UK Visitor Visa - Thai Girlfriend 3 months

[ed0z16k]

Hey All,

I'm new to this forum and am hoping someone more experienced can advise me on something.

 

In October 2018 I went to Thailand for a 2 week holiday on my own, on the 2nd day I met a Thai lady on a guided tour. She had a full time job in a beauty salon, she left her job after meeting me as we spent the rest of the holiday together and entered a relationship.

 

Ever since we have kept in touch on a daily basis via facebook video call, line etc. I can honestly say I do really love her. 

 

I am returning to Thailand in 2 weeks time and we are going to look at getting her a UK Visit Visa so she can come and visit me here in the UK for a few weeks. I myself have been preparing a sponsorship letter to assist her with this, i myself will be funding the trip and she will be staying with me in my home. I have bank statments, proof of ownership of home, employment history etc to prove all this, which i will be taking with me.

 

I just have a few concerns,

She is currently unemployed and may have trouble proving previous job history

She does not currently have any money

Whilst she does speak good English language, it is not fluent.  

 

Can anyone with previous experience share their thoughts or advise me on anything we need to do to improve the chances of this visa being approved?

 

Many thanks in advance and look forward to your responses.

 

[theoldgit]

So you've known this lady for less than three months, when she met you she gave up work and seems to have been unemployed ever since, she now wants to visit you in the UK for a "few weeks".

 

First of all all it's her that needs to apply and satisfy the Entry Clearance Officer, a UKVI employee based in New Delhi, that her application is genuine, affordable and that, on the balance of probabilities, she will return home to Thailand.

 

The purpose of the visit is fairly easy, she wants to visit you in your home in the UK, what will she do there for a few weeks, are you employed, if so what will she be doing whilst you're at work?

 

You're going to fund her trip, you need to provide evidence that you're able to do, you should also satisfy the ECO that it's reasonable to do so for a woman you've known for such a short time.

 

You've already identified the most difficult part of her application, her reason to return home.

 

You say she has no money and no job, since she gave up her job when she met you, so how does she support herself, where does she live?

 

You say she might have difficulty in proving her work record, why is that?

 

I'm not saying she wouldn't be granted a visa, but I'm sure that you'll appreciate that she faces an uphill struggle, convincing an ECO everything I mentioned earlier.

 

Good luck  

[petermik]

Unless you have considerable funds in the UK I would suggest you give it up unfortunately

[ed0z16k]

1 hour ago, petermik said:

Unless you have considerable funds in the UK I would suggest you give it up unfortunately

 

OK thanks. 

Petermik - What would you define as considerable funds ? I have proven I have the funds required for the cost of her trip (approx £2,000) as well as a full time stable job and a homeowner.

As for proving her previous work record, this should be possible via her Bank Statements etc, She has a career in Hairdressing and she is very dedicated to it.

 

She currently lives with her Mother in a small apartment in bangkok.  

 

Do you guys recommend using the visa agencies which can be found everywhere around bangkok ?

 

Many thanks

 

 

 

[roo860]

 
OK thanks. 

Petermik - What would you define as considerable funds ? I have proven I have the funds required for the cost of her trip (approx £2,000) as well as a full time stable job and a homeowner.

As for proving her previous work record, this should be possible via her Bank Statements etc, She has a career in Hairdressing and she is very dedicated to it.
 
She currently lives with her Mother in a small apartment in bangkok.  
 
Do you guys recommend using the visa agencies which can be found everywhere around bangkok ?
 
Many thanks
 
 
 

There is nothing anywhere stating what 'considerable funds' amount to! You work, you own a home.
Listen to what Theoldgit tells you. I did last year, and no problem, I showed 6 months bank statements, a letter saying she'd be staying at my house, all expenses covered by me, never said I was still working.
Tell the truth, and you won't get caught out. I filled in the online application while in Thailand so there would be no mistakes.
Good luck.

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

[theoldgit]

2 hours ago, petermik said:

Unless you have considerable funds in the UK I would suggest you give it up unfortunately

You having considerable funds in the UK, isn't going to make any difference to your girlfriends application, and it's certainly not a requirement, as long as you have sufficient funds to sponsor her, as she will claim, and, as I've said before, you need to satisfy the ECO that it's reasonable for you to so.

