Uk Settlement

[oswr24]

I am in the US military stationed in the England. Applied on the 19th of August for my Thai wife for a "special" settlement visa as I am visiting forces. Checked the website today and said it was ready for collection. Hopefully it will be at the post tomorrow afternoon. I am praying everything goes well. I applied for 2 visit visa for her months ago and both were denied. We have since been married so hopefully that will make a difference. The denials were understandable for the visit visa #1 didn't find have any true evidence for return to thailand other than my word which means nothing lol #2 they basically thought she was tricking me so she could stay in the UK, at least they thought of me haha. Now we are married and I have turned in quite a few documents including US military ones so hopefully this time will be an approval on the "special" settlement visa. Seems like things have been moving quickly. So far August has been pretty positive for the applicants on the site, just hope I am not the downer.

[tapeboat]

Did anyone appeal for UK settlement Visa for Thai wife at British Embassy in Bangkok? I appealed on 30th June 2009 and still waiting to hear if ECM will overturn the decision. The appeal process takes ages. I wonder if British Embassy have already sent my appeal case to AIT england or not yet. Hope to hear from someone here that appealed at the same time with me. Thanks

[ridgydidge]

Did anyone appeal for UK settlement Visa for Thai wife at British Embassy in Bangkok? I appealed on 30th June 2009 and still waiting to hear if ECM will overturn the decision. The appeal process takes ages. I wonder if British Embassy have already sent my appeal case to AIT england or not yet. Hope to hear from someone here that appealed at the same time with me. Thanks

Hi Tapeboat,

My wife lodged her appeal on August 17th and we've now been waiting about 8 weeks. About 2 weeks after she appealed, she received a letter from the embassy saying they had received her appeal and that it should be looked at within 16 weeks . About 1 week ago we both recieved copies of a letter sent to the ECM from the AIT here in England saying that if the ECO didn't overturn the decision, then he must send all of our evidence back to the AIT before December 7th.

Did you get those letters too? And has anyone else here had an appeal overturned recently?? The waiting is killing me.

[tapeboat]

Did anyone appeal for UK settlement Visa for Thai wife at British Embassy in Bangkok? I appealed on 30th June 2009 and still waiting to hear if ECM will overturn the decision. The appeal process takes ages. I wonder if British Embassy have already sent my appeal case to AIT england or not yet. Hope to hear from someone here that appealed at the same time with me. Thanks

Hi Tapeboat,

My wife lodged her appeal on August 17th and we've now been waiting about 8 weeks. About 2 weeks after she appealed, she received a letter from the embassy saying they had received her appeal and that it should be looked at within 16 weeks . About 1 week ago we both recieved copies of a letter sent to the ECM from the AIT here in England saying that if the ECO didn't overturn the decision, then he must send all of our evidence back to the AIT before December 7th.

Did you get those letters too? And has anyone else here had an appeal overturned recently?? The waiting is killing me.

Hi Ridgydidge,

I didnt receive any letter from British Embassy Bangkok but I got a copy of the letter from AIT sent to ECM and also a copy of letter from AIT sent to my representative in England (my husband's step dad) saying that if ECM didnt oveturn the decision, they must send all my evidence to AIT before 20 October. The waiting is killing me and my husband too. He went back to England 7 days after our wedding reception to start work and have evidence showing that he is employed and can maintain us without recourse to public funds.

Thursday 1st October I called British embassy Bangkok and I was told that there is only 2-3 appeal cases to be considered before my case. And she said If i dont hear anything from them within this week (friday 9th October), it means my case will be sent to AIT England which mean british embassy decide not to overturn my case. Now it is Wednesday and I sitll dont hear anything. What can I expect! 2-3 cases before mine shouldnt take any longer than a day to consider I would say. Im so frustated and disappointed after all this waiting time since March, when I applied for settlement visa.

Wish you hear a good news from them before December 7th. keep me update please if you hear anything.

tapeboat

[tjthai]

Did anyone appeal for UK settlement Visa for Thai wife at British Embassy in Bangkok? I appealed on 30th June 2009 and still waiting to hear if ECM will overturn the decision. The appeal process takes ages. I wonder if British Embassy have already sent my appeal case to AIT england or not yet. Hope to hear from someone here that appealed at the same time with me. Thanks

Hi Tapeboat,

My wife lodged her appeal on August 17th and we've now been waiting about 8 weeks. About 2 weeks after she appealed, she received a letter from the embassy saying they had received her appeal and that it should be looked at within 16 weeks . About 1 week ago we both recieved copies of a letter sent to the ECM from the AIT here in England saying that if the ECO didn't overturn the decision, then he must send all of our evidence back to the AIT before December 7th.

