Can Someone Help Me About Eea Family Member Visa To Uk?

[jana]

My bf been working in UK for 5 years, and I lived in UK for 3 years and moved to Thailand since last 2 years. My bf is national of EEA and we plan to live in UK next year. I been to a visa agency in Pattaya and I've got a confusing information from there. Said I need to get tourist visa to UK at first then come back to Thailand and get married or get fiance visa to my bf country and get married there then apply visa as a spouse to live in UK with him.

Can I get fiance visa to UK and get married there if my bf come from EEA countries? If no

Where I will get married to apply EEA family member visa to UK? (in my bf country or in Thailand)

Please help me about this confusing and thank you in advance for any advices

[erikr_]

My bf been working in UK for 5 years, and I lived in UK for 3 years and moved to Thailand since last 2 years. My bf is national of EEA and we plan to live in UK next year. I been to a visa agency in Pattaya and I've got a confusing information from there. Said I need to get tourist visa to UK at first then come back to Thailand and get married or get fiance visa to my bf country and get married there then apply visa as a spouse to live in UK with him.

Can I get fiance visa to UK and get married there if my bf come from EEA countries? If no

Where I will get married to apply EEA family member visa to UK? (in my bf country or in Thailand)

Please help me about this confusing and thank you in advance for any advices

If you have a lot of documentation around your relation you should follow the easy route.

Get married in Thailand and apply for EEA family permit in Bangkok as with the evidence of long lasting relation it should be a formality

[bangla]

just get married in thailand (at the amphur) and apply for a family reunion for EU citizens visa (dunno what they call it in the UK) at the UK embassy.

[beano2274]

My bf been working in UK for 5 years, and I lived in UK for 3 years and moved to Thailand since last 2 years. My bf is national of EEA and we plan to live in UK next year. I been to a visa agency in Pattaya and I've got a confusing information from there. Said I need to get tourist visa to UK at first then come back to Thailand and get married or get fiance visa to my bf country and get married there then apply visa as a spouse to live in UK with him.

Can I get fiance visa to UK and get married there if my bf come from EEA countries? If no

Where I will get married to apply EEA family member visa to UK? (in my bf country or in Thailand)

Please help me about this confusing and thank you in advance for any advices

What is your Nationality?

[7by7]

Ignore what the visa agency said; as with most such agencies in Thailand they don't know what they are talking about.

Any EEA national exercising their treaty rights to live in another EEA country can bring their spouse and other family members with them.

Fiances don't qualify under these rules, but unmarried partners do.

So, you can either marry in Thailand and then apply as his wife, or if you can show that you have been living together in a relationship akin to marriage for at least the last 2 years then you can apply as his unmarried partners.

You could apply under the UK immigration rules as his fiance and then marry in the UK, but this would be the expensive way!

See EUN02 - EEA Family Permits

There is a qualified and knowledgeable agent in Pattaya: Thai Visa Express, one of the sponsors of this forum, should you want professional help.

[ThaiVisaExpress]

If you require professional advise I'm in the UK at the moment feel free to contact myself.

I will help you with the correct information we have an office in Thailand and in the UK.

[jana]

thank you for all replies. I'm Thai nationality, and my bf is Lithuanian. But my case have something a bit more complicated. I had work permit for 2 years in UK, but the company I worked had change business to something else while I got worked with them for 1 year. They register new company and i still work for them until 2 years visa expired. Then my employer applied to extend my visa for another 2 year with new company. But unfortunately new company doing new business and I have been refused to get extend visa. But the Home Office wrote on letter that my employer can send new document of my qualification which apply for the position vacancy to apply new work permit (not extending) But I have decided not to re-apply and move back to Thailand (with my personal reason) While i wait for Home Office decision, I have been over stay in UK for 2 moths. So I am not so sure if this matter will affect the married visa that I am going to apply.

Thanks again

[ThaiVisaExpress]

If you marry you can simply apply for an EU family permit which is free subject to you meeting the criteria.

