London Border Control for Thai visit visa

[Duffman88]

Hi,

 

My Thai girlfriend has managed to get her first visit visa for the UK and I have purchased her a return ticket as I stated I would in my sponsor letter.

 

Just want to make sure her entry to the UK goes as seamlessly as possible. She will be travelling alone and I will be meeting her the other side of border control.

 

I intend to make sure she is holding the following things in here hand luggage:

Return ticket printout from Thai Airways

Travel insurance

My sponsor letter

My families letter of recommendation

A couple of photos of us

Directions to my home

£200 cash (in case of emergencies)

 

I'm going to prep her on the following possible lines of questioning:

- Why are you entering the UK?

To visit my boyfriend who has visited me in Thailand multiple times.

- How are you funding your stay?

My boyfriend is funding it entirely, as explained in the sponsor letter.

- What are you intending to do in the UK?

Experience the climate and culture, [other things mentioned in sponsor letter]

- Are you intending to work in the UK

No, I understand you cannot work on a visit visa

 

Have I missed anything?

 

Thanks for any help

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Crossy]

I would add a charged mobile phone with international roaming and your mobile mumber scattered liberally about the documentation.

 

[wgdanson]

Is this not all put down in the application for the Visa? Maybe they're checking you told the truth.

[Crossy]

@wgdanson why "confused"?

 

Our OP didn't mention that his lady would have either a mobile or his mobile number.

 

[ravip]

WOW! This is like preparing to enter some very special or a very restricted high security zone.

[simoh1490]

OP: I'm 100% with Crossy re. the mobile - my partner came to visit me in the uK in July and I mailed her e UK PAYG SIM with enough money on it for an hours talk time, it helped me because I I would know how long the wait time was before she emerged, it would of ocurse help if there are any immigration issues. The SIM cost £10 and took three weeks via registered mail!

[Crossy]

1 hour ago, ravip said:

WOW! This is like preparing to enter some very special or a very restricted high security zone.

A (one assumes) relatively young, attractive Thai lady travelling alone sets just about every flag that a UK IO has available, it really can be like entering a high security zone.

 

57 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

OP: I'm 100% with Crossy re. the mobile - my partner came to visit me in the uK in July and I mailed her e UK PAYG SIM with enough money on it for an hours talk time ...

Smart move, I hadn't thought of using a UK SIM ????

 

[theoldgit]

Most of the paperwork you have suggested is totally unnecessary, she may be asked for a return ticket, but even that isn’t a requirement, but nothing else on your list.

She may well be asked the purpose of her visit and how long she is staying but that’s about it.

If she’s asked she could tell the Border Force Officer where she’ll be staying and provide your mobile number, I wouldn’t worry about a charged phone, the Officer will have access to a phone if they need to call you.

Your girlfriend would not be refused landing without her case being referred to a manager.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Crossy]

16 minutes ago, theoldgit said:

I wouldn’t worry about a charged phone

I wouldn't travel without one.

 

The one time my girlfriend (now wife) had problems (not immigration, lost bag) whilst airside was the one time her phone was out of battery. Cost us a load of hassle and time (but no money).

[roo860]

Most of the paperwork you have suggested is totally unnecessary, she may be asked for a return ticket, but even that isn’t a requirement, but nothing else on your list.

She may well be asked the purpose of her visit and how long she is staying but that’s about it.

If she’s asked she could tell the Border Force Officer where she’ll be staying and provide your mobile number, I wouldn’t worry about a charged phone, the Officer will have access to a phone if they need to call you.

Your girlfriend would not be refused landing without her case being referred to a manager.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

When my wife arrived in UK (alone) earlier this year, I wrote a short note saying who I was, where she is staying and I would be waiting in arrivals, I provided my mobile number.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[OJAS]

4 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

OP: I'm 100% with Crossy re. the mobile - my partner came to visit me in the uK in July and I mailed her e UK PAYG SIM with enough money on it for an hours talk time, it helped me because I I would know how long the wait time was before she emerged, it would of ocurse help if there are any immigration issues. The SIM cost £10 and took three weeks via registered mail!

 

3 hours ago, Crossy said:

Smart move, I hadn't thought of using a UK SIM ????

