Applying For A Tourist Visa For A Thai Going To Australia

[mike404045]

hello,

ok so my visa expires on the 21st of June 2011 (if i need more time to organise my affairs i will do a visa run soon).

I want a 6 month tourist visa for my thai girlfriend, we need to leave before the 21st of June however if i do a visa run it can be bit later. She's never visited australia before, she owns a thai passport. We have never applied for a visa before in the past.

ok so i need pro advice on wether or not my case looks good.

What documents/forms we have:

- My statutory declaration for marriage (has been translated, approved and legalised at the ministry of foreign affairs) though not sure if that helps at all??

- 2 copies of the tourist visa completed, the 48R and the 48RTH

- A formal letter of invitation in support of the tourist visa (stating my name, address, work, my employers details, my salary, the history of our relationship, purpose for her visit, reasons why i want her to visit australia, declaring that she will not work while in australia and that i will be supporting her financially during her stay and also providing a place for her to live as well as stating that i will make sure she leaves prior to the expiration of her visa)

- a statutory declaration in support of the tourist visa (stating the same facts above)

- printout of my bank statement (shows details of my wages, more than 100,000 baht in savings)

- 4x letters of employment from my employers (im currently working 2 part time jobs and have 2 employers)

- copy of my passport details page and photocopies of relevant passport pages showing my trips to thailand since 2006 (my old passport expired in 2006, it has relevant proof of visits to thailand but i dont have that passport on me)

- some photos of us together, from 2006-2011. included is a photo of me with her and her family

- photocopies of her passport details page, front and back of her ID card

- printout of her bank statement (more than 100,000 baht in savings)

- a letter of employment from her boss (also a copy of that letter translated from thai to english)

Details:

- her bank account has 140,000 baht in it (shes a sales assistant, her average salary a month is 25,000 baht on commission she makes between 35-50,000 baht a month.

- we are applying for a 6 month tourist visa

- we have been in a committed relationship for almost 8 years now. recently ive spent 3 years here on back to back non-immigrant cat 0 visas. theres not alot of photos or emails or phone bills to prove this. when i call her i use a telephone card, she calls me sometimes on a prepaid sim. we dont exchange emails, we havent since we first started dating years and years ago. we talk with eachother on instant messaging services e.g. windows live messenger 'cam chat' so theres no logs or anything like that. i have photos of us taken with digital cameras, judging by the pictures you can tell that some of them are very old and some are recent. other than that im not sure what other proof i can show... letters from friends and family?

- i rent a house in australia my monthly rent is $1760 (not sure if it helps if i can show my rental agreement)

thanks for reading

any advice/opinions are welcomed

kindest regards

Mike

[Theo007]

Mike, the form you require to submit is the 48RTH. From my experience in obtaining Australian visas I suggest you obtain several supporting letters from family and friends both in Thailand and in Australia. These can be scanned and e-mailed you for printing. One of the most important things they will be looking for is the letter from the employer stating that she has a job when she she returns. It usually takes from 10 - 14 days for the application to be processed. Good luck!

[bridge]

Mike, the form you require to submit is the 48RTH. From my experience in obtaining Australian visas I suggest you obtain several supporting letters from family and friends both in Thailand and in Australia. These can be scanned and e-mailed you for printing. One of the most important things they will be looking for is the letter from the employer stating that she has a job when she she returns. It usually takes from 10 - 14 days for the application to be processed. Good luck!

Sounds like a very solid application to me.

Either the 48R or 48RTH is fine. I would definitely include a copy of your residential tenancy lease. If you are offering accommodation support to your TGF whilst in Australia then back it up with supporting documentation. Rule of thumb is that everything you put forward to DIAC in support of any visa application should be backed up with supporting documentation that evidences that assertion.

I have to agree and disagree with Theo007. Agree - ongoing employment is just but one factor that DIAC will take into consideration when determining on an objective test whether an applicants intention is to visit Australia as genuine visitor only. Any factor that would encourage an applicant to return to their home country prior to their visa expiring is equally important. For example you might want to mention that your TGF does not have any network of family in friends in Australia (other than you) and that all of her family reside in Thailand (if that is the case of course). Strong family ties is all a good way to demonstrate genuineness.