Did you get those letters too? And has anyone else here had an appeal overturned recently?? The waiting is killing me.

Thursday 1st October I called British embassy Bangkok and I was told that there is only 2-3 appeal cases to be considered before my case. And she said If i dont hear anything from them within this week (friday 9th October), it means my case will be sent to AIT England which mean british embassy decide not to overturn my case.

Hi Tapeboat what number did you call to speak to someone at the embassy. They have an automated system but I can't find a way of getting anything other than "we don't want to speak to you". Do you have another number or were you just lucky....if that counts as lucky!

We wish you Good luck and keep us updated.

TJ

[Thongkorn]

Thongkorn

Just to let you know my visa was granted after 11 weeks 3 days and it was on a Thursday, All the best all the people who are waiting,

Edited October 7, 2009 by Thongkorn

[InspectorGadget]

hello everyone

I'll throw our application into the pot:

InspectorGadget 05/10

Was hoping to put it in a few weeks earlier to have a better chance of making xmas. Recent approvals give me hope that that could still be possible

To go off-topic a little, I have been searching for threads on thai children integrating into uk schools but I've only come up with a couple. I have a 12 year old step-son who is applying at the same time as my wife and i'm interested in finding out more about how they've found the integration and the language challenge? In our case, he can speak English well enough to get by but I worry that he will be at quite a disadvantage in reading and writing. I'd be interested in hearing stories from anyone else in a similar position.

good luck to those of us waiting

[Jaggg88]

voodoo..............now there's an idea

Just been speaking to a Thai friend who says her husband is returning to Thailand to adopt her 2 children (12 and 13). She claims this will make it easier for a visa...don't know if this is true but might be worth looking at. She is changing the children's name to her married family name before the adoption which I know is possible..in fact don't forget almost everything is possible in Thailand.

[Jaggg88]

hello everyone

I'll throw our application into the pot:

InspectorGadget 05/10

Was hoping to put it in a few weeks earlier to have a better chance of making xmas. Recent approvals give me hope that that could still be possible

To go off-topic a little, I have been searching for threads on thai children integrating into uk schools but I've only come up with a couple. I have a 12 year old step-son who is applying at the same time as my wife and i'm interested in finding out more about how they've found the integration and the language challenge? In our case, he can speak English well enough to get by but I worry that he will be at quite a disadvantage in reading and writing. I'd be interested in hearing stories from anyone else in a similar position.

good luck to those of us waiting

Off topic -don't worry about your step son integrating he will be fluent in English 8 to 16 weeks. The reading and writing will depend on how much effort you and your family are prepared to put in. Just ask the school for extra work at home. The EBD section will be equipped with basic reading material or at least advise on what to buy. The school should also allocate a teaching assistant in the early days to help him catch up but the more willing you show the school the more they will inclined to help. good luck

[7by7]

Just been speaking to a Thai friend who says her husband is returning to Thailand to adopt her 2 children (12 and 13). She claims this will make it easier for a visa...don't know if this is true

It isn't, in fact may make it more complicated, although this is unlikely as he is married to their mother.

in fact don't forget almost everything is possible in Thailand

Maybe so, maybe not; but remember that the visa application will be decided by British officials at the British embassy using British immigration law.

[Jaggg88]

