My Wife'S Uk Visit Visa Application...

[bifftastic]

Hi,

We're about to start getting all the paperwork together for my wife's visit visa and I've been contemplating all the necessary paperwork to support it.

I will be financially sponsoring the visit, paying for the ticket etc. My wife does not work for a company, she takes in work at home from a textile factory locally. Her main work is taking care of her two children and our home.

This lead me to the belief that I should show all the financial support I've given her over the last 18 months or so.

However, seeing that it's a visit visa, is it possible that we'll be overloading the application with records of financial support, proof of the length of the relationship etc?

It's a family visit visa we'll be applying for, which is why I thought it would be important to show the substance of our family finances, the thing is, all these records, printed out, fill up two great big folders! Half a tree's worth of paper!

Is all this too much? Would we be better off just showing my ability to pay for the visit rather than loading up the application with records from the past?

Advice appreciated

[kunash]

you should show as much information as possible, - but 6 months details would be sufficient as far as statements and money transfer papers are concerned. in your sponsor letter you can write more details about your relationship.

your gf will need to show a reason to return to thailand. you say she does work for a local textile company. can they provide a letter in support of this? if she owns a property or land this can help here

you will also need to show you can accomodate her in the uk, and look after her financially.

finally you will need to show your relationship is genuine. photos, photos of your house in thailand (if you have one) - with utility bills and rental agreement, plane tickets, hotel receipts etc

[bobrussell]

Reason to return is always a sticky one with visit visas. If you live and work in Thailand and intend to return with her it should not be particularly difficult to get a visit visa because it gives a ready made reason to return.

If you live in the UK and she lives in Thailand the ECO will need convincing that she is not going to use the visit visa to by-pass settlement visa requirements. Reason to return will be more important in this case.

Property and job are particularly important. Family perhaps a little less so as it is not that unusual for parents to travel away to work.

You will need to demonstrate that sufficient funds are available for the trip, suitable accommodation etc.

[bifftastic]

Yes, she does work for a textile company, however, it's basically 'cash-in-hand' type of employment. When there's things that need making, she makes them and gets cash. I'll ask her to get a letter from them, but she's not employed by them, in the way that people are in the UK, with payslips, NI number, tax etc.

I have proof of my ability to support the trip.

I live in the UK and reason to return was another of my concerns, I can only state the truth, that we want her to visit my country before we make a decision as to where we want to live together. We do not wish to jeopardize any future visa/settlement applications by her breaking the terms of this one, should it be approved. Quite how one proves intentions is not clear to me. We will have to see if the truth is enough!

She takes care of her children, lives in our house, although the title deed is, currently, in her sister's name (long story!)

I think I'll include all the financial/phone records we have, filed from 'most recent' backwards, that way if the ECO gets to say, six months and sees that there's more, he/she can stop looking. Better to have too much than not enough.

We've got photos dating back almost two years, marriage certificate (Thai) wedding photos etc. I'm going to get a letter from my friends in the UK who attended the wedding in Thailand inviting us to visit them when she comes over as well. It was just the weight of the financial records part that worried me, but I think I'll give them everything we've got, tell the truth and hope our 'reason to return' is deemed sufficient.

After all, it's quite easy for an ECO to decide either way with reason to return, someone with a full-time job and a house in their name in Thailand could just as easily decide that they're going to overstay as someone with neither.

Thanks for the replies.

Biff