Applying For Oz Spouse Visa

[bikkies]

Hi all

New to this site and so far I have gained some very valuable tips.

My wife to be and I will be applying for spouse visa in the first week or two of September.My fiance is Akha and got her Thai I.D card about 18 months ago and her passport 8 months ago.We have been together for 2 years.I have kept all the emails,bank statements of financial asisstance photos etc.

I have a few questions that I require some help or advice on.

1. We will be getting married late August in Chiang Rai,will I be able to register the marriage there and how long will it take for the paperwork.And what paperwork will I need?

2.My wife has trouble writing and reading Thai,though she can speak Thai.Can I fill the application out for here and she sign her name?

3. My stepdaughter will also be applying is there a seperate form for her she is just over 2 years old.I believe we need consent from her father this is where the problem begins my fiance has no idea of his whereabouts as he buggered off when he found out she was pregnant.(lucky for me)What paperwork will I need for this?

4. We have never lived together is this a problem?

5. Any other advice is more than welcome

Mike

[Jockstar]

My fiance is Akha and got her Thai I.D card about 18 months ago

How old is she?

We have been together for 2 years.I have kept all the emails,bank statements of financial asisstance photos etc.

How long have you actually spent together?

My wife has trouble writing and reading Thai,

Why?

Sorry for all the questions. But there is a lot of factors to take into account. Does she work? How does she support herself etc etc? more info please.

[Mighty Mouse]

Hi all

New to this site and so far I have gained some very valuable tips.

My wife to be and I will be applying for spouse visa in the first week or two of September.My fiance is Akha and got her Thai I.D card about 18 months ago and her passport 8 months ago.We have been together for 2 years.I have kept all the emails,bank statements of financial asisstance photos etc.

I have a few questions that I require some help or advice on.

1. We will be getting married late August in Chiang Rai,will I be able to register the marriage there and how long will it take for the paperwork.And what paperwork will I need?

If you click on this link it will give you information on how to register your marriage. I have no information regarding Chiang Rai, but hopefully somebody with direct knowledge may be able to answer your specific questions.

2.My wife has trouble writing and reading Thai,though she can speak Thai.Can I fill the application out for here and she sign her name?

You can fill out the application for her, explain it fully to her and have her sign it. You may then need to inform the Embassy that you have done this by including a paragraph in your covering letter.

3. My stepdaughter will also be applying is there a seperate form for her she is just over 2 years old.I believe we need consent from her father this is where the problem begins my fiance has no idea of his whereabouts as he buggered off when he found out she was pregnant.(lucky for me)What paperwork will I need for this?

Click on this link for information on child migration. If the natural father cannot be located, the mother will need to obtain papers from the local Amphur office stating that she is the sole custodian. There have been other threads in this forum regarding this issue. Use the "search" feature at the top of the page. The Amphur papers will also be required before a Thai passport can be issued.

4. We have never lived together is this a problem?

Not really, but you will need to prove that your relationship is genuine and continuing. Obviously you will need to explain your situation. Again, you can use your covering letter for this purpose. This is where your emails, letters, photos financial arrangements will support this requirement.

5. Any other advice is more than welcome

It is very difficult to give advice other that what is contained in this forum. I suggest that you spend some time searching through past threads for useful information....however, if you have any specific questions, just post them into this thread and we will do our best to provide answers.

Mike

[bikkies]

Thanks for the great advice Mighty Mouse.

Though I dont understand this quote on marrying in Thailand.

• Statutory declarations

Australians married in Thailand must provide a pro-forma statutory declaration. The Thai Government requires that such declarations be witnessed at the Australian Embassy Bangkok. They will not accept declarations from Australia. A fee of AUD$20 is payable for this service.

[Jockstar]

Thanks for the great advice Mighty Mouse.

Though I dont understand this quote on marrying in Thailand.

• Statutory declarations

Australians married in Thailand must provide a pro-forma statutory declaration. The Thai Government requires that such declarations be witnessed at the Australian Embassy Bangkok. They will not accept declarations from Australia. A fee of AUD$20 is payable for this service.

