Hi,

I have my Thai girlfriend living with me here in London, we have lived together for 7 months now. She has a 1 year student visa that will expire in January 2010. What would be the best way for her to stay longer?

We have looked at verious options but idealy we would like a visa before the current one expires.

Thanks.

Edited June 10, 200917 yr by Cuba64

Hi,

I have my Thai girlfriend living with me here in London, we have lived together for 7 months now. She has a 1 year student visa that will expire in January 2010. What would be the best way for her to stay longer?

We have looked at verious options but idealy we would like a visa before the current one expires.

Thanks.

The option is to go back to Thailand and get another visa. AFAIK it can't be extended in the UK.

RAZZ

If she doesn't get leave to remain or at least put in an application before her current visa expires she has no legal basis to remain in the UK, and any application she then made would be refused.

If she wants to pursue further studies here, you'd better start from this page on the UKBA website-

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/studying...ultstudentvisa/

- and then work your way through the points-based system that's now been put in place to see if she'd qualify.

You don't say what her course is, if she's taking a degree she might qualify for some post-graduate scheme.

She can't switch into being a visitor, and even if she could, she'd only have a further 6 months here.

If your romance extended to wishing to get married, you'd best do so outside the UK, but having done so, she could make an application in the UK for leave to remain as your spouse.

If you wished to get married in the UK she'd first have to get a Certificate of Approval to do so, but there's no guarantee it would be granted before her visa expires, which would be of no help to her.

Apart from that, she hasn't much chance, but the advice to return to Thailand and get another visa doesn't help if she's no basis on which to apply.

Incidentally, what nationality are you?