With regards to "several supporting letters from family and friends both in Thailand and in Australia", I have to disagree with that one. They would carry absolutely no weight in the determination of your TGF's tourist visa application. If you were however applying for a partner visa this is when they would be useful. In that situation you would use the approved Form 888 for that purpose.

Processing time is usually 5 business days, but as your TGF is applying for a stay of 6 months she will need to have a radiological examination and this will delay processing a little. In accordance with new eHealth guidelines she will be notified by the Embassy when she needs to undertake that examination. She cannot have the examination prior to been advised by the Embassy.

For tourist visa applications submitted in Bangkok it is currently not a requirement for translations and certified copies to be submitted. Original bankbooks must however be submitted at time of application.

Good Luck

[mike404045]

thanks alot for the replies guys!

yep filled out both 48R and the 48RTH, i thought it might be better to use the 48RTH since its in thai but which one is better to use or does that make no difference?

It usually takes from 10 - 14 days for the application to be processed

is that business days? cause if it is then i will need to do a visa run i think cause my visa expires this month on the 21st

you might want to mention that your TGF does not have any network of family in friends in Australia (other than you) and that all of her family reside in Thailand (if that is the case of course). Strong family ties is all a good way to demonstrate genuineness.

that is the case, how would i show that. like mention it in the letter of invitation?

her boss has written a formal approval of her leave from work, however there is no time frame it basically says "i approve her leave from work for however long she needs" and it says that her job will be waiting for her when she returns. not stating that she approves a leave of 6 months, will that be a problem?

also is there anything else we should include in the application?

the one thing im a bit worried about is that we dont have much proof of our relationship as i explained when we are away from each other we stay in contact via webcam chat which doesn't keep logs plus there are only a few photos of us together. other than that theres not much else...

again thanks for the support

[Douggie Style]

Hi Mike,

some very good advice above..

One further point is that reading you posts you seem to emphasis the relationship...

you have to understand that if you are going to apply for a tourist visa your application will be tested against the tourist visa criteria

however if you are applying for a spouse/finance type visa then that is the criteria that will be applied

there is a tension between the two ie a visitor who is also in a relationship may introduce doubt in the decision maker's mind as to her genuineness to return, which is something they must consider under the tourist criteria

this can lead to ludicrous outcomes at times and confusion in both the decision maker and the applicant ...ie do you stress the relationship or not

further the DM may place a restrictive condition (it used to be 8503 but not sure now) barring any further onshore applications to cover their ass

i think you need to provide as much evidence as possible of your plans and reasons to return, they do look at the employment, study, family (does she care for anyone?), assets (does she have a business that needs her personal attention), aspects .....

IMHO the letter from the employer does not establish her genuineness to return and is actually counter productive being open ended (however that is for the DM's discretion)

At the same time as above be totally honest with your plans and back them up with evidence, You might even think about the alternatives to a tourist visa

must go

cheers DS

[mike404045]

in the letter of invitation ive written details of our relationship e.g. how long we have been together, the number of times i visited her in thailand, details of our recent plans to marry (my statutory declaration which was recently legalised at the MoFA i was going to submit that along with the letter of invitation) also other supporting documents would be photos of us together and another statutory declaration stating the same stuff thats written in the letter of invitation.

ive done this because on the visa application im put down as a sponsor and as relationship to the applicant im down as a partner. I wasn't sure if i should've put down boyfriend considering the documents i will be submitting show that ive stayed in thailand 3 years back to back and during those years ive lived with her.

so yeah i would say that i have stressed the relationship because i thought it was necessary cause im down as the sponsor.

further the DM may place a restrictive condition (it used to be 8503 but not sure now) barring any further onshore applications to cover their ass

hmmm thats worrying

i think you need to provide as much evidence as possible of your plans and reasons to return, they do look at the employment, study, family (does she care for anyone?), assets (does she have a business that needs her personal attention), aspects

she does give money to her father every month but other than that no she doesnt care for anyone, not studying.. she works full time, has no assets or a business or anything else.

