Australian Tourist Visa

[doosyhindleg]

hello all.

my wife would like to travel to australia for xmas to meet family & spend time together.

we have been married for 18 months now & i have spent a total of about 6 months with her in thailand on & off on a non o visa.

we applied for a tourist visa for her before we married in march 2008 & this was declined as we could not prove we had known each other long enough.after we married in march 2008 we then applied for a spouse visa wich was also denied,reason could not prove a genuine ongoing relationship.i have since collected every possible evidance of our relationship for the entire time we have know'n each other,over $4000.00 in western unions ,travelled to see her 4 times in 18 months & have all supporting documents.my question is, i have saved $4000.00 AUD in a trust account for my wife in australia, is this enough money to show for a tourist visa ? she has no savings in thailand apart from our joint kasikorn bank account about 5000 thb.when applying for the tourist visa should the funds be in this australian trust account or send it to her to show in thai bank account?

thanks to all those that can advise me about this topic.we will be applying for a 12month visa but will be happy to get three months

[surfer65]

hello all.

my wife would like to travel to australia for xmas to meet family & spend time together.

we have been married for 18 months now & i have spent a total of about 6 months with her in thailand on & off on a non o visa.

we applied for a tourist visa for her before we married in march 2008 & this was declined as we could not prove we had known each other long enough.after we married in march 2008 we then applied for a spouse visa wich was also denied,reason could not prove a genuine ongoing relationship.i have since collected every possible evidance of our relationship for the entire time we have know'n each other,over $4000.00 in western unions ,travelled to see her 4 times in 18 months & have all supporting documents.my question is, i have saved $4000.00 AUD in a trust account for my wife in australia, is this enough money to show for a tourist visa ? she has no savings in thailand apart from our joint kasikorn bank account about 5000 thb.when applying for the tourist visa should the funds be in this australian trust account or send it to her to show in thai bank account?

thanks to all those that can advise me about this topic.we will be applying for a 12month visa but will be happy to get three months

[surfer65]

Sorry about that , hit the wrong button .

My head is still spinning with regards the info on the forum on tourist , spouse etc visas .

I am in somewhat of the same boat as yourself . Although my TG has sucessfully got a tourist visa already .

I would say from what I have read so far , that depositing such a large sum into her acc isnt that great an idea. If you do a searh on the forum of tourist visa to oz you will see many comments supporting this .

[surfer65]

I knew my girl for only 6mths before we got a visa . It was a 3mth no further stay . I grappled with the idea of bulking up her acc as well .

We settled for a agent to help us , very naive and raw in understanding the requirements of the application process and have learnt a lesson on that 1 .

There is a wealth of info in some of the members here and even though some threads can confuse you sometimes , they are of great value to newbies such as ourselves .

[midasthailand]

I sincerely hope that someone with some knowledge on this subject posts an answer to you that helps. One of the most annoying things about Thai Visa is when someone posts a genuine question and there are plenty of people with the knowledge to answer but they see no fun in the thread so don't bother, they would rather be in a battle of wits with someone over the merits of Isaan girls v's Phuket girls or some such nonsense. Rant over!

I wish you luck and hope you are able to get a Visa to take your wife to Australia. Failing that you should just put her on a boat and seek refugee status (just joking).

[surfer65]

At present , I am not so much worrying about whats in my girls account as I am in whats in mine .

Some members have said , evidence of salary , job etc is enough , others suggest bank accounts showing funds .

We are looking at applying within the next 4-8 weeks with a xmas or new year trip planned for her as well so am presently tightening the belt in oz before we submit the app.

I have seen some figures quoted , ie $900 - $1000 of funds each mth that they are here and Im wondering how accurate that is .

