Second UK Visa For My Wife

[mazimus]

Hi guys,thanks to this forum I managed to get 6 month tourist visa at the first time of asking for my wife in 2009.She went home a couple of days before her visa expired,she did not really like it here in the UK.Thats ok I spend quite a lot of time in Thailand.I only came home from Thailand 2 weeks ago and now she tells me she wants to come over again for a visit.I was thinking this time of trying more than the 6 month tourist visa.When we applied for her original visa we took A4 folders full of documentation,photos,hotel bills,household bills etc as proof of our long relationship and marraige together.Do we have to go through all that again.What would the basic requirements of a longer visa (spouse visa).We have been married for 3 years on Jan 8 2011.Would it now be more a case of how I will support her etc,have my own home etc.

Thanks for any reply

Oh just as a footnote,this lunatic wife of mine asked me could we get married again when she was in the Uk.I enquired but our marraige was all done legal in Thailand through the British embassy,Amphur etc,so we could only marry once.Now this lunatic wife of mine thinks that it would be a good idea for us to get divorced in Thailand so we could get married in the UK.If we did this would it harm our chances of getting spouse visa etc.

Edited February 10, 2011 by mazimus

[Basil B]

First. There are principally two kinds of visas:

• Visitor, 6 month, 1, 2, 5 and 10 years yet you are only entitled to spend six months out of any 12 in the UK.
• Settlement, intended for the purpose of moving and settling in the UK, cost a lot more and the process is more long winded, you need the TB and A1 English tests before moving to the UK.

Go for the Visitor Visa It is highly unlikely she will get anything more than a six month visitor visa until she has had a few, also even with a one year or more visa she still could not spend more than 6 months out of any 12 in the UK, but the visa holder can come and go as many times as they wish during the life of the visa as long as they leave before it expires and do not exceed more than 6 months in any 12 in the UK.

Yes you will have to go through the whole process of reapplying, hope you kept the folder.

I think a lot of people here get so wound up with whether to get married in the UK or Thailand, lets look at it this way there are three parts to a wedding, the legal part where you sign on the dotted line, a ceremony/blessing and a party.

• Legal you can really only do this once does not really matter whether in Thailand or UK though if planning to settle in the UK it probably cheaper in Thailand.
• Ceremony/blessing can be done as many time as you want, sure your local vicar/priest will marry you again if that is what you want (without signing the register), do not see much point in going to the registry office, but you could think of going to the local temple or inviting round the Abbott and a few monks for a blessing or even think of a humanist wedding http://www.humanism....manist-weddings followed by a party.

[XXpate48USA]

First. There are principally two kinds of visas:

• Visitor, 6 month, 1, 2, 5 and 10 years yet you are only entitled to spend six months out of any 12 in the UK.
• Settlement, intended for the purpose of moving and settling in the UK, cost a lot more and the process is more long winded, you need the TB and A1 English tests before moving to the UK.

Go for the Visitor Visa It is highly unlikely she will get anything more than a six month visitor visa until she has had a few, also even with a one year or more visa she still could not spend more than 6 months out of any 12 in the UK, but the visa holder can come and go as many times as they wish during the life of the visa as long as they leave before it expires and do not exceed more than 6 months in any 12 in the UK.

Yes you will have to go through the whole process of reapplying, hope you kept the folder.

I think a lot of people here get so wound up with whether to get married in the UK or Thailand, lets look at it this way there are three parts to a wedding, the legal part where you sign on the dotted line, a ceremony/blessing and a party.

• Legal you can really only do this once does not really matter whether in Thailand or UK though if planning to settle in the UK it probably cheaper in Thailand.
• Ceremony/blessing can be done as many time as you want, sure your local vicar/priest will marry you again if that is what you want (without signing the register), do not see much point in going to the registry office, but you could think of going to the local temple or inviting round the Abbott and a few monks for a blessing or even think of a humanist wedding http://www.humanism....manist-weddings followed by a party.

Hmm, this is a thai wife and she wants to get another legal marriage in your country now even though you are already married.

Ok, try and think of all the reasons she might want a legaly binding contract in the Uk too....gee, I'm not sure if that one is easy to figure out. I would ask her ok but you will just do a ceromony for show in the UK and see what she says.......then you have your answer as to why!!! ......anyone else agree?

[XXpate48USA]

First. There are principally two kinds of visas:

• Visitor, 6 month, 1, 2, 5 and 10 years yet you are only entitled to spend six months out of any 12 in the UK.
• Settlement, intended for the purpose of moving and settling in the UK, cost a lot more and the process is more long winded, you need the TB and A1 English tests before moving to the UK.

Go for the Visitor Visa It is highly unlikely she will get anything more than a six month visitor visa until she has had a few, also even with a one year or more visa she still could not spend more than 6 months out of any 12 in the UK, but the visa holder can come and go as many times as they wish during the life of the visa as long as they leave before it expires and do not exceed more than 6 months in any 12 in the UK.

