Just an enquiry about the numbers of visitors Visas allowed to enable my Thai girlfriend to come to the UK.

Someone told me that the number is only two, and want some advice please.

My Thai girlfriend came to the UK in March last year the Visa agent applied stating that she was to be in the UK for only a three week holiday, but she stayed for five months, her Visa that was granted was a six months multi entry Visa, which is the normal visitor’s Visa, she didn’t overstay and went back to Thailand before her Visa expired.

I want her to come to the UK again this year again for probably the duration of her Visa, is there a limit as to how many Visas she can obtain.

Someone told me she can only get two Visas, someone else told me she can get one in a twelve month period.

Can someone please advise.

The 6 months in 12 is a "convention" rather than a rule.

However, I doubt if the ECO will grant a visa if they think your girlfriend is a "perpetual tourist".

It would be interesting to learn from TVE or Visaplus how many V/V's are "allowed"? Or more pertinently, how many times can a "visitor" stay for 6 months and get another V/V?

Visit visa's are just that...for a "visit" not as a backdoor way to part-time settlement.

RAZZ

Picking up on what the two posters above wrote.

If your gf stays more then 6 months in 12, or 1 year in 2 in the UK, she is 'living' in the UK more then she is 'living' in Thailand.

As RAZZELL said

Visit visa's are just that...for a "visit" not as a backdoor way to part-time settlement

There probably no mandatory number of 'visit' Visas a tourist can get however the officials, who make the decisions, might identify a pattern of staying in your country which is closer to a de facto settlement rather then purley visiting, thus declining a 'visit' Visa or suggesting another type is Visa is more appropriate.

David48

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VAT1.5 Frequency and duration of visits

Oppong (visitor:length of stay) Ghana [2011] UKUT 431 (IAC) (11 November 2011)

The OPPONG judgment is excellent, and sums up the situation nicely.

There is no limit on the number of visit visas that can be applied for. As long as you bear in mind that the ECO , and perhaps the immigration officer on arrival in the UK, will be looking to show that you are not a visitor to the UK if you are spending a lot of time there. Many couples spend 6 months of each year in UK and Thailand. Some apply for a new visa each year, some have 2 year or 5 year visas. There are no rights or wrongs, just common sense.

How does a 2 year Visa work and what is it called ?

Many Thanks

My Wife has visited the UK over the last 4 years on Visitors Visas (i.e. as a tourist), 6 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years.

Upon each visit we only stayed a few weeks, however upon departing the UK the passport is not stamped, so I wonder when issuing another visa how they check or know how long she stayed for last time. Unless there is some form of electronic monitoring system which notes when they leave the UK, identifies the duration of stay and is linked to the UK embassy in Bangkok.

Its not a good idea to lie, if you state "holiday for 3 weeks" and then she stays 6 months.

Yes its perfectly legal etc to use a 6 month visa but it can raise problems as to what else you may be lying about on any future application.

It does ask the question on the application form about previous travel, dates and duration, so they will know if you said one thing and done another.