Settlement Visa Interview

[DWALDO]

Hi,

My wife applied for a settlement visa to the UK 2 weeks ago, everything looked good on her application but guess what, come in for an interview in 6 weeks. Can anyone give me advice on what they want to hear. Neither my wife or I have never been married before but my wife does have a 7 year old son from a previous relationship but he wont be coming with her, she will visit him twice a year. This is the most stressful time of my wife and my life and we don't want to cock it up so any advice by anyone who has been through this nightmare would be so appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Dave

[Colesy]

I can't say it's the same for everyone but I went through this 6 1/2 years ago. In the interview were 2 english people and a thai women to help if required. My wifes english was Ok but the Thai women helped her out if she had any problems. My wife was in there about 15minutes, she took some wedding photos, which had my parent in and they asked a few questions about my job and family.

She had evidence that I could support her and also information about where we would be living.

My wife also has a daughter that, at the time didn't live with us. When she was asked about her, she just told them that she was going to see if she could live in the UK before moving the daughter across.

In the end it was nothing to worry about

[dman]

Hi,

My wife applied for a settlement visa to the UK 2 weeks ago, everything looked good on her application but guess what, come in for an interview in 6 weeks. Can anyone give me advice on what they want to hear. Neither my wife or I have never been married before but my wife does have a 7 year old son from a previous relationship but he wont be coming with her, she will visit him twice a year. This is the most stressful time of my wife and my life and we don't want to cock it up so any advice by anyone who has been through this nightmare would be so appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Dave

They want to hear the truth. Being totally honest is your best shot.

My wife went through the interview process with the US Embassy. She had to go it alone and my only advice to her was tell the truth.

Good luck Mate

[sgunn65]

Hi

We have just been through the process (mid march 07) and I hate to be the party pooper and contradict anyone but it is something to worry about. This is going to be, possibly, the most important 45 minutes of your life so not worrying, I would argue, is foolhardy.

She maybe out of there in 5 minutes but she may have a very tough 45 minutes like my wife did.

However as long as you have done the preparation and are honest you should get through it ok.

We had put together a very thorough visa application and had hoped it was enough to avoid the interview. But unfortunately not.

The most important thing to remember is that, unless her English is totally fluent, she will be talking through an intrepretor. So she will be talking Thai to Thai which could lull her into a false sense of security.

Rule One She has to convince an English person so you have to make her understand the English psyche. It is OK not to know something. If she doesn't understand something say so. Don't say yes or even worse lie. This is not about losing face its about getting a UK visa.

Rule Two When talking about relations be clear. Her cousin is not her sister in our eyes and this could be taken as her not being honest by the English ECO. They are not known for their compassion and understanding of Thai culture.

Spend as much time coaching her on this, honestly it paid dividends for us. There were times when I felt guilty about being harsh and times when my wife got upset because I was tough but when she got the visa she said that, had I not been so adamant about honesty and admiting she didn't know something she did not think she would have got the visa.

I suspect they will concentrate on the child and her (in their eyes) abandoning her for a better life in the west. I would concentrate on making sure she is very clear about the decision she has made and be able to explain this to the ECO so that she understands it from an English womans point of view. Please note this is not my view but I do think if you get a tough ECO they will go down this route.

I think I may have a list of the questions you are likely to be asked but it is on my computer at home. If you want this list or have any other questions pm me and I will do what I can.

I wish you the very best for your interview and I hope your wife enjoys the UK.

[DWALDO]

Thanks for your replies any help with the possible questions she will be asked would be appreciated, as I am from the Channel Islands we have our own Immigration department and after her interview they will call on me to go in for another interview over here so it gives me the chance to speak to an immigration officer over here and it is him or her who will make the final decission. I am not in Thailand and can't go back before her interview so I can't coach her. Her english is not too bad and I can talk to her on the phone as long as I'm clear I thought if she played down her english she may get a bit of an insight of the conversation between the ECO and the interprator. My wife has worked in bars and restaurants and although she was not a bar girl or dancer her previous employment is something I am no interested in but would her previous employment,(rather than working in a bank or a factory) go against her as it is looked on any Thai that worked in a bar must be a hooker.

[sgunn65]

She will be given the option of the interview in Thai or English. Take the Thai version.

And the visa application says that her previous employment will not be a barrier to her being granted a visa. But remember the saying "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to decieve". If she tells the truth she will not be caught out in a lie. And a lie will get her refused a visa quicker than anything.