[bridge]

hello all.

my wife would like to travel to australia for xmas to meet family & spend time together.

we have been married for 18 months now & i have spent a total of about 6 months with her in thailand on & off on a non o visa.

we applied for a tourist visa for her before we married in march 2008 & this was declined as we could not prove we had known each other long enough.after we married in march 2008 we then applied for a spouse visa wich was also denied,reason could not prove a genuine ongoing relationship.i have since collected every possible evidance of our relationship for the entire time we have know'n each other,over $4000.00 in western unions ,travelled to see her 4 times in 18 months & have all supporting documents.my question is, i have saved $4000.00 AUD in a trust account for my wife in australia, is this enough money to show for a tourist visa ? she has no savings in thailand apart from our joint kasikorn bank account about 5000 thb.when applying for the tourist visa should the funds be in this australian trust account or send it to her to show in thai bank account?

thanks to all those that can advise me about this topic.we will be applying for a 12month visa but will be happy to get three months

Doosyhindleg,

Much of what you are asking has been covered in countless posts many times before on these forums. Just do a search back.

With regards to anyone thinking of depositing funds into their GF/BF account the 'help' the application. I strongly advise against doind this. Please refer to my previous post on this topic that I posted several months ago:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=2521592

In order to be granted a tourist visa an applicant must be a 'genuine visitor', and also have adequate funds or access to adequate funds to support themselves for the purpose and duration of their proposed visit/stay in Australia. As to what funds are adequate, well that would depend upon many factors, such as: How long does that applicant want to remain in Australia (1,3,6,9 or 12 months)? Where will the applicant be staying, friends, hotel, traveling etc?. You can't put a dollar amount on it, as it really comes down to 'duration and purpose' of the proposed visit. Someone staying for 2 weeks with a friend would need less than someone staying for two week at a 5 star hotel.

Note, those funds can be provided by someone else. I would advise including an accompanying letter of support (invitation) outlining the support that you are prepared to offer, such as meals, accommodation, sightseeing, airfare etc. You must also include documentary evidence of your ability to provide that support, such as a letter of existing employment, bank statement, pay slip, lease or rates notice, last income tax assessment. It is one thing to say that you will provide the support, but DIAC needs actual proof that you can in fact actually provide the support offered.

Secondly a genuine visitor is someone who wants to visit Australia for tourist purposes only, will not work or study beyond what is permitted by their visa. Finally, that they will depart Australia prior to their visa expiring. Whether a person is deemed to be a 'genuine visitor' will depend upon a whole host of circumstances, and is mainly centered around whether circumstances exist that would encourage the applicant to return to their home country prior to the expiration of their visa. The list is not exhaustive, but can include such things as: on-going employment in that persons country, strong family ties in the applicants home country, land or significant ownership etc.

On a final note, and not to be a downer, but your partner will have a higher threshold to establish that she is a genuine visitor as she has previously applied for temporary residence which was refused.

Hope this has helped

Regards

bridge

[tominoz]

My Thai partner also applied for a tourist visa last year which was granted. We never bothered to show any funds in her account, I wrote a letter declaring that I will cover all costs during her visit and showed some of my bank statements to back this up. I also supplied a letter of employment from the company I'm working for.

We handed quite a few photos, a health insurance certificate and the return ticket to the VFS when we applied.

I guess it is also important that when you apply for a tourist visa your wife can proof that she has strong ties to Thailand so that she has a good reason to return.

Good luck and all the best!

Edited October 10, 2009 by tominoz

[bridge]

My Thai partner also applied for a tourist visa last year which was granted. We never bothered to show any funds in her account, I wrote a letter declaring that I will cover all costs during her visit and showed some of my bank statements to back this up. I also supplied a letter of employment from the company I'm working for.

We handed quite a few photos, a health insurance certificate and the return ticket to the VFS when we applied.

I guess it is also important that when you apply for a tourist visa your wife can proof that she has strong ties to Thailand so that she has a good reason to return.

Good luck and all the best!

Short, concise and good advice.

One thing I would never recommend is pre-purchasing an airline ticket without the visa first being approved.

[tominoz]

One thing I would never recommend is pre-purchasing an airline ticket without the visa first being approved.

I have to agree with Bridge on this it is not recommended to buy the tickets before the visa is approved. I however used my frequent flyer miles and got the refundable ticket before applying.

