So thanks to the great info on this site my girlfriends UK Visitot visa was approved .

Just a quick query, on the visa it says it is active from today for 180 days. In the itinery and sponsor letter we said she would come for a week in 1.5 weeks time. I'm due to fly back in 0.5 weeks and didn't expect this to be approved so quickly.

Would it be a bad idea for her to fly back with me a week earlier than we said?

Also the visa is multiple entry for 180 days, again would it be a bad idea if she wanted to stay a little longer? The plan was to say 9 weeks in the letter then reapply after she had gone back.

Thoughts?

Sorry, one other thing, do I need to book her a return flight? The ticket prices seem totally nuts for that, we are talking £3,000!!! Granted the outbound flight is short notice but compared to my usual £6-700 ticket that's crazy. If so I might look at different airlines for outbound and inbound ...

Edited April 3, 201214 yr by jojo90

No problem with travelling earlier. The visa is still valid. She can stay as long as she likes within the visa period but there might just be questions asked for future visas if the stay is well outside the original expected dates without explanation.

I would be surprised if this was a major problem in reality.

There is a 'convention' that visits should not be for more than six months out of any year. This is not immigration law but is guidance given to ECO's. This, again might be an issue for future visa applications.

They like return tickets and the airline might insist on it to reduce the risk of an applicant being refused entry on arrival. The only time my wife traveled with a single ticket all hell broke loose at Heathrow so my advice would be to go for a return ticket. Flights are generally much cheaper bought in the UK but not so flexible if you need to change the dates.

I suspect the strong Baht makes the prices high but shop around because there are some better deals around.

Edited April 3, 201214 yr by bobrussell

No problem with travelling earlier. The visa is still valid. She can stay as long as she likes within the visa period but there might just be questions asked for future visas if the stay is well outside the original expected dates without explanation.

I would be surprised if this was a major problem in reality.

There is a 'convention' that visits should not be for more than six months out of any year. This is not immigration law but is guidance given to ECO's. This, again might be an issue for future visa applications.

They like return tickets and the airline might insist on it to reduce the risk of an applicant being refused entry on arrival. The only time my wife traveled with a single ticket all hell broke loose at Heathrow so my advice would be to go for a return ticket. Flights are generally much cheaper bought in the UK but not so flexible if you need to change the dates.

I suspect the strong Baht makes the prices high but shop around because there are some better deals around.

Brilliant - many thanks. I will have a play around with the dates for the return flight to see if something better comes up .

There is nothing in the immigration rules to say that visitors to the UK must have a return or onward ticket. However, if questioned by an immigration officer at her port of entry she must be able to show that she either has one or access to the funds (hers, yours or someone else's) with which to purchase one. (Immigration rules Para 41(vii))

But, as Bob says, many airline check in staff are unfamiliar with the UK immigration rules and so may insist on her buying a return ticket before allowing her to board; if this happens insist on speaking to a supervisor who does know the rules; but even that may not work.

As her visa is multi entry she can use it to enter the UK as often and for as long as she likes during it's validity. However, as Bob says, if staying for longer, or more often, than stated in her application then a brief explanation of why in her next application should avoid any possible awkward questions or difficulties.

The 'no more than 6 months out of 12' convention can be overcome if the applicant has a strong enough reason for needing to visit the UK more often; but, to be blunt, I fear that wishing to spend more time with a UK resident boyfriend will not be considered such and instead be seen as an attempt to by-pass the settlement rules.

It can be cheaper to book her an return flight, ba.com is about £900 you can select cheaper days too