A UK SIM card does strike me as OTT for a purely emergency situation, though. Might it not be more convenient (as well as possibly cheaper when mailing costs are taken into account) for the OP to transfer to her Thai bank account sufficient to enable her make an hour's-worth of roaming calls with her Thai SIM card upon her arrival at LHR or wherever? 

Edited November 18, 2018 by OJAS

[simoh1490]

2 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

A UK SIM card does strike me as OTT, though. Might it not be more convenient (as well as possibly cheaper when mailing costs are taken into account) for the OP to transfer to her Thai bank account sufficient to enable her make an hour's-worth of roaming calls with her Thai SIM card upon her arrival at LHR or wherever? 

Yes possibly. The fact is that my wife was going to be with me in the UK and would need a UK SIM for that period, EE had a deal for £10 per month International Pack which included 240 minutes to Thailand hence the cost of buying that SIM was cheaper than using the Thai SIM - it worked out at 420 baht (£10) for the month plus about 80 baht (£2) for postage, a good deal we thought.

[OJAS]

1 minute ago, simoh1490 said:

Yes possibly. The fact is that my wife was going to be with me in the UK and would need a UK SIM for that period, EE had a deal for £10 per month International Pack which included 240 minutes to Thailand hence the cost of buying that SIM was cheaper than using the Thai SIM - it worked out at 420 baht (£10) for the month plus about 80 baht (£2) for postage, a good deal we thought.

Given that your wife needed a UK SIM card for the duration of her trip, your approach was probably best. I subsequently edited my post to make it clear that I was referring to a purely emergency situation.

[sandyf]

5 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Given that your wife needed a UK SIM card for the duration of her trip, your approach was probably best. I subsequently edited my post to make it clear that I was referring to a purely emergency situation.

First time my wife came to the UK she was alone and was taken to a room and interviewed for about 20 minutes. It wasn't so much the interview that bothered her but that he was wearing a turban.

She just uses her Thai phone in the UK, but not data. I usually have a UK sim and we share the data.

[evadgib]

When I last arrived @ LHR I noted the wifi in my phone enabled me to use skype etc in the airport and anywhere where free wifi is readily available without the need of a sim.

HTH

Edited November 18, 2018 by evadgib

[OJAS]

23 hours ago, Duffman88 said:

Have I missed anything?

Something else you might wish consider prepping her in is in the completion of the landing card she'll need to present to the immigration officer at LHR (attached), particularly since (as would appear from your posting) she hasn't completed one of these before. Since, as I recall,  the Border Agency take a dim view of mobiles being used at UK entry points she might find it a tad difficult to contact you to clarify specific points while she is waiting in an almost certainly lengthy queue!

UK landing card.pdf

Edited November 18, 2018 by OJAS

[simoh1490]

6 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Something else you might wish consider prepping her in is in the completion of the landing card she'll need to present to the immigration officer at LHR (attached), particularly since (as would appear from your posting) she hasn't completed one of these before. Since, as I recall,  the Border Agency take a dim view of mobiles being used at UK entry points she might find it a tad difficult to contact you to clarify specific points while she is waiting in an almost certainly lengthy queue!

UK landing card.pdf

No problem using a mobile whilst waiting for Immi. at Heathrow.

[BritManToo]

23 hours ago, Duffman88 said:

I'm going to prep her on the following possible lines of questioning:

- Why are you entering the UK?

To visit my boyfriend who has visited me in Thailand multiple times.

- How are you funding your stay?

My boyfriend is funding it entirely, as explained in the sponsor letter.

- What are you intending to do in the UK?

Experience the climate and culture, [other things mentioned in sponsor letter]

- Are you intending to work in the UK

No, I understand you cannot work on a visit visa

 

Have I missed anything?

 

Thanks for any help

Best for her to only speak Thai, they can't question her then.

As far as I know people entering the UK on a tourist VISA are not required to speak any English.

[cornishcarlos]

9 hours ago, Crossy said:

attractive Thai lady travelling alone 

The Op never stated she was attractive ????

[Crossy]

2 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

The Op never stated she was attractive ????

I did say "(one assumes)"

 

That said. In the days before they farmed out the visa business I had cause to visit the consular section of the British Embassy on a number of occasions. There was invariably a fellow countryman with "two bagger" (one for you in case hers comes off) in the visa application line. Evidently beauty is in the eye of the beer-holder.