[rethaired]

hello all.

my wife would like to travel to australia for xmas to meet family & spend time together.

we have been married for 18 months now & i have spent a total of about 6 months with her in thailand on & off on a non o visa.

we applied for a tourist visa for her before we married in march 2008 & this was declined as we could not prove we had known each other long enough.after we married in march 2008 we then applied for a spouse visa wich was also denied,reason could not prove a genuine ongoing relationship.i have since collected every possible evidance of our relationship for the entire time we have know'n each other,over $4000.00 in western unions ,travelled to see her 4 times in 18 months & have all supporting documents.my question is, i have saved $4000.00 AUD in a trust account for my wife in australia, is this enough money to show for a tourist visa ? she has no savings in thailand apart from our joint kasikorn bank account about 5000 thb.when applying for the tourist visa should the funds be in this australian trust account or send it to her to show in thai bank account?

thanks to all those that can advise me about this topic.we will be applying for a 12month visa but will be happy to get three months

Doosyhindleg,

Much of what you are asking has been covered in countless posts many times before on these forums. Just do a search back.

With regards to anyone thinking of depositing funds into their GF/BF account the 'help' the application. I strongly advise against doind this. Please refer to my previous post on this topic that I posted several months ago:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=2521592

In order to be granted a tourist visa an applicant must be a 'genuine visitor', and also have adequate funds or access to adequate funds to support themselves for the purpose and duration of their proposed visit/stay in Australia. As to what funds are adequate, well that would depend upon many factors, such as: How long does that applicant want to remain in Australia (1,3,6,9 or 12 months)? Where will the applicant be staying, friends, hotel, traveling etc?. You can't put a dollar amount on it, as it really comes down to 'duration and purpose' of the proposed visit. Someone staying for 2 weeks with a friend would need less than someone staying for two week at a 5 star hotel.

Note, those funds can be provided by someone else. I would advise including an accompanying letter of support (invitation) outlining the support that you are prepared to offer, such as meals, accommodation, sightseeing, airfare etc. You must also include documentary evidence of your ability to provide that support, such as a letter of existing employment, bank statement, pay slip, lease or rates notice, last income tax assessment. It is one thing to say that you will provide the support, but DIAC needs actual proof that you can in fact actually provide the support offered.

Secondly a genuine visitor is someone who wants to visit Australia for tourist purposes only, will not work or study beyond what is permitted by their visa. Finally, that they will depart Australia prior to their visa expiring. Whether a person is deemed to be a 'genuine visitor' will depend upon a whole host of circumstances, and is mainly centered around whether circumstances exist that would encourage the applicant to return to their home country prior to the expiration of their visa. The list is not exhaustive, but can include such things as: on-going employment in that persons country, strong family ties in the applicants home country, land or significant ownership etc.

On a final note, and not to be a downer, but your partner will have a higher threshold to establish that she is a genuine visitor as she has previously applied for temporary residence which was refused.

Hope this has helped

Regards

bridge

Thanks for the detailed reply! It really helps!

My situation is a bit different since I own my condo outright and command a very good salary in my home country (work there for 6 months). The only significant expenses I have every month is the condo fee! BTW, I worked hard --and legally-- to get there! Anyway, I think that $1000 is a bit too much for me to leave in the hand of my GF (or anyone)! Of course, I trust her and all that, but one has to be careful with that amount of money! She would be stupid to blow it because she would blow many other future opportunities. In the 3 years we have known each other (apart or not) she has not strayed (and that is quite probable, although one never knows which stratagems one can use to evade scrutiny ). I did not have a GPS device on her so I cannot be 100% sure! And a lie detector test might not be too welcomed! Anyway, ... all food and expenses will be paid! I suppose $500 a month would be more than sufficient! I could put this money into her accounts! Could traveller cheques be used ... to pay for the wedding ceremony (see later) and bring photocopies for visa application? The thought here is that I would actually take the TC with me before she comes to re-unite with me! But what happens if the custom officers at the border knows about that! I don't know why she would even need that kind of money other than for the wedding expenses! She will have insurance that I will pay. Anyway,... is the money needed at her disposal to cover in case there is a break-up or something happens to me in my instance? Can I put this money into a trust or that defeats the purpose if the money cannot be accessed by her (and by her only)? The issue is that in the past she did use some of her money as soon as I had provided some money for a car deposit to renovate her parents place. She worked hard to bring this money back into the car deposit account, but this created some issue as I thought the expenses for the renos were a bit wild. Anyway, all is good because she does not owe anything to her parents now. I know this woman for 3 years and she has been mostly good with money and what she did was documented and nice for her family (and unselfish) since her sister will inherit some of most of the house. Anyway,... Some people have recommend that a ticket (return) be bought before (with I hope a clause to recover most of it should the visa not be accepted). I think that would be a good idea to show that she intends to leave. On the other hand, if she wanted to stay, she still could. For a migrant wanting to stay, that would be a small amount to pay. But, are those custom officers as smart as we think they are? Hopefully, they are, but knowing how people get jobs (connections), there is no guarantee! She is paying for a car at the moment. Is that good to include in the papers submitted? Is it a good idea to say that we would like to have the wedding ceremony during her stay? (We went through the whole process and the official way to the amphur to get married). We plan to have her visit for 3 months. He job cannot be guaranteed as the company is working somewhat illegally in Thailand! She is legal! The people working above her aren't! She is thinking of changing jobs to work for legitimate companies! What a pain when you come from a poor background! People have no idea how easy it is for people with money and parents with professional background!