FEB'S APPLICATIONS

Rob01792 02/2 granted 30/3 - (8 weeks) MONDAY

Chris41 10/2 granted 16/3 - (4 weeks 6 days) MONDAY

Kooyoonii 10/2 granted 04/5 - (11 weeks 6 days) MONDAY

Pikwik 11/2 granted 27/4 - (10 weeks 5 days) MONDAY

Xiengmieng 17/2 granted 24/3 - (5 weeks) TUESDAY

Lindty 18/2 granted 24/4 - (8 weeks 6 days) FRIDAY

Tahaan 18/2 granted 13/5 - (12 weeks) WEDNESDAY

Eddiebabyyeah 20/2 granted 01/4 - (5 weeks 5 days) WEDNESDAY

MARCH'S APPLICATIONS

Tlusername 04/3 granted 15/5 - (10weeks 2 days) FRIDAY

Tricknicky 09/3 granted 23/4 - (6 weeks 3 days) (Special Case) THURSDAY

AnyaDharu 09/3 granted 19/5 - (10weeks 1 day) TUESDAY

Tango7 10/3 granted 12/5 - (9weeks) TUESDAY

Johnson83 11/3 granted 22/5 - (10 weeks 2 days) FRIDAY

Chanthas 12/3 granted 25/5 - (10 weeks 4 days) MONDAY

Gypsymoth 13/3 granted 25/5 - (10 weeks 3 days) MONDAY

chrisspuresbkk1 13/3

Friend Boo 16/3 granted 18/6 - (13 weeks 3 days) THURSDAY

Dave W 16/3 granted 17/6 - (13 weeks 2 days) WEDNESDAY

Stonewall 62 17/3 granted 19/6 - (13 weeks 3 days) FRIDAY

Kennkate 17/3 granted16/6 - (13 weeks) TUESDAY

Chewy 18/3 Granted 07/08 20 weeks and 3 days

PeterHThai 19/3 granted 19/6 - (13 weeks 1 day) FRIDAY

Pingit 19/3 Refused 19/6 - ( 13 weeks 1 day ) FRIDAY Decision overturned 15/07 WEDNESDAY

TheFiend 20/3 granted 18/6 - (12 weeks 6 days) THURSDAY

Jaja 20/3 granted 9/7 - (15 weeks 6 days) THURSDAY

Pudsey 23/3 granted 10/7 - (15 weeks 4 days) FRIDAY

Sumrit 24/3 Granted 26/6 - (13 weeks 4 days) FRIDAY

Merangue 25/3 Granted 03/6 - (10 weeks) WEDNESDAY

Domm44 27/3 Granted 22/7- (16 Weeks 5 days)WEDNESDAY

Fluidfusion 27/3 Refused 03/06 - (13 weeks) WEDNESDAY

TickTock 30/3 Granted 19/6 - (11 weeks 4 days) FRIDAY

George & Dragon 30/03 Refused 26/06 (12 weeks 4 days) FRIDAY

Delboy 30/3 Granted 22/06 - (12 weeks 1 day) MONDAY

APRIL'S APPLICATIONS

Borodave 01/4 Granted 24/6 - (12 weeks) WEDNESDAY

JasonThai 02/4 Granted 25/6 - (12 weeks) THURSDAY

Mikeyp 03/4 granted 26/6 - (12 weeks) FRIDAY

Mrburb 03/4 Granted 26/6 - (12 weeks) FRIDAY

Feasantplukka 03/4 Granted 14/7 - (14 week 4 days) TUESDAY

Muaylaosfalang 03/4 Granted 26/6 (12 weeks) FRIDAY

Lerningcurve 07/04 Granted 30/6 (12 weeks) TUESDAY

Bigsy94 07/04 Granted 30/6 (12 weeks) TUESDAY

Kate46 (son) 08/4 Granted 22/7 - (15 WEEKS) WEDNESDAY

AndyJoy 08/4 Granted 21/7 (14 weeks 6 days) TUESDAY

Marcjaiyenyen 08/4 (Applied in Jamaica) granted 7/7 (12 weeks 6 days) TUESDAY

ExoticMatter 09/4 Granted 23/7 (15 weeks) THURSDAY

Dolphy 21/4 Granted 29/7 (14 weeks 1 day) WEDNESDAY

Scotland 22/4 Granted 24/07 (13weeks) FRIDAY

Jes5133 24/4 Granted 24/7 (13 Weeks) FRIDAY

Lee888 28/4 Granted 22/7 (12 week 1 Day) WEDNESDAY

CinnamonRoll 29/4 Granted 22/7 - (12 week) WEDNESDAY

Gena 29/4 Granted 22/7 (12 week) WEDNESDAY

Rolypies 29/4 Granted 10/6 - (6 weeks) (Special Case) WEDNESDAY

Castor83 29/4 Refused

TDM 30/4 Granted 24/7 (12 Weeks 1 Day) FRIDAY

MAY'S APPLICATIONS

Nelson111 04/5 Granted 23/7 (11 Weeks 4 Days) THURSDAY

Marky1600 05/05 Ganted 28/7 (12 Weeks) TUESDAY

Wayne Mcclymont 06/5 Granted 04/08 12 Weeks 6 Days TUESDAY

Alanr 07/5 Granted 28/7 (11 Weeks 5 Days) TUESDAY

Suprich 07/5 Granted 28/7 (11 Weeks 5 Days) TUESDAY

Buzby 11/5 Granted 27/7 (11 weeks) MONDAY

dean999 12/5 Interview 27/7 10 Weeks 6 Days/rejected 6/8 (12 weeks 2 days) THURSDAY

