Police Checks, Old Forms And Other Problems

[Madivad]

We just went to VFS phuket to submit my wife's partner application for migration and hit a few hurdles, some my own stupid fault.

1. But one of the reasons she wouldn't accept the application was because there was no police check. Now I could be wrong (obvious and likely), but when we started this process many months ago I got my wife to ring the police check section and they said to her that she required sonethin from the embassy. And I know that I personally spoke with the embassy and I am 100% certain (or there is no doubt in my mind) that I was informed they would request police and health checks at a later time and they would get in touch.

I really think VFS got this wrong, but then again that's hardto believe because they do this all the time. I'm just so flabbergasted I got this wrong. Can someone confirm either way how they did it recently?

So it looks like we're of to Bangkok this weekend so we can take care of this monday.

2. Now the stupid one. This application has been a work in progress for months and apparently the forms changed last month (7/11) an this was the main reason they wouldn't take the application. That's no real biggie except that now I have to go home and redo the forms. Simple download them and do them again. A question though, would the embassy not accept it because of that? Incidental I know. I'll do a new one anyway

3. Next stupi one. I forgot to get her ID card translated. Since we're now going ro Bangkok, does anyone knownof a same day service in or around the Australian embassy building? I'm going to try and see if I can get it done here before I go but now that it's the weekend I'm not sure how I'll fare. Also what am I expected to pay for this?

4. In line with number 2, the girl behind the counter thinks there's a new 888 form as well. I'm so hoping there's not, sonill check when I get home, but... It was a real PITA getting everyone to get me a stat dec all arriving here in the last 6 weeks so that I could lodge them all together. I had to get 2 people to do theirs again and ao if I have to get everyone to do them again we're gonna be another month behind. Minimum. If the 888 form has changed, would the embassy nor accept the old ones? At the end of the day, it's a stat dec. They're signed, notarised and certifies copies (mostly) of everyone's ID. Can anyone give me some advice on this? This one alone sets us back considerably (although short notice flying ro Bangkok sets us back financially more)...

I think I did pretty good though, I kept smiling and didn't get angry lol.

Oh yeah:

5. I have on the bank draft "AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY - BANGKOK". Which I havesent in before no problems. Bit she said it HAS to be "AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY BANGKOK". Do I need to go back to the bank and have it changed?

I will be ringing the embassy this afternoon, I just thought I would ask here and get an early heads up.

Thanks all

[Madivad]

And sorry for the shitty English above. It was written in an iPhone. My bad. Sorry

[Logarhythm]

Mavidad,

When I submitted mine last week at VFS Bangkok, I told them that I had applied for the police clearances, but they hadn't arrived yet. I said I would forward them once they arrived. They said no problem just send them on when they arrived and to quote the file reference number that they gave me. There is a good translation place just around the corner from the Embassy. Walk past the Shell servo and turn left. It's a travel agent about 200 metres up on the opposite side of the road. You can pay with cash at VFS

Edited August 5, 2011 by Logarhythm

[Madivad]

How long do these police checks take? If we fly to Bangkok on Sunday/Monday and apply, is it something we can pick up in that week?

@Logarhythm, thanks for the info. They do the translations themselves? Do you have a name of the company and an idea on cost per page and how long they take?

Update: I just checked the australian embassy website and the form 888 we have is current, dated 07/09. So that's one I can cross off my list

Edited August 5, 2011 by Madivad

[Logarhythm]

How long do these police checks take? If we fly to Bangkok on Sunday/Monday and apply, is it something we can pick up in that week?

@Logarhythm, thanks for the info. They do the translations themselves? Do you have a name of the company and an idea on cost per page and how long they take?

Update: I just checked the australian embassy website and the form 888 we have is current, dated 07/09. So that's one I can cross off my list

The police checks take approx 10-14 days. They will mail it to you or you can pick them up yourself. I don't think they could do them within the week, but there is no harm in asking. Before your wife gets her police checks done she needs to take her passport the the VHS office and they will give her a letter to present to the police stating that it is for Australian partner visa purposes. You could probably get that letter in Phuket today if it's convenient, otherwise at the Bangkok office when you go there.

I can't tell you the name of the translation place, but you can't miss it if you follow the directions. It has translation service written in the window. It depends on what time of the day you get there as to who does the translation. One time we got there late morning and there was someone in the office who did it. However, last week we got there at 8.30 and she faxed it off to get it done. They can do one page in approx 30 minutes (a Thai birth certificate was done in that time). Something as simple as an ID card would probably take less time. It costs about 250 or 300 baht from memory.

Edited August 5, 2011 by Logarhythm

[Madivad]

Excellent, thanks for that. Did you have something from the embassy first to get the police check? I have found on the aussie dept of immigration website information that specifically says the embassy has to request it:

THAILAND

Apply Police Clearance Service Centre

At 1st Floor (Building 24)

Royal Thai Police Headquarters

Rama 1

Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330

Provide Resident citizens passport, Thai ID card, household registration, evidence of name change, marriage certificate or divorce certificate (if available), evidence of military service (such as Sor Dor 9, Sor Dor 8 or Sor Dor 48.), and a written request from the embassy of the country the applicant intends to travel to.

