Uk Visit Visa

[kp86]

Hi all

sorry if im repeating any questions already answered....finding all this visa malarky v.confusing!

Hoping for my boyfriend of 2 years to come to UK for 6 months in sept..

My stepfather will be sponsering us for accomodation.

I will have £2000 in my bank account and a letter from my employer guaranteeing my job for the duration of my boyfriends visit and stating my wage (roughly £400 per month - only part time)

My mum will be also providing her bank statements as back up incase more funds are required for any reason.

Is this enough to satisfy the accomodation and funds requirements?

Which visa should we apply for: visit or family?

Also after he has been here for the visit, providing he likes it, we will be attempting to apply for a settlement visa as I want to enrol in university next september. There is so much information on the settlement visa im finding it hard to understand. do you have to have lived together solidly for 2 years??? By the time we apply we will have been together 3 years, of which we will have spent 23 months of it living together but not continuously, the longest being 8 months.

Any light shed on these questions will be great! Thanks

[theoldgit]

First of all your boyfriend needs to decide the purpose of the visit, remember it is his application and for him to convince the ECO that it is a genuine application for a visit visa, and more importantly must convince the ECO that at the conclusion of the visit he will return home to Thailand.

I am pretty sure that the ECO will view with suspicion an application for a six month stay just to test the water, it would certainly seem that there is no reason to Thailand and entry clearance would almost certainly be refused.

He needs to apply for a visitors visa at this stage, remember even those are taking up to six weeks, he needs to state the purpose of the visit and convince the ECO that he will return home, I certainly wouldn't muddy the waters by talking about settlement in the future as it might appear that he will not return home.

The most important area to address is the reason to return, this could be property or other strong ties at home or a job with a letter confirming the details of his employment and that leave of absence has been granted, I think this might be difficult.

It would seem that you are sponsoring the application and from what you have described I think you have sorted out the funding and accommodation issues though it does seem a bit on the low side, is he not going to pay anything? You need to convince the ECO about your relationship, can you prove your time together, were you living in Thailand, travelling or the like, certainly you need to convince the ECO that there is a good reason to sponsor the visit.

I have just looked this reply and will have to admit it's a bit of a ramble, but I am going to let it go. You both need to step back and discuss the reason for the visit, convince the ECO that the visit is genuine and then convince them that he will return.

I have to say that he hasn't got a great chance at the moment, read through these threads and then build up a good case for a visit.

[sumrit]

Hi all

sorry if im repeating any questions already answered....finding all this visa malarky v.confusing!

Hoping for my boyfriend of 2 years to come to UK for 6 months in sept..

My stepfather will be sponsering us for accomodation.

I will have £2000 in my bank account and a letter from my employer guaranteeing my job for the duration of my boyfriends visit and stating my wage (roughly £400 per month - only part time)

My mum will be also providing her bank statements as back up incase more funds are required for any reason.

Is this enough to satisfy the accomodation and funds requirements?

Which visa should we apply for: visit or family?

Also after he has been here for the visit, providing he likes it, we will be attempting to apply for a settlement visa as I want to enrol in university next september. There is so much information on the settlement visa im finding it hard to understand. do you have to have lived together solidly for 2 years??? By the time we apply we will have been together 3 years, of which we will have spent 23 months of it living together but not continuously, the longest being 8 months.

Any light shed on these questions will be great! Thanks

When applying for a visit visa your b/f will have to show there are adequate funds to pay for the trip, his accommodation in the UK, proof of your relationship and, most importantly, that he has a good reason to return to Thailand at the end of his trip. As the old git says to come to the UK for six months 'to see if he likes it' will almost definitely result in refusal because the ECO will say 'if he does like it' it's highly unlikely he will return to Thailand to obtain the correct visa (I knew somebody who was refused for exactly this reason).

It would be far better to ask for a visa to come to the UK for a months holiday, if successful he will then be given a six month visa anyway so once he's in the UK he could stay for longer if he wants to. He would still need an acceptable reason to return to Thailand though. I believe most refusals are for this reason.

If applying for a settlement visa you don't have to show you have lived together at all, you have to show you have a genuine relationship, photos etc of your time together while in Thailand for example, and phone records, emails, letters, etc to each other while you're apart.

[snuggzzz]

'theoldgit' has pointed out valid issues for you to pursue right direction. When I did this, I put everything in a folder with copies. Must confirmed time with your boyfriend, this can be done in photo format, get the photos dated, this will help show and confirm how long you've been together. Phone bills also help, also, a letter from Thai Landlord (or whoever) that you rented room to share with your boyfriend and give dates. Rent paid etc.

If he has money in his Bank Account to show he can get home to Thailand from the UK certainly assists. A return ticket also assists in convincing the ECO that he will return. The main point that the previous post was saying, is that your B/F will not have recourse to Public Funds, it is up to him to prove that, So, make sure he is medically insured, your Bank Statements and those of your Mum's will be required to prove financial assistance. A letter from your B/F saying why he wants to come to the UK obviously assists.

I made sure that there were sufficient funds in my G/F's Bank Account to prove this. She also got a letter from her parents proving that she owned land and needed to return, plus the family, (I showed us all together in photo), would provide money if required.

Your B/F will need to provide a TB certificate, it will normally be done when you go to the office to submit the application and pay the fees.

I wrote a letter of submission stating that I'd sponsor mt G/F and proved the above facts. No doubt others will pick up anything I've missed. Good Luck

[sumrit]

'theoldgit' has pointed out valid issues for you to pursue right direction. When I did this, I put everything in a folder with copies. Must confirmed time with your boyfriend, this can be done in photo format, get the photos dated, this will help show and confirm how long you've been together. Phone bills also help, also, a letter from Thai Landlord (or whoever) that you rented room to share with your boyfriend and give dates. Rent paid etc.

