Help With Uk Visa For Thai Gf

[GUANO]

Hi,

I'd like to take my Thai girlfriend back to England for a few weeks in October. I've had a look at a few posts on here as well as the UK immigration website. I was just wondering if anyone could offer any tips etc.

From what I gather, our strengths are:

We have been living together for over 4 years and in a relationship for over 5.

I work here and have to return to finish my contract.

We have lots of photos and emails etc.

We have been on holiday to 4 other southeast Asian countries.

GF hasn't worked in a bar etc.

My mother should be able to sponsor as well as officially invite GF.

GF owns a motorbike and her parents own their house and truck etc.

GF is in work and could get her boss to write a letter giving her the time off.

Our weaknesses are:

GF was out of work for a long time (due to major knee operation)

Neither GF or myself have much money in the bank.

GF doesn't own land or a business.

Would we be better to go for the visit visa or the family visit visa? How would you rate our chances of getting a visa? Any other tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

GUANO

[SantiSuk]

If your mother is prepared to:

* underwrite all her travel costs and expenses in the UK

* write a letter to that effect

* expose her financial position to Thai Immigration (and your girlfriend since all the application paperwork goes back to your girlfriend)

then your and her lack of cash is not an issue and I predict you will have no problem.

Lack of job is not an issue, provided you can write the letter explaining why you both intend to return to Thailand. The letter from an employer saying that her position is still open is a very useful bonus; the emphasis of that letter is that she has worked there for [ ], she had some time off because she was incapacitated but she has been back at work for [ ] and her job is being held open for her (that's the crucial bit).

The bar girl/not a bar girl issue is a non-issue for any applicant IMO (perhaps it would be if an applicant were to wave a lewd past in immigration's face!). I know it's not an issue for your gf anyway but i note my opinion here for posterity as I see many posters seem to think it is a possible problem.

I think it is probably a visit visa you need - from recollection my girlfriend was not my family and I not hers, as defined on the Application documentation somewhere, even though we were about to get married. I don't think there is any advantages/disadvantages of one type of visa over the other anyway (but don't rely on that if others say otherwise).

Write a fulsome covering letter setting out all the positives like you have done on TV, only longer hand and referring to the accompanying financial sponsor's letter from your mum and the employer's letter. Good luck, but you should not need luck.

[7by7]

As you have been living together for 4 years, and can presumably prove it, then she can apply as the Spouse/Partner of British Citizen (Based in Thailand) going to the UK for a visit (family visit) The application should include evidence of your immigration status in Thailand (your passport and the Thai visa therein) and evidence of your employment in Thailand; a letter from her employer will help, too. See supporting document checklist.

In visa applications the person supplying the finance is not the sponsor. You will be the sponsor, not your mother, as you are the person supporting her application.

The finance for the visit can come from your partner's resources, yours, a third party such as your mother or a combination of these. Anyone who is offering financial support needs to show that they have the resources to do so; e.g. bank statements, pay slips etc. I don't know why SantiSuk says that this information will be 'exposed' to Thai immigration as a UK visa application is not their concern; though obviously the ECOs at the British embassy will see it as will your partner.

Your mother should write a letter inviting you both to stay and include a description of the property to show that there is at least one room for your exclusive use. If she owns she should provide evidence of this; if she rents then a landlord's letter giving you and your partner permission to stay there.

[SantiSuk]

Yes - my error - I should have said English not Thai officials

[theoldgit]

I would just add to the helpful advice from 7by7 that by applying for a visa for a family visit your girlfriend would have the right of appeal in the event that a visa was refused.

As has already been pointed out you should not have a problem, in the circumstances you describe.

[ThaiVisaExpress]

As long as you can demonstrate the relationship to the Eco which can be difficult because you live together.

Give the Eco as much information as you can with the application as the others have suggested.

If you require professional help feel free to contact me.

[GUANO]

Hi,

Thanks so much for all the help! Very helpful indeed. It's great to hear that we have a good chance of getting it! I have decided to go for the family visa and have downloaded the forms already.

I imagine it's going to take a while to get everything together. I'll keep you posted on how it goes and may have some more questions before it's done.

Cheers

GUANO

[GUANO]

Hi,

Thanks again to all that have helped so far. We are (I think) almost ready to go and apply for the visa. So far we have:

A letter from my mum inviting us both to stay, stating that we will be staying with her and she will be taking care of costs during our stay.

My mum's bank statements going back 6 months.

Additional proof of mum's address (council tax bill).

A letter from myself giving details of our relationship etc.

A copy of my contract (in thai).

A copy of my work permit (also in thai).

A copy of my passport.

A copy of my mum's passport (ID page)

A copy of my GF's Passport.

A copy of my GF's guide licence (Bronze level).

A copy of my GF's Thai ID card.

A collection of photos with explanations beneath. Including ones of both families together (during my mum's previous visit to TL)

A phone bill showing proof of address.