Dont panic 13/05 Granted 29/07 (11 weeks) WEDNESDAY

Zim 13/5

True blue 14/5 Granted 27/7 (10 weeks 5 days) MONDAY

Spot 15/5 Granted 31/07 (11 weeks) FRIDAY

uaelaelil 20/5 Refused 14/8 12 Weeks 2 Days FRIDAY

Johnokk 25/5 Granted 04/8 (10 weeks 1 day) TUESDAY

moodysufc 26/5 Refused 19/8 12 Weeks 1 Day WEDNESDAY

Ade2007 29/5 Granted 04/8 9 Weeks 4 Days TUESDAY

leefreight 29/05

JUNE'S APPLICATIONS

Ajsp9 02/06 Granted 10/8 (9 weeks 6 days) MONDAY

Globaleyes 08/06 Granted 17/8 10 Weeks MONDAY

Bukseeda 09/06 Granted 02/9 12 Weeks 1 Day WEDNESDAY

Hawkinsschris 19/06 Granted 09-09-09 11 week 4 days TUESDAY

Thongkorn 23/06 GRANTED 11 Weeks 3 days Thursday

Dowman73 30/6 Granted 10/09/09 10 weeks 2 day Thursday

JULY'S APPLICATIONS

tjthai 2/07 VISA GRANTED FOR WIFE DAUGHTER REFUSED (APPEALING!) - 11 Weeks 2 days FRIDAY

simiUK 6/07 VISA GRANTED 12 Weeks 6 days MONDAY

bobrussell 13/07 VISA GRANTED 23/9 10 weeks 2 days

Jaggg88 14/07 Refused 11 weeks 1 day

scousemc 28/7 VISA GRANTED 9 weeks 1 day

Bananaman 30/07 GRANTED 8 Weeks

AUGUST'S APPLICATIONS

learningcurve 13/08

idmilla 14/08 VISA GRANTED 7/10 7 Weeks 5 days TUESDAY

Enquirer 19/08 VISA GRANTED 1/10 6 weeks THURSDAY

horacegoeskiing 25/08

SEPTEMBER'S APPLICATIONS

OCTOBER'S APPLICATIONS

InspectorGadget 05/10

[Jaggg88]

Just been speaking to a Thai friend who says her husband is returning to Thailand to adopt her 2 children (12 and 13). She claims this will make it easier for a visa...don't know if this is true

It isn't, in fact may make it more complicated, although this is unlikely as he is married to their mother.

in fact don't forget almost everything is possible in Thailand

Maybe so, maybe not; but remember that the visa application will be decided by British officials at the British embassy using British immigration law.

There is no disputing who makes the decisions but the onus is on the applicant to prove their case, which is very difficult, so any official status will help. All the decisions are based 'on the balance of probabilities' and any extra status will tip this balance in your favour. For example; if you are married to your partner a settlement visa is easier because the subsisting relationship is clearer to establish than just Fiancée status. So to gain a visa for step children you must prove your partner has sole responsibility and under Thai law adopting your step children commits you to that responsibility too, which should 'on the balance of probabilities' help prove the genuineness of your application.

The genuineness of visa applications should be a paramount priority of Entry Clearance Officers but the applicant has very little information on how to do this which is why these threads exist and we have thriving private agencies. I for example have to prove I stayed with my Fiancée on my visits to Thailand but have no idea how to do this - any suggestions?

[oswr24]

Visa just got approved today 8 Oct 09. Applied on 19 Aug 09.

[enquirer]

Might it help to have letters (fairly short and factual) from members of her family, and from friends, testifying that you stayed with her? Possibly with affidavits? I do believe that anything that shows that you have gone out of your way to prove the facts is useful in helping the ECO to come down on the right side of assessing "the balance of probabilities".