BTW, this is for Canada. They do not have the same kind of visa as other countries. No marriage visa apps I have been able to locate!

I guess it is important she goes to deliver all those documents in person to BKK! I don't really trust those companies because what guarantees can they really give us. I guess the docs written in Thai be translated (you would think that they would have someone at the embassy who can read Thai. No?). No? If so, I guess it would be prudent that I check the translation, just in case.

Edited October 20, 2009 by rethaired

[edokhv]

hello all.

my wife would like to travel to australia for xmas to meet family & spend time together.

we have been married for 18 months now....

Just a question, why would not you re-apply for a spouse visa now that you have all the evidence to prove your marriage and relationship is genuine?

The fact that you are married will be an indication that she intends to stay in Australia,

unless along with your tourist visa application sufficient documents supporting her ties to Thailand are supplied.

examples:

- ownership of the house/land/car

- employment

- letter from the employer confirming that she is granted leave for the duration of the trip

[Sporting Dog]

Yes, it would seem to me the key 'issue' is to provide evidence that your wife will return to Thailand, being married doesn't actually strengthen your case for a tourist visa.

However a spouse visa may be easier to get now that you have been together for nearly 18months since your last application, a clear demonstration that your relationship is ongoing and more evidence that it is genuine.

Good Luck.

[rethaired]

Yes, it would seem to me the key 'issue' is to provide evidence that your wife will return to Thailand, being married doesn't actually strengthen your case for a tourist visa.

Thanks for the info. You make some good points.

BUT, if you can demonstrate that you or her have no desire to stay abroad, then I think it should clarify things, rather than muddy things. If you have traveled abroad before and she did not overstay, then that would strengthen the case. Does she have an apartment with a lease in LOS? If she has a car or other possessions (the more significant the better, I suppose), that would be good. I would think that if she is making payments that would show that she has interest in staying in LOS. Who would be silly to let go of a car where the deposit was substantial? Why would anyone buy a car and not want to use it? Same for a condo, although it is easier to sublet those, I suppose. How are the visits to parents and relatives? Frequent? Images show this. Also, if you have some kind of agreement between whoever you are working with abroad to visit LOS (and have in the past), this might help as it shows that you will return (presumably with your wife)! I am sure that all single piece of evidence does not make a case (you are right), but the breadth and depth do. It is true that we do not know how these custom officers are going to react and how much they can process.

However a spouse visa may be easier to get now that you have been together for nearly 18months since your last application, a clear demonstration that your relationship is ongoing and more evidence that it is genuine.

Good Luck.

Thanks for your reply.

[rethaired]

One thing I would never recommend is pre-purchasing an airline ticket without the visa first being approved.

I have to agree with Bridge on this it is not recommended to buy the tickets before the visa is approved. I however used my frequent flyer miles and got the refundable ticket before applying.

It is true that you don't have to use the return ticket if you really wanted to stay abroad! What a pain this whole process is! If it was fully refundable, then I suppose that would be ok. I agree. Cannot hurt!