We are currently waiting a letter from GF's boss stating that she works for him and that he will grant her a month's leave to visit her. I was also thinking of including 6 months of my Thai bank statements.

Have we missed anything?

Thanks again for being such a help with this!

Cheers,

GUANO

[ThaiVisaExpress]

Good luck

[Lickey]

Guano,

I recently made a successful application for my GF of 5 years, a family visit visa to the UK, we have been together near 4 years in Thai,

What you have so far is a good start, on the paperwork front, but i would get those thai things [work permit & contract translated to english} ...

Also do you have any mails from your UK bank, Pension company,letters from mum , anything with your address on it from the Uk, photocopy the headers and include in the folder, anything to prove [if you do] live here full time, and also, copy every page of your PP, and return every page of the application, even though the last 2 are info and check boxes,

In the boxes asking about GFs income ect, we put approx figures, she does own a busy salon and a 40 rai fruit farm, the salon is a registered buisness and she pays tax, my covering letter told the embassy that this was my present to her for working hard non-stop for 3 years, thats why Gfs bank book was not with application, Did i read that your mum came here? if so, get mum to write a letter stating that in return for your GFs kindness, she will sponser a trip to the UK for both of you, and as a footnote, stick to the dates of return, or it might stand you in dire straights for the next application,

Cheers, Lickey..

[seaneee]

I applied for a family visit visa for my wife a few months back and was refused. We live together at my house in Thailand , but i return often alone to the UK for business interests. I subsequently appealed and got the visa on appeal.

I feel that your circumstances are strong but can i offer some advice that caused my wifes refusal.

My wife was still registered on her parents Tabien bahn, not mine. We had to change this. Where is your wife registered?

My wifes refusal also stated that i had not proved i owned my home in Thailand.I never knew i had to. So take note that you will need to prove you live together by showing ownership of a home in Thailand or a rental agreement. Your written word seems insufficient.

A marraige certificate does not prove a subsisting relationship, however i believe your extensive travel history together needs to be pointed out and copies of both your passports submitted showing all entry and exit stamps.

Reason to return carries huge importance. At the time of our application my wife was unemployed. (although by choice). So the employers letter and your work permit seem very important. Whatever your job is it might be a good idea to get a letter from your boss also confirming that you are expected back for work on such a such day.

When writing your sponsors letter, i advise overkill by explaning your circumstances completely and clearly.

How do you plan to prove that there is room at your mums house for you to stay??

Hope this helps. Shaun

[GUANO]

Thanks for the advice, especially from Lickey and Shaun. Really good to hear from people with similar circumstances!

We went down to Apply for the visa on Monday. All seemed to go smoothly and she was out in half and hour. We got a text, later on that day, to say that her passport etc had been handed over to the Embassy.

I guess now we just sit and wait for another text message. What's the next message? Do they send one saying that the passport has been sent or just one saying it has arrived?

Thanks again to everyone who has helped out with this!

GUANO

[theoldgit]

The next text will be to tell you the passport has been returned and is ready for collection, it will not tell you the decision as VFS will not know, the passport is returned in a sealed envelope.

[Lickey]

Yes, im afraid the old git is right, your next text will be the PP is ready for collection, and thats it! luckily,as we live 600ks fromBKK the GFs daughter is in Uni there and was able to collect her PP and call us with the good news, i think it was a total of 8 working days we waited,

I must give credit to Oldgit, he did tell me not to write "War & peace" in my covering letter, in fact, i only wrote in the section provided, and to supply pics over the years together, not to fake things by doing loads of pics on the same day with change of clothes ect, and to get every releavant paper translated into english, Hope you did this with your work permit ect?

You can imagine an ECO sitting there with your request [no46 that day] and suddenly sees a thai page and 4 pages of handwritten english as to why she wants a visa ect, yep! auto print refusal!

Wish you the best Guano, please keep us posted, thanks, Lickey,,

[leeon]

Hi,

I have a thai gf of 5 years and a 4 year old son with her. I would like to bring them back to the UK while i finish my studies for 5 years. Is it best to apply for a Settlement or Visit visa first?

I will need someone in the UK to say we will be living with them as i have been living in Thailand on and off for the past 3 years.

I own a lot of real estate in Thailand and have 2 Thai companies which i can prove i am the majority share holder , will this act in my favour.???

Does my son need a UK visa aswell, although he's half British.? He will have to enter the UK on his Thai passport.?

Thank you if anyone responds or helps me out here !!!!!

Leeon.

[ThaiVisaExpress]

Hi,

I have a thai gf of 5 years and a 4 year old son with her. I would like to bring them back to the UK while i finish my studies for 5 years. Is it best to apply for a Settlement or Visit visa first?

I will need someone in the UK to say we will be living with them as i have been living in Thailand on and off for the past 3 years.

I own a lot of real estate in Thailand and have 2 Thai companies which i can prove i am the majority share holder , will this act in my favour.???

Does my son need a UK visa aswell, although he's half British.? He will have to enter the UK on his Thai passport.?