Who knows what were the factors in making our application successful (I prepared it, with advice from a specialist solicitor), and in such a comparatively short time.... However, I did include two letters from UK friends of our couple testifying to the strength, length, and mutual supportiveness of their relationship.

We also had a wealth of photographs. I forget the length of your relationship with your fiancée, but many of our pictures included the couple with my various grandsons, visibly developing from baby to toddler over about three years. My daughter-in-law spent a lot of time arranging these photographs in albums with clearly printed labels explaining the different venues and people and dates, and pointing out the children's development. Were your photographs clearly mounted with similar labels?

I hope that a factor in our success was that I imagined a harrassed ECO riffling through a mass of papers with no time or incentive to work out what the papers were trying to prove. I therefore sorted them out into logical sequence and placed those that belonged together into plastic envelopes with two sides open (easier for ECO to pull them out and replace them) with large clear labels showing their purpose.

For example, my son produced a great mass of skype records, meaningless to the uninitiated - these had to be stapled into a "booklet" and explained by a clear label informing the ECO that they were 12 months of records showing that he and his wife spoke on skype daily and often for several hours. This is not clear from the records themselves unless you study them for ages.

I read here that however carefully you arrange your papers in order, the VAC tips them out into their own containers. My daughter-in-law was warned about this, and was careful to place the papers in their labelled plastic envelopes in the right order into the VAC container. I also used staples or treasury tags to keep the papers within the plastic envelopes in the right order, in case the plastic envelopes were taken off and lost.

Bank statements: I highlighted relevant entries (eg Housing Benefits payments to prove he had accommodation and income with Tax Credit payments) with a simple key to the different colours; I thought the ECO would find it difficult to pick out important payments among all the rest, and would not give it enough time.

Forgive me if any of this is irrelevant to you, but it may help someone else.

[sumrit]

hello everyone

I'll throw our application into the pot:

InspectorGadget 05/10

Was hoping to put it in a few weeks earlier to have a better chance of making xmas. Recent approvals give me hope that that could still be possible

To go off-topic a little, I have been searching for threads on thai children integrating into uk schools but I've only come up with a couple. I have a 12 year old step-son who is applying at the same time as my wife and i'm interested in finding out more about how they've found the integration and the language challenge? In our case, he can speak English well enough to get by but I worry that he will be at quite a disadvantage in reading and writing. I'd be interested in hearing stories from anyone else in a similar position.

good luck to those of us waiting

My eleven year old stepdaughter came to the UK with us in July and started school three days ago. Her spoken English is also 'good enough to get by' but reading and writing isn't very good. Her initial reaction is that school is great and maths is very easy, it's for little kids, (and my daughter doesn't like maths ). In the beginning we're having weekly meetings with her head of year to check her progress and discuss any problems (suggested by the school) and they're also going to have her English ability assessed and give her extra specialist lessons if necessary. From experience they say most children at a similar level in English to her's are fine within about three/four months, and they had one Russian student who spoke no English at all when he came but was top of the class after twelve months. A friends twelve and eight year old girls also started at a UK school recently and they say the work is easy, similar to what they was doing in Thailand one/two years ago. And, for the twelve year old, both her's and my daughter's schools are considered the best schools in their areas.

So my initial reaction is that the schools seem to put a lot of effort into integrating our children into the UK schools, but I'm worried that we might be bringing them into an inferior education system. I've read stories over the last few years where the suggestion has been that the corriculum has been 'dumbed down' to enable students to achieve better exam/sats results and, after all three girls initial reactions, I'm wondering if it's true.

It would be interesting to hear comments from other people whose children have been here for a bit longer.

Maybe we should start a new thread, how our spouses/families have settled in the UK after the long wait for visas .

I've just noticed that the next person to post on this thread will be starting page one hundred. Some of us have been around since the beginning but I don't think any of us thought it would still be here. Anybody want to count to see who's posted the most

Edited October 8, 2009 by sumrit

[Jaggg88]

Might it help to have letters (fairly short and factual) from members of her family, and from friends, testifying that you stayed with her? Possibly with affidavits? I do believe that anything that shows that you have gone out of your way to prove the facts is useful in helping the ECO to come down on the right side of assessing "the balance of probabilities".

Who knows what were the factors in making our application successful (I prepared it, with advice from a specialist solicitor), and in such a comparatively short time.... However, I did include two letters from UK friends of our couple testifying to the strength, length, and mutual supportiveness of their relationship.

