Hi all I’m looking at applying for a Tourist visa for my mother in law to come and spend a holiday in the uk with me my Thai wife and child....Could anyone please advise me as to the time scale its taking to obtain a tourist visa for the UK..As we are going to apply for the visa around the 1st September and we are returning back to the uk on the 19th September and are hoping that she can travel back with us.

Based on the past performance for June as detailed Here you should be OK.

However take note of "You can use the information provided by the 'Guide to visa processing times' tool, as a guide to how long it may take to process your application, although the information cannot be used as a guarantee of the processing time for your visa. This is because visa applications are assessed individually and individual circumstances can mean processing times may vary."

Based on the past performance for June as detailed Here you should be OK.

However take note of "You can use the information provided by the 'Guide to visa processing times' tool, as a guide to how long it may take to process your application, although the information cannot be used as a guarantee of the processing time for your visa. This is because visa applications are assessed individually and individual circumstances can mean processing times may vary."

Many thanks for your help...just one more question..do you think I should apply for a tourist visa or a family visa???

Edited August 5, 201015 yr by cfrmatt

Without wishing to be pernickety, you don't apply for any type of visa, your Mother in Law does - sorry but it's an old chestnut of mine.

I would suggest she applies for a visa for a family visit, the requirements are the same but in the event the application is refused she would have the right of appeal.