UK Visitor Visa for Thai Girlfriend - Experience

[Kinnock]

I've checked the old threads and looked at the GOV.UK website, but I would really appreciate some personal insights into how to obtain a visitor visa for a Thai, unmarried partner.

 

Did you use an agent?  What type of documents used to support a successful application, any other tips or advice?

 

She has her own property (house plus two condos rented out), and funds in her accounts, but she has no job.  She has travelled to several countries in Asia, so has stamps in her passport, but no European or US visas.

 

I could act as her sponsor, but I'm not resident in UK as we've live together in Thailand for many years, and I understand that the application process is more about her, than me as a sponsor.

 

I'm a bit concerned about the process, as she was refused a visa for Australia in the past.

 

Thank you.

[brewsterbudgen]

She'll need to explain why she was refused an Australian visa. Other than that, as long as she (or you) have enough money to cover the trip, and she can demonstrate a reason to return to Thailand, it's fairly straightforward.

[theoldgit]

The main thing she has to do is satisfy the ECO, the Decision Maker, that her proposed visit is genuine, affordable and that she is likely to return to her home in Thailand at the conclusion of her trip.

 

You say that she has sufficient funds in the bank, maybe she could detail where those funds came from, condo rentals maybe, and are they sufficient to live on and fund her trip. It might be an idea to detail how house and condos were funded.

 

You also say that you live together here, then provide evidence of that and provide evidence of your status here, I'm assuming you're travelling together.

 

As @brewsterbudgenhas indicated she needs to declare, and explain, the Australian refusal.

 

You are correct in saying that it's her application and it's she that needs to satisfy the decision maker of the above, but I agree that it should be fairly straightforward.   

[marin]

It would seem to me an IO would question how you have property and funds in the bank but no job. It would seem she would be asked about that.  

[DaLa]

Her 'job' is 'landlady' and I presume income derived from the properties is paid into her account.  I would concentrate heavily on that area, including documents to prove ownership.  I always write a letter to include with my 'wife's' application and include why, where, how and when, including evidence of my funds. I would also include documents showing that you are resident here and thus your visit to the UK is only temporary and both of you have every intention and reason to return here. Additionally we obtain a  quote for health insurance from Axa  without actually paying the premium and add a print out to the documents submitted.

 

Obviously you don't want to go thro' the exercise more than once, however if she is 'declined' they will spell out the reason and so long as it's something you have missed or isn't clear in the application , you will be able to 'fix' the problem and re-apply.

 

Presently Emirates are not charging for changes to a booking so it's even possible to have a booking with a return date to include with the application documents. Although it's unnecessary for UK immigration Emirates require a return booking . This last advice is only applicable obviously from my experience with this particular airline.

 

One final piece , and this is very important. Don't tick the YES  box in the section 'Other History'  with the question 'Have you ever been involved in, supported or

encouraged terrorist activities in any country?'

 

 

 

[Kinnock]

44 minutes ago, marin said:

It would seem to me an IO would question how you have property and funds in the bank but no job. It would seem she would be asked about that.  

She worked as a hotel manager in the past,  but for the last few years I've been supporting her.  

[Kinnock]

37 minutes ago, DaLa said:

Her 'job' is 'landlady' and I presume income derived from the properties is paid into her account.  I would concentrate heavily on that area, including documents to prove ownership.  I always write a letter to include with my 'wife's' application and include why, where, how and when, including evidence of my funds. I would also include documents showing that you are resident here and thus your visit to the UK is only temporary and both of you have every intention and reason to return here. Additionally we obtain a  quote for health insurance from Axa  without actually paying the premium and add a print out to the documents submitted.

 

Obviously you don't want to go thro' the exercise more than once, however if she is 'declined' they will spell out the reason and so long as it's something you have missed or isn't clear in the application , you will be able to 'fix' the problem and re-apply.

 

Presently Emirates are not charging for changes to a booking so it's even possible to have a booking with a return date to include with the application documents. Although it's unnecessary for UK immigration Emirates require a return booking . This last advice is only applicable obviously from my experience with this particular airline.

 

One final piece , and this is very important. Don't tick the YES  box in the section 'Other History'  with the question 'Have you ever been involved in, supported or

encouraged terrorist activities in any country?'

 

 

 

Thank you ..... yes, we can book return tickets for both of us, and hers could be flexiblevin case of any delays with approval.

[NotReallyHere]

Did anyone else misinterpret the title?  I had something else in mind when I read "Girlfriend Experience".  Made me chuckle when I read she has plenty of property and travel within Asia but she "has no job".  Thought to myself, "How naive is this guy"?

 

Sorry...  No offense meant to the OP.  The confusion is entirely my fault.  Failed to take the hyphen into consideration.  A question mark after "Experience" might have helped.

[theoldgit]

1 hour ago, Kinnock said:

Thank you ..... yes, we can book return tickets for both of us, and hers could be flexiblevin case of any delays with approval.

The UKVI advise that non flexible tickets shouldn’t be purchased before a visa is issued, and, unlike Schengen, do not ask for sight of tickets with an application.

 

 

[hotandsticky]

On 2/2/2022 at 5:18 PM, Kinnock said:

She worked as a hotel manager in the past,  but for the last few years I've been supporting her.  

My missus (we are not married but have been in a defacto relationship for 15 years) has sufficient funds to apply in her own right.

 

I submit HER application and I have found it easier to put her down as a housewife with no income. It makes the online form completion simpler IMO and I just back it up with my sponsor letter and supporting P60/bank statement.

[Kinnock]

7 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

My missus (we are not married but have been in a defacto relationship for 15 years) has sufficient funds to apply in her own right.

