What is the easiest / quickest way to get a visa for my wife to visit the UK

[kwak250]

I am planning a short 2 week trip to the UK at the end of June/July and wanting to know the easiest/quickest way to get her a visa
We married in the UK but she has not got a UK passport only Thai
Is there an easy way to do this.
She has 2 houses in her name in Thailand  to show we are not going to stay in the UK beyond the 2 weeks
Any help will be great as trying not to have to go to Bangkok for any interview unless needed

[richard_smith237]

Your Wife will need a standard Visitor Visa.

 

https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor

 

Application will need to be made at VFS (Bangkok)

 

https://visa.vfsglobal.com/tha/en/gbr

[brewsterbudgen]

There is only one way for her to get a UK Visitor visa (see @richard_smith237's post above mine).  She can apply online, but she will have to attend the VFS offices in Bangkok or Chiang Mai to submit her biometrics.  Using an agent will possible speed things up but she will still need her biometrics taken.  You'll need to act quickly as it is likely to take a few weeks (if you're lucky!).

[kwak250]

Many thanks and we could say we are going to stay at our parents in the UK if that is needed
Would we need to show any form of income as we do not work but have savings 
Would my wife need an interview to show how she can support herself or would a certain sum of money in her bank account work?
Trying to make it as easy as possible without her getting refused a visa with such little time

Many thanks

[richard_smith237]

6 minutes ago, kwak250 said:

Many thanks and we could say we are going to stay at our parents in the UK if that is needed
Would we need to show any form of income as we do not work but have savings 

 

Show everything you can - Proof of funds (savings), house ownership (documents need to be translated into English).

 

You will need an 'invitation letter' from your parents, addressed from their house, saying that you will both stay there for the duration of your visit (you can write this letter yourself, from you, but the address needs to be listed as your UK address).

 

6 minutes ago, kwak250 said:

Would my wife need an interview to show how she can support herself or would a certain sum of money in her bank account work?

 

An interview is very unlikely - solid documentation is key.

 

 

6 minutes ago, kwak250 said:

Trying to make it as easy as possible without her getting refused a visa with such little time

Many thanks

 

Get everything you can...  You can also 'fast track' at VFS - which wont actually make the visa process itself any quicker, but you will get 'dedicated assistance' at VFS and a quicker appointment time.

 

https://visa.vfsglobal.com/tha/en/gbr/super-priority-visa

[brewsterbudgen]

If you both live together in Thailand you should have no issues.  If you can show a Work/Retirement/Marriage extension it will help as it will show you have a life together in Thailand.   As well as the information Richard has mentioned, as your wife's sponsor for the trip, only you need to show that you have the funds to pay for it.

[kwak250]

2 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

If you both live together in Thailand you should have no issues.  If you can show a Work/Retirement/Marriage extension it will help as it will show you have a life together in Thailand.   As well as the information Richard has mentioned, as your wife's sponsor for the trip, only you need to show that you have the funds to pay for it.

I can show funds which will easily be enough for a 2 week trip
The only concern we have is not being able to show why we would return to Thailand as we both have no work commitments .

Translating a house ownership from Thai to English can be done on the day i expect?

Might not need any of this though

[brewsterbudgen]

1 minute ago, kwak250 said:

I can show funds which will easily be enough for a 2 week trip
The only concern we have is not being able to show why we would return to Thailand as we both have no work commitments .

Translating a house ownership from Thai to English can be done on the day i expect?

Might not need any of this though

 

The EO (based in India!) will need to be sure that she will return to Thailand after the trip.  As long as you can show evidence of your life together in Thailand, it should be fine (assuming you live there permanently with her).  Everything in Thai will need to be translated before it is uploaded.

[kwak250]

1 minute ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

The EO (based in India!) will need to be sure that she will return to Thailand after the trip.  As long as you can show evidence of your life together in Thailand, it should be fine (assuming you live there permanently with her).  Everything in Thai will need to be translated before it is uploaded.