IMHO the letter from the employer does not establish her genuineness to return and is actually counter productive being open ended (however that is for the DM's discretion)

also worrying considering that this is the only evidence we have for that....... is there anything else we could use?

she has a pretty well paid job for thai standards that should be a good reason to return right? and the letter from her boss does make it clear that her job is there for her when she returns.

maybe applying for a 3 month visa would be better, 6 months might be pushing it a bit, though im not sure.... nothings certain

might just have to see how i go, whats the worst that could happen? (other than what you mentioned about "barring any further onshore applications")

[bridge]

Mike,

Douggie Style has raised some very good points. I agree with his comments regarding overplaying the relationship. Put simply to be granted a tourist visa, an applicant must clearly demonstrate that their intention is to visit Australia as a genuine visitor only. A genuine visitor is someone who wants to visit Australia for tourist purposes only, has adequate funds or access to adequate funds to support themselves for their proposed stay in Australia, and will depart Australia prior to their tourist visa expiring. So that the decision maker can attach weight to your accompanying letter of support (invitation) you need only demonstrate that you have known her for a sufficient period of time. From what you have posted in this thread, I don't think you will have a problem at all in that department.

As for what should go into a well prepared letter of support, have a look at:

Mike you have mentioned that you have an intention to get married, where and when? Be aware that in all likelihood (I would say all certainty) your TGF's visa will have the no further stay condition attached (Condition 8503). This will prevent her from applying for any other visa whilst in Australia. For example, if you both marrying in Australia she will not be able to apply for an onshore partner visa, but will have to apply back in Thailand, that is, make an offshore partner visa application.

[mike404045]

thanks for the link, good info there feeling a bit more confident.

yeah i did mentioned in the invitation letter that "we have made plans to marry in the near future".

i plan on coming back to thailand with her later on this year or early next year to marry in thailand, the time depends on whether or not we are granted a 6 month visa, if so then it will be after her stay with me in australia.

also with the inviitation letter i followed a template/example from another website, i clearly stated the purpose of her trip (holiday and to visit my family and friends), that she wont engage in employment, that i would be covering all expenses and providing accommodation and that she will depart prior to the expiration of her visa.

but yeah im just going to have a try, im pretty confident with what we've got, i think our case looks good.

probably would be better to apply for a 3 month visa but will see what happens.

thanks for your support mate!

[bridge]

thanks for the link, good info there feeling a bit more confident.

yeah i did mentioned in the invitation letter that "we have made plans to marry in the near future".

i plan on coming back to thailand with her later on this year or early next year to marry in thailand, the time depends on whether or not we are granted a 6 month visa, if so then it will be after her stay with me in australia.

also with the inviitation letter i followed a template/example from another website, i clearly stated the purpose of her trip (holiday and to visit my family and friends), that she wont engage in employment, that i would be covering all expenses and providing accommodation and that she will depart prior to the expiration of her visa.

but yeah im just going to have a try, im pretty confident with what we've got, i think our case looks good.

probably would be better to apply for a 3 month visa but will see what happens.

thanks for your support mate!

Please tell me it (template letter) is not the one that says words to the effect "she will be under my control while in Australia". IMHO that is a very poor example and I have seen refusals where people have used that one.

[mike404045]

thanks for the link, good info there feeling a bit more confident.

yeah i did mentioned in the invitation letter that "we have made plans to marry in the near future".

i plan on coming back to thailand with her later on this year or early next year to marry in thailand, the time depends on whether or not we are granted a 6 month visa, if so then it will be after her stay with me in australia.

also with the inviitation letter i followed a template/example from another website, i clearly stated the purpose of her trip (holiday and to visit my family and friends), that she wont engage in employment, that i would be covering all expenses and providing accommodation and that she will depart prior to the expiration of her visa.

but yeah im just going to have a try, im pretty confident with what we've got, i think our case looks good.

probably would be better to apply for a 3 month visa but will see what happens.

thanks for your support mate!

Please tell me it (template letter) is not the one that says words to the effect "she will be under my control while in Australia". IMHO that is a very poor example and I have seen refusals where people have used that one.