Thank you if anyone responds or helps me out here !!!!!

Leeon.

Your son should apply for a British passport passport then he wont require a visa.

[GUANO]

Still no news on my GF's visa . It's now been 9 days since we applied for it. Just wondering what other peoples' experiences have been with waiting times. I'm guessing it could be taking a little longer now due to people traveling during the October school holiday.

I want to book my tickets before they get too expensive!

Cheers.

Yours impatiently,

GUANO

[KamnanT]

Still no news on my GF's visa . It's now been 9 days since we applied for it. Just wondering what other peoples' experiences have been with waiting times. I'm guessing it could be taking a little longer now due to people traveling during the October school holiday.

I want to book my tickets before they get too expensive!

Cheers.

Yours impatiently,

GUANO

The guide to approximate processing times can be found on the UK Border Agency website. Latest stats are for June and say that 98% of general visit visa applications were determined within 5 working days and 99% within 10. As you point out, though, times may have lengthened due to a higher workload for the school holidays.

[GUANO]

My girlfriend went to pick up her passport, complete with UK visa, from the delivery place in Chiang Mai today!

So stoked that it's finally here and we can get on with booking tickets!

We were a little concerned as it took 13 working days, from start to finish. We didn't translate any of the documents we submitted, and there was quite a bit of Thai.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to help us out with this!

Cheers,

GUANO

[bkk_mike]

Does my son need a UK visa as well, although he's half British.? He will have to enter the UK on his Thai passport.?

I believe it's a legal requirement for dual-nationals where one of the nationalities is British that they only use their UK passport when entering/leaving the UK. (ditto for the US).

You should apply for the passport asap. (Be very careful of the photo requirements since it wastes a lot of time/money to have the application sent back from Hong Kong because the head isn't the right size in the photo...). Also as it's the first UK passport, you'll need your long-form birth certificate showing that your parents lived in the UK at the time of your birth to prove your UK nationality is not by descent, but by birth (the short-form birth certificate won't suffice).

Obviously, if you're going in October, time is of the essence. In the absence of the passport, and assuming you have the required paperwork (inc. the long birth certificate, and the child's birth certificate with you named as father) to prove the child's nationality, I THINK they can place a stamp in the child's Thai passport to show that he has permission to enter the UK. (which will at least let you board the plane).

You can then either apply for the passport in the UK (saving a ton of money over applying here), or wait until you get back.

I am not certain of this - check with the embassy. You may have to wait until you've got the passport...

Edited September 9, 2010 by bkk_mike

[theoldgit]

1. I believe it's a legal requirement for dual-nationals where one of the nationalities is British that they only use their UK passport when entering/leaving the UK. (ditto for the US).

2. You should apply for the passport asap. (Be very careful of the photo requirements since it wastes a lot of time/money to have the application sent back from Hong Kong because the head isn't the right size in the photo...). Also as it's the first UK passport, you'll need your long-form birth certificate showing that your parents lived in the UK at the time of your birth to prove your UK nationality is not by descent, but by birth (the short-form birth certificate won't suffice).

1. No, it's not a legal requirement, but clearly it's a lot easier and negates the requirement for a visa.

2. This is not correct, to obtain a UK Passport the birth needs to be registered with the UK authorities, there is absolutly no requirement for the child's parents to be living in the UK at the time of the birth.

[bkk_mike]

1. I believe it's a legal requirement for dual-nationals where one of the nationalities is British that they only use their UK passport when entering/leaving the UK. (ditto for the US).

2. You should apply for the passport asap. (Be very careful of the photo requirements since it wastes a lot of time/money to have the application sent back from Hong Kong because the head isn't the right size in the photo...). Also as it's the first UK passport, you'll need your long-form birth certificate showing that your parents lived in the UK at the time of your birth to prove your UK nationality is not by descent, but by birth (the short-form birth certificate won't suffice).

1. No, it's not a legal requirement, but clearly it's a lot easier and negates the requirement for a visa.

2. This is not correct, to obtain a UK Passport the birth needs to be registered with the UK authorities, there is absolutly no requirement for the child's parents to be living in the UK at the time of the birth.

1. It is a legal requirement to show proof of UK nationality on entering the UK if you are a UK national. (They might not stop you entering on a foreign passport if it's from a country without visa restrictions - but it isn't actually legal to do so.) That means you need either a UK passport or a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode. But since 2006, that gets revoked if you also have a UK passport, so in practice once you have a UK passport, you do have to enter with it. But in this case, the OP's child doesn't have a passport already so can apply for the certificate. I'm just not sure it would be any faster than getting the passport.

On 2. The child doesn't need to have been born in the UK, and you don't need to register the birth either. But the parent it is inheriting British nationality from DOES need to have been born in the UK if the child is born abroad. It's the parent's long form birth certificate that I was referring to, not the childs, and they need the long form to show where the grandparents were residing at the time of the parents birth to confirm the parent got British Nationality by birth and not descent.