Many thanks
I am sure we translated a few documents years ago hopefully they are the house papers

[josephbloggs]

57 minutes ago, kwak250 said:

Many thanks and we could say we are going to stay at our parents in the UK if that is needed
Would we need to show any form of income as we do not work but have savings 
Would my wife need an interview to show how she can support herself or would a certain sum of money in her bank account work?
Trying to make it as easy as possible without her getting refused a visa with such little time

Many thanks

Good advice posted already but in case you were thinking of it DO NOT transfer a lump of money to her. They frown on this and it will count against you. My wife doesn't work (looks after the kids) so we just show her real bank account as it is (pretty empty), but all my supporting financials - no problem.

You are the sponsor so they are only interested in your financials, not hers, they just need to know she will return to Thailand - your marriage, non immigrant visa, and the houses in her name are good.

Also write a good cover letter from you explaining your relationship, life and commitments in Thailand, reasons to come back, certify you will cover all expenses during the trip, and give a brief explanation of why you're going (to visit family etc).

Cover all that and you should be fine but as others have warned, get on with it!

[soi3eddie]

48 minutes ago, kwak250 said:

Many thanks and we could say we are going to stay at our parents in the UK if that is needed
Would we need to show any form of income as we do not work but have savings 
Would my wife need an interview to show how she can support herself or would a certain sum of money in her bank account work?
Trying to make it as easy as possible without her getting refused a visa with such little time

Many thanks

 

You have plenty of time if you do it now. I have made 3 succsessful UK visit visa applications for my partner in Bangkok in the last two years. Each visa was issued in less than 15 working days from submitting biometrics. You can pay more to get a faster decision. 

Fill out the appliaction form online - it is not difficult. Be sure to give as much detail as possible regarding the intended trip. You must include full financial details (both of you if you wife does not have her own income or wealth). She does not have to have anything in her account but you should show how you support her. 

 

 

[soi3eddie]

19 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

The EO (based in India!) will need to be sure that she will return to Thailand after the trip.  As long as you can show evidence of your life together in Thailand, it should be fine (assuming you live there permanently with her).  Everything in Thai will need to be translated before it is uploaded.

 

Each of the 3 UK visit visas made for my partner in the last two years was handled by Sheffield in the UK. No interview or calls for any of them. Her current UK visit visa is the 10 year validity which makes life so much easier for us.

 

[josephbloggs]

3 minutes ago, soi3eddie said:

 

You have plenty of time if you do it now. I have made 3 succsessful UK visit visa applications for my partner in Bangkok in the last two years. Each visa was issued in less than 15 working days from submitting biometrics. You can pay more to get a faster decision. 

Fill out the appliaction form online - it is not difficult. Be sure to give as much detail as possible regarding the intended trip. You must include full financial details (both of you if you wife does not have her own income or wealth). She does not have to have anything in her account but you should show how you support her. 

 

 

Yeah, it's luck of the draw. I've done six I think. Mostly reasonably quick but I did have one that took nearly ten weeks and it was touch and go.

[kwak250]

2 minutes ago, soi3eddie said:

 

You have plenty of time if you do it now. I have made 3 succsessful UK visit visa applications for my partner in Bangkok in the last two years. Each visa was issued in less than 15 working days from submitting biometrics. You can pay more to get a faster decision. 

Fill out the appliaction form online - it is not difficult. Be sure to give as much detail as possible regarding the intended trip. You must include full financial details (both of you if you wife does not have her own income or wealth). She does not have to have anything in her account but you should show how you support her. 

 

 

Many thanks for this info
We are in the middle of building a new house so she has more than enough in her account just not having actual income to show was a concern as we have savings/investments  just not income

[kwak250]

5 minutes ago, soi3eddie said:

 

You have plenty of time if you do it now. I have made 3 succsessful UK visit visa applications for my partner in Bangkok in the last two years. Each visa was issued in less than 15 working days from submitting biometrics. You can pay more to get a faster decision. 

Fill out the appliaction form online - it is not difficult. Be sure to give as much detail as possible regarding the intended trip. You must include full financial details (both of you if you wife does not have her own income or wealth). She does not have to have anything in her account but you should show how you support her. 

