Spouse Visa For Uk

[Janner]

Hi there

Ive recently married in Chiang Mai. I've adhered to the Uk system and had the marriage recognised and recorded in the British consulate.

my question is should I seek legal help/guidence to obtain the spouse visa or am I able as an ordinary chap to plough on through the process by myself.

If the recommend is too obtain advice I've been informed there are a lot of sharks out there so who is a good advisor?

Many thanks for your anticipated help....Janner

Edited February 19, 2005 by Janner

[GU22]

Some people feel that having someone hold their hand is helpful, but bear in mind this advice from the British Embassy

"Should I employ the services of an agent or an immigration adviser to apply for my visa?

You should be careful when employing the services of an 'agent' or an immigration adviser. They cannot issue visas, or influence the outcome of your application. There have been cases where agents and immigration advisors have given poor advice and overcharged."

"Will my application be guaranteed if I have an immigration adviser?

No. Your application will depend on whether you qualify to enter the UK under the Immigration Rules and whether you give the entry clearance officer all the information and documents they need at the time of your application. A good adviser may be able to help you in completing your application form and can make sure you have all the documents you need to make your application."

"Are all immigration advisers qualified to give advice on immigration matters?

No. Some are qualified to offer advice on immigration law and related matters whereas others will only be able to help you fill in your application form. You should get details of the exact nature of their services before asking an immigration adviser to help you. We also advise you to get details of the fees if you plan to use an organisation that charges for its services."

Asking questions here, or joining Thailand-Uk will probably serve you better than paying an adviser.

Have a look at Bringing a visitor or fiance to the UK as well.

Good luck.

[Janner]

Some people feel that having someone hold their hand is helpful, but bear in mind this advice from the British Embassy

"Should I employ the services of an agent or an immigration adviser to apply for my visa?

You should be careful when employing the services of an 'agent' or an immigration adviser. They cannot issue visas, or influence the outcome of your application. There have been cases where agents and immigration advisors have given poor advice and overcharged."

"Will my application be guaranteed if I have an immigration adviser?

No. Your application will depend on whether you qualify to enter the UK under the Immigration Rules and whether you give the entry clearance officer all the information and documents they need at the time of your application. A good adviser may be able to help you in completing your application form and can make sure you have all the documents you need to make your application."

"Are all immigration advisers qualified to give advice on immigration matters?

No. Some are qualified to offer advice on immigration law and related matters whereas others will only be able to help you fill in your application form. You should get details of the exact nature of their services before asking an immigration adviser to help you. We also advise you to get details of the fees if you plan to use an organisation that charges for its services."

Asking questions here, or joining Thailand-Uk will probably serve you better than paying an adviser.

Have a look at Bringing a visitor or fiance to the UK as well.

Good luck.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Many thanks for your kind reply... Janner.

[Dragonman]

Hi Janner.From what I've heard It's a lot of pot luck.

However my experience in British Embassy in Bangkok was that whilst I did all the "details of income,evidence you have a home.3months bank accounts.letter from employer confiming wages.etc.etc.myself,my wife failed the first interview when she went alone.I re applied with the help of an office a short walk from the Embassy and Escorted by this Thai lady we went to the front of the line,and had the visa with next to no questions in 30 minutes.Draw your own conclusions.

[GU22]

It's not "pot luck" at all. If all the criteria are met the visa will be issued. Many people have presented all the supporting evidence with the initial application and had the visa issued after a few questions being asked at the counter, known as a "short interview". Some have even presented everything with the application form and a few days later had a phone call from the embassy telling them to come and collect the visa, no interview at all! This was because the documentary evidence satisfied the ECO that the applicant was genuine.

An adviser can help you ensure that you have all the documents, and some employ people to stand in the queue for you, but they cannot guarantee success. Only you can do that by showing that all the criteria are met.

[Dragonman]

GU22 calm down.You don't work for the Embassy do you? I know numerous guys, including myself, who presented all required documentation. Spoke to and e-mailed Embassy from UK.Easy for me as worked for Government.

Still up to attitude of Interviewer. I provided no extra information when Visa granted 2nd time.

If you think all Thai's go 100% by criteria and Documentary Evidence how long you been here?

[GU22]

Dragonman, in case you haven't noticed, it is not Thais who decide whether or not to grant a UK visa, it's Brits!

The situation is very simple. If you satisfy the ECO (who is British and working to rules and guidelines set by the British government) that you satisfy the criteria for the visa you are applying for, then you will get the visa. If you don't, then you wont.

Sometimes the documentary evidence is sufficient and the visa will be issued after a "short interview" or even no interview at all. Other times the documents are not sufficient, or there is some area of doubt in the ECOs mind, and a full interview will be required.