[Richard W]

But I have decided not to re-apply and move back to Thailand (with my personal reason) While i wait for Home Office decision, I have been over stay in UK for 2 moths. So I am not so sure if this matter will affect the married visa that I am going to apply.

That's worrying. As a number of settlement visas have recently been refused, apparently wrongly, for previous immigration irregularities, it looks as though you should marry and apply for an EEA family permit. Unless you are prepared to marry in the legally established church (and I am not sure that that will work in Scotland), it looks as though you will have to marry in Thailand. I think you will have to return to Thailand and appply anyway. While I may be wrong in thinking that an EEA family permit cannot be refused for immigration irregularities, at the very least you will get an answer quicker and can launch your appeal sooner if a way is dreamt up to refuse you.

[coganp]

If 7by7 reply is correct this is fantastic news.

It would help if Thai visa could have a special help site on this subject as I have queried eea visas before and got completely different answers. Also the embassy prefers us to apply for a settlement visa..veryexpensive.

I have lived with my Thai partner 3 years and she has been 3 times to UK.

WE have failed three times to get a marriage certificate due to that difficult foreign affairs office.

We would like to settle in UK as per 7by7 advice for partners. Is it really so easy?

Does the embassy cooperate or hinder? Where are the forms?

I am brit she is Thai..no children.

Many thanks

[coganp]

If you require professional advise I'm in the UK at the moment feel free to contact myself.

I will help you with the correct information we have an office in Thailand and in the UK.

You could phone me on 01342410720 to help my uk visa problm?

Thanks coganp

patric cogan

[jana]

If you require professional advise I'm in the UK at the moment feel free to contact myself.

I will help you with the correct information we have an office in Thailand and in the UK.

I did send you an email before, but I didn't get reply from you. So I join this forum. when you will be in Thailand I would like to visit your office. I'm living in Pattaya.

[7by7]

I have queried eea visas before and got completely different answers. Also the embassy prefers us to apply for a settlement visa..veryexpensive........I am brit she is Thai..no children.

Many thanks

As you are British you cannot use the EEA family permit route for her to settle in the UK; any other EEA state, yes; but not the UK. EEA family permits are to allow EEA nationals who are living in an EEA state other than the one of which they are a national to have their spouse and family join them there. You will need to apply for a UK visa for the UK.

I have lived with my Thai partner 3 years

If you can show that you have been living together in a relationship akin to marriage for at least the last two years then she can apply as your unmarried partner, using form VAF4A. See SET05 - Unmarried and same sex partners. For how and where to apply see UK visa application centre website in Bangkok.

WE have failed three times to get a marriage certificate due to that difficult foreign affairs office

Not sure what you mean by this, as long as you are both free to marry the procedure is straightforward. See Guidance for British nationals wishing to marry in Thailand.

[7by7]

While i wait for Home Office decision, I have been over stay in UK for 2 moths. So I am not so sure if this matter will affect the married visa that I am going to apply.

When you applied to the Home Office to extend your work permit, that permit would have been automatically extended until they made a decision. As long as you left the UK soon after being refused the extension then you have not overstayed.

Even if you had overstayed, an EEA family permit cannot be refused for a previous overstay. Neither can a UK spouse visa; the previous cases Richard W refers to were refused for illegal entry, not overstaying (whether those refusals were correct or not is for each appeal to determine).

[jana]

While i wait for Home Office decision, I have been over stay in UK for 2 moths. So I am not so sure if this matter will affect the married visa that I am going to apply.

When you applied to the Home Office to extend your work permit, that permit would have been automatically extended until they made a decision. As long as you left the UK soon after being refused the extension then you have not overstayed.

Even if you had overstayed, an EEA family permit cannot be refused for a previous overstay. Neither can a UK spouse visa; the previous cases Richard W refers to were refused for illegal entry, not overstaying (whether those refusals were correct or not is for each appeal to determine).

Thanks 7by7, these replies have cleared all confusing info I got from that agency. I feel like sending these all info I got from this forum to that AGENCY. Maybe they would stop giving information that they have no idea what it is all about to their clients all I could think about with this Agency is they would take as much as they can from their clients (the advices i got was first I need tourist visa then married visa after I return Thailand)

[beano2274]

If 7by7 reply is correct this is fantastic news.

