Letter from employer essential ?

[P junker]

Hello all

 

I am currently getting everything sorted now to bring my GF to the UK for 3 months. I just have a few more bits left but 1 thing I am wondering is a letter from my employer essential in obtaining a visa. 

 

When I got her visa last year I was in Thailand on holiday (4 month trip then bringing her over for 3 months after) so didn't have anything for employment etc. I went back Thailand for 2 months over xmas new year and didn't start work for my current employer until 25th March. I have all my bank statements ready and every wage slip since then (paid weekly) and have enough money in my bank to cover the trip anyways.

 

But do I need ask my employer for a letter also or is it not needed ? 

[rasg]

A letter from your employer isn’t needed. You simply need to show you can afford the trip. You don't need payslips either.

 

It does help that she has had a visit visa for the UK before. Did she request a three month trip last year when she applied for the visit visa?

[P junker]

20 minutes ago, rasg said:

A letter from your employer isn’t needed. You simply need to show you can afford the trip. You don't need payslips either.

 

It does help that she has had a visit visa for the UK before. Did she request a three month trip last year when she applied for the visit visa?

No we did it through a visa shop who said 3 weeks who did the letter of invitation even tho I told them 3 months. So I have had to explain that in my letter of invitation, it was very dodgy what they did. Anyways whats done is done hopefully they will see the explanation is ok and the fact she didn't overstay a visa and has a couple of other trips outside Thailand under he belt as well as the UK one.

[theoldgit]

7 hours ago, P junker said:

No we did it through a visa shop who said 3 weeks who did the letter of invitation even tho I told them 3 months. So I have had to explain that in my letter of invitation, it was very dodgy what they did. Anyways whats done is done hopefully they will see the explanation is ok and the fact she didn't overstay a visa and has a couple of other trips outside Thailand under he belt as well as the UK one.

As rasg rightly says, you don't actually need a letter from your employer but you do need to satisfy the decision maker that your sponsorship is affordable.
You've also highlighted one of the massive dangers of using a so called "visa shops", many of which are only concerned in getting the applicant their current visa come what may along with their fee, they are not concerned as to what may happen at the UK Border and certainly don't concern themselves about what could happen in any future application, it's your girlfriend who was responsible for the contents of her previous application, not the visa shop.

She will certainly need to explain why she originally stated she wanted to visit for three weeks and then stayed for three months, whilst she hasn't breached immigration laws she could well cause the decision maker to doubt any reasons to return. 

[P junker]

Yeah Ive tried explain it my invitation letter basically saying 3 weeks wasn't really enough time in the UK together after been in a relationship for 4 years and me spending a lot of time and holidays in Thailand and that 3 month was ample time for see and do the stuff we wanted. 

 

Would you add stayed 3 months be better to get to know my brother and because i was able to travel back to Thailand with her since it was her 1st trip to the UK she was very worried about flying here and back?

 

[rasg]

What were her reasons to return to Thailand for the last visa? Without knowing that, it's a hard question to answer.

[P junker]

The strength of the relationship and not risking future visa were literally the only reasons. She had nothing else for a reason to return. She rents a room, doesn't own any land cars, property, doesn't work. Got a daughter but that stand for nothing.

 

 

Edited June 27, 2019 by P junker

[rasg]

It worked before and second visit visas are easier to get imho. If she didn’t give a reason to return she had no reason to rush back to the UK either.

 

In my then girlfriend's case she had no difficulty getting a two year visit visa before the first had expired because we wanted her to come to the UK for the Christmas period. She was made redundant from her hotel job while she was here in the UK on the first visa. Because her reason to return had disappeared, she stayed for 18 weeks instead of the original 4 weeks she requested. We simply explained that in my sponsor letter in the second application.