Thai Getting A Visa For Belgium

[brewsterbudgen]

A girl I know, aged 20, has told me she's applied for a visa to go to Belgium. She'll find out if she's got the visa next week. She is not my responsibility but as she has no money and no Belgian sponsor/boyfriend, I would be surprised if she got the visa. She has also made no secret of the fact that she will be working in Belgium as a "dancer". She's no innocent having worked in Pattaya.

It's really none of my business, but she's a sweet and vulnerable girl (her mother was killed in a fire when she was 15, father gone and she had a baby with a Thai man at 16 - a familiar story perhaps) and I'm concerned about the possibility of trafficking and what could happen to her if the set up is not genuine. She told me a friend of her grandmother lives in Belgium and he/she is presumably behind the application.

My question is, what precautionary measures could I take to be in a position to do something should she disappear once she gets to Belgium?

[Mario2008]

I think belgium has several organisations active in the area of woman trafficing, they will be able to give you some good advise. Do an internet search.

You could try and check out the granmother's friend.

[jboras]

A girl I know, aged 20, has told me she's applied for a visa to go to Belgium. She'll find out if she's got the visa next week. She is not my responsibility but as she has no money and no Belgian sponsor/boyfriend, I would be surprised if she got the visa. She has also made no secret of the fact that she will be working in Belgium as a "dancer". She's no innocent having worked in Pattaya.

It's really none of my business, but she's a sweet and vulnerable girl (her mother was killed in a fire when she was 15, father gone and she had a baby with a Thai man at 16 - a familiar story perhaps) and I'm concerned about the possibility of trafficking and what could happen to her if the set up is not genuine. She told me a friend of her grandmother lives in Belgium and he/she is presumably behind the application.

My question is, what precautionary measures could I take to be in a position to do something should she disappear once she gets to Belgium?

None!

Her hard luck story is not new.

She is probably rolling it out on you and a week later you will be asked to sponsor her.... so she can visit her sick relative in Belgium.

Then try and find her in Europe! Because there is no such Visa as "Belgian" Europe has the Schenken Visa which is valid for any European country. It Must be applied at the embassy of the Country of 1st Entry.. She is then free to go to any Country in EU

Good Luck... enjoy yourself and stay of of trouble!

[CharlieB]

A girl I know, aged 20, has told me she's applied for a visa to go to Belgium. She'll find out if she's got the visa next week. She is not my responsibility but as she has no money and no Belgian sponsor/boyfriend, I would be surprised if she got the visa. She has also made no secret of the fact that she will be working in Belgium as a "dancer". She's no innocent having worked in Pattaya.

It's really none of my business, but she's a sweet and vulnerable girl (her mother was killed in a fire when she was 15, father gone and she had a baby with a Thai man at 16 - a familiar story perhaps) and I'm concerned about the possibility of trafficking and what could happen to her if the set up is not genuine. She told me a friend of her grandmother lives in Belgium and he/she is presumably behind the application.

My question is, what precautionary measures could I take to be in a position to do something should she disappear once she gets to Belgium?

None!

Her hard luck story is not new.

She is probably rolling it out on you and a week later you will be asked to sponsor her.... so she can visit her sick relative in Belgium.

Then try and find her in Europe! Because there is no such Visa as "Belgian" Europe has the Schenken Visa which is valid for any European country. It Must be applied at the embassy of the Country of 1st Entry.. She is then free to go to any Country in EU

Good Luck... enjoy yourself and stay of of trouble!

The name of the entry visa doesn't matter, Belgian visa, Belgian issued Schengen visa, it's a visa issued by the Belgian Embassy in BKK. How about a constructive post? Yes, it gives her access to most of Europe, but why would they bother to choose one embassy over another, unless it's that country that she is going to. Even a Thai girl might be suspicious if they get her a Belgian visa and then give her a ticket to Spain.

OP, who filled out the form for her? I'm guessing that she has got an agency to do it for her. Have you asked her if she used an agency? If you don't want her to think you are snooping, you could say another friend is looking to visit Europe and ask her about her application. If she did use an agency you could possibly get some details from them. Tell them you are concerned that her sponsor is not 100% legit. She will have to have put down where she is staying and probably given them a letter of invitation. If the person who did the form for her remembers anything, or has a record, then you can maybe check up on this.

Edited April 26, 2009 by CharlieB

[tommybkk]

Whats the problem here?

she told you she will be working as a dancer in Belgium,

so she knows what will be waiting for her there.

Its not like she is getting trafficked and tricked by someone untill she knows that she will have to dance.

[Bastian]

There are national visa for schengen countries.Also it is not neccessary to get visa from the country you enter first if you have schengen visa you could fro example land in germamy and then proceed to belgiun with schengn visa from the belgian enbassy.

My wife wrote the above paragraph!

[harrry]

A Shengen visa should be obtained from the country in which you intend staying longest, not first entry. A Shengan visa is a tourist visa. Working visas etc have to be obtained from the individual country involved.