by Stevetaylor123

[RAZZELL]

Don't worry and chin up.

 

The mere application shows you have a relationship.

 

Get all your ducks in a row and try again.

 

I know it's no consolation but 95% of all visit visas to the UK get approved.

 

RAZZ