Taking Thai Wife And Daughter Back To Uk

[oldmanofphuket]

Ok this is a big one. I've been living in Thailand now for 7 years and with the wife for 2 years (married for nearly a year now-got married here).

She has a daughter 5 who has lived with us since we got married and Thai birth father is not on birth certificate and has never been around nor wants to. I want to adopt her formally. We are thinking as a family to move back to UK now or in next couple of years. I'm 45 and am in steady and well paid employment with (at present) full expat package.

I am so confused as what to do and would really value some advice. Should we stay in Thailand and go through process of adoption first or should we go back to UK? If back to UK we would initially apply for spouse settlement, but how would I apply for daughter? Could I then adopt?

[Thongkorn]

You would have to have a visa just to go back to the UK, So It would be better if you went for a settlement Visa in Thailand , I think , As for your Child , you would have to have some paperwork to prove that it is OK to take her out of her Country. So i would think better to get adoption papers first in Thailand You would have to show that you have a places to live in the UK, and it met the criteria for the settlement visa.

[kennkate]

You do not have to adopt your stepdaughter, In fact it was posed on another thread that it would not be recognized by the Uk.

You do however have to provide evidence that your wife has sole responsibility in order to obtain a settlement visa alongside her Mothers.

If your wife has been responsible for her daughter and the father has had no contact then it is not a problem, I was in the same position Now we are all in the UK

Good Luck Ken

[7by7]

Indeed, inter country adoption is a very complicated area, and an adoption in Thailand would not be recognised in the UK anyway. (See Inter country adoption). Even if you were to adopt her in Thailand, and that adoption was recognised in the UK, she would still need a visa to come to the UK.

There is, anyway, no need for you to adopt the child in order to get a settlement visa for her. As the father is not named on the birth certificate, sole custody is not an issue and as the child has been continuously living with her mother neither is sole responsibility.

See:-

Maintenance and accommodation

Settlement; Spouses

Settlement; Children

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[oldmanofphuket]

Thanks to all for your great advice. I'll keep you up to date with how things go