UK visitors visa for ex girlfriend

[Captainchaos]

Hopefully get some updated information as related posts are outdated.  

As heading states im looking to get a holiday visa for my ex and our son (British passport holder ) aged 5. 

I work for cash only and can show almost 30k savings .  I rent an apartment in the UK and am a British national . My sons mother has savings of around 80000b . She has some land ,her own home in thailand and also 13 year old son from a previous relationship . 

My question is , what are the chances of her getting a tourist/holiday visa for a few weeks or so when I can not show a legitimate tax paying job . Would this affect the outcome or would bank statements be enough to secure her visa . We know each other 9 years and I've been to Thailand almost twice a year in that time.   Also is it a good idea to use an agent to do all this for me rather than me . Thanks in advance for any constructive information 

 

[Will B Good]

Personally I would say you are in the lap of the Home Office gods.........just present the best case you can and be brutally honest.

 

If you present anything that is a little dubious they will usually spot it straight away.

[theoldgit]

The first thing you need to get your head round is that you don’t get a holiday visa for your ex and your son, it’s her that needs to apply for a Standard Visit Visa, and it’s her that needs to satisfy the Entry Clearance Officer, the person who makes a decision on her application, that her proposed visit is genuine, affordable and that, on the balance of probabilities, she will leave the UK at the conclusion of her visit.

 

Does your child live with you in the UK or with his mother in Thailand?
 

As well as stating the reason for her visit, and how she will finance it, she needs to demonstrate her ties to her home country, often referred to as the reasons to return. This could be employment, housing and the like.

 

If you intend to finance her trip, you will need to demonstrate that it’s affordable and reasonable for you to do so.

[Captainchaos]

2 hours ago, theoldgit said:

The first thing you need to get your head round is that you don’t get a holiday visa for your ex and your son, it’s her that needs to apply for a Standard Visit Visa, and it’s her that needs to satisfy the Entry Clearance Officer, the person who makes a decision on her application, that her proposed visit is genuine, affordable and that, on the balance of probabilities, she will leave the UK at the conclusion of her visit.

 

Does your child live with you in the UK or with his mother in Thailand?
 

As well as stating the reason for her visit, and how she will finance it, she needs to demonstrate her ties to her home country, often referred to as the reasons to return. This could be employment, housing and the like.

 

If you intend to finance her trip, you will need to demonstrate that it’s affordable and reasonable for you to do so.

Yes I understand she needs to show ties and a good reason to go home again after her visit, this is why I was saying she has a son in thailand and land and a home ( owner) . My son lives with her in Thailand ... I just thought our son would be more comfortable on the long flight to thailand with hi mother there with us , hence the need for a visa for her . I can show bank statements showing enough funds to well cover her visit to the UK. .. show my rent agreement and any other requirements.  I was hoping maybe someone else applied with similar circumstances and coukd advise or is it pot luck after showing all required . Thanks for the advise 

[Captainchaos]

5 hours ago, Will B Good said:

Personally I would say you are in the lap of the Home Office gods.........just present the best case you can and be brutally honest.

 

If you present anything that is a little dubious they will usually spot it straight away.

Yeah thought so , thanks for your advise 

[theoldgit]

9 hours ago, Captainchaos said:

Yes I understand she needs to show ties and a good reason to go home again after her visit, this is why I was saying she has a son in thailand and land and a home ( owner) . My son lives with her in Thailand ... I just thought our son would be more comfortable on the long flight to thailand with hi mother there with us , hence the need for a visa for her . I can show bank statements showing enough funds to well cover her visit to the UK. .. show my rent agreement and any other requirements.  I was hoping maybe someone else applied with similar circumstances and coukd advise or is it pot luck after showing all required . Thanks for the advise 

 

It's a sad fact that many mothers leave children with grandparents in Thailand to travel to "the promised land" in an attempt to make their fortune, I'm not suggesting that your childs mother wishes to do this, but it will be at the back of the ECO's mind when considering her application.

 

If you are going to fund her trip, not only will you need to satisfy the ECO that it's affordable but that it's reasonable to do so.

 

Whilst supplying details of your rented property will show that they have somewhere to stay during the proposed visit, it doesn't address the main issue of "reasons to return".

 

I can't stress enough that her reasons to return are very important, and you seem to accept that, she will need to satisfy the ECO is better off in Thailand than by overstaying in the UK. You say she has a house, how does she support herself and two children?

 

I wouldn't describe the proccess as pot luck, but the ECO, who are not based in Thailand, will need to be satisfied that she has sufficient reasons to leave the UK at the conclusion of a visit.

 

You mentioned an agent, a reputable agent would certainly help the lady present a compelling case, but she needs to be careful who she chooses, some will offer the earth but let you down, they don't come cheap.

[Captainchaos]

On 3/16/2022 at 1:31 AM, theoldgit said:

 

It's a sad fact that many mothers leave children with grandparents in Thailand to travel to "the promised land" in an attempt to make their fortune, I'm not suggesting that your childs mother wishes to do this, but it will be at the back of the ECO's mind when considering her application.

