Using A Agent

[malct]

So far i have been lucky 2 out of 3 times doing the paperwork for my Girlfriends tourist Visa and with planning on getting married and applying for a Spouse/settlement visa will be a lot harder with many things to do in such a shor ttime, Speaking to a Local who is married to a Thai Lady, He informed me that it was Better for him to use a agent since getting married in Thailand and then applying for a Spouse/settlement Visa because it cuts down the hard work.

My friend used a Company in thailand called the Holiday shop and i have already had a quote of them for their services which i am thinking about.

I also heard that even paying for a agent, The UKBA will phone the applicant and asked them questions about their spouse's family Etc, and on this occasion the applicant was refused because she was unable to answer all the questions over the phone, So their is a lot of money involved in getting it right first time.

I do believe that agents do supply a good service but at the end of the day, Its the information that the applicant gives to the UKBA that will make the application a success or Not.

Looking at what information is needed again for the portfolio, I think i will be very busy for a few weeks putting everything together for submitting and i would still have to do this work even using a Agent.

On the subject on using agents, It would be interesting to see how many people have used a agent or not and have been successful in gaining a Spouse/settlement Visa.

Malc

[bellboy86]

If you use a visa agent I have to support the visa agents on this forum visa plus is very good, my nephew used them and they were successful. He registered with the oichh which gives him good standards to work with also he was an Eco

but it's your call good luck

[kunash]

I was going to use an agent for my gf's settlement but didnt in the end due to the cost ( in my case 3 x agent fees and 3 x visa fees = a lot of money ).

If it was just for my gf i may well have used one from these boards.

[VisasPlus]

If you use a visa agent I have to support the visa agents on this forum visa plus is very good, my nephew used them and they were successful. He registered with the oichh which gives him good standards to work with also he was an Eco

but it's your call good luck

bellboy, thanks for the recommendation, but I think you may be confused. Our agency is not registered with the OISC ( which is a requirement for immigration agents operating in the UK ). One of the sponsors on this forum is registered with OISC - Thai Visa Express. Maybe you are referring to them ? I was, however, an ECO.

That said, every application for a UK visa that we ( Visas Plus) have submitted over the past year and a half has been successful. I'm sure someone will ask me to prove it, but I can't ( or at least I can't see how I can prove it), but I am so sure that, if it was not true, then someone on here will say so, and have a refusal notice to confirm it ! The refusal notice and the receipt from our company would be evidence, I guess, but I know they cannot be produced.

[bobrussell]

There is no need to use an agent if you are willing to spend time and effort doing research. This forum has been a godsend to many applicants.

However it takes quite a time to understand and avoid some of the pitfalls and this is where a good agent will give peace of mind. Application forms do not require rocket science to fill in but if you do not 'tick the right boxes' a lot of money can be wasted.

If you are confident, literate and happy to learn, do it yourself. If you do not have the time or confidence or there are complicated aspects to the case (such as dependent children) then consider using an agent.

A good agent should be able to prepare an application in a way that an ECO will find easy to accept. They should also intervene to make sure incomplete or inappropriate applications do not get that far. They cannot make an invalid application valid which is something that some of the less honest agents seem to hint at!

[hotandhumid]

Settlement visas are a big deal and we can be talking about peoples entire future here. Therefore, if one can afford it it really can offer peace of mind and would be money well spent.

Despite my little spat with visaplus earlier on here I wouldn't hesitate to use them with our application, because I know they are a good company, but I believe we have a very strong case, but maybe I will go to them when the time comes.

[ThaiVisaExpress]

If you use an agent ensure costs are fixed & they have demonstrated proven ability with all applications.

[malct]

Thank you all for your reply's.

We still have 8 weeks before going back to Bangkok.

I have however recieved a Letter from the Visa people Regarding the A1 test Thanks for enquiry, regarding A 1 English we can recommend you to go to Vantage Siam Co.,Ltd in BKK the fee is 5,600-6,000 baht. The test is on every Friday and it will take 7-10 days for the result.

If you take the test in the UK, You get to know on the day if you have passed, Or so i am led to believe.

Having the test done in Thailand would mean that i would be back in the UK when my GF gets her results and then she would have to take all the Documents to wireless Road to apply for the Spouse Visa.

I I am still waiting for a reply to see if its OK to take the Test in the UK

Malc

[ThaiVisaExpress]

Thank you all for your reply's.

We still have 8 weeks before going back to Bangkok.

I have however recieved a Letter from the Visa people Regarding the A1 test Thanks for enquiry, regarding A 1 English we can recommend you to go to Vantage Siam Co.,Ltd in BKK the fee is 5,600-6,000 baht. The test is on every Friday and it will take 7-10 days for the result.

If you take the test in the UK, You get to know on the day if you have passed, Or so i am led to believe.

Having the test done in Thailand would mean that i would be back in the UK when my GF gets her results and then she would have to take all the Documents to wireless Road to apply for the Spouse Visa.

I I am still waiting for a reply to see if its OK to take the Test in the UK

Malc

And remember malc its taking up to 90 days to process settlement visas.

[housepainter]

When I submitted My application I talked to other Brits there who all complained how they'd been let down by agents.