Sometimes at an interview the applicant fails because of nerves, leading to misleading or contradictory answers. Second time around, and more prepared, this doesn't happen. I suspect this is what happened in your case. The ECO can only make a judgement based on the evidence before him/her.

This is true regardless of whether you used a paid adviser or not.

[Dragonman]

The Brit must have had a sickie when I was there because there was only one interviewer,Thai! Obviously I thought that the Thai reported back with a recommendation as in most Government Departments I have dealt with.

I didn't think the decision was made by a Thai,but recommendations go a long way.

[GU22]

In which case I can only assume that the ECO had already decided to isue the visa, based upon the documentary evidence you had supplied.

All visa decisions are made by the ECOs, who are all British.

[bkk_mike]

Hi Janner.From what I've heard It's a lot of pot luck.

However my experience in British Embassy in Bangkok was that whilst I did all the "details of income,evidence you have a home.3months bank accounts.letter from employer confiming wages.etc.etc.myself,my wife failed the first interview when she went alone.I re applied with the help of an office a short walk from the Embassy and Escorted by this Thai lady we went to the front of the line,and had the visa with next to no questions in 30 minutes.Draw your own conclusions.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't think it's pot luck, but whether you attend or not can benefit your wife's application. (as in - if you're physically there, especially if you've made a point of flying out, it's easier for the embassy to be sure it's not a sham).

Personally, I wouldn't touch an agency with a barge-pole, because the paperwork isn't particularly difficult to do yourself, it's not like your English isn't up to it (which is probably where they get most of their business), and in doing it yourself, you know you're putting in the right answers.

Remember, there are people who say they're agencies for visa applications, who charge for filling in the form, and don't necessarily do it correctly. (i.e. I'm more sure of my ability to fill in a form, than in my ability to pick an agency that knows what they're doing...)

[the scouser]

The Brit must have had a sickie when I was there because there was only one interviewer,Thai! Obviously I thought that the Thai reported back with a recommendation as in most Government Departments I have dealt with.

  I didn't think the decision was made by a Thai,but recommendations go a long way.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There is (was) a visa officer at the BKK embassy who is British but is of Chinese descent. Perhaps it was her your g/f saw?

Scouse.

[Dragonman]

No this one was Thai.She even told my Fiance how lucky she was to have Brit boyfriend and be moving to the UK.Extremely friendly unlike a couple of Brits I spoke to there, who were officious and drowning in their own self importance.

Perhaps this is why we only went back to UK for a short time before moving to Thailand.

[GU22]

Dragonman, you may believe that the ECO you saw was Thai, and that the agent you employed was able to influence the decision.

If this is what you do believe, then you are wrong on both counts.

The Thai staff at the embassy are interpreters, receptionists, clerical staff etc. The ECOs are all British, whatever they're ethnicity.

Agents can help fill in the forms, advise on documents even help prepare you the interview. What they cannot do is influence the decision of the ECO. Any agent that leads clients to believe that they can, is lying.

[Dragonman]

I would love to have your confidence in Civil Servants and the system of British Government. However I can assure you the lady was Thai! I am fluent in Thai and my now wife is ultra fluent. My wife not being able to recognise a Thai would be like me not being able to recognise somebody trying to impersonate a Welsh accent or a scouser not understanding the person was from Liverpool.

Before my retirement I worked for 27 years system auditing for the British Government,but not in Embassies.I doubt they are any different!

If you think all systems are fail safe you want to come into the real world.

You seem to be quick to say people are "wrong" but I am yet to see anything about personal experience or why the Embassy is above reproach.If you remember some years back the matter was even discussed in Parliament!

[GU22]

Dragonman, Apologies, because I did not express myself too well in the first sentence of my previous post. What I meant was that if she was Thai, and I have no reason to doubt your word that she was, then she was not an ECO.

The important point, though, is:-

Agents can help fill in the forms, advise on documents even help prepare you for the interview. What they cannot do is influence the decision of the ECO. Any agent that leads clients to believe that they can, is lying.

[Dragonman]

GU22 Cheers

[Peewee]

There is a point that it being missed here - whilst we debate the quality of the 'agents' and who the Thai lady's postion was at the embassy.

My experiance is that the agents can be useful in certain situations - its up to you to controll what they are given or alowed to do. Personally I have found them useful because they can assist with translating official document, marriage certificates and the like. They can also be good at getting the paperwork arranged quickly when marring at the Ampher office in Bangkok. Other wise I agree that they would not be able to influence the ECO's - after all that would be illegal, wouldn't it!

The Thai staff at the embassy, although perhaps not given final decision making athourity, are deffinately very influential and some senior staff there can make a huge differnce to your chances of being successful. It is the interviewers impressions along with the written evidence that are largely taken into account when the ECO's make their decision.

[Dragonman]

Right on Peewee,and we can't have anything illegal going on in Thailand can we.