Advise On Visa Application

[jvc600]

I am wanting to bring my thai girlfriend to the uk next year .we are getting engaged in may 2005 .yes i must be mad ,but that is the plan.I have known the lady for over two years now with photos and all the usual stuff to prove this as well as the fact that she is now staying in my apartment in thailand that i pay for as well as give her money for her too look after her self.

yes i must be a mug ,but a happy one and lifes all about taking chances evry now and then is it not..........

i am thinking about two options in may when i go back to see her.

option one is get married then apply for a visa.

option two is just get engaged then apply for a visa.

people have advised me to use one of the many agencies in thailand to help with getting the visa .

any one offer any sensible advise on my best move now would be most welcomed .....

[Richard W]

I am wanting to bring my thai girlfriend to the uk next year .we are getting engaged in may 2005 .

<Snip>

i am thinking about two options in may when i go back to see her.

option one is get married then apply for a visa.

option two is just get engaged then apply for a visa.

people have advised me to use one of the many agencies in thailand to help with getting the visa .

any one offer any sensible advise on my best move now would be most welcomed .....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The standard advice is *not* to use an agency. There is a significant possibility that they will foul up the application with reckless answers that will be contradicted at her visa interview. This means you should check the visa application before it is submitted - easier said than done, given the stubbornness of women in general.

If you are living in the UK, you missed out an option:

Option 3: Apply for a visa on the basis that you will be married at the time of the interview. You can move the offered interview date back to after the planned date of marriage. It will then be possible to fly out, marry, get the wife's settlement visa, and return to the UK together.

[the scouser]

I am assuming that you wish to marry your g/f AND settle in the UK.

Prior to travelling to the UK your g/f will have to obtain a settlement visa either as a fiancée if you intend to marry in the UK or as your wife if you've done so in Thailand. The cost for either is £260.00 payable in local currency.

The fiancée visa would entitle her to stay in the UK for 6 months during which time you would be expected to marry. Once married she can apply to the Home Office for permission to stay longer (2 years) and this extension costs a minimum of £155.00. Should you marry in Thailand then the visa would give her 2 years from the word go and would not necessitate the intermediate application to the Home Office, saving you at least £155.00.

I concur with Richard's advice about using an agency. Most are cowboys who don't know the first thing about UK immigration law, their raison d'etre being to deprive you of your hard-earned cash. It is possible to research the requirements yourself. For starters there follow the criteria to be met by fiancé(e)s and spouses:-

281. The requirements to be met by a person seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom with a view to settlement as the spouse of a person present and settled in the United Kingdom or who is on the same occasion being admitted for settlement are that:

(i) (a) the applicant is married to a person present and settled in the United Kingdom or who is on the same occasion being admitted for settlement; or

( the applicant is married to a person who has a right of abode in the United Kingdom or indefinite leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom and is on the same occasion seeking admission to the United Kingdom for the purposes of settlement and the parties were married at least 4 years ago, since which time they have been living together outside the United Kingdom; and

(ii) the parties to the marriage have met; and

(iii) each of the parties intends to live permanently with the other as his or her spouse and the marriage is subsisting; and

(iv) there will be adequate accommodation for the parties and any dependants without recourse to public funds in accommodation which they own or occupy exclusively; and

(v) the parties will be able to maintain themselves and any dependants adequately without recourse to public funds; and

(vi) the applicant holds a valid United Kingdom entry clearance for entry in this capacity.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

290. The requirements to be met by a person seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom as a fiancé(e) are that:

(i) the applicant is seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom for marriage to a person present and settled in the United Kingdom or who is on the same occasion being admitted for settlement; and

(ii) the parties to the proposed marriage have met; and

(iii) each of the parties intends to live permanently with the other as his or her spouse after the marriage; and

(iv) adequate maintenance and accommodation without recourse to public funds will be available for the applicant until the date of the marriage; and

(v) there will, after the marriage, be adequate accommodation for the parties and any dependants without recourse to public funds in accommodation which they own or occupy exclusively; and

(vi) the parties will be able after the marriage to maintain themselves and any dependants adequately without recourse to public funds; and

(vii) the applicant holds a valid United Kingdom entry clearance for entry in this capacity.

Feel free to post any queries here and you'll save a few hundred quid at least.

Cheers,

Scouse.

[geoffers]

hi my thai wife got her visa 3 weeks ago, we are both in the uk now, dont use an agency its a waste of money, just tell the truth, provide everthing they ask for and more, keep receipts.plenty of photos, get married i would, if your sure, and you wont have any problems

[krider]

if you get married in thailand, and it is a legal thai wedding then you will need to get the paperwork translated into english for the embassy to accept it and recognise that you are officially married.