It was typified by: paid for nothing; did nothing; completely useless; now doing it myself.

Part of the problem is that these people beseige you when you are actually handing in the application. the British Embassy warns against them but the Thai way is to have these touts in the building. In fact they are on the stairs, in the lobby and at the actual entrance itself. Worse, they operate out of the next office!!!

The probelem with the Settlement Visa is that it has changed. Not enough people have re-posted to explain that it is a simple and starigh forward procedure.

Currently, it is mystifying because the attitude is they want you to be hung by your own petard. that is, they don't clarlfy what is needed. Therefore, you bundle together loads of unecessary stuff that is then combe dover with a view to finding a flaw.

Make no mistake. The immigration rules are now designed and intentioned to keep the numbers down. To keep you out! And that is working because we do not yet know enough about how the system is working.

Until now that is. I've cracked it. Got to the bottom of it. And I know what the essentials are. It is not a difficult process.

Think of it from some clerk in London's pointb of view. He literally lays out the file on his desk. He wants to find key pieces of info. Have those and the rest is ignored as you've met the criteria.

The current problem is that within all the bumph people are recommending on here noone actually knows the priorities.

I do.

To answer your question. Do it yourself but allow time. Keep it concise in what you write. Explanations are to be short and to the point.

One example, they don't accept CDs of photos. Neither do they want the 1800 some joker included. They want key photos only and even explain that is weddings, births, main events. They do not want your 78 holiday photos of the Water Park Slide.

Clear?

Look for my other thread baring the true of Application and how to get there.

[bobrussell]

I repeat parts of my earlier post:

'There is no need to use an agent if you are willing to spend time and effort doing research. This forum has been a godsend to many applicants.'

'A good agent should be able to prepare an application in a way that an ECO will find easy to accept.'

If you do the research the forms are not difficult to fill in. Without spending a little time (this forum has more than enough advice for most applications) doing this research it is easy to miss the key points the ECO are after.

Examples for a visit visa being reason to return to Thailand. A key factor that the unwary (including me when I did my gf's first visit visa) that will often prove a pitfall for applicants. Not a factor of course for settlement!

Most visas are approved. Some applicants deliver paperwork by the lorry load and are successful. A well presented application does not require this volume and I am sure the ECO breaths a sigh of relief when he or she can at least pick up the bundle!

If you are unsure of the process or have more complicated applications consider an agent but do your research there as well to make sure you are not ripped off!

I have never used an agent but the sponsors of this forum seem to have a good reputation.

[ThaiVisaExpress]

We do not hang around visa application centres !

1. Most enquiries arrive via email or in person at our office.

The touts you are talking about generally operate for the various Thai agencies.

[Thongkorn]

if yo have already done your own holiday visas then you have already done the hard work, just up date your file and fill in VAF form,Which you will find on the UK Boarder agency site,print of the correct form, no need for an agent , as before many people have done there own and hads success.

[davidkia]

using a agent in my opion is ok , but you have to realise thats Britain can only let so many into thier countary each month and if you are beound there amout from Thailand it will make no differant as to whether you use a agent or not but one thing for sure you will not get you cash back from the Agent or the British embassy that's for sure but you can only try cant you !

I am sinical to say the least & i hope you prove me wrong if only for yourself as they are making plenty out of the system they have introduced, after all it's usually the British husband that is paying !

[7by7]

you have to realise thats Britain can only let so many into thier countary each month and if you are beound there amout from Thailand it will make no differant

Completely wrong.

There are no quotas or any other type of limit on UK settlement applications.

[bobrussell]

you have to realise thats Britain can only let so many into thier countary each month and if you are beound there amout from Thailand it will make no differant

Completely wrong.

There are no quotas or any other type of limit on UK settlement applications.

Quite correct - if you can show that you qualify for a visa you will get one (at the moment!).

[englishinsiam]

A Visa agent can advise you what information you need to provide and can present it in a way the ECO's will find easier to approve.

We did our Translations and English Tests through A1 Visa and at no time did they try to sell us the Visa Service or scare us about going it alone. If you do choose to use an Agency they are who I would suggest you use.

We went alone in the end but I used an index provided here by one of the other members and changed it to our circumstances. We submitted 2 full ring binders of documents plus our wedding photo albums. Maybe we put in too much but I wanted to put in too much rather than not enough.

All they ECO is looking for in a settlement Visa is the following

1 - You have a genuine relationship

2 - You can support your partner financially without recourse to public funds.

3 - You have a place to live that meets the guidelines for space and liveability.

4 - She passes the basic English test at an approved centre.

5 - She has a TB Free Cert from one of the 2 Clinics in Bangkok.

They don't look to refuse applications willy nilly and over 80% are granted first time. I believe many failures are due to poor submission. Take the time to submit your paperwork correctly and as long as you meet the criteria above you have a good chance of being accepted.

Do an index and have some order to the index so the sections they want to check are all together and submit originals where possible. Then pay the high fee and be prepared to wait and wait.

There is a thread here http://www.thaivisa....011/page__st__0 for people waiting for their settlement visa's lots of support from each other.

Good luck

Edited June 29, 2011 by englishinsiam