(emphasis added) from http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/character-requirements/character-penal.pdf - scroll right down the bottom to Thailand....

I've just had my wife ring VFS Phuket, and they are refusing to budge on the requirement to submit the police check at the time of the application. Anyway, I'll ring them (the embassy) in an hour when they open. If I have someone's name at the embassy she will accept that

[Logarhythm]

Excellent, thanks for that. Did you have something from the embassy first to get the police check? I have found on the aussie dept of immigration website information that specifically says the embassy has to request it:

THAILAND

Apply Police Clearance Service Centre

At 1st Floor (Building 24)

Royal Thai Police Headquarters

Rama 1

Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330

Provide Resident citizens passport, Thai ID card, household registration, evidence of name change, marriage certificate or divorce certificate (if available), evidence of military service (such as Sor Dor 9, Sor Dor 8 or Sor Dor 48.), and a written request from the embassy of the country the applicant intends to travel to.

(emphasis added) from http://www.immi.gov....acter-penal.pdf - scroll right down the bottom to Thailand....

I've just had my wife ring VFS Phuket, and they are refusing to budge on the requirement to submit the police check at the time of the application. Anyway, I'll ring them (the embassy) in an hour when they open. If I have someone's name at the embassy she will accept that

It probably does say that the embassy has to do it, but VFS is a type of defacto office anyway and they will definitely do it in Bangkok. You can still submit your application, it's just that it is incomplete. They will explain at VFS in Bangkok how to forward additional documents to them.

Edited August 5, 2011 by Logarhythm

[bridge]

Madivad,

You would have dealt with the courier company in Phuket contracted to deliver applications to VFS.

1. You do not need a Thai police clearance certificate to submit a valid partner visa application. Dont waste a trip to Bangkok just for this. Go back on Monday and insist they accept the application as it is. It is only a requirement under the Migration Regulations 1994 that you make a 'valid' application, and not a 'complete' application. In fact you don't even need the Form 888's at time of application. You can also provide the translations later too.

Im not saying don't not submit the best application possible, but don't waste a trip to Bangkok because of bad advice from someone who does not know what they are talking about.

Lastly, use the current forms and yes I have heard of bank drafts been rejected because of a full stop in the wrong place.

[Madivad]

Bridge, that's correct. It's hardly an agent for VFS, it is just a courier service for them.

<VFS rant>The girl is a robot and just wanted everything in front of her. I tried explaining that the police report can wait, because we have to go to bangkok. She insisted it needs to be there. So I rang the embassy, got the correct info, preferred, but by no means essential to 'lodge' the application. So I rang her back and advised her of this. That wasn't good enough, it had to be someone from VFS. I explained that it's not VFS that process this (as far as I know), but the embassy and that the embassy was fine with it. She wouldn't have a bar of it. I had to speak to someone at VFS and get confirmation... but hang on, she's the agent??

I rang VFS Bangkok and the guy there confirmed that the police report is indeed NOT required to make the submission. "Just tell the girl it's ok." I informed him she would not take it without said police report. He did add, if I had any further problems with her, to tell her to call the VFS office direct and he would put her straight.

I'm beginning to wonder, what are these people here for?</rant>

As it turns out, we need to go to her ampur anyway and get a letter from them re her birth certificate. What we have is not good enough (illegible). So we're going to go to Bangkok anyway now and do it in person.

Oh @logarythm, I asked her about the "evidencing" of the documents and would she stamp them, she had NO idea what I was talking about. Bangkok might be the way to go, or just mail it in directly to the embassy <-- we've done three tourist visas like this and didn't have a problem.

A good comment about VFS, if I didn't go in there today, I wouldn't have known about the old forms. Not that I think the embassy would have totally rejected them anyway... I've just downloaded the new one and compared it... The difference?

1. Question 82 has the wording:

In which countries have you lived for 12 months (in total) or more during the last 10 years?

Please include details for all members of your family unit included in your visa application.

and is now worded:

In which countries have you lived for 12 months (in total) or more during the last 10 years?

Please do not write ‘Nil’ or ‘N/A’. Include details for all members of your family unit included in your visa application.

Funnily enough, I had left it blank, although almost did put N/A in there, simply because it is "not applicable"

2. The checklist (Q85) where it asks about partner by marriage applicant's, before it said to include a marriage certificate (2 words), now it says:

Marriage certificate

If married in Australia: Certified copy of the Registered Marriage Certificate issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages from the state or territory in which the marriage took place

If married outside Australia: Certified copy of official document showing that the marriage is legally recognised in the country in which the marriage took place.

With these two points in mind, is this application "unacceptable"? I hardly think so. We actually do have the official marriage certificate from BDM anyway, so we were covered.

All in all, I don't see any reason why our application couldn't have been accepted today. This sort of bureaucracy is exactly why we hate bureaucracy!

Ah well, I've completed the new forms, and will just have to wait til next week to send them off.

