Uk Trip: Visit Or Family Visa?

[DannyDakota]

My girlfriend will soon be applying for a visit to UK.

We, obviously, are unmarried and have a 1 year old son (with a Thai passport and a British passport currently somewhere between Bangkok and Hong Kong) who we wish to take to UK for 6 months to see his grandparents for the first time. We will then return to live together in Thailand.

We have lived together, in my house in Thailand, for 2 years and have had Tabian Baans in our names showing this for about the last 6 months.

My parents will write a letter to indicate that we can stay with them for the whole 6 months, but we actually plan to rent a house for ourselves for 6 months. I also own property in UK which we could stay in but would prefer not to.

My girlfriend takes care of our son full time so doesn't have a job here in Thailand. I am not employed in UK and I support both of us from my investments in UK. Although I give her money every month it is irregular and sometimes in cash, sometimes into her bank account so she doesn't have much in the way of proof of funds and anyway it is only a few thousand baht a month.

She has land in Thailand but no house and no other children.

We plan to travel together to UK with our son using his British passport for entry to UK.

I have read through many pages of topics here but haven't as yet found specific answers to my questions which are these:

Would it be more likely for her to get a visitor's visa or a family visa (as her son will be in UK)?

Would waiting for our son's UK passport to arrive - and so be able to give details of it - make either visa application more successful?

How much would UK immigration like to see in her bank account to prove she can fund her visit?

Would having a credit card in her name help?

Is it better to say we are going to stay with my parents or that we are going to rent a house or that we are going to stay in my UK house?

My parents letter will include a description of their house but not proof of ownership or a plan. Would this still be useable?

Apart from not wishing to jeopardise any future visa applications what else could she say for her reasons to return?

Many thanks for any replies or links

Edited February 12, 2012 by DannyDakota

[lovelaos]

I can't answer many of your questions but heres my thoughts.

My parents letter will include a description of their house but not proof of ownership or a plan. Would this still be useable?

Yes, I did the same.

Apart from not wishing to jeopardise any future visa applications what else could she say for her reasons to return?

My wife owns land, doesn't work and has no children and this was enough as a reason to return along with the fact that I have a well paid job over here. However I was sponsering her. It seems you are not.

Would it be more likely for her to get a visitor's visa or a family visa (as her son will be in UK)?

I'm not sure on this one as you are not married. My wife applied for a family visit visa to visit her mother in law (my mother)

[Basil B]

For a visit visa she will have to demonstrate:

• Reason for visit
  
• Ability to fund and meet cost of living
  
• Access to suitable accommodation
  
• Reason to return
  

Q. Would it be more likely for her to get a visitor's visa or a family visa (as her son will be in UK)?

A1. As your son will be traveling with you and is not a permanent resident in the UK, I would say she needs to apply as a general visitor, but she should detail her relationship to you and the purpose of the visit such as meet your family & friends, tour the UK.

Q2. Would waiting for our son's UK passport to arrive - and so be able to give details of it - make either visa application more successful?

A2. Do not know but would say she needs to write that her son will be traveling too, I am sure they can check your sons status as a UK citizen if needed.

Q3. How much would UK immigration like to see in her bank account to prove she can fund her visit?

A3. Showing money in a bank account is just one way of proving she has access to funds, proving your relationship, your willingness and ability to provide for her is another.

Q4. Would having a credit card in her name help?

A4. Maybe a few brownie points, but a overdraft facility on her bank account would be just the same, just means the banks trust her.

Q5. Is it better to say we are going to stay with my parents or that we are going to rent a house or that we are going to stay in my UK house?

A5. Rule #1, tell the truth, your parents offer is a fall back, the fact that you intend to rent privately should also be stated and you are keeping options open, then any other information she gives would not contradict this.

Q6. My parents letter will include a description of their house but not proof of ownership or a plan. Would this still be usable?

A6. Details of accommodation in your case maybe important, I am sure many applications have seceded, but also probable others have failed without the sponsors proving ownership or landlord approval, as for a plan again I do not know how important it would be but maybe a rough Sketch showing approximate dimensions of rooms available for your exclusive use.

Q7. Apart from not wishing to jeopardies any future visa applications what else could she say for her reasons to return?