They need to be convinced that your relationship is real and she is not coming just for the visa etc etc.

I coached my wife totally on the phone. In someways it is easier to be dispassionate and objective on the phone. I worked on the basis that if it felt like she was reading from a script, making it up or not sure, on the phone without the benifit of body language, then it would not be convincing in person.

Without the approval of the ECO in Bangkok your gf will never get to the CI for the immigration interview there

There is an old army saying known as the seven P's:

Proper planning and preparation prevents p**s poor performance. And make no mistake your gf is going to have to give the performance of a lifetime.

Edited June 5, 2007 by sgunn65

[DWALDO]

Thanks for the info, it is me that has to go for an interview at my local immigration office as we are a different juristiction to the UK. I will be called in about 10 days after my wife has had hers and I've been told by the immigration that the final decission is theirs I will have a chance to clear up any problems that may have occured in my wife's interview at the British Embassy

[sgunn65]

Thats fantastic. A much better system.

I hope it goes well for you and keep us posted

[DWALDO]

Thanks for your help SQUNN65. I have stressed to my wife that no matter how much the truth may upset her she must not tell a lie. She and I have a stressful six weeks now but I hope that I can iron out any problems she may have with the embassy with my local immigration. It is rediculous that when you do everything correct and honestly you still have to go through all this emotional turmoil just to be with the person you love.

Thanks again to all the input from forum members, I will keep you informed and hopefully I can advise others going through this nonsence.

[AZZZEY68]

Ensure you have included child on the application as in named him even though he is not coming across because if ever he wants to come here he is on original application.It took 2 days to get a visa for my wifes daughter as i had named her from day one no problem.

[kevc]

We went through this twelve years ago, I totally agree do not try to hide anything, one question we were asked was how do you keep in contact as this was before the mobile phone boom so I took my phone bills for the last year showing regular calls to the same number in Thailand, you need to show it's not just a two weeks every year relationship as for her son I think they'll look on it favourably that you are not going to uproot him until maybe your sure things are going to workout.

We were told we'd have four interviews over the day and ended up with a 30 minute interview for my wife and a 15 minute for me then she was called to collect her passport all stamped up, in and out in less than one and a half hours.

Dress smartly and tell the truth no matter how embarrassing it might be and the best of luck.

[DWALDO]

Yes I will make sure that my wife tells the truth, there aren't any skeletons in the closet. I have decided to bite the bullet and fly over for her interview so I can coach her a bit before she goes in and I can also go to the embassy with her. They have asked to see up to date bank statements so she can't get these without me. It also gives me a chance to get a reference from my employer and any other bits I think may help. The rediculous thing is they want to make sure I have enough money to support her but this whole visa thing 2 visits and 600 quid for the visa is going to cost me the best part of 6 grand, mind you I have decided to have 2 holidays while I am in Thailand. Thanks for all the advice, I'll be so happy when this is all over.

[scotty123456789]

Hi dwaldo,

Im about to put together an application for my wife to join me on a settlement visa.

It would be realy appreciated if you could let me know how you have prepared the application.

How have you sectioned it out etc etc.

Thanks mate.

[DWALDO]

To be honest Scotty I've been very slack with my wife's application, living in the Channel Islands I've been told it's a lot simpler than on the mainland and I hope that's true all I have done so far was to fill in the form (I think it is better to get an agent to do this as the spelling is very tricky of Thai names into English) hand in a load of photographs and some bank statements which showed I have been sending money to my wife for a year. When I go back for my wife's interview I will give her my last 2 bank statements which show that I've got no money but that I earn a decent wage. My boss will write a good reference and I will have a letter to offer my wife a job. After the interview they send their reccomendation to immigration on the island and they then call me in to have an interview myself and hopefully I can answer any questions they may have. We have full employment here and although it's not quite the case that everybody knows everybody it is not like the mainland, I have spoken personally to the person that will interview me and since I've nothing to hide I feel that if there are any problems I can straighten them out when I am face to face with the local immigration officer. I still feel it is a bit of a farce as all we are supposed to prove is that are marriages are above board and all this crap we go through is a nightmare we are honest people that just happen to have fallen in love with a person from another country but we have to prove this to the tenth degree. Good luck from what I have read from other forum members is we get there in the end it will just cost us a lot more than it should.