K

[jvc600]

thanks for the advise richard .the cost of some of these agencys is stupid in any case and is a waste of money.i will have made my mind up what i am going to do when i go back and see her in may .

cheers for the advise

I am wanting to bring my thai girlfriend to the uk next year .we are getting engaged in may 2005 .

<Snip>

i am thinking about two options in may when i go back to see her.

option one is get married then apply for a visa.

option two is just get engaged then apply for a visa.

people have advised me to use one of the many agencies in thailand to help with getting the visa .

any one offer any sensible advise on my best move now would be most welcomed .....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The standard advice is *not* to use an agency. There is a significant possibility that they will foul up the application with reckless answers that will be contradicted at her visa interview. This means you should check the visa application before it is submitted - easier said than done, given the stubbornness of women in general.

If you are living in the UK, you missed out an option:

Option 3: Apply for a visa on the basis that you will be married at the time of the interview. You can move the offered interview date back to after the planned date of marriage. It will then be possible to fly out, marry, get the wife's settlement visa, and return to the UK together.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[jvc600]

if i marry in thailand where would you say is the best place to do this .she lives in the north about 30 miles from the laos border .i would assume as long as its not a ceromonial weeding it will be legal in the uk

hi my thai wife got her visa 3 weeks ago, we are both in the uk now, dont use an agency its a waste of money, just tell the truth, provide everthing they ask for and more, keep receipts.plenty of photos, get married i would, if your sure, and you wont have any problems

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[jvc600]

thanks for your advise on this .there seems to be a overall agreement that these agencies are a waste of money and are for the desperate who have loads of money .have looked into some of these agencies for fees etc ,in pattaya average cost will be to use there service about £760 .thats madness .some others in bangkok will charge about £350 ,not bad but still i think a waste of money .i am better off saving my money i think now and using it for either her plain ticket or if i have the bottle the wedding in thailand .i think my best bet will be to get married in thailand then apply for a wife visa.saves money,and lets be honest whats the point in applying for a fiancee visa as i will have to marry in any case before the six months then aplly for extension etc etc which cost more money .

i think nearer to the time i will need to know where to marry in thailand .i must be mad ...........thanks for the info and advise

I am assuming that you wish to marry your g/f AND settle in the UK.

Prior to travelling to the UK your g/f will have to obtain a settlement visa either as a fiancée if you intend to marry in the UK or as your wife if you've done so in Thailand. The cost for either is £260.00 payable in local currency.

The fiancée visa would entitle her to stay in the UK for 6 months during which time you would be expected to marry. Once married she can apply to the Home Office for permission to stay longer (2 years) and this extension costs a minimum of £155.00. Should you marry in Thailand then the visa would give her 2 years from the word go and would not necessitate the intermediate application to the Home Office, saving you at least £155.00.

I concur with Richard's advice about using an agency. Most are cowboys who don't know the first thing about UK immigration law, their raison d'etre being to deprive you of your hard-earned cash. It is possible to research the requirements yourself. For starters there follow the criteria to be met by fiancé(e)s and spouses:-

281. The requirements to be met by a person seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom with a view to settlement as the spouse of a person present and settled in the United Kingdom or who is on the same occasion being admitted for settlement are that:

(i) (a) the applicant is married to a person present and settled in the United Kingdom or who is on the same occasion being admitted for settlement; or

( the applicant is married to a person who has a right of abode in the United Kingdom or indefinite leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom and is on the same occasion seeking admission to the United Kingdom for the purposes of settlement and the parties were married at least 4 years ago, since which time they have been living together outside the United Kingdom; and

(ii) the parties to the marriage have met; and

(iii) each of the parties intends to live permanently with the other as his or her spouse and the marriage is subsisting; and

(iv) there will be adequate accommodation for the parties and any dependants without recourse to public funds in accommodation which they own or occupy exclusively; and

(v) the parties will be able to maintain themselves and any dependants adequately without recourse to public funds; and

(vi) the applicant holds a valid United Kingdom entry clearance for entry in this capacity.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

290. The requirements to be met by a person seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom as a fiancé(e) are that:

(i) the applicant is seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom for marriage to a person present and settled in the United Kingdom or who is on the same occasion being admitted for settlement; and

(ii) the parties to the proposed marriage have met; and

(iii) each of the parties intends to live permanently with the other as his or her spouse after the marriage; and

(iv) adequate maintenance and accommodation without recourse to public funds will be available for the applicant until the date of the marriage; and

(v) there will, after the marriage, be adequate accommodation for the parties and any dependants without recourse to public funds in accommodation which they own or occupy exclusively; and

(vi) the parties will be able after the marriage to maintain themselves and any dependants adequately without recourse to public funds; and

(vii) the applicant holds a valid United Kingdom entry clearance for entry in this capacity.

