Help Me Get Ning A Uk Visa

[walg]

i know this is a question that must have appeared here 1,000,000 times. sorry to bore you all.

i have been seeing ning for 2 years, 1 year of which i was living in thailand. she is currently a student and finishes college around songkran next year. her family are able to support her and her sister through college and university but are certainly not rich. i want to bring her to the uk for a holiday of maybe a month or two. i have a good job with a good income but no real assets such as a house. i can always borrow 10,000 or so for 6 months to make my bank account look better. i am 33 she is 20.

i have ample proof such as emails and massive phone bills to prove that we have been friends for the last year (since i have been back in the uk). and passport stamps to prove that i have visited her 5 times a year.

i think it may help matters that she (hopefully) will have gained entrance to one of thailands better universities by then which may indicate that she plans to return.

questions i am asking you are;

do i stand a chance?

are these visa companies worth approaching? if so how much do they charge?

which is the best visa to go for? shall i pretend we are engaged? or enrol her at an english short course! (a few ideas ive had but i would rather be honest though).

basically i want to get the ball rolling nice and early so any advice from you guys would be much appreciated.

hopefully, with your help, next may my shower plug will be clogged with silky black hairs.

cheers

john

[Ben Dover]

The Burden of proof you need to show is that she will return, show that she has ties here in Thailand show that she has funds available for her stay in the UK.

Apply for a tourist Visa, you will be given 6 months even if you only say she is coming for 2 weeks if approved.

If you are not applying for a permanant stay visa I am sure your circumstances are not relavant, they just want to be sure she will come home again.

So prove she will and there is no reason you will be turned down.

I have taken my GF back to the UK on 3 ocassions with a tourist visa, each time without problem as she showed a lot of ties here for her to return to.

I am talking from my experience, anyone else feel free to correct me..

Best advice is dont lie they will catch her out at the interview and then your up shit creek without a paddle.

[the scouser]

My advice serves to expand upon that already given.

From the information that you have given I would think that your g/f has a good chance of getting a tourist visa.

You should supply evidence that you can accommodate your g/f during her visit . It does not matter if you don't own your own house. If you rent then provide a copy of your tenancy agreement and if you live with friends/family provide a letter from them stating how big the property is as well as they are willing to put her up for the duration of the visit.

Your g/f will have to show that she can maintain herself financially for the holiday. This can either be proof of your income/savings or hers. I don't recommend bolstering your bank account by borrowing £10,000 as this will be apparent to the visa officer when he/she looks at your bank statements. Anyway, they are not interested in whether you are wealthy, but wish to see that you are solvent enough to possibly fund your g/f's holiday. Having a good job should be sufficient.

If your g/f is currently taken care of by her family then evidence of her family's finances should also be produced for the visa officer. Should she have been accepted on a university course then evidence of this should also be provided which should include a date she is expected to start and whether any fees have as yet been paid. Having to go to university is a good reason for her to return to Thailand, especially if some of the fees have already been paid.

It is also worth showing e-mails, phone bills, greetings cards, photographs; basically anything that shows the 2 of you have known each other for as long as claimed.

When your g/f submits her application it is worth your while to write a covering letter for the attention of the visa officer which briefly outlines your circumstances and intentions.

Scouse.

[davethailand]

DON'T USE A VISA COMPANY!

the 100% guarantee's they give you are bullsiht.

the other members have said what i would've said, correct papers etc then i don't see why not.

good luck

[the scouser]

I second Dave's advice not to use a visa company: they're all con artists. If you use them and don't get the visa then you've wasted money and if you do get the visa then the chances are that you would've got it without their "assistance".

This sweeping generalisation, however, does not include me. My rates are reasonable.....

Scouse.

[paully]

Yes, I would think you have a good chance of getting a tourist visa for Ning: one thing they will ask (from my experience) is how long you have known each other. Two years is pretty good.

As others have said, work on getting paperwork to show that she will return to Thailand, put some money in the bank account, go with her to the Embassy when she makes the application (if you can), dress smartly and act polite but firm.

[walg]

Thanks guys.

I will follow your advice.

specifically in not hiring a visa company. apart from you scouse of course.

i may be back to ask some more questions in the future. until then its good to know there are people like you out there.

thanks again

john