Top 10 Reasons Why Wife/gf

[millwall_fan]

Does anyone know how likely we are to get this visa?

[the scouser]

Providing that you're still together and you can show that your circumstances have not changed for the worse since the visa was issued, then they can't really refuse it.

Scouse.

[mrbojangles]

Ok, Gary, understand. It's just outrageous that you have to pay £500 for this!

As I said previously

no "interview" as such. They will take your application and supporting documents away and then come back after a short wait with the decision, which I trust will be positive.

I've no experience of this myself as my wife applied by post. But, talking to people who have applied in person, the average waiting time between handing in the application and getting the decision is just 30 minutes. £500 for 30 minutes work!!

This country makes my <deleted> blood boil. £500 for 30 mins work (probably with a Tea Break in the middle)!! How much do they charge for the postal one? The cost has also gone up at the Embassy in Bangkok too. I think we paid 20,800 baht (almost £300) for our settlement visa application last month.

Mr Boj

[the scouser]

The cost has also gone up at the Embassy in Bangkok too. I think we paid 20,800 baht (almost £300) for our settlement visa application last month.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The cost hasn't gone up, it's still £260, but, as you'll know the visa has to be paid for in local currency and the embassy sets its own exchange rate, favourable to itself. 20800 baht works out to be an exchange rate of 80 = £1.

Scouse.

Edited to keep the member for Yorks happy!

[mrbojangles]

The cost has also gone up at the Embassy in Bangkok too. I think we paid 20,800 baht (almost £300) for our settlement visa application last month.

The cost hasn't gone up, it's still £260, but, as you'll know the visa has to be paid for in local currency and the embassy sets its own exchange rate, favourable to itself. 20800 baht works out to be an exchange rate of 80 = £1.

Scouse.

Don't want to argue with you Scouse, as you have given me lots of great advise. However, no matter how you slice and dice it, the price has gone up. If you have to pay in local currency and a couple of months ago it was 19,600baht (approx) and now it is 20,800baht, that is an increase of 1,200baht that you have to pay. How can it be, that the price is £260 if you are not allowed to pay in sterling? It's the reality of what it actually costs you that matters and not the way in which it is set.

Mr BoJ

[the scouser]

Yes, I take your point, Mr BJ, but the base price is still the same. Likewise, if the pound weakens against the baht the price will "fall".

Scouse.

[mrbojangles]

Yes, I take your point, Mr BJ, but the base price is still the same. Likewise, if the pound weakens against the baht the price will "fall".

Scouse.

Yes Scouse, agreed. Knowing my luck that is exactly what will happen!! Next month it will probably be 16,000 baht seeing as i have already paid. I think there should be an option to pay in either baht or sterling if the actual base price that is set is in sterling.

Mr BoJ

[mrbojangles]

Yes, I take your point, Mr BJ, but the base price is still the same. Likewise, if the pound weakens against the baht the price will "fall".

Scouse.

Yes Scouse, agreed. Knowing my luck that is exactly what will happen!! Next month it will probably be 16,000 baht seeing as i have already paid. I think there should be an option to pay in either baht or sterling if the actual base price that is set is in sterling.

Mr BoJ

P.S. How is Pattaya at the moment? I was there last month and have never seen it so quiet. Good for getting cheap Hotel deals though for those going eh?

[the scouser]

Unfortunately, I'm currently in Scouseland but will be back in Patters in 2 weeks.

Scouse.

[samran]

This country makes my &lt;deleted&gt; blood boil. £500 for 30 mins work (probably with a Tea Break in the middle)!!  How much do they charge for the postal one? The cost has also gone up at the Embassy in Bangkok too. I think we paid 20,800 baht (almost £300) for our settlement visa application last month.

Mr Boj

Prices went up on the 1st of April. I am up for £335 for my FLR next week, this is after AUD$700 (£280) last year for entry clearance for my wife and myself and £150 to apply for my visa in the first place.