 

I submit HER application and I have found it easier to put her down as a housewife with no income. It makes the online form completion simpler IMO and I just back it up with my sponsor letter and supporting P60/bank statement.

Thank you.  Good plan.

[theoldgit]

9 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

My missus (we are not married but have been in a defacto relationship for 15 years) has sufficient funds to apply in her own right.

 

I submit HER application and I have found it easier to put her down as a housewife with no income. It makes the online form completion simpler IMO and I just back it up with my sponsor letter and supporting P60/bank statement.

Which is exactly what my wife and I did before we were married.

 

We provided details of our subsisting relationship, proving that we were in a relationship akin to marriage, and along with details of my income, our home in Bangkok and her income from a part time job in the family business she successfully applied for a number of UK and Schengen Visas.

 

It could be argued that a Thai wife living with their British spouse/partner here in Thailand has a better chance of Entry Clearance for a Visit Visa than a spouse of a British National who lives in the UK, as the ECO could believe, rightly or wrongly, that they intend to remain in the UK with their benefactor.

[kingstonkid]

On 2/2/2022 at 2:11 PM, Kinnock said:

I've checked the old threads and looked at the GOV.UK website, but I would really appreciate some personal insights into how to obtain a visitor visa for a Thai, unmarried partner.

 

Did you use an agent?  What type of documents used to support a successful application, any other tips or advice?

 

She has her own property (house plus two condos rented out), and funds in her accounts, but she has no job.  She has travelled to several countries in Asia, so has stamps in her passport, but no European or US visas.

 

I could act as her sponsor, but I'm not resident in UK as we've live together in Thailand for many years, and I understand that the application process is more about her, than me as a sponsor.

 

I'm a bit concerned about the process, as she was refused a visa for Australia in the past.

 

Thank you.

How did you make out with the process? are there any areas that you missed or that the IO are looking for?

 

The one thing here is that we get a lot of people asking for advice because they are doing something but we never hear how it went.

 

Your experience might help others.

[Kinnock]

7 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

How did you make out with the process? are there any areas that you missed or that the IO are looking for?

 

The one thing here is that we get a lot of people asking for advice because they are doing something but we never hear how it went.

 

Your experience might help others.

Our trip was delayed, so I only submitted the documents this week and have booked a meeting at VFS for next week.

 

So I can provide an update soon.

[kingstonkid]

14 hours ago, Kinnock said:

Our trip was delayed, so I only submitted the documents this week and have booked a meeting at VFS for next week.

 

So I can provide an update soon.

ok thanks

[Kinnock]

On 9/19/2023 at 1:34 PM, kingstonkid said:

How did you make out with the process? are there any areas that you missed or that the IO are looking for?

 

The one thing here is that we get a lot of people asking for advice because they are doing something but we never hear how it went.

 

Your experience might help others.

We turned up for the VFS appointment armed with 3 months of bank statements for her and 1 month for me.  Copies of her property blue book and car ownership book, plus a letter from me as her sponsor and a copy of my passport.  We also included photos of us together at various events.

 

I'd paid for the lounge and scanning service and for the express processing.  I was not allowed into the lounge so waited outside while she went in alone to send selfies to me of her sipping coffee and eating biscuits ????

 

The young admin guy didn't want the photos or the car docs.  He scanned the rest, took her photo, and she was out in 10 minutes.

 

5 days later her passport with 180 day multi entry visa arrived by courier.

 

With hindsight I didn't need the 'VIP' service as uploading the docs on line looked simple.  The online application asked for details of parents, income, costs etc and the scanned docs supported the financial details we provided.  We also had to provide details of where we'd be staying in UK.

In the application and in my letter I stated I would cover her costs in UK.  I've booked the flights, but at the time I didn't have flight or hotel bookings.

 

 

[hotandsticky]

6 minutes ago, Kinnock said:

We turned up for the VFS appointment armed with 3 months of bank statements for her and 1 month for me.  Copies of her property blue book and car ownership book, plus a letter from me as her sponsor and a copy of my passport.  We also included photos of us together at various events.

 

I'd paid for the lounge and scanning service and for the express processing.  I was not allowed into the lounge so waited outside while she went in alone to send selfies to me of her sipping coffee and eating biscuits ????

 

The young admin guy didn't want the photos or the car docs.  He scanned the rest, took her photo, and she was out in 10 minutes.

 

5 days later her passport with 180 day multi entry visa arrived by courier.

 

With hindsight I didn't need the 'VIP' service as uploading the docs on line looked simple.  The online application asked for details of parents, income, costs etc and the scanned docs supported the financial details we provided.  We also had to provide details of where we'd be staying in UK.

In the application and in my letter I stated I would cover her costs in UK.  I've booked the flights, but at the time I didn't have flight or hotel bookings.

 

 

Just for the benefit others; UKVI expressly say - do not book flights until the outcome ofthe visa application is known. This is the opposite of Schengen visa applications where you have to submit bookings for everything.

 

Most applications only require a maximum of 6 documents if you are acting as sponsor:

 

1. Sponsor letter outlining the circumstances of the application and informing the ECO that the application meets the 3 key criteria of reason to visit/genuine relationship; financial adequacy; reasons for the applicant to return to Thailand.

2. Copy of sponsor's passport ID page to confirm UK status.

3. Financial evidence from the sponsor supporting the comment in the sponsor letter that all costs of the trip are covered. I submit Premium Bond statement but it could a bank statement/P60 if showing income

4. Reasons to return letter - setting out the reasons ie land ownership, strong family ties, work.

5. Paperwork supporting the above - I send a translated copy of my partners chanote.

6. For a first application some evidence of the relationship to support the comments made in the sponsor letter.