Uk Child Settlement Visa Refused

[hgvneil]

After a 6 day wait we went to pick up my step daughter passport to find it had been refused.She had no interview apart from a few questions when she had her biometrics taken when applying.My wife got a call on the mobile,she said she was applicants mother she was interviewed for about 10 mins but they didnt want to speak to our daughter.

Refused on grounds of insufficent evidence to prove support of daughter.

My wife has ALWAYS given money to her daughter who she left with her grandparents when daughter was 6 months old.Family had no money and the father of child had walked out while my wife was in hospital having birth 1993.Daughter is just turned 15.Wife working as room maid in bangkok went back home every 3 months with money,but how can you prove this ?

Before we married and went to UK '02 we opened a bank account for the grandmother and sent money via swift,i included coipies of bank book and deposits every 4 months and copies of nationwide payments.

They say welfare of child is not just finacial,my wife has phoned from UK regularly but my mistake was not to include phone records,but these can be obtained in UK.My wife said in interview that we had returned to thailand 3 times in 6 years since we married "only 3 times" they stated in refusal letter.My wife has 2 children in that time and how often do they think is accepable to travel to visit daughter ?

I have to return to UK for work with my wife and children,is it best to appeal in UK or now here in Thailand.

Any idea how long appeals take to come to tribunual,must i have a representative/lawyer ? If it could be done in a couple of weeks i can wait,but any longer i must return to UK.

Any help appriciated,

NEIL HYNES.

[misterman21]

Appeal and your appeal will be heard in the UK. Once those barstewards at the embassy have refused it is flogging a dead horse to make further applications. They make up their own rules based on their imagined superior knowledge of thai ways! The appeals judge in the Uk will tend to view matters without the preconceived predjudices of 'entry officers' - or usefull idiots to be more precise

[steve187]

Hi Yes appeal in Bangkok, The appeal will be heard in UK, The appeal should take about 6 months or so. Just get all evidence together to support claim, abnk statements, phone calls, letters/envelopes etc. You do not have to have representation.

[hgvneil]

If the appeal will be heard in UK then we may as well appeal when we get to UK ?

I have to travel back this week.I need to get paperwork from UK anyway.

What im not sure of also is,when i send off the appeal form with supporting documents am i just sending the documents/evidence that i was missing/required OR do i have to send everything again,as if we were applying for settlement from scratch ? Will the appeal tribunal have all the details from when we first applied ?

If not then im going to have to get loads of paperwork translated in the UK and ive no idea where to get it done or how expensive this will be.

[vinny]

See also Guidance - Appeals (INF 19) and Chapter 27 - Appeals and 6. Refused entry to UK.

If you need to translate Thai documents in the UK, then see also List of Translators in the UK.