We also had a wealth of photographs. I forget the length of your relationship with your fiancée, but many of our pictures included the couple with my various grandsons, visibly developing from baby to toddler over about three years. My daughter-in-law spent a lot of time arranging these photographs in albums with clearly printed labels explaining the different venues and people and dates, and pointing out the children's development. Were your photographs clearly mounted with similar labels?

I hope that a factor in our success was that I imagined a harrassed ECO riffling through a mass of papers with no time or incentive to work out what the papers were trying to prove. I therefore sorted them out into logical sequence and placed those that belonged together into plastic envelopes with two sides open (easier for ECO to pull them out and replace them) with large clear labels showing their purpose.

For example, my son produced a great mass of skype records, meaningless to the uninitiated - these had to be stapled into a "booklet" and explained by a clear label informing the ECO that they were 12 months of records showing that he and his wife spoke on skype daily and often for several hours. This is not clear from the records themselves unless you study them for ages.

I read here that however carefully you arrange your papers in order, the VAC tips them out into their own containers. My daughter-in-law was warned about this, and was careful to place the papers in their labelled plastic envelopes in the right order into the VAC container. I also used staples or treasury tags to keep the papers within the plastic envelopes in the right order, in case the plastic envelopes were taken off and lost.

Bank statements: I highlighted relevant entries (eg Housing Benefits payments to prove he had accommodation and income with Tax Credit payments) with a simple key to the different colours; I thought the ECO would find it difficult to pick out important payments among all the rest, and would not give it enough time.

Forgive me if any of this is irrelevant to you, but it may help someone else.

The ECO has refused to reassess our application unless we re-apply and as the appeal process is swamped at the moment we have little choice. That should make Gordon Brown happy as he will get another 3300BHT from me but don't worry Gordon, if you're reading this, as your ass wont touch the ground next election.

We just included all our pics in one album so presentation is good advice. I can get her uncles to write letters that they attended our engagement party and her brother is a senior civil servant with the Thai government so a letter from him could be helpful also. We use MSN to chat and it doesn't save the conversations unless you set it to do so (which I didn't know) otherwise we would have ample evidence, but we do have some email and phone records. Anyway thanks for the good advice.

[tjthai]

jaggg88

I'm so sorry to hear your news.

We finally got an email yesterday replying to many faxes, emails, leters asking for them to look at the new documents we sent. The email said that the manager had reviewed the decision but had upheld it. Neither on the refusal notice nor in this email does it state the actual reasons for the refusal. The notice simply says they are not satisfied about sole responsibility, custody but are satisfied that some one can care for my stepdaughter in her mother's absence (which is simply not true).

They have said we can appeal (already in the system) or re apply and pay the fee again. I have just replied to that email asking that they provide us with the reasons for the refusals and that these will obviously be seen by the appeals judge in due course.

It is if they think that the new documentation is 'self serving' but what else can one send in to provide proof or evidence other than letters etc from family. The letter of accomodation from my Mother was adequate so they were satisfied that we could live there but when we get a letter from family members in Thailand it seems they simply do not believe them as they are 'self serving'!

My blood continues to boil as they have not had the common courtesy of explaining the reasons for the refusal.

The nightmare scenario for us is that we cannot go to UK as we need to look after our daughter but if we stay in Thailand my Wife cannot start her settlement visa (therefore, surprise surprise more fees to be paid later on) and I can't develop my business.

They say we can reapply but what's the point if they don't say why we failed?

Agree about brown - was going to put 'Jerk emoticon' here but it's a family forum

[horacegoeskiing]

Received confirmation that Settlement Visa has been processed!! 6 weeks and 2 days!!!! ......however visa company couldn't get there in time so have to wait till tomorrow..............queue 24 hours of restlessness, zero work productivity and poor sleep this evening

[tjthai]

Good luck hungryhorace

[horacegoeskiing]

thanks tjthai

[potter09]

Sorry, the outcome of review is not satisfactory.

Neither on the refusal notice nor in this email does it state the actual reasons for the refusal. The notice simply says they are not satisfied about sole responsibility, custody but are satisfied that some one can care for my stepdaughter in her mother's absence (which is simply not true).