Feel free to post any queries here and you'll save a few hundred quid at least.

Cheers,

Scouse.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[jvc600]

ok ,thanks for your advise ,would agree with you on this .

i think i will if i have the bottle marry in thailand then go from there .not sure now on where to to marry etec in thailand.its only going to get as complicated as i want it .well thats life .thanks for the info

thanks for the advise richard .the cost of some of these agencys is stupid in any case and is a waste of money.i will have made my mind up what i am going to do when i go back and see her in may .

cheers for the advise 

I am wanting to bring my thai girlfriend to the uk next year .we are getting engaged in may 2005 .

<Snip>

i am thinking about two options in may when i go back to see her.

option one is get married then apply for a visa.

option two is just get engaged then apply for a visa.

people have advised me to use one of the many agencies in thailand to help with getting the visa .

any one offer any sensible advise on my best move now would be most welcomed .....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The standard advice is *not* to use an agency. There is a significant possibility that they will foul up the application with reckless answers that will be contradicted at her visa interview. This means you should check the visa application before it is submitted - easier said than done, given the stubbornness of women in general.

If you are living in the UK, you missed out an option:

Option 3: Apply for a visa on the basis that you will be married at the time of the interview. You can move the offered interview date back to after the planned date of marriage. It will then be possible to fly out, marry, get the wife's settlement visa, and return to the UK together.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[lopburi3]

if i marry in thailand where would you say is the best place to do this .she lives in the north about 30 miles from  the laos border .i would assume as long as its not a ceromonial weeding it will be legal in the uk

hi my thai wife got her visa 3 weeks ago, we are both in the uk now, dont use an agency its a waste of money, just tell the truth, provide everthing they ask for and more, keep receipts.plenty of photos, get married i would, if your sure, and you wont have any problems

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You have to obtain paperwork at your Embassy here in Bangkok and have it registered at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before you can get married anywhere so I would register at Bang Rak (district of love) as this is used to foreigners (located in the Pat Pong area) and because of the name where most Thai prefer to register. You could also have a ceremony upcountry and register later (often done).

[jvc600]

ok thanks for that info .did not know this .when you say paper work ,what paper work do i need to get .is it confirmation that i am free and and single to marry paper work

if i marry in thailand where would you say is the best place to do this .she lives in the north about 30 miles from  the laos border .i would assume as long as its not a ceromonial weeding it will be legal in the uk

hi my thai wife got her visa 3 weeks ago, we are both in the uk now, dont use an agency its a waste of money, just tell the truth, provide everthing they ask for and more, keep receipts.plenty of photos, get married i would, if your sure, and you wont have any problems

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You have to obtain paperwork at your Embassy here in Bangkok and have it registered at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before you can get married anywhere so I would register at Bang Rak (district of love) as this is used to foreigners (located in the Pat Pong area) and because of the name where most Thai prefer to register. You could also have a ceremony upcountry and register later (often done).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[lopburi3]

ok thanks for that info .did not know this .when you say paper work ,what paper work do i need to get .is it confirmation that i am free and and single to marry paper work

That's what it is. A page or so of bio data type questions certified by your Embassy and then translated into Thai and registered at MFA. All marriages of foreigners requires this paperwork and it normally takes a couple of days to take care of.

You should check your Embassy web site here in Bangkok as it is quite good and should answer most questions.

[jvc600]

thanks to all that have replied to my posting.

I have one last wuestion to ask .due to the current madness of house prices in the uk at the moment i sadly can not afford my own home.my question is this :i am living with my parents .they have told me that my fiance or may be even wife is welcome to stay with me in there home .if i am reading thing right as long as i can prove this Ie a statement stating this by my parents and pictures to show where she will be staying ie a 3 bedroom semi etc that should be enough to satify ??

I am assuming that you wish to marry your g/f AND settle in the UK.

Prior to travelling to the UK your g/f will have to obtain a settlement visa either as a fiancée if you intend to marry in the UK or as your wife if you've done so in Thailand. The cost for either is £260.00 payable in local currency.

The fiancée visa would entitle her to stay in the UK for 6 months during which time you would be expected to marry. Once married she can apply to the Home Office for permission to stay longer (2 years) and this extension costs a minimum of £155.00. Should you marry in Thailand then the visa would give her 2 years from the word go and would not necessitate the intermediate application to the Home Office, saving you at least £155.00.