It would help if Thai visa could have a special help site on this subject as I have queried eea visas before and got completely different answers. Also the embassy prefers us to apply for a settlement visa..veryexpensive.

I have lived with my Thai partner 3 years and she has been 3 times to UK.

WE have failed three times to get a marriage certificate due to that difficult foreign affairs office.

We would like to settle in UK as per 7by7 advice for partners. Is it really so easy?

Does the embassy cooperate or hinder? Where are the forms?

I am brit she is Thai..no children.

Many thanks

What do you mean difficulties at the Foreign Affairs Office, if you have completed the Affirmation to Marry and got it certified at your Embassy then the MFA are very good, maybe you have not done something correctly

[Castor83]

Hey Jana,

I would definately look into the EEC family permit if I were you. It seems it is quicker, easier and cheaper.

As far as I know (although I could be wrong)

You apply at the VAC centre in Bangkok, same as any other visa. But they are obliged to look at it quicker. My solicitor suggest it could be days, rather than months for a fiancee settlement visa. Although you would need to be married.

Also their guidance seems to say that a marriage certificate alone is adequate evidence of a 'genuine relationship.'

Your bf (husband) will need to show he is excercising his treaty rights. Which means a contract/payslips/letter from his employer...

At least that's my understanding of it...

Good luck!

[coganp]

If 7by7 reply is correct this is fantastic news.

It would help if Thai visa could have a special help site on this subject as I have queried eea visas before and got completely different answers. Also the embassy prefers us to apply for a settlement visa..veryexpensive.

I have lived with my Thai partner 3 years and she has been 3 times to UK.

WE have failed three times to get a marriage certificate due to that difficult foreign affairs office.

We would like to settle in UK as per 7by7 advice for partners. Is it really so easy?

Does the embassy cooperate or hinder? Where are the forms?

I am brit she is Thai..no children.

Many thanks

What do you mean difficulties at the Foreign Affairs Office, if you have completed the Affirmation to Marry and got it certified at your Embassy then the MFA are very good, maybe you have not done something correctly

With all three they did not like the translation..all done bydifferent translation agencies. It wouls seems you must use their selection of the correct thai word!. and then after 6 months all docs are rejected as out of date. agencies say I forgot the bribe!

I think the correct advice is to find out their approved translator, and move quick bearing in mind the ridiculous 6 month rule. You will also have to stay the night somewhere as mfa is in the sticks.

Incidentally the Embassy receive the correct translation in Thai from the MFA but refuse to give it out as part of the fee for stamping the freedom to marry document.!!

[7by7]

It seems that the 'agency' you are dealing with are misinforming you; have you read the guidance I linked to above?

Any translator will do; we just picked one at random near the embassy.

AFAIK the embassy do not receive anything from the MFA. They simply notarise your declaration before you have it translated.

The MFA is in Bangkok, although not the centre. When we went it was certainly possible to get there and back in an afternoon from where we were staying (Bangsu), and we did not bribe anyone!

What docs are rejected as out of date? If you or your partner are providing a divorce or death certificate to show a previous marriage has ended, how can this go out of date?

[coganp]

It seems that the 'agency' you are dealing with are misinforming you; have you read the guidance I linked to above?

Any translator will do; we just picked one at random near the embassy.

AFAIK the embassy do not receive anything from the MFA. They simply notarise your declaration before you have it translated.

The MFA is in Bangkok, although not the centre. When we went it was certainly possible to get there and back in an afternoon from where we were staying (Bangsu), and we did not bribe anyone!

What docs are rejected as out of date? If you or your partner are providing a divorce or death certificate to show a previous marriage has ended, how can this go out of date?

tHE FREEDOM TO MARRY DOCUMENT GOES OUT OF DATE IN 6 MONTHS ACCORDING TO THE MFA.

