Currently in the Uk with wife and step son aged 16. Wife has resident permit step son has ILE.

We are now thinking of bringing my wife's two Children aged 10 and 7 to the UK boy and girl. They currently live with my wife's Mother, and have done for the last six years since my wife has been back and forward from the UK. They have seen their Thai father maybe three times in the last 6 years when he drops by.

They did live with their father for the first couple of years of their life when he was with my wife. They were never legally married. Will their be a problem in getting a sole custody document from a local solicitor in Thailand would the father need to sign anything or can my wife do that alone without his permission. We have evidence of regular contact with the children, and can prove all other requirements like sole responsibility etc etc.

Should we even mention him in the application, also he does not provide for the children at all, and has not done so for the last six years.

Any useful help would be most appreciated. I have done this before for our 16yr old step son and we were refused first time but his situation was different as he had never seen his father since birth. I would not like to mess this one up as it may become quite expensive otherwise.

As I say, all helpful advice would be most appreciated

Regards

Jason

You will need to mention their father as his details are asked for on the application form; plus he is presumably named on their birth certificates.

I'm not sure about the sole custody. After her divorce my wife did not have sole custody of her children and as their father would not cooperate she had to go to court to get it.

That was over 10 years ago and in Bangkok. Things may be different in a more rural area.

As you already know the visa procedure for them and your question is about custody, I am moving this to the Family and Children forum where someone more knowledgeable will hopefully see it and reply.

If you have any further questions related to the visa application, please start a new topic in the Visas and Migration to Other Countries forum

Given the fact that the mother was not legally marrid to the father, the fahter would only have custody over the children if he went to court to legitimise the children. Almost nobody does that, so it is safe to asume that the motehr has currently sole custody.

She can (have her mother) go to the amphur to get a statement that she has sole custody over the children. I believe that is the khor rhor 14 form, which one also needs to apply for a passport for the children as single parent.