If he has money in his Bank Account to show he can get home to Thailand from the UK certainly assists. A return ticket also assists in convincing the ECO that he will return. The main point that the previous post was saying, is that your B/F will not have recourse to Public Funds, it is up to him to prove that, So, make sure he is medically insured, your Bank Statements and those of your Mum's will be required to prove financial assistance. A letter from your B/F saying why he wants to come to the UK obviously assists.

I made sure that there were sufficient funds in my G/F's Bank Account to prove this. She also got a letter from her parents proving that she owned land and needed to return, plus the family, (I showed us all together in photo), would provide money if required.

Your B/F will need to provide a TB certificate, it will normally be done when you go to the office to submit the application and pay the fees.

I wrote a letter of submission stating that I'd sponsor mt G/F and proved the above facts. No doubt others will pick up anything I've missed. Good Luck

He won't need a TB certificate, that only applies to people giong to the UK for MORE than six months.

The funds for the trip don't have to be in your b/f's account, you just have to show there are adequate funds to cover the full cost of the trip. The ECO will recognize that it's not practical for you to transfer money from the UK to your b/f's account in Thailand, only for him to take it all out and bring it back to the UK.

One very good point I'd forgotten though, a GOOD sponsors letter from you is a must.

Edited June 13, 2009 by sumrit

[learningcurve]

Lots of good advice here. The most important thing is that the onus is on the applicant to prove that he will return to Thailand at the end of the visa period. This can be difficult to document as there are no 'hard set rules' to follow, however as a guide they normaly look at: does the applicant have credible employment, does the applicant have any savings or land/property, does the applicant have any dependant children, has the applicant been issued a visa before for the UK/Australia/Schengan, on say this if your b/f can not answer 'yes' to any of these questions, it does not mean that he will definetly be refused a visa but his chances will not be so good. As another poster said, you will need a good Sponsor Letter, this will be your chance to tell the ECO about your intentions, but remember, whatever you state you must back up with documented evidence. On a final note, general visitor applications (only) are now being processed within 10 days, all other types of applications (family visitor visa, settlement etc) are still taking 4 to 6 weeks +. Good post from theoldgit. Good luck.

[kp86]

Thanks for all your replies already!

This first visa would be strictly a visit visa for him to experience my life, meet my family and also to come and see me and these will be the reasons stated in all letters from myself and my boyfriend. My mum will also include a letter to say she would like to meet him and i have stayed with his family many times so she would like to return the favor. In regards to the settlement, im am just enquiring to see if we would be eligible if we did decide to pursue a settlement visa in the future. That query seems to already be answered by simrit (thanks).

My boyfriend will have a letter from his job at which he has worked for 8 years stating he has permission to take a holiday for 6 months and they guarantee his job for him on his return. My boyfriend's friend obtained a 6 months visit to uk with the same letter so it appears to satisfy the grounds of reason to return.

My boyfriend only has about 20,000 in his bank account, i will be paying for his flight etc and my mum will help out when needed. Would it be better if my mum was the full financial sponsor. The only reason for her not being at the moment is that, whilst i trust my boyfriend 100%, she has never met him (hence the visit to UK) and is slightly guaranteeing a persons finance who she has never met. What is the legal standing for her if she does sponsor him? If she knows she is not legally bound then she will be happy to sponsor him. she just wants to cover herself for the what if's.

Thanks already, this forum is so helpful.

[theoldgit]

I think you are heading the right direction but, despite the experience of your boyfriends friend, I think that stating his intention to stay in the UK for six months to get to know your family will arouse the suspicion that he does not intend to return, though you are right to be honest. Are you sure he is not confusing a standard six month visa which most people get on the first attempt?

There is no legal obligation for any sponsor, and whilst all sponsors are recorded on a central database your Mum wouldn't be carted off to Holloway if he didn't return, it's your boyfriend who would have the problem in the future.

You should outline the reasons for the sponsorship and give the facts, if you are providing financial support then that's what you say and if your Mum is providing accomodation, then say that as well. As others have said, a concise sponsorship letter from yourself giving evidenced details of your relationship and your plans for the future is vitally important.

Without wishing to labour the point indicating a stay of six months will be viewed with suspicion whatever the covering letter states, though I suppose it's no different to a gap year, and the end of the day it's your shout.

Unfortunately even general visitors visas are currently taking 4 - 6 weeks, sorry "learningcurve" it's on the VFS website - though I wish I was wrong.

[CharlieB]

I agree with theoldgit, stating you want the full 6 months in the UK is not going to look good to the ECO and the more things that don't look right, the more likely you will get a refusal. The fact he has a job and can get a letter is a plus factor, but most ECO's may be slightly suspicious that someone is allowed 6 full months off their job to go to another country. I know many people reading this would struggle to get their boss to agree to a full 6 months away from their job. I'd struggle to get 3 weeks away.

I would put your mum down as the financial sponsor, but it won't hurt to put details of your own wage/savings and your boyfriends wage/savings into the pack to show that there is a general level of money for him to be supported on. There is no legal binding on her putting herself down as the sponsor, so she doesn't have to worry about having HM Gov't coming after her for any money if things go bad.

The best way to get the visa is to keep things simple. Your mum is the sponsor and will provide the accommodation. He has a letter from his boss saying he can have the time off work (Personally I would aim for 2 or 3 months, not 6) and details of his job and savings. You provide details of your relationship and evidence to back it up, ie phone records, photos, letters, any kind of documentation with both your names on, basically whatever you can think of.