I think you misunderstand the translation problem. The freedom to marry document is in english but in a form approved by the thai government, I assume the mfa. The approval was sent to the Embassy in Thai and could be given to citizens as an attachment to the form. Translators would then know the mfa thai word for ,for example "British ",which I got wrong on two occasions!

[beano2274]

It seems that the 'agency' you are dealing with are misinforming you; have you read the guidance I linked to above?

Any translator will do; we just picked one at random near the embassy.

AFAIK the embassy do not receive anything from the MFA. They simply notarise your declaration before you have it translated.

The MFA is in Bangkok, although not the centre. When we went it was certainly possible to get there and back in an afternoon from where we were staying (Bangsu), and we did not bribe anyone!

What docs are rejected as out of date? If you or your partner are providing a divorce or death certificate to show a previous marriage has ended, how can this go out of date?

tHE FREEDOM TO MARRY DOCUMENT GOES OUT OF DATE IN 6 MONTHS ACCORDING TO THE MFA.

I think you misunderstand the translation problem. The freedom to marry document is in english but in a form approved by the thai government, I assume the mfa. The approval was sent to the Embassy in Thai and could be given to citizens as an attachment to the form. Translators would then know the mfa thai word for ,for example "British ",which I got wrong on two occasions!

I think that you have misunderstood the way to get married in Thailand!!

Here it is plain and simple.

1. Download the Affirmation to Marry from the Embassy website.

2. Fill it in

3. Take it to the Embassy, pay the fee

4. Collect it the following day (after this there is no need to return to the Embassy)

5. Get it translated at the translation shop (turn right out of the Embassy go over the pedestrian Bridge head towards the American Embassy, as you go down the stairs on the bridge there are translation services there.

6. Pay the fee, check it has been stamped.

7. Get a taxi to the MFA

8. Pick up a ticket at information on the 3rd floor

9. Give them the document, pay the fee

10 Return the next day to collect.

11 Get married

This is how it is done, I know from personal experience as have many others in the forum.

Take the advice from the people who know.

Edited August 24, 2009 by beano2274

[7by7]

tHE FREEDOM TO MARRY DOCUMENT GOES OUT OF DATE IN 6 MONTHS ACCORDING TO THE MFA.

Point taken; but why would anyone want or need to get the AFM sorted out more than 6 months before the wedding?

BTW, there's no need to SHOUT!

I think you misunderstand the translation problem. The freedom to marry document is in english but in a form approved by the thai government, I assume the mfa. The approval was sent to the Embassy in Thai and could be given to citizens as an attachment to the form.

There is no translation problem.

The affirmation should be completed in English, to ensure the person signing it understands it. If it was in Thai, how many Brits signing it would be able to understand it? Would you sign a document you couldn't understand? I wouldn't!

This affirmation is notarised by the British embassy in English. You then get the notarised affirmation translated by one of the many translation agencies in Bangkok and this translation is certified as correct by the MFA. Most translation agencies will actually take it to and collect it from the MFA for a couple of hundred baht if you don't want to do it yourself.

The procedure is very simple, as explained on the British embassy web page I linked to earlier, also as explained by beano2274 above, and if you still don't believe how simple it is, here it is again from the Thai embassy in London.

Translators would then know the mfa thai word for ,for example "British ",which I got wrong on two occasions!

I have never heard of anyone having any problem with their translation being rejected. The translation agencies near the embassy do many of these, not just for Brits but for Americans, Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians and citizens of all other English speaking countries, plus of course all the non-English speaking countries as well, though not from English for them, of course!

Maybe the clue to your difficulties is "which I got wrong on two occasions."

Did you do it yourself? If so, find a professional translator.

Or did the translator you use get it wrong? If so, find a professional translator!

Edit:

I see that you have posted elsewhere

I understand it is rare to get a signature without a bribe.

Sorry, but you understand completely wrong; I did not pay any bribe and I do not know anyone else who did! You also say in that post that you used a 'professional' translator; it seems to me that it is this person ripping you off; find another one, there's plenty near the embassy.

Edited August 24, 2009 by 7by7

[ThaiVisaExpress]

All the guidance is on website if you look it is a fairly easy to understand document .