 

If you are going to fund her trip, not only will you need to satisfy the ECO that it's affordable but that it's reasonable to do so.

 

Whilst supplying details of your rented property will show that they have somewhere to stay during the proposed visit, it doesn't address the main issue of "reasons to return".

 

I can't stress enough that her reasons to return are very important, and you seem to accept that, she will need to satisfy the ECO is better off in Thailand than by overstaying in the UK. You say she has a house, how does she support herself and two children?

 

I wouldn't describe the proccess as pot luck, but the ECO, who are not based in Thailand, will need to be satisfied that she has sufficient reasons to leave the UK at the conclusion of a visit.

 

You mentioned an agent, a reputable agent would certainly help the lady present a compelling case, but she needs to be careful who she chooses, some will offer the earth but let you down, they don't come cheap.

She doesn't have employment in thailand so hopefully her son ,house ,land and cows etc should be good reason for them to accept she will to return home after her holiday . 

I'm going with an agent who got my sons british passport sorted for me (14000b ) without any hassle . She has assured me the visa would be 18000b . She seems trustworth and speaks good English while keeping me updated through he whole process . So fingers & toes crossed ...thanks for the advise ???? 

[theoldgit]

I wish you every success, though it’s worth pointing out that an agent who can complete the necessary paperwork for a British Passport for a UK National, may not necessarily have the skills required to obtain a UK Visa in the circumstances you describe.

 

As I say I wish you and your ex girlfriend every success, do let us know how she gets on.

[Henryford]

I am always amazed at the hoops they get people to jump through just to get a holiday visa yet they let thousands just walk in every year with absolutely no documents.

[Tony M]

On 3/18/2022 at 1:24 AM, Captainchaos said:

She doesn't have employment in thailand so hopefully her son ,house ,land and cows etc should be good reason for them to accept she will to return home after her holiday . 

I'm going with an agent who got my sons british passport sorted for me (14000b ) without any hassle . She has assured me the visa would be 18000b . She seems trustworth and speaks good English while keeping me updated through he whole process . So fingers & toes crossed ...thanks for the advise ???? 

Is she going to give you a refund if the visa is refused ?  If not, then she doesn't have much incentive to do a good job with the application. There are agents who will do the application on a "no visa-no fee" basis.  In addition, at least one of those agents, although based in Thailand, is registered with the UK govt as an approved immigration advisor. If your agent can tick both of those boxes, you might be okay. 

[Captainchaos]

On 3/18/2022 at 12:01 AM, theoldgit said:

I wish you every success, though it’s worth pointing out that an agent who can complete the necessary paperwork for a British Passport for a UK National, may not necessarily have the skills required to obtain a UK Visa in the circumstances you describe.

 

As I say I wish you and your ex girlfriend every success, do let us know how she gets on.

Thanks again, I will post an update 

[Captainchaos]

On 3/19/2022 at 4:04 AM, Tony M said:

Is she going to give you a refund if the visa is refused ?  If not, then she doesn't have much incentive to do a good job with the application. There are agents who will do the application on a "no visa-no fee" basis.  In addition, at least one of those agents, although based in Thailand, is registered with the UK govt as an approved immigration advisor. If your agent can tick both of those boxes, you might be okay. 

Yeah I know what you mean , ive seen a few agents offering a "no visa no fee" deal . When checking out reviews the claims seem to be less impressive .  I will ask the agent if she can offer this before my ex goes ahead with the application even if its for a bit of insurance . Once the money parts hands I'm at the mercy of them as I doubt they will feel obliged to keep their end of the bargain.  For this reason I'll do some research into a tried and tested agent and hopefully touch lucky . Thanks for your advise ???? 

[Captain Jack]

If the Home Office want to see "reasons to return" why don't they ask for such in the application process? There aren't even options to submit anything other than general "supporting documents" and no explanation of what those might be. Bearing in mind that everything has to be translated and certified, at a cost, you'd think some explanation would be helpful.

[Captainchaos]

On 4/2/2022 at 6:22 AM, Captain Jack said:

If the Home Office want to see "reasons to return" why don't they ask for such in the application process? There aren't even options to submit anything other than general "supporting documents" and no explanation of what those might be. Bearing in mind that everything has to be translated and certified, at a cost, you'd think some explanation would be helpful.

This is one of the reasons I've opted for an agent with experience in this type of visa . Not cheap or guaranteed but seems a better option for me .

[Captain Jack]

18 hours ago, Captainchaos said:

This is one of the reasons I've opted for an agent with experience in this type of visa . Not cheap or guaranteed but seems a better option for me .

True. But, in that case which "type of visa" would you say you don't need to use an agent for? This is a standard visitor visa. A 'tourist' visa. It's literally the only thing that should be simple to get. Unless of course the UKVI is intentionally playing a secret game of 'keep-em-out'.