How Long For A Decision On A Visitor Visa?

[lovednb]

Hi

My Fiance's brother put in a family visitor visa application on the 5th April to attend our wedding next friday (30th April). Has anyone else applied for either a family visitor or tourist visa in the last month and received a reply yet?

I know it used to take just a few days to a week to receive an answer, and was wondering how long Songkran and the protests are holding things up.

Do you know if they take your requested leaving date into account when processing.

Thanks in advance for any info / advice given.

[Jimi007]

From what country? But yes, government offices of Thailand including their foreign (what other kind is there) embassy's were closed on the 6th and at least from the 13th through the 15th. Then there was the weekend off as well. It usually took at least five working days to three weeks depending on the mail and consulate. Did they visit the consulate or embassy in person? Or by mail? Bad timing, should have applied a bit earlier... DO they have tickets already? Depending what country they're from, they can get a 30 day on arrival permit to stay, but they would need their passport to even get on the airplane or enter Thailand. No, they don't care about their departure date that they need the visa by. How would they know until they go to process the visa about their departure date?

Edited April 20, 2010 by Jimi007

[lovednb]

OOps how silly of me. My Fiance and his brother are both Thai and we have applied for a UK Family visitor visa. We are getting married in England.

He applied in Person at the Visa Centre in Bangkok. He has been living and working in Sweden (on a 2 year visa) and wanted to apply from there before returning to Thailand for a holiday and to see his family. But his passport was stolen a month before he flew and didnt leave him enough time.

Has anyone else recently applied for a UK tourist or Fmaily visitor Visa and had their passport returned yet?

Thanks again

Edited April 20, 2010 by lovednb

[7by7]

The advertised processing time for a visit visa is currently 10 working days. Obviously the closure over Easter and Songkran will not count as working days, but whether the closure due to the protests does, I don't know. I doubt it, as the ECOs would be safe inside the embassy and so no reason why they could not carry on processing the applications they had. Though they may feel reluctant to courier passports back to Regents House if they feel it would be unsafe.

Applications are usually dealt with in the order they are received, unless there are compassionate or other exceptional reasons for putting an applicant to the head of the queue. I don't think attending a wedding would count.

Sorry to be a downer, but even if he gets his visa on time, will UK airspace be open by then?

[happylarry]

If its of any use...my wife has just put in her application today for a tourist visa for UK and was told she will find out the answer by text in 7 to 10 days.

Of course it all depends on the paperwork being correct and not needing an interview etc. We dont foresee any problems because she has already been to UK five years ago.

HL