Yes you will have to go through the whole process of reapplying, hope you kept the folder.

I think a lot of people here get so wound up with whether to get married in the UK or Thailand, lets look at it this way there are three parts to a wedding, the legal part where you sign on the dotted line, a ceremony/blessing and a party.

• Legal you can really only do this once does not really matter whether in Thailand or UK though if planning to settle in the UK it probably cheaper in Thailand.
• Ceremony/blessing can be done as many time as you want, sure your local vicar/priest will marry you again if that is what you want (without signing the register), do not see much point in going to the registry office, but you could think of going to the local temple or inviting round the Abbott and a few monks for a blessing or even think of a humanist wedding http://www.humanism....manist-weddings followed by a party.

Hmm, this is a thai wife and she wants to get another legal marriage in your country now even though you are already married.

Ok, try and think of all the reasons she might want a legaly binding contract in the Uk too....gee, I'm not sure if that one is easy to figure out. I would ask her ok but you will just do a ceromony for show in the UK and see what she says.......then you have your answer as to why!!! ......anyone else agree?

Let me explain- if you marry in the Uk and then later get divored she will have all the legal bindings of Uk law and will be able to grab half of you belonging you owned BEFORE you were maried and then she can return to Thailand with half of everything.

If your marriage was done in Thailand then thier laws are such that what you both owned prior to marriage you still keep.....understand now??.....always remember and never forget the bottom line for many many thai/falang marriages. Remember the man that lost most of everything he had in the UK a couple months ago?...she ended up with most of everything plus half of his pension and he ended up having to pay for her lawyer because he signed the "afidavit of support"....There is only one reason she wants this done........money!!!

sorry to be a fly in the iontment but think hard before stticking your neck out so far!

[bangkockney]

Oh just as a footnote,this lunatic wife of mine asked me could we get married again when she was in the Uk.I enquired but our marraige was all done legal in Thailand through the British embassy,Amphur etc,so we could only marry once.Now this lunatic wife of mine thinks that it would be a good idea for us to get divorced in Thailand so we could get married in the UK.If we did this would it harm our chances of getting spouse visa etc.

Just have a renewal of vows ceremony in the UK.

Easy.

Edited February 11, 2011 by bangkockney

[transam]

Oh just as a footnote,this lunatic wife of mine asked me could we get married again when she was in the Uk.I enquired but our marraige was all done legal in Thailand through the British embassy,Amphur etc,so we could only marry once.Now this lunatic wife of mine thinks that it would be a good idea for us to get divorced in Thailand so we could get married in the UK.If we did this would it harm our chances of getting spouse visa etc.

Just have a renewal of vows ceremony in the UK.

Easy.

Agree, with the party after.

??????? for me, as stated before, if you marry UK she can sting you if a problem.

If me l would read between the lines and not think she is just a '' Lunatic '', far from it.

[KamnanT]

I think you will find that the law applying to the division of property upon breakdown of a marriage is determined by the jurisdiction at the time of divorce, not the jurisdiction of the marriage. Broadly speaking, it is the law of the country where the parties normally reside at the time of the divorce that will dictate how the marital (and pre-marital) assets will be divided. So, if a couple married in Thailand but who normally reside in the UK decide to divorce, UK law and procedures will apply. The only way to ensure that Thai law is applied to your divorce settlement is to reside in Thailand.

[7by7]

Comments on the OP's wife wanting another marriage in the UK are off topic and, to be blunt, some of them insulting to her. Not to mention showing a complete ignorance of UK divorce laws.

No more comments on those lines will be tolerated.

[7by7]

Mazimus,

It seems from your OP that you live in the UK while your wife lives in Thailand.

What you both need to decide is whether you wish to continue with this or whether she wants to live indefinitely in the UK with you.

If the former then there is no reason why she should not continue to use visit visas. Indeed, she could apply for a longer term one; up to 10 years, although she would not be able to spend more than 6 months in the UK on any one visit nor, usually, more than 6 months out of any 12 in the UK. See VAT1.4 Visa validity - What period for a multiple entry visit visa? and VAT1.5 Frequency and duration of visits.

If she wishes to live with you in the UK then she should apply for settlement as your spouse; see SET03 - Spouses and Maintenance and accommodation.

If applying for settlement she will need to satisfy the English language requirement and also obtain a TB certificate.

A spouse visa is valid for 27 months, and once she has lived in the UK she can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain; see Completing application form SET(M) and relevant links from that page.

Once she has ILR and has been resident in the UK for at least the last three years (time as a visitor counts towards this) she can, if she wishes, apply for naturalisation as British (both Thailand and the UK allow dual nationality); see Requirements for naturalisation if you are married to or the civil partner of a British citizen.