A7.It would not just jeopardies future applications but this one also if she does not give very convincing reasons and intention to return and this probably is your/her biggest hurdle to overcome in in the application process.

Proving your commitment to her and her proving her commitment to you, and you are a family unit and your need to return to Thailand could help, biggest problem you have is convincing the ECO that after six months she will return.

Hope this goes someway to answering your questions, and others can provide more information.

The most important thing is to provide truthful information in your application and she covers the four criteria's listed at the top, in the end it is down to the ECO after considering all the information she provides and other information available to them.

Best of Luck

Basil

[beano2274]

My thoughts

Would it be more likely for her to get a visitor's visa or a family visa (as her son will be in UK)? Her son will only be in the UK with her, she should apply for a visitors visa.

Would waiting for our son's UK passport to arrive - and so be able to give details of it - make either visa application more successful? Just cause the son is British it does not help the application, the application is her's not your sons.

How much would UK immigration like to see in her bank account to prove she can fund her visit? No set rule, although 6months is a long time. Remember to ask for the visa to be post dated to the date you leave and not the day of application, as then she will not have the time period you want in the UK, I use the figure of around 12GBP per day.

Would having a credit card in her name help? My wife has many credit cards, the Embassy do not care about them at all.

Is it better to say we are going to stay with my parents or that we are going to rent a house or that we are going to stay in my UK house? I would ask the parents for a letter, if you actually stay there is irrelevant, my wife got a visa issued using my uncles house, but we stayed somewhere different, I phoned UKBA to tell them, they were not interested.

My parents letter will include a description of their house but not proof of ownership or a plan. Would this still be useable? I had a letter confirming payment from my mums account to the Building Society.

Apart from not wishing to jeopardise any future visa applications what else could she say for her reasons to return? That is gonna be your problem.

Changed the OPs questions into Red for ease of answering.

[theoldgit]

If you have been living in a relationship akin to marriage for two years or more, which it seems you have, then your girlfriend could apply for a family visa, it's the same burden of proof as a standard visit visa but carries the right of appeal.

I think her biggest problem could be the intended length of the trip, six months is an awful long holiday, the ECO might think, rightly or wrongly, that your girlfriend is using the visit visa route to circumnavigate the settlement requirements.

[DannyDakota]

Apart from not wishing to jeopardise any future visa applications what else could she say for her reasons to return?

My wife owns land, doesn't work and has no children and this was enough as a reason to return along with the fact that I have a well paid job over here. However I was sponsering her. It seems you are not.

Thanks for you reply.

Is sponsoring just a question of writing a letter "I will sponsor Yingluck on her trip to UK .... " giving details of finance, accommodation and relationship then provide bank statements and include with the application?

Or am I missing something?

[DannyDakota]

How much would UK immigration like to see in her bank account to prove she can fund her visit? No set rule, although 6months is a long time. Remember to ask for the visa to be post dated to the date you leave and not the day of application, as then she will not have the time period you want in the UK, I use the figure of around 12GBP per day.

cheers for the reply

Where did you get the £12/day figure from?

I have just read elsewhere that for a spouse visa they want finances to be above the minimum level at which someone could apply for income support which apparently is £105 per week after accommodation costs, so it would seem to tie in with your figure.

[lekatai]

Your G/F should apply for a "Family visit visa" as #5 says,using either your relationship with her as a basis for this-if you qualify (2 years out of the last 3) and/OR her relationship with your son.It doesn't matter that (as #3 and #4 say-both incorrectly)-your son is traveling with you and isn't a permanent resident in the UK.The relationship is such (mother/son) that it qualifies her to apply for a FVV The fact that your son (and yourself,if you qualify) are traveling with her and aren't resident in the UK is irrelevant .I would think it would be better to wait until your sons passport arrives,so you can put the details on the application.We were in a very similar position to yourself ,and our sons passport only took about 2 weeks to arrive

[lovelaos]

Apart from not wishing to jeopardise any future visa applications what else could she say for her reasons to return?

My wife owns land, doesn't work and has no children and this was enough as a reason to return along with the fact that I have a well paid job over here. However I was sponsering her. It seems you are not.

Thanks for you reply.

Is sponsoring just a question of writing a letter "I will sponsor Yingluck on her trip to UK .... " giving details of finance, accommodation and relationship then provide bank statements and include with the application?