 

 

Would it be important to show the house deeds in her name translated from Thai to English as wanting to get this done quickly without having to spend time with translations
I expect showing we will not stay in the UK would be a concern and as we cannot show we have work in Thailand it is a concern that they might think we might not come back to Thailand
 

[soi3eddie]

25 minutes ago, kwak250 said:

Would it be important to show the house deeds in her name translated from Thai to English as wanting to get this done quickly without having to spend time with translations
I expect showing we will not stay in the UK would be a concern and as we cannot show we have work in Thailand it is a concern that they might think we might not come back to Thailand
 

Translations essential for deeds/chanote/Thai marriage certificate. Housebook too with her name in it. If you have strong links to Thailand such as Yellow book, vehicles, Thai bank accounts, driving licences etc. then bombard them with everything. As above, a covering letter is needed too and I, personally consider it essential. It all needs to be scanned and uploaded via the VFS site. This is what I did each time (hence going for the 10 year visa this time). I bought a sanner and scanned and uploaded it myself. VFS offer a paid option if you want them to do the scanning and uploading. FWIW: I did same for a Canadian visa application in the last 6 months and that was sucssessful too. Now, we are working on USA visa for this summer - fingers crossed. 

 

[sandyf]

12 minutes ago, kwak250 said:

Many thanks for this info
We are in the middle of building a new house so she has more than enough in her account just not having actual income to show was a concern as we have savings/investments  just not income

I have done it a dozen times now and fairly straightforward, just a bit tedious. There are many views on the topic but to the same outcome.

As a married couple you should write a sponser letter outlining the purpose of the visit with a brief summary of the relationship, how long, when married,  current circumstances etc. In it you can make references to the property ownership/investments. You should also take full responsibility to cover all costs involved.

It is said that you shouldn't book a flight until the visa is issued but I wouldn't agree with that,  from day one I have always had the flight booked before applying. The clearance officer has to be confident that your wife intends to return and a return ticket with both names goes a long way. I always make a statement to the effect that we will both return to Thailand on "airline & date" and that travel insurance has been arranged for the duration.

As far as making the application is concerned, that is done through VFS and you cannot avoid a visit to Bangkok. If driving,  I would suggest parking on the outskirts and then travel in, there is an MRT station just round the corner. Appointments seem to be better than before and processsing time gone down to  about 40 minutes, no longer the same congestion there was at Trendy.

VFS is set up  to sell  services so entirely up to you if you want to use them or not, I dont, other than the courier to return passport.

My wife got hers back just before Songkran and that was 15 days from submission but historically it has usually been around the 3 weeks. You should be ok if you get it in by the end of the month. When we did it there was no waiting list for submission but that can change and would be worth asking if anyone knows what it is now, have had to wait a couple of weeks in the past before submission.

Good luck.

[johng]

When I tried to upload documents to the  VFS website for my wife it just kept erroring  and logging me out  I tried for 2 days so in the end we went to Bangkok with the documents and paid for them to scan them  some of them were in Thai and they did not insist that they be translated into English even though it does say on the form that documents should be English...anyway she did get her visitors visa in the post after a couple of weeks.

[kwak250]

1 hour ago, johng said:

When I tried to upload documents to the  VFS website for my wife it just kept erroring  and logging me out  I tried for 2 days so in the end we went to Bangkok with the documents and paid for them to scan them  some of them were in Thai and they did not insist that they be translated into English even though it does say on the form that documents should be English...anyway she did get her visitors visa in the post after a couple of weeks.

Excellent news I might try the same

[brewsterbudgen]

2 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

 

Each of the 3 UK visit visas made for my partner in the last two years was handled by Sheffield in the UK. No interview or calls for any of them. Her current UK visit visa is the 10 year validity which makes life so much easier for us.

 

Thanks.  It's been a while since I did it, so hopefully moving back to the UK has improved the process.   Interviews are almost never carried out and if a phone call needs to be made it's done by a Thai speaking Admin officer.  Yes, getting a 5 or 10-year visa is the way to go if you make regular trips.

[josephbloggs]

6 hours ago, sandyf said:

I have done it a dozen times now and fairly straightforward, just a bit tedious. There are many views on the topic but to the same outcome.

As a married couple you should write a sponser letter outlining the purpose of the visit with a brief summary of the relationship, how long, when married,  current circumstances etc. In it you can make references to the property ownership/investments. You should also take full responsibility to cover all costs involved.