 

You've said that she would have a problem proving her work record, you now say she is dedicated to her career in hairdressing, but you also say she's out of work, the two claims may not satisfy an ECO.

 

Living with her mother in a small apartment in Bangkok is fine, but how does she live without a job?

 

Agents don't have magic powers, they can only submit the information you provide and will charge you a fair bit for acting for your gf, and there are no agents I would recommend in Bangkok.

[ed0z16k]

1 hour ago, theoldgit said:

You having considerable funds in the UK, isn't going to make any difference to your girlfriends application, and it's certainly not a requirement, as long as you have sufficient funds to sponsor her, as she will claim, and, as I've said before, you need to satisfy the ECO that it's reasonable for you to so.

 

You've said that she would have a problem proving her work record, you now say she is dedicated to her career in hairdressing, but you also say she's out of work, the two claims may not satisfy an ECO.

 

Living with her mother in a small apartment in Bangkok is fine, but how does she live without a job?

 

Agents don't have magic powers, they can only submit the information you provide and will charge you a fair bit for acting for your gf, and there are no agents I would recommend in Bangkok.

Hmm yes apologies i'm not actually sure why I said she would have a problem proving her work record as this should not be the case at all. 

 

In terms of her living without a job, I have been providing small donations over the past few months in order for her to get by. She has also done a few weeks here and there for local salons looking for short time workers. 

Edited January 7, 2019 by ed0z16k

[Rob Navarro]

From personal experience (I'm no expert in this topic), you will really struggle to get this visa.

Things that may help to prove she will return to Thailand: property, children, job.

If she doesn't have any property or children, then I would say her best bet is to go back to work for a few months and keep any kind of proof that she works (photos, payslips, bank statement, employment letters, etc).

If she was working before, then going back to work now hopefully won't be a problem - if you can convince her.

Are you really sure she was working full-time before? If you were paying a considerable "salary" to her (instead of small donations), then it would explain why she is not working now.

When they say things like "mother", "sister", "recent full-time job", that could actually mean "aunt", "distant cousin" and "informal part-time job some time ago".

As with most things, only time will tell whether this relationship is worth the investment of time and, of course, money.

Remember that these strict rules created by the home office are there to protect us as well.

 

Back to your main question, things that can improve your chances:

• The application is not about you, it's about her. SHE needs to satisfy the home office requirements.
• Yes, having the funds to sponsor her is an important part of the application, but not the main thing. No matter how much you have, she must satisfy the requirements.
• Keep a record of the money you are sending her. If you use WesternUnion, TransferWise or similar, it should be easy to prove it's your money. Also, if you send it to her account, it should also appear in her bank statement (or if she gets it from a branch, she can deposit in her bank account - the same amount).
• She WILL need money in her account - not just a lump sum that appears in the last few days. Make sure she has some money for a few months. While this may not be a requirement, it will definitely help. In the application, you can say she is being fully sponsored, but have around £100 or preferably more to spend on gifts.
• Start saving logs of all your messages, chats, video calls (even if it's just a screenshot from your mobile phone).
• Hopefully you already have photos together, but when you go back there take many more.

Until you are sure she can meet the basic requirements (and prove she will go back to Thailand), I would avoid even talking to an agent. Do you understand why?

 

Good luck!

Edited January 9, 2019 by Rob Navarro

[rasg]

1 hour ago, Rob Navarro said:

Things that may help to prove she will return to Thailand: property, children, job. 

A different order for me for reasons to return. Job then property. Children have no bearing on a visit visa application. Too many Thai women work away and their family bring their kids up.

 

Nobody is saying it's not possible for your girlfriend to get a visit visa but the circumstances that your girlfriend are in will make it far more difficult. I had only known my girlfriend a few months when she applied but she had a job she had been in for a couple of years. That was her only reason to return. I had also visited her in Thailand three times in a the first few months we were together. Save your money on a visa agent unless you use an OISC accredited agent. In the end 90% of the work gathering information will be done by you and your girlfriend. I think you need to visit her a couple more times and get her into a job again for a few months. How much money are you sending her? Is the money you send the reason she is able to give up her job?

 

The only financial requirement for a visit visa is to show that you have sufficient to pay for the trip. If you plan on staying in five star hotels while she is in the UK you will obviously need to show that you have more money than if she was staying in your house.