Or am I missing something?

Yes, I wrote a letter with financial status etc. I see this as helping with reason to return isuues as she is financially dependant on you. Of course this thiery only works if you have a reason to return also.

[NanLaew]

Yes, I wrote a letter with financial status etc. I see this as helping with reason to return issues as she is financially dependent on you. Of course this theory only works if you have a reason to return also.

This was the clincher with my Thai wife's two successful visa applications as I am living in Thailand and working either in Thailand and the far east. Hence her stated reason to return to Thailand was bolstered by being tied to the chosen domicile, work and travel plans (and wallet!) of her husband. What sort of Thai visa is the OP on? It may be a harder sell for his girlfriend being unmarried and claiming to be in a relationship with a foreign 'Tourist' for her stated reason to return to Thailand.

Edited February 15, 2012 by NanLaew

[DannyDakota]

Yes, I wrote a letter with financial status etc. I see this as helping with reason to return issues as she is financially dependent on you. Of course this theory only works if you have a reason to return also.

This was the clincher with my Thai wife's two successful visa applications as I am living in Thailand and working either in Thailand and the far east. Hence her stated reason to return to Thailand was bolstered by being tied to the chosen domicile, work and travel plans (and wallet!) of her husband. What sort of Thai visa is the OP on? It may be a harder sell for his girlfriend being unmarried and claiming to be in a relationship with a foreign 'Tourist' for her stated reason to return to Thailand.

Unfortunately, from this point of view, I neither work nor own a business here. I am on a non-imm O and proving our relationship won't be a problem, I don't think. But I don't have a compelling reason to be here apart from I like it and have a house.

It looks like we will have to go with something along the lines of : I have land and a house which is our home; GF has land and wants to build a house; buying land for business; her family are elderly and need their only child; want our son to grow up in Thailand etc.

Stupid thing is, all of the above is true and we/she has no intention of staying in UK.

[NanLaew]

Yes, I wrote a letter with financial status etc. I see this as helping with reason to return issues as she is financially dependent on you. Of course this theory only works if you have a reason to return also.

This was the clincher with my Thai wife's two successful visa applications as I am living in Thailand and working either in Thailand and the far east. Hence her stated reason to return to Thailand was bolstered by being tied to the chosen domicile, work and travel plans (and wallet!) of her husband. What sort of Thai visa is the OP on? It may be a harder sell for his girlfriend being unmarried and claiming to be in a relationship with a foreign 'Tourist' for her stated reason to return to Thailand.

Unfortunately, from this point of view, I neither work nor own a business here. I am on a non-imm O and proving our relationship won't be a problem, I don't think. But I don't have a compelling reason to be here apart from I like it and have a house.

It looks like we will have to go with something along the lines of : I have land and a house which is our home; GF has land and wants to build a house; buying land for business; her family are elderly and need their only child; want our son to grow up in Thailand etc.

Stupid thing is, all of the above is true and we/she has no intention of staying in UK.

The Non-O is better than a Tourist and I assume it has been issued because you have family in Thailand. Thus, the only difference between my wife's applications and your girlfriends is we are married and I also had a letter from my agency saying that I live and work in the area. I was on a Non-O during her first successful application, we have a son and my father provided the letter guaranteeing a roof over our heads, just like yours. Just make sure the application is as honest and earnest as possible and hope there's someone with more than just the medulla oblongata connected reviewing her application.

Good luck!

[DannyDakota]

Many thanks to all those who posted replies.

I am happy to report that GF got her type C visa (to visit family) today.

Maybe of some help to future applicants:

I wrote quite a detailed sponsor's letter that broadly followed the template kindly supplied by someone above giving reasons/background/proof of relationship, accommodation, finances (hers and mine) and creative reasons for her to return (mainly hopes and plans for the future rather than anything concrete, need to take care of her family, owning land, desire to bring up our son in Thailand).

I included photos, emails, documents, bank statements, bills etc.

GF also wrote a letter explaining why she wanted to go, where she would stay, how much money she has and why she would return to Thailand.

When she handed in the application she was asked why she wanted to go and she said to visit my mother.

Unfortunately I can't confirm what were the reasons she was granted the visa, if it was a combination of all of the above, because we have a very young son, or simply because whoever assessed it was just in a good mood that day !