I concur with Richard's advice about using an agency. Most are cowboys who don't know the first thing about UK immigration law, their raison d'etre being to deprive you of your hard-earned cash. It is possible to research the requirements yourself. For starters there follow the criteria to be met by fiancé(e)s and spouses:-

281. The requirements to be met by a person seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom with a view to settlement as the spouse of a person present and settled in the United Kingdom or who is on the same occasion being admitted for settlement are that:

(i) (a) the applicant is married to a person present and settled in the United Kingdom or who is on the same occasion being admitted for settlement; or

( the applicant is married to a person who has a right of abode in the United Kingdom or indefinite leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom and is on the same occasion seeking admission to the United Kingdom for the purposes of settlement and the parties were married at least 4 years ago, since which time they have been living together outside the United Kingdom; and

(ii) the parties to the marriage have met; and

(iii) each of the parties intends to live permanently with the other as his or her spouse and the marriage is subsisting; and

(iv) there will be adequate accommodation for the parties and any dependants without recourse to public funds in accommodation which they own or occupy exclusively; and

(v) the parties will be able to maintain themselves and any dependants adequately without recourse to public funds; and

(vi) the applicant holds a valid United Kingdom entry clearance for entry in this capacity.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

290. The requirements to be met by a person seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom as a fiancé(e) are that:

(i) the applicant is seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom for marriage to a person present and settled in the United Kingdom or who is on the same occasion being admitted for settlement; and

(ii) the parties to the proposed marriage have met; and

(iii) each of the parties intends to live permanently with the other as his or her spouse after the marriage; and

(iv) adequate maintenance and accommodation without recourse to public funds will be available for the applicant until the date of the marriage; and

(v) there will, after the marriage, be adequate accommodation for the parties and any dependants without recourse to public funds in accommodation which they own or occupy exclusively; and

(vi) the parties will be able after the marriage to maintain themselves and any dependants adequately without recourse to public funds; and

(vii) the applicant holds a valid United Kingdom entry clearance for entry in this capacity.

Feel free to post any queries here and you'll save a few hundred quid at least.

Cheers,

Scouse.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Pie Boy]

thanks to all that have replied to my posting.

I have one last wuestion to ask .due to the current madness of house prices in the uk at the moment i sadly can not afford my own home.my question is this :i am living with my parents .they have told me that my fiance or may be even wife is welcome to stay with me in there home .if i am reading thing right as long as i can prove this Ie a statement stating this by my parents and pictures to show where she will be staying ie a 3 bedroom semi etc that should be enough to satify ??

Good idea photographs and a letter from your parents.Possibly a copy of the land registry certificate? Just a thought.

Best of luck

[Richard W]

thanks to all that have replied to my posting.

I have one last wuestion to ask .due to the current madness of house prices in the uk at the moment i sadly can not afford my own home.my question is this :i am living with my parents .they have told me that my fiance or may be even wife is welcome to stay with me in there home .if i am reading thing right as long as i can prove this Ie a statement stating this by my parents and pictures to show where she will be staying ie a 3 bedroom semi etc that should be enough to satify ??  

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It would probably help - or possibly even be essential - to have the words 'exclusive use' appear in the statement. See the wording of the immigration rules that Scouser posted.

[the scouser]

About 10 years or so ago there was an immigration test case which determined what exactly constitutes accommodation that is occupied exclusively. The result was that it is sufficient to have the sole use of 1 bedroom within a shared house.

Consequently, you should get your parents to write a letter to accompany your g/f's application confirming that they are content to have her stay for as long as is necessary and that the 2 of you will have the exclusive use of 1 bedroom. They should also state how many bedrooms the house has in total and how many other people live in the house. Additionally, they should provide either proof of ownership/mortgage or, if rented, a letter from the landlord confirming that he has no objection to your wife-to-be staying there.

Cheers,

Scouse.

[jvc600]

thanks again for your replies .this information is very usefull .

many thanks ...........

About 10 years or so ago there was an immigration test case which determined what exactly constitutes accommodation that is occupied exclusively. The result was that it is sufficient to have the sole use of 1 bedroom within a shared house.

Consequently, you should get your parents to write a letter to accompany your g/f's application confirming that they are content to have her stay for as long as is necessary and that the 2 of you will have the exclusive use of 1 bedroom. They should also state how many bedrooms the house has in total and how many other people live in the house. Additionally, they should provide either proof of ownership/mortgage or, if rented, a letter from the landlord confirming that he has no objection to your wife-to-be staying there.

Cheers,

Scouse.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>