It is said that you shouldn't book a flight until the visa is issued but I wouldn't agree with that,  from day one I have always had the flight booked before applying. The clearance officer has to be confident that your wife intends to return and a return ticket with both names goes a long way. I always make a statement to the effect that we will both return to Thailand on "airline & date" and that travel insurance has been arranged for the duration.

As far as making the application is concerned, that is done through VFS and you cannot avoid a visit to Bangkok. If driving,  I would suggest parking on the outskirts and then travel in, there is an MRT station just round the corner. Appointments seem to be better than before and processsing time gone down to  about 40 minutes, no longer the same congestion there was at Trendy.

VFS is set up  to sell  services so entirely up to you if you want to use them or not, I dont, other than the courier to return passport.

My wife got hers back just before Songkran and that was 15 days from submission but historically it has usually been around the 3 weeks. You should be ok if you get it in by the end of the month. When we did it there was no waiting list for submission but that can change and would be worth asking if anyone knows what it is now, have had to wait a couple of weeks in the past before submission.

Good luck.

I agree re: flights. I have always had flights booked before the application and included them in it. Obviously I have no idea if it had any influence but I always felt it was a strong statement. 

The more documents you can supply the better. The worst they can do is disregard the ones they don't need.

[theoldgit]

2 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

I agree re: flights. I have always had flights booked before the application and included them in it. Obviously I have no idea if it had any influence but I always felt it was a strong statement. 

The more documents you can supply the better. The worst they can do is disregard the ones they don't need.

Whilst I’ve always purchased flight tickets before assisting my wife with her visa applications over the years, and have thus ignored the published advice by the UKVI not to purchase non refundable tickets prior a visa being issued, it maybe worth sharing the instructions to caseworkers/ECO’s that evidence of flight tickets are not to be considered when reaching a decision on the application. 

It’s also worth reminding members that ECO’s have a very limited time to make a decision, so may not be minded to wade through unnecessary documents.

[josephbloggs]

2 minutes ago, theoldgit said:

Whilst I’ve always purchased flight tickets before assisting my wife with her visa applications over the years, and have thus ignored the published advice by the UKVI not to purchase non refundable tickets prior a visa being issued, it maybe worth sharing the instructions to caseworkers/ECO’s that evidence of flight tickets are not to be considered when reaching a decision on the application. 

It’s also worth reminding members that ECO’s have a very limited time to make a decision, so may not be minded to wade through unnecessary documents.

Interesting info, thanks.

[it is what it is]

 

loads of my thai friends have easily obtained tourist visa's for the uk, just apply online, it's pretty straight forward, just make sure she applies early as it can take a while.

[hotandsticky]

Apologies if I missed something.......you married in the UK so this is presumably not her first UK visa application..

 

Did she previously apply for a fiancee visa?

 

I have also always bought flights before applying - but have never submitted the details with the application as an Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) will simply disregard them as pointed out by @oldgit 

 

If your wife has sufficient funds to cover all costs of a 2 week holiday you can say that you are staying in various hotels and family members. If you are staying with parents you may be wise to get a letter of invitation. Previous applicants have supplied details of the house to show there is adequate accommodation. 

 

@sandyf mentioned you writing a letter outlining details of the relationship and reasons or your visit etc. and that is good advice. However, let's be clear - this is your wife's application and (apart from being her husband) you have nothing t do with it; you don't even need to be 'sponsor' if she is evidencing sufficient funds in the bank.

 

Without having all the information, it seems that you making this brief visit for family reasons ie it is probably not a holiday at this short notice and only 2week duration. There are 3 key areas than ECO needs to satisfy themselves on:-

 

Genuineness of Relationship and genuine reason to visit.

 

Financial adequacy.... She/you must evidence adequate money for the duration of stay. Unfortunately, unlike Schengen visas, UKVI do not give any guidance on this (Spain suggests a minimum of EUR 100/120 per day.).

 

Reasons to Return to Thailand. The big one. The risk of flight for (younger) Thais is deemed to high by many countries - Australia are particularly hard on this but you seem to have enough in your story (and a marriage certificate) to counter this. Copies of chanotes, or any other document must be translated into English and certified.

