Last week in the Consular team #9

[British Consular Team]

Welcome back to an update from the Consular team. It's good to see that more and more of you are reading our weekly updates and feeding in your views on what else we should cover - thank you!

 

Let's get started.

Some of you may already know that the Embassy is now officially at AIA Sathorn Tower. We shared a map and address of our new office in this post:

 

In the past two weeks, the Consular team provided 51 notarial services and dealt with 43 emergency cases including a complex medical repatriation, helping a stranded Brit to return to the UK, and sorting out the deportation process for British detainees at Bangkok’s Immigration Detention Centre (IDC). All of these cases benefited from excellent support from the Thai authorities.

 

The Consular IDC team is now back in action and visiting detainees in person. For the past two months we’ve had to ‘visit’ virtually.
 

Our Vice Consul made a Vlog with Thai Visa to share his experience in Alternative State Quarantine and explain how the Consular team at the British Embassy can provide support to British nationals who have to go through the same process. The Vlog was published in this post:

 

If you would like us to cover any other areas that you're interested in, please let us know.

 

[blackcab]

4 minutes ago, British Consular Team said:

If you would like us to cover any other areas that you're interested in, please let us know.

 

Could you tell us what the deportation process consists of please?

[faraday]

2 hours ago, British Consular Team said:

 

If you would like us to cover any other areas that you're interested in, please let us know.

Perhaps if you have time, a case history of what was entailed on a deportation, or a medical repatriation, for example.

[animalmagic]

I would like the British Consulate to explain why the holder of a BN(O) from HK only has to show means of financial support for 6 months whereas I, a British Citizen born in UK married to a Thai for 20 years, has to show income of 18,600 stg for 5 years if I wish to settle back in UK with my wife.

[brewsterbudgen]

33 minutes ago, animalmagic said:

I would like the British Consulate to explain why the holder of a BN(O) from HK only has to show means of financial support for 6 months whereas I, a British Citizen born in UK married to a Thai for 20 years, has to show income of 18,600 stg for 5 years if I wish to settle back in UK with my wife.

You should contact UKVI and/or the relevant government department (FCO I think).  It has nothing to do with the British Consulate in Thailand.

[British Consular Team]

On 10/22/2020 at 6:50 PM, faraday said:

Perhaps if you have time, a case history of what was entailed on a deportation, or a medical repatriation, for example.

Good suggestion. We'll post a description of each process next week. 

[Surelynot]

3 hours ago, animalmagic said:

I would like the British Consulate to explain why the holder of a BN(O) from HK only has to show means of financial support for 6 months whereas I, a British Citizen born in UK married to a Thai for 20 years, has to show income of 18,600 stg for 5 years if I wish to settle back in UK with my wife.

Not expecting an answer, but a similar gripe......why were all the Nepalese wives of British soldiers serving abroad given automatic ILR whilst all the Nepalese wives of Crown Servants, serving abroad were refused?

 

Just had to get that off my chest.

[British Consular Team]

4 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

You should contact UKVI and/or the relevant government department (FCO I think).  It has nothing to do with the British Consulate in Thailand.

 

Just to confirm brewsterbudgen's good advice, UKVI are the people to contact if you have a query about UK immigration policy, yes.  The Consular team in Bangkok do not work in that area. But note that UKVI are a part of the Home Office rather than the FCDO. 

[animalmagic]

14 minutes ago, British Consular Team said:

 

Just to confirm brewsterbudgen's good advice, UKVI are the people to contact if you have a query about UK immigration policy, yes.  The Consular team in Bangkok do not work in that area. But note that UKVI are a part of the Home Office rather than the FCDO. 

Thank you for the advice, I shall write to them.