One thing that has happened though is that processing times and service times have improved phenomenenally. Not trying to justify the price rises but I have had mates who have their applications (and passports) at the home office for 6-8 months and have had other mates who have had their passports lost.

Last month my mate applied for his FLR and he got his passport back in 7 working days, which is a fantastic improvment.

If you ask the home office they will tell you that their prices are 'globally compeititive', meaning that Australia and Canada charge similar amounts, so the UK might as well too.

Edited June 15, 2005 by samran

[bkk_mike]

If you ask the home office they will tell you that their prices are 'globally compeititive', meaning that Australia and Canada charge similar amounts, so the UK might as well too. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Typical UK definition of globally competitive...

When people complain that taxes are high - they mention Germany and Sweden.

When they say alcohol prices are high, they bring up Norway.

Just wondering who they'll bring up when the new passport and ID card prices are published...

[mrbojangles]

If you ask the home office they will tell you that their prices are 'globally compeititive', meaning that Australia and Canada charge similar amounts, so the UK might as well too. 

Typical UK definition of globally competitive...

When people complain that taxes are high - they mention Germany and Sweden.

When they say alcohol prices are high, they bring up Norway.

Just wondering who they'll bring up when the new passport and ID card prices are published...

I heard on the news the other week taht the price for ID cards in the U.K. would be about £80 the following week it was said that it could be as high as £200 to £300!! And we will have to pay They are also talking about putting trackers in cars and charging for mileage instead of road tax and duty on petrol. What'll be the cost associated with that i wonder You'd think they where trying to force us all of the road !!

Mr BoJ

[mrbojangles]

But the US Visa application (tourist one anyway) definitely asks if you've worked as a prostitute at any time in the last 10 years.

I'm not saying you are wrong, but I find that unbelievable. How does the embassy define "prostitute"?

More to the point.. If answered no, how do they prove otherwise, bit of a useless question really IMHO..

totster

Me and my wife where going through a financial turmoil a few years ago. So she turned to prostitution to help pay the bills. After her first night on the 'Corner' she came home and i asked her how much she had made. £10.20p she said. I said &lt;deleted&gt; he1l is that all. Who gave you the 20p i said? All of them she said

Sorry people, old joke i know but it just seemed on topic!!

Mr BoJ

[jayenram]

The cost hasn't gone up, it's still £260, but, as you'll know the visa has to be paid for in local currency and the embassy sets its own exchange rate, invariably favourable to itself. 20800 baht works out to be an exchange rate of 80 = £1.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry to be pedantic, Scouse, but could you remove the word "invariably" from this sentence so that it makes sense?

Edited by Scouse - Done. That's a beer you owe me - invariably a Sing.

[GU22]

If you ask the home office they will tell you that their prices are 'globally compeititive', meaning that Australia and Canada charge similar amounts, so the UK might as well too. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When these charges were first introduced a couple of years ago my MP was heavily involved in arguing against them, as was I.

The then Minister (Beverly Hughes) could only come up with 2 excuses for them.

The one Samran quotes and "We took the cost of running the department and divided it by the number of applicants."

Yet the government consistently ignore the fact that the majority of the INDs's work is dealing with asylum seekers (genuine and bogus) and illegals. How much do both these groups pay?

Nothing!

So people like ourselves who follow the rules and do everything by the book are subsidising the activities of lawbreakers!

The government say the fees are to just cover costs, yet they have almost doubled. Surely the cost of running the IND has not doubled in 2 years?

BTW, Entry Clearance Fees - Thai Baht With effect from : 24/05/05 Settlement in UK

19,500.00

[mrbojangles]

BTW, Entry Clearance Fees - Thai Baht  With effect from : 24/05/05  Settlement in UK

  19,500.00

Just my luck in this whole affair. Month before i applied 19,600baht. Month i applied 20,800baht. Month after i applied 19,500baht !! And a 16 week wait time