There are two things that can happen upon review:either maintain the earlier decision(refusal) and change(grant) upon review. The reason/s for refusing your original application has already been given and it is clear,they're maintaining their refusal, so the original reasons stand.Indeed, what you have quoted above confirms main categories of grounds which were explained in the originl refusal notice. Thsey are simply sticking to the original reasoning despite your new evidence which unfortunately,did not seem to have convinced the ECM/ECO. So the grounds of refusal to be challenged at the Appeal Tribunal would be the ones originally stated in the refusal notice; no doubt, your bundle will also include further 'review' correspondence with embassy and additional evidence. Of course, I have not seen the latest correspondence you have had following review. Good Luck.

[tjthai]

Hi potter09

Thanks for your comments. What I don't understand is they are happy that there are no serious and compelling reasons why my stepdaughter needs to travel with her mother because they are satisfied that some one can care for my stepdaughter in her mother's absence. What they have not explained to me is how they came to that conclusion as in the original application we stated that there is no one here to care for her and indeed in the subsequent documents we have provided evidence in the form of letters from my stepdaughter's father and the two other relatives that did care for her for 4 years out of her 15 years.

In essence what I would like them to do, and indeed think I have a right to know (if I have any rights) , is how they concluded this from the documents provided i.e. THEY TELL ME WHO LOOKS AFTER MY STEPDAUGHTER?

Any advice is most welcome

[simiUK]

Hi potter09

Thanks for your comments. What I don't understand is they are happy that there are no serious and compelling reasons why my stepdaughter needs to travel with her mother because they are satisfied that some one can care for my stepdaughter in her mother's absence. What they have not explained to me is how they came to that conclusion as in the original application we stated that there is no one here to care for her and indeed in the subsequent documents we have provided evidence in the form of letters from my stepdaughter's father and the two other relatives that did care for her for 4 years out of her 15 years.

In essence what I would like them to do, and indeed think I have a right to know (if I have any rights) , is how they concluded this from the documents provided i.e. THEY TELL ME WHO LOOKS AFTER MY STEPDAUGHTER?

Any advice is most welcome

bummer TJ and Jagg... feel for you having to go through the tribunal process... at least me and my mrs got to stay in the UK together while we went through this process... as you know its "fastracked" for appelants in the UK so they can pack you off to whence you came soon as; 2 months from start to finish whereas for out of country they're happy to drag their heals for 6 months plus; doesnt seem fair to me when you've paid the same amount of cash. only consolation for us that it all turned out ok in the end, we had a very sympathetic Immigration Judge at our Hearing who was pretty critical of the UKBA and said so in our determination; im sure this helped us and i really hope it helps you get sorted; all the best

[potter09]

In essence what I would like them to do, and indeed think I have a right to know (if I have any rights) , is how they concluded this from the documents provided i.e. THEY TELL ME WHO LOOKS AFTER MY STEPDAUGHTER?

Any advice is most welcome

IMHO it is most unlikely that the ECO/ECM would give you further reasons. I do not know your grounds of appeal to the Tribunal, but if you think they have povided inadequate reasons for their original refusal(perhaps after consultation with your representative,if any) you may amend the appeal notice(with tribunal's permission as 28 days may have already expired) to include a further ground along the lines of 'inadequate reasoning'. Then at the hearing UKBA's representative/counsel will address the same(and any other grounds of appeal) and you may hear detailed reasoning(including relevant case law) as to why they stand by their refusal. While no doubt this must be a very frustrating process for you, it appears that the final decision is now in the hands of the appeal tribunal. Don't forget, cases are settled before a full hearing and there might be scope for such settlement in your case too. Good Luck.

[tjthai]

Thanks simi

[tjthai]

In essence what I would like them to do, and indeed think I have a right to know (if I have any rights) , is how they concluded this from the documents provided i.e. THEY TELL ME WHO LOOKS AFTER MY STEPDAUGHTER?

Any advice is most welcome

IMHO it is most unlikely that the ECO/ECM would give you further reasons. I do not know your grounds of appeal to the Tribunal, but if you think they have povided inadequate reasons for their original refusal(perhaps after consultation with your representative,if any) you may amend the appeal notice(with tribunal's permission as 28 days may have already expired) to include a further ground along the lines of 'inadequate reasoning'. Then at the hearing UKBA's representative/counsel will address the same(and any other grounds of appeal) and you may hear detailed reasoning(including relevant case law) as to why they stand by their refusal. While no doubt this must be a very frustrating process for you, it appears that the final decision is now in the hands of the appeal tribunal. Don't forget, cases are settled before a full hearing and there might be scope for such settlement in your case too. Good Luck.