 

Your financial story is interesting and probably incomplete. You have no income but a bit of capital; you have no pension which suggests that you are younger and possibly returning at some point to work. If you are going to make reference to your financial situation in your introduction letter make sure it stands up to scrutiny -otherwise leave it out (and any other reference to you) and just provide the letter, relying on your wife's financial evidence.

 

In simplistic terms you re a married couple who are building a house in Thailand (which will become your permanent home) and you are making a brief UK visit to see family. After the 2 weeks you will return to Thailand to continue building your house. You can evidence enough money to cover the visit and you have the backup of parental accommodation.

[hotandsticky]

45 minutes ago, it is what it is said:

 

loads of my thai friends have easily obtained tourist visa's for the uk, just apply online, it's pretty straight forward, just make sure she applies early as it can take a while.

 

 

15 working days is the standard quote from VfS. All mine have been within this timescale. Most within 10 days a couple within a week.

[josephbloggs]

29 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

Apologies if I missed something.......you married in the UK so this is presumably not her first UK visa application..

 

Did she previously apply for a fiancee visa?

 

I have also always bought flights before applying - but have never submitted the details with the application as an Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) will simply disregard them as pointed out by @oldgit 

 

If your wife has sufficient funds to cover all costs of a 2 week holiday you can say that you are staying in various hotels and family members. If you are staying with parents you may be wise to get a letter of invitation. Previous applicants have supplied details of the house to show there is adequate accommodation. 

 

@sandyf mentioned you writing a letter outlining details of the relationship and reasons or your visit etc. and that is good advice. However, let's be clear - this is your wife's application and (apart from being her husband) you have nothing t do with it; you don't even need to be 'sponsor' if she is evidencing sufficient funds in the bank.

 

Without having all the information, it seems that you making this brief visit for family reasons ie it is probably not a holiday at this short notice and only 2week duration. There are 3 key areas than ECO needs to satisfy themselves on:-

 

Genuineness of Relationship and genuine reason to visit.

 

Financial adequacy.... She/you must evidence adequate money for the duration of stay. Unfortunately, unlike Schengen visas, UKVI do not give any guidance on this (Spain suggests a minimum of EUR 100/120 per day.).

 

Reasons to Return to Thailand. The big one. The risk of flight for (younger) Thais is deemed to high by many countries - Australia are particularly hard on this but you seem to have enough in your story (and a marriage certificate) to counter this. Copies of chanotes, or any other document must be translated into English and certified.

 

Your financial story is interesting and probably incomplete. You have no income but a bit of capital; you have no pension which suggests that you are younger and possibly returning at some point to work. If you are going to make reference to your financial situation in your introduction letter make sure it stands up to scrutiny -otherwise leave it out (and any other reference to you) and just provide the letter, relying on your wife's financial evidence.

 

In simplistic terms you re a married couple who are building a house in Thailand (which will become your permanent home) and you are making a brief UK visit to see family. After the 2 weeks you will return to Thailand to continue building your house. You can evidence enough money to cover the visit and you have the backup of parental accommodation.

Great post!

[sandyf]

15 hours ago, johng said:

When I tried to upload documents to the  VFS website for my wife it just kept erroring  and logging me out 

I think it  was 3 years ago I reported similar problem to  VFS. The responses was as useful as a chocolate fireguard.

I investigated myself and found it was my anti virus, I use Webroot and it didn't like their website.

[sandyf]

7 hours ago, theoldgit said:

Whilst I’ve always purchased flight tickets before assisting my wife with her visa applications over the years, and have thus ignored the published advice by the UKVI not to purchase non refundable tickets prior a visa being issued, it maybe worth sharing the instructions to caseworkers/ECO’s that evidence of flight tickets are not to be considered when reaching a decision on the application. 

It’s also worth reminding members that ECO’s have a very limited time to make a decision, so may not be minded to wade through unnecessary documents.

There is a big difference between what you submit and what is stated in a sponser letter. I have a photo of us outside the house embedded in the sponser letter.

[KannikaP]

16 hours ago, sandyf said:

VFS is set up  to sell  services so entirely up to you if you want to use them or not, I dont, other than the courier to return passport

Information on how to do that would be very helpful please.