Getting Married Next Month

[everydaysthesame]

I am getting married at the end of next month. We are planning to visit my relatives in UK in August. However we will be in BKK next week. Do you think it is worth waiting until we marry to apply for a UK tourist visa for my thai fiance? It would mean an extra trip to BKK - as I live in samui that is not ideal.

does marriage add a huge amount of weight to our case?

appreciate any input.

thanks

[7by7]

If you were married then this would count as a family visit visa and so she would have the right of appeal should it be refused. (If you have been living together in a relationship akin to marriage for at least 2 years, and can show it, then she is your unmarried partner and so it would also count as a family visit.)

However, if you can show that the relationship is genuine and that both of you will be returning to Thailand at the end of the visit, I foresee no problems. So she may as well apply whilst you are in Bangkok. Simply explain the situation in your sponsor's letter.

[everydaysthesame]

ok thanks for input.

[SantiSuk]

I was in exactly the same position this time last year. Applied for a UK visa for my wife to be in May 2009 in anticipation of getting married in early July 2009. No problems and not worth waiting - unless you have a poor case in the first place. If you can show good reason why your wife will return and that you have the financial wherewithal to sponsor her visit (unless she can show she has the financial assets to bear the costs herself) you should have np problems.

Incidentally I applied again for a visa this year. I found it no simpler as a married man than as a single man. They are only interested in whether your partner is going to be a potential drain on the UK taxpayer and whether she is going to go home. For that reason they also want evidence when you apply for her first visa that your relationship is not just a recent liaison. For the first visa one year previously I gave mobile phone bills and the odd hotel bill as evidence we had been together for a couple of years. I have no idea how long they look for but if you have known her less than 6 months you might struggle - I was able to demonstrate a couple of years on phone bills and one year on hotel bills.

Here's a redacted version of the sponsor letter I wrote. You don't have to have exactly the same circumstances as me, but it may give you some guidance:

I write in connection with Ms [wife to be's name] application for a visa to visit the United Kingdom. I am willing and able to act as Ms [ ]'s financial sponsor for her visit.

Ms [ ] is my fiance. I met her in June 2006 and have made frequent visits to Thailand to stay with her and her family. We have been having a house constructed in Thailand for our joint occupation and this will shortly be completed. The wedding is planned to take place in Thailand in early July, prior to a planned visit to the UK*. We will mostly be touring in the UK and hopefully in mainland Europe if a Schengen visa can be obtained in time.

We have travelled together in Thailand, Laos and Hong Kong. We also visited the UK in July last year for one month. I assume that you do not need evidence of the relationship given that visit last year and the evidence provided at that time. This can of course be supplied again if needed.

I have been providing financial support to Ms [ ] for the last 18 months – more recently in the amount of [x] baht per month. In 2007 I retired from full-time working in London as a [description of prior employment] and I have substantial financial resources to continue to support Ms [ ]. I confirm that I shall be paying all expenses of her visit including flight costs and expenses while she is visiting the UK. The visa application includes documents that evidence my net wealth, which approximates [ ].

When our visit to the UK ends we will return together to Thailand to live in our new home. We have no current intentions to settle in the UK (though we do not rule that out for the future). For family reasons – I am the financial representative for my aged father and aunt - I will maintain my rented accommodation in the UK and will be a frequent returner to the UK.

Yours etc

* By the time we travel together to the UK we expect to be married. This visa application is made while we are still unmarried (and I am not Ms [ ]'s family as defined in your guidance notes). The timing of the wedding and our need to visit the UK does not allow time for an application to be made once we are married – this trip is akin to a honeymoon. Ms [ ] will not change her name or her passport to reflect the marriage until after our trip to the UK. If this is an incorrect procedure please advise on an appropriate course of action.

[everydaysthesame]

cheers santisuk thats really helpful.

the problem for us is that we hardly talk on the phone (we have pay as you go) anyway and we NEVER email each other. we live together and work together!

I am sure I can work something out though. thanks alot for the great advice.

cheers

[7by7]

As you live together in Thailand, obviously providing proof of contact will be difficult. However, you don't have to; simply provide evidence that you do indeed live together.

See Spouse/Partner of British Citizen (Based in Thailand) going to the UK for a visit (family visit) – Check List. Obviously you will not be able to provide a marriage certificate with the application as you will not be married at that time; but a brief explanation of your plans in your sponsor's letter will deal with that.

[everydaysthesame]

Hi,

Just looking through the application for a tourist visa. It says that if someone is sponsoring your trip they will need to see a copy of their passport (including biodata) plus 6 moths bank statements .

as my dad is sponsoring the trip does that mean I need 6 months of his bank statements?? seems ridiculous. also re the biodata what the hel_l is that?

help! :S

[7by7]

The sponsor of a visa is the person who is supporting the application; this is you, so you need to provide a copy of your passport. The biodata is the page with your name, photo etc. on it. I'd also recommend copies of all the pages with Thai entry/exit stamps to show how often and for how long you have been there and a copy of the page with your Thai visa to show your immigration status in Thailand.

The sponsor may also be the person financing the visit, but not necessarily. Finances can come from the applicant, sponsor, a third party(ies) (your father) or a combination of these. Whoever is providing finances must provide evidence of their ability to do so. So, yes, if your father is providing finances he does need to provide bank statements etc.

Also, if he's providing accommodation he needs to provide evidence of this as well; a copy of a mortgage statement or the deeds if he owns; a landlord's letter if he rents. He should also show that there is at least one room for your exclusive use.

[everydaysthesame]

thanks alot 7by for all the really useful info.

its incredible what you need to show just to get a tourist visa for your fiance/wife!!!!!

all the best