Thanks potter09. I will check that with my representative to make sure that is one of the reasons for appeal - I'm sure it is but will confirm.

I agree it does look like it will go to the AIT but didn't realise that it could be settled before a full hearing if warranted.

Thank you so much for giving an unbiased view of the situation. We appreciate you taking the time to explain and also, perhaps, giving us a ray of hope that it won't be the full 8 months

Thank you

[InspectorGadget]

hello everyone

I'll throw our application into the pot:

InspectorGadget 05/10

Was hoping to put it in a few weeks earlier to have a better chance of making xmas. Recent approvals give me hope that that could still be possible

To go off-topic a little, I have been searching for threads on thai children integrating into uk schools but I've only come up with a couple. I have a 12 year old step-son who is applying at the same time as my wife and i'm interested in finding out more about how they've found the integration and the language challenge? In our case, he can speak English well enough to get by but I worry that he will be at quite a disadvantage in reading and writing. I'd be interested in hearing stories from anyone else in a similar position.

good luck to those of us waiting

My eleven year old stepdaughter came to the UK with us in July and started school three days ago. Her spoken English is also 'good enough to get by' but reading and writing isn't very good. Her initial reaction is that school is great and maths is very easy, it's for little kids, (and my daughter doesn't like maths ). In the beginning we're having weekly meetings with her head of year to check her progress and discuss any problems (suggested by the school) and they're also going to have her English ability assessed and give her extra specialist lessons if necessary. From experience they say most children at a similar level in English to her's are fine within about three/four months, and they had one Russian student who spoke no English at all when he came but was top of the class after twelve months. A friends twelve and eight year old girls also started at a UK school recently and they say the work is easy, similar to what they was doing in Thailand one/two years ago. And, for the twelve year old, both her's and my daughter's schools are considered the best schools in their areas.

So my initial reaction is that the schools seem to put a lot of effort into integrating our children into the UK schools, but I'm worried that we might be bringing them into an inferior education system. I've read stories over the last few years where the suggestion has been that the corriculum has been 'dumbed down' to enable students to achieve better exam/sats results and, after all three girls initial reactions, I'm wondering if it's true.

It would be interesting to hear comments from other people whose children have been here for a bit longer.

Maybe we should start a new thread, how our spouses/families have settled in the UK after the long wait for visas .

I've just noticed that the next person to post on this thread will be starting page one hundred. Some of us have been around since the beginning but I don't think any of us thought it would still be here. Anybody want to count to see who's posted the most

Hi Sumrit

Thanks so much for taking the time and trouble to reply. That's very reassuring to know and to hear from someone in a similar position. If you start another thread, i'll subscribe to it!

best regards

[potter09]

Thanks potter09. I will check that with my representative to make sure that is one of the reasons for appeal - I'm sure it is but will confirm.

I agree it does look like it will go to the AIT but didn't realise that it could be settled before a full hearing if warranted.

Thank you so much for giving an unbiased view of the situation. We appreciate you taking the time to explain and also, perhaps, giving us a ray of hope that it won't be the full 8 months

Thank you

Central legal issue in your case seems to be 'sole responsibility'. See para.10, NA (Bangladesh) & Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2007] EWCA Civ 128 (24 January 2007)[http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2007/128.html] in particular.It might give you some idea as to how courts deal with this issue, and also,there may be some useful precedents which might assist your case/arguments. Good luck.

[tjthai]

Received confirmation that Settlement Visa has been processed!! 6 weeks and 2 days!!!! ......however visa company couldn't get there in time so have to wait till tomorrow..............queue 24 hours of restlessness, zero work productivity and poor sleep this evening

Well horace

[learningcurve]

My wife received a text message yesterday afternoon stating that her passport had been despatched to GDA courier service. 9 o'clock this morning she gets a phone call from GDA to check where we live. An hour later I am in the shower when I hear my wife cry out in an excited voice "Yes, yes, I got it". Big smiles all around. Flights now booked. 8 weeks processing time. Good luck to all those still waiting to hear their own news, and good luck to those of you who are appealing. Chok dee krap.