PM'd you bridge

[mike404045]

hi guys just an update...

we applied for a 6 month tourist visa on the 06/06/2011 with all the supporting documents ive listed above.

everything went smoothly, on the following monday the 13th we were told to submit more evidence of our relationship, so we printed old emails about a dozen or so (really random stuff)

on the 14th she had to get a chest x-ray done and yesterday the 16th we picked up the visa.... just bought her a ticket and we are leaving very soon!

what douggie said is correct, there is a condition on the visa (8503 no further stay) but thats no problem...

so yeah everything went really smoothly.....

cheers

Mike

[sikishrory]

i remember somebody saying on this forum a few months back that in regards to thai girls getting tourist visas to remember that they are the one applying for the visa. not you and not you and her but just her. that gave me the impression that all of this relationship business wasn't relevant to tourist visa applications.

anyway that aside. i wonder how much they want to see in the thai girls bankbook considering you have already put forward everything you have to sponser her financially.

and 1 other thing. i cant think of many workplaces thai or aussie that allow there employee to take a 3 month holiday and keep there job throughout that. is it more of a letter of gaurantee that they have a job when they get back rather than a holiday as such.

[gburns57au]

Yes it is the partners application and people do forget that. For a tourist visa prove of a relationship is not required, it is enough to prove merely that the applicant is known to whoever supports the application. Remember people get stand alone tourist visas without knowing anyone here if they meet the criteria.

There is no need to have money in the bank if the applicant is being supported, however the person supporting the application will need to provide proof of income. Loading a bank account with large amounts of money prior to applying will only raise suspicions. A stand alone application will need to sufficient funds to cover the duration of the visit.

People do take long service leave of upto 3 months so it is not unheard of for jobs to be kept open for that period of time but I take your point, it would be less likely in Thailand. Having a job to return to is only one thing that gives reason to return, if it not possible to get such a letter from the boss then look at other avenues that give reason to return.

i remember somebody saying on this forum a few months back that in regards to thai girls getting tourist visas to remember that they are the one applying for the visa. not you and not you and her but just her. that gave me the impression that all of this relationship business wasn't relevant to tourist visa applications.

anyway that aside. i wonder how much they want to see in the thai girls bankbook considering you have already put forward everything you have to sponser her financially.

and 1 other thing. i cant think of many workplaces thai or aussie that allow there employee to take a 3 month holiday and keep there job throughout that. is it more of a letter of gaurantee that they have a job when they get back rather than a holiday as such.

[bridge]

Yes it is the partners application and people do forget that. For a tourist visa prove of a relationship is not required, it is enough to prove merely that the applicant is known to whoever supports the application. Remember people get stand alone tourist visas without knowing anyone here if they meet the criteria.

There is no need to have money in the bank if the applicant is being supported, however the person supporting the application will need to provide proof of income. Loading a bank account with large amounts of money prior to applying will only raise suspicions. A stand alone application will need to sufficient funds to cover the duration of the visit.

People do take long service leave of upto 3 months so it is not unheard of for jobs to be kept open for that period of time but I take your point, it would be less likely in Thailand. Having a job to return to is only one thing that gives reason to return, if it not possible to get such a letter from the boss then look at other avenues that give reason to return.

i remember somebody saying on this forum a few months back that in regards to thai girls getting tourist visas to remember that they are the one applying for the visa. not you and not you and her but just her. that gave me the impression that all of this relationship business wasn't relevant to tourist visa applications.

anyway that aside. i wonder how much they want to see in the thai girls bankbook considering you have already put forward everything you have to sponser her financially.

and 1 other thing. i cant think of many workplaces thai or aussie that allow there employee to take a 3 month holiday and keep there job throughout that. is it more of a letter of gaurantee that they have a job when they get back rather than a holiday as such.

Graham,

I agree with everything you have stated. Succinctly put.

[antman]

this is a similar question to what I want to do. however, I am married to a thai woman and live in thailand. I want take my wife to australia for a 2 week holiday as this is all the holidays she can have from her work, to visit family and see a few tourist things.

My wife works in the Social security office and will be getting a letter from her office about her employment there.

I wasn't planning to buy any plane tickets until after the visa was approved , willl this be a problem as i will have no proof of returning to thailand?

I was going to submit a copy of our marriage certificate but will need to write a letter as well to show that i will be supporting her?

I will be staying at my parents place for a few days then in hotels so I do not have proof of accomadition yet as I have not booked any hotels to stay in yet?

A few weeks ago when I was looking on the internet about visas, I found a web site that had a step by step how to apply for a visa for australia but i cannot find it now. anybody have a linnk for this site

thanks for you replys

anthony

Edited July 7, 2011 by antman