Hi, forum. I wonder if I can seek some advice. I was recently lucky enough to bring my Thai wife to join e in th uk and we are very happy and my wife is now beginning to settle in the uk.

However she has a cousin who married an Irish fella and sold verything she had, including her ome to join him in Northern Ireland. Sadly upon arrival in Ireland he new husband startd treating her very badly, leaving her at home whilst he went to the pub and then coming back and abusing & beating her. ( I have seen the results of this). She came over to London to visit us and because of the way she was treated she obviously doesn't want to go back to her husband and since she has sold everything in Thailand and has no family she now has nothing to return to. I have said that she is welcome to stay with us, in the short term but really do not know how to advise her further. She has a Spouse Visa- but obvoiusly doesn't want to go back, I have also told her that I feel sh has no choice, as the visa was given on the condoition she stays married to her husband. At present the only thing on her mind, and ours is her safety. I am prepared to have her stay in London, but she is not allowed to work, as per visa conditions and I WILL NOT send her back to Thailand to have to live on the streets- or worse. I want to assure everybody here that SHE IS NOT A BAR GIRL. She sold a perfectly respectable pharmacy business to be with her husband and gave the funds to her husband and hjas lost eveything. It is my opinion that now she has no choice but to stay in th uk but we want to do this legally, any help/ advice greatly appreciated

Brad

Hi Thaibrad,

I presume that the lady in question is still in the currency of her 2-year spouse visa.

It is possible for her to qualify for residency in the UK on the basis of being subject to domestic violence. For more information consult the immigration rules. (Paragraph 289A is the one that relates to her). Basically, however, she will have to establish that domestic violence has actually occurred. Generally speaking that would mean reporting it to the police in N. Ireland.

Scouse.