UK Tourist Visa For Thai Girlfriend (hints & Tips)

[Chris909]

Hi all

Hope you’re all good. Firstly sorry as I’m guessing this topic has been posted a thousand times! But before I started the application process for my Thai Girlfriend to come and visit me in the UK I thought I’d post to see if any one had any handy hints.

I’m 30 years old, British, a house owner and in full time work.

From reading the British Embassy’s in Bangkok website its looks like there’s 3 ways she can apply.

Option one is the online visa application

For applying online the UK border agency use’s one website for all nationalities wanting to visit the UK (ward winning supposedly).

(It can’t be that good as it doesn’t have the options of any other languages other then English).

Is this the normal route? My girlfriend doesn’t read English to well but I can have a English friend help her with the online application?

Option two is to download the application form from the same web site as the online application and then go in to the application centre to submit.

Option 3 is for my girlfriend to drop into the UK Visa Application Centre in Bangkok and pick up the right application forms from them (I’m guessing there the same but maybe written in Thai).

Reading though the FAQ’s of the UK Visa Application Centre in Bangkok, It says people can visit the centre to start there application. Personally I would have thought it would have made sense to do it all in Bangkok on ground level. Who do you think checks the applications on the website? People in London? Which is better I’m not sure! Maybe the online application gets sent to Bangkok for them to process?

Secondly I would like too find out if I stand a chance of getting a visit visa. I have only known my girlfriend for a short period of time but we get on like a house on fire. It was never a customer client relationship as apart from buying meals and transport she has never asked for any money.

We speak over Skype every day since I retuned to the UK and I would like to get her out here to continue our relationship. I can support her on all fronts and I think she would like the area were I live in the UK.

I heard the hard part is proving she will return to Thailand? On that front the things they are looking for we don’t really have (she doesn’t own land, she might have to quit her job to come out to visit me and I’m guessing she doesn’t have a huge amount of savings).

The fact of the matter is that we’re 100% straight up and she will be returning on her return flight. Its funny how easy it is for us UK citizens to obtain Visa’s for any where but when it come down to an honest application for a friend to come and visit us for a few months holiday it gets difficult and time consuming.

I’m also planning a trip back to Thailand around Christmas time which would be the time her UK tourist visa would have run out and she would be home.

Any pointers, Tips and hints would be hugely appreciated. Thanks for reading.

Chris

[ThaiVisaExpress]

Do a forum search it has been covered many times.

[CharlieB]

Hi all

Hope you're all good. Firstly sorry as I'm guessing this topic has been posted a thousand times! But before I started the application process for my Thai Girlfriend to come and visit me in the UK I thought I'd post to see if any one had any handy hints.

I'm 30 years old, British, a house owner and in full time work.

From reading the British Embassy's in Bangkok website its looks like there's 3 ways she can apply.

Option one is the online visa application

For applying online the UK border agency use's one website for all nationalities wanting to visit the UK (ward winning supposedly).

(It can't be that good as it doesn't have the options of any other languages other then English).

Is this the normal route? My girlfriend doesn't read English to well but I can have a English friend help her with the online application?

Option two is to download the application form from the same web site as the online application and then go in to the application centre to submit.

Option 3 is for my girlfriend to drop into the UK Visa Application Centre in Bangkok and pick up the right application forms from them (I'm guessing there the same but maybe written in Thai).

Reading though the FAQ's of the UK Visa Application Centre in Bangkok, It says people can visit the centre to start there application. Personally I would have thought it would have made sense to do it all in Bangkok on ground level. Who do you think checks the applications on the website? People in London? Which is better I'm not sure! Maybe the online application gets sent to Bangkok for them to process?

Secondly I would like too find out if I stand a chance of getting a visit visa. I have only known my girlfriend for a short period of time but we get on like a house on fire. It was never a customer client relationship as apart from buying meals and transport she has never asked for any money.

We speak over Skype every day since I retuned to the UK and I would like to get her out here to continue our relationship. I can support her on all fronts and I think she would like the area were I live in the UK.

I heard the hard part is proving she will return to Thailand? On that front the things they are looking for we don't really have (she doesn't own land, she might have to quit her job to come out to visit me and I'm guessing she doesn't have a huge amount of savings).

The fact of the matter is that we're 100% straight up and she will be returning on her return flight. Its funny how easy it is for us UK citizens to obtain Visa's for any where but when it come down to an honest application for a friend to come and visit us for a few months holiday it gets difficult and time consuming.

I'm also planning a trip back to Thailand around Christmas time which would be the time her UK tourist visa would have run out and she would be home.

Any pointers, Tips and hints would be hugely appreciated. Thanks for reading.

Chris

With no concrete reason to return, a short relationship and from the way you are talking she may well be involved in bar work, it's not going to be easy to convince the Embassy to give you a visit visa.

[ThaiVisaExpress]

Yes the reason to return is always an issue however strength of relationship can be a factor as well. I would have to see the evidence of a subsisting relationship such as phone bills money transfers etc.

Good luck.

[mazimus]

I got a visa at 1st time of asking for my Thai wife in Jan this year thanks to everyone on this forum we did it easily without agencies etc.DO the application online,it WILL save time when you get to the application centre,you will need 6 months bank statements,proof of where you stay etc.We also provided 4 years worth of flight tickets to Malaysia,sSingapore,hotel reciepts at those times,photos,proof of land she has,she did not have work or anything but she had kept about 3 years of Western union receipts of money i had sent her.I am self employed i also supplied business referencies etc.It is also a good idea to have a return ticket booked so she can include that in the application.If you have been together less than 6 months then maybe it would be a good idea to wait a while untill at least you can supply the 6 months bank statements.When i was at the application centre my wife was told to go right in with her application as we had already done it online.(40mins early)she had 3 folders stuffed full of supporting documentation.While i was waiting in the application centre for her to come out,there were other guys there with Thai girlfriends etc filling out the application forms with little or no supporting documentation.It didnt take much to suss out that they would have little or no chance.If you need any more info do a new post or pm me.