Question Re. Tourist Visa

[r3aps]

hi,i am in the process of getting all the documents together for a visa application.i have just returned from thailand where i went thru everything with my girlfriend when she drops a bombshell on me and i am wondering whether it will affect us or not.hopefully someone can tell me.

my girlfriends sister is married to a dutch guy and lives in holland.my girlfriend decided a while back that she wanted to visit her sister in holland and applied for a tourist visa to there that was declined for the reason that they didnt think she would return back to thailand.she had no sponsor and tried getting the dutch visa of her own back,

on my uk application form for her it says have you been refused a visa before.should i say she has unsuccessfully tried for holland or should i not say anything?she has a new passport as she lost her old one so there is no details about a failed application in her new passport.

also i am struggling for a reason for her to return on our own application,except for the fact that we are looking to probably get married if she is ok in th uk and dont want to jeopardise any future plans we have.also about 5 years ago i sponsored an ex girlfriend successfully on 2 tourist applications,is it worth mentioning this as it shows i have been through the process before and no the ins and outs??

any help appreciated.

thxs

steve

[theoldgit]

Your girlfriend should certainly disclose the fact that she was refused a Schengen Visa, they do have ways and means of checking such things though I don't know how often they do. Failing to declare an earlier refusal could cause her problems, it might be worth her mentioning the details of the failed application in her covering letter.

Reasons to return are probably the most important part of her application, as she has already found out to her cost, does she have a job or studies from which she taking approved leave of absence or any other strong ties.

You state that you have previously sponsored another girlfriend, albeit 5 years ago, that may well indicate that you know the ins and out of the rules but remember it's not your application it's your girlfriends and it's for her to convince the ECO that the visit is genuine and that, on the balance of probabilities, she is likely to return. That said you might want to disclose the fact that have previously sponsored somebody as there is a central database that records the details of all sponsors, I am not however sure if it is routinely checked.

[r3aps]

thxs for the reply.

she doesnt have a job or study any more.

she was working for honda but got laid off.although her old boss has said he would write a letter of her character,i am not sure it is worth anything to the visa staff.

the only work she does is selling lottery tickets on the 1st and 16th of each month.other than that i send her money when she needs it.

she is always reluctant to get work(or try i should think) because i get to go to thailand about every 5 weeks at the moment and she travels around thailand with me,she says if she had a job she wouldnt be able to have time off everytime i come to see me.

steve

[ThaiVisaExpress]

You should declare any previous refusals.

[7by7]

You should also declare in your sponsor's letter any previous applications that you have been involved with. They can, and often do, check to see if a sponsor has previously sponsored someone else. Serial sponsors, especially with a short period between sponsorships, may be treated with suspicion; for the obvious reason.

Although after 5 years they would probably no longer be relevant, better to declare them when they are not required than to not declare them and risk the ECO thinking you may be trying to hide something.

As for her reason to return; many couples in your situation have been successful. Give a brief history of your relationship and your future plans, stressing that you are both aware that overstaying a visit will jeopardies any future settlement plans you may have. I'd also say why she does not work, as you have above.

If the ECO is satisfied that the relationship is genuine and subsisting, then they will be less concerned about her doing a runner once she is in the UK.

[r3aps]

thxs for the replies guys,you have been helpful.

steve