[bridge]

Bridge, that's correct. It's hardly an agent for VFS, it is just a courier service for them.

<VFS rant>The girl is a robot and just wanted everything in front of her. I tried explaining that the police report can wait, because we have to go to bangkok. She insisted it needs to be there. So I rang the embassy, got the correct info, preferred, but by no means essential to 'lodge' the application. So I rang her back and advised her of this. That wasn't good enough, it had to be someone from VFS. I explained that it's not VFS that process this (as far as I know), but the embassy and that the embassy was fine with it. She wouldn't have a bar of it. I had to speak to someone at VFS and get confirmation... but hang on, she's the agent??

I rang VFS Bangkok and the guy there confirmed that the police report is indeed NOT required to make the submission. "Just tell the girl it's ok." I informed him she would not take it without said police report. He did add, if I had any further problems with her, to tell her to call the VFS office direct and he would put her straight.

I'm beginning to wonder, what are these people here for?</rant>

As it turns out, we need to go to her ampur anyway and get a letter from them re her birth certificate. What we have is not good enough (illegible). So we're going to go to Bangkok anyway now and do it in person.

Oh @logarythm, I asked her about the "evidencing" of the documents and would she stamp them, she had NO idea what I was talking about. Bangkok might be the way to go, or just mail it in directly to the embassy <-- we've done three tourist visas like this and didn't have a problem.

A good comment about VFS, if I didn't go in there today, I wouldn't have known about the old forms. Not that I think the embassy would have totally rejected them anyway... I've just downloaded the new one and compared it... The difference?

1. Question 82 has the wording:

In which countries have you lived for 12 months (in total) or more during the last 10 years?

Please include details for all members of your family unit included in your visa application.

and is now worded:

In which countries have you lived for 12 months (in total) or more during the last 10 years?

Please do not write ‘Nil’ or ‘N/A’. Include details for all members of your family unit included in your visa application.

Funnily enough, I had left it blank, although almost did put N/A in there, simply because it is "not applicable"

2. The checklist (Q85) where it asks about partner by marriage applicant's, before it said to include a marriage certificate (2 words), now it says:

Marriage certificate

If married in Australia: Certified copy of the Registered Marriage Certificate issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages from the state or territory in which the marriage took place

If married outside Australia: Certified copy of official document showing that the marriage is legally recognised in the country in which the marriage took place.

With these two points in mind, is this application "unacceptable"? I hardly think so. We actually do have the official marriage certificate from BDM anyway, so we were covered.

All in all, I don't see any reason why our application couldn't have been accepted today. This sort of bureaucracy is exactly why we hate bureaucracy!

Ah well, I've completed the new forms, and will just have to wait til next week to send them off.

Hi Madivad,

What a nightmare for you huh??

In answer to your PM (for the benefit of others). Applications can be lodged with VFS or sent directly to the Embassy - totally up to you. I do however find that processing is faster when lodged with VFS. I think when sent directly to the Embassy the app's spends to much time in the 'mail room'. Whilst you wouldn't notice much of a time difference with regards to a partner app, it would drag a tourist visa out well past the standard processing time of 5 working days. As much as a pain VFS can be, it does streamline the process somewhat.

[Madivad]

I think I just have one of those faces

And thanks for that, I'll use VFS in bangkok. I'll make sure I take EVRYTHING

[raymp]

In the foyer of the BKK VFS building, is a translation service.

What they will do is copy your original documents so you do not have to wait. Then translate.

Give them your VFS receipt number and they will take the documents up to VFS when translated. NO extra cost.

Make sure you translate

birth certificate

id card

passport

family book

marriage cetificate

change of name certificate

You do not need police or medical checks on application. The embassy will ask you get a medical and will give you a number to take to the hospital when they want the checks. You cannot get a medical without this number

GO to BNH hospital near the embassy. 3000 baht. NO appointment. Results are sent to the embassy. You will not see them.

Thai police take 10 days for a certificate, pick or post. Get a letter from VFS. In the police centre they take fingerprints and photo. When you get the police certificate take it to VFS and they will send it to the embassy Take you original receipt with you.

You cannot get into the embassy without an appointment.

We did all this successfully in May

Edited August 6, 2011 by raymp

[Madivad]

In the foyer of the BKK VFS building, is a translation service.

Thanks for the info. How quick are they? Same day or overnight service? and do you recall what their rates were like? Logarythm said their was one down the road (I think he said 250-300B.

I'm guessing the guys you mentioned (in the foyer) probably get a bit of business from the embassy so their rates may be a little higher.

[gburns57au]

The police clearance can also be mailed direct to the Embassy by the Police.....make sure you get a reference number.

[raymp]

I think there are 3 or 4 translation offices in the foyer so competition is hot.

Wife just told me 300 baht a document.

[Madivad]

I think there are 3 or 4 translation offices in the foyer so competition is hot.

Wife just told me 300 baht a document.

I should have realised, this is Thailand, of course there won't be ONE of anything anywhere. Sometimes it amazes me just how many individual but same shops are in one location (especially mobile phone and sim shops!)

Excellent stuff. Thanks.