I am Scottish but an Oz resident. I had 2 stat decs written and signed by 2 Ozzies living in Oz.

[gburns57au]

Bikkies,

The registration of a Thai marriage is not usually one of the issues we deal with here, the link MM provided gives some insight though.

Perhaps you can go to the Amphur and ask for the documents required to register a marriage...have someone explain it all to the missus and to you.

I would expect that the stat dec would be along the lines of, you both being free to marry, both of an age to marry, both agree to the marriage etc...but I am not sure on this.

Filling out the spouse visa application form....

You can as MM said fill it out for her and have her sign it, this should be done in English anyway.

You will need to fill out the sponsors form as well

You will need at least 2 Stat Decs from friends in Oz attesting to the genuinity of the relationship, they will need to provide copies of ID showing them to be Oz citizens with the stat decs...this is what Jockstar was on about.

The Child....

She can be included on the same form as the missus...

The missus will need to provide proof of sole custody...this can be done by statements made by members of her family and her attesting to the fact that the father has had no part in the upbringing of the child and his whereabouts are unknown...this can be done at the Amphur also. You will need certified copies of the English translation.

If you can afford it there are brokers who will arrange all of this for you but it is not cheap,

The local Amphur should be able to assist you with a lot of enquiries on the Thai side of things...The Oz Immigration site can help with the Oz side of things. As MM said, we may be able to assist with any specific enquires you have.

An Akha girl....you are a very lucky man.

[Mighty Mouse]

Though I dont understand this quote on marrying in Thailand.

• Statutory declarations

Australians married in Thailand must provide a pro-forma statutory declaration. The Thai Government requires that such declarations be witnessed at the Australian Embassy Bangkok. They will not accept declarations from Australia. A fee of AUD$20 is payable for this service.

To marry in Thailand you need to both have your passports and proof that you are single. If you have previously been married which ended by divorce or death you will need the original certificates. If you have never been married the Thai authorities require that you produce to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs a statutory statement of non-attachment notarised by your respective embassy.

For information on registering a Thai marriage...click here.

[bikkies]

Thanks for advice/tips Jockstar,MightyMouse and gburns

Yes I am a lucky man gburns,thanks and the Akha people are great.

does anyone have a list of addresses for Amphur offices around Thailand,and also a list of Brokers

Mike

[aussiestyle1983]

Good luck with everything mate. If you have more questions that I can answer I will try to help out. My wife got her spouse visa a few months ago and we will be entering Oz in about 8 weeks. My wifes visa was approved less than 20 hours after we submitted so based on my experience there is a few important things I can advise you to do.

#1 and most important; ONLY lodge a COMPLETE application. (too many reasons to list why)

#2 respect the case officer, this will count for a lot.

#3 triple check everything is correct and complete before submitting.

#4 DO NOT LODGE AT VFS........ make an appointment and only lodge at the embassy. your case officer will see you face to face, answer any questions and if you're together, see how you act which can really work in your favor.

So regardless of the quoted time it takes to be approved, it will be up to your case officer, the strength of your application and how she sees your relationship/

[Mighty Mouse]

does anyone have a list of addresses for Amphur offices around Thailand,and also a list of Brokers

Click here for a short list of Amphur offices.

...as for brokers...I wouldn't touch 'em. They are only useful if you don't have the time to go through all the steps yourself....and they ain't all that cheap for what they do.

[david96]

http://www.thailand.embassy.gov.au/bkok/Vi..._Migration.html

This is the Australian Embassy Website click on the links and it will give you quite a lot of information that you will require when you lodge your spouse visa 309/100.

[bikkies]

Thanks for the advice/tips it has been a great help to me.If you are ever in Perth let me know I will buy you all a beer or two.I guess I will be busy here for a while chasing docs,filling out forms etc.Fingers crossed.

Cheers

Mike

[Jockstar]

Its not as hard as people think. Good luck.