[theoldgit]

Best for her to only speak Thai, they can't question her then.
As far as I know people entering the UK on a tourist VISA are not required to speak any English.

They can ask her questions, if they want to ask questions and she says she can’t speak English they have a contract with Language Line.

[cornishcarlos]

3 minutes ago, Crossy said:

I did say "(one assumes)"

 

 

Never assume Crossy ????

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, theoldgit said:

They can ask her questions, if they want to ask questions and she says she can’t speak English they have a contract with Language Line.

Most immigration officers are very lazy, make it hard and they just stamp the passport.

I only ever speak English with Asian IOs and I've never had a problem.

(My Thai/Laos is quite good)

Edited November 18, 2018 by BritManToo

[Duffman88]

Wow - a lot of replies, thanks for help all.

 

I may sound a bit over paranoid but with all the effort and expense involved I just want to make sure the final part goes smoothly.

 

I'll go through the boarding pass with her. No time to get a mobile+sim to her now but will try to explain how roaming works and hoping she can just log onto the airport wifi and use line etc to contact me.

 

[tso310]

She can always get another Thai to help her with filling out the imm card or even a Brit, nice smile works wonders. When it comes to imm probably easiest if she shows her passport to one of the officials at the entrance of the hall and they will point her to the correct queue. Wrong queue might cause her to be set to the back of the correct queue. 

There used to be telephones in arrival area in the terminal for contacting immigration. Don't know if they are still there.

[roo860]

She can always get another Thai to help her with filling out the imm card or even a Brit, nice smile works wonders. When it comes to imm probably easiest if she shows her passport to one of the officials at the entrance of the hall and they will point her to the correct queue. Wrong queue might cause her to be set to the back of the correct queue. 
There used to be telephones in arrival area in the terminal for contacting immigration. Don't know if they are still there.

I downloaded the landing card and filled it in for to copy when on board aircraft, no need to make any drama real or imaginary!

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Timbob]

The only thing I would suggest is to let your girlfriend know that it may not be a pleasant experience and she should expect to get grilled. As someone has already stated, a pretty Thai woman sets of the red flags. The first time my girlfriend visited I was in the same situation, waiting in the arrivals hall. She got through but was very annoyed with their line of questioning. I had to tell her it was nothing personal, etc. The next time I was with her but before the IO saw me standing behind them (I passed through the EU queue and waited) she was quite forceful with her questioning and I didn't like her tone. The third time, we had no problems at all.  

[Cryingdick]

On 11/17/2018 at 8:15 PM, theoldgit said:

Most of the paperwork you have suggested is totally unnecessary, she may be asked for a return ticket, but even that isn’t a requirement, but nothing else on your list.

She may well be asked the purpose of her visit and how long she is staying but that’s about it.

If she’s asked she could tell the Border Force Officer where she’ll be staying and provide your mobile number, I wouldn’t worry about a charged phone, the Officer will have access to a phone if they need to call you.

Your girlfriend would not be refused landing without her case being referred to a manager.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

Not sure about the airports in London but most airports around have free wifi. Using messenger is easy and no need for a SIM.

[simoh1490]

7 hours ago, Timbob said:

The only thing I would suggest is to let your girlfriend know that it may not be a pleasant experience and she should expect to get grilled. As someone has already stated, a pretty Thai woman sets of the red flags. The first time my girlfriend visited I was in the same situation, waiting in the arrivals hall. She got through but was very annoyed with their line of questioning. I had to tell her it was nothing personal, etc. The next time I was with her but before the IO saw me standing behind them (I passed through the EU queue and waited) she was quite forceful with her questioning and I didn't like her tone. The third time, we had no problems at all.  

1

<removed>

 

The only thing I would suggest is to let your girlfriend know that it may not be a pleasant experience and she should expect to get grilled"

 

Absolute nonsense and that statement based factually on five visits to the UK by my Thai partner.

[Timbob]

14 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

<removed>

 

The only thing I would suggest is to let your girlfriend know that it may not be a pleasant experience and she should expect to get grilled"

 

Absolute nonsense and that statement based factually on five visits to the UK by my Thai partner.

Oh so because it didn't happen to your girlfriend, it never happens. 

 

I personally witnessed it so <deleted> with your 'nonsense' jibe.

Edited November 20, 2018 by theoldgit