Hi there

I want to take my Thai GF to UK for a couple of weeks in June or July. Apparently there are companies that can assist with the application and offer a few pointers? I notice Thai Visa have a company that offer this service but they are based in pattaya. I was hoping there would be an office in Bangkok somwehere that we could go to? Any suggestions?

Thanks

TLS

The only two companies I know enough about to feel confident recommending are the two that sponsor this forum; Thai Visa Express and Visa Plus.

Both of whom would agree, I'm sure, that your girlfriend will either meet the criteria for a visa or she wont and no agent can change that. What an agent can do is advise on what is required and how to prepare the application to show that the criteria are indeed met.

I suggest that before engaging an agent that you read this topic first.

Have a read of UK Visit Visa Basics and you may find that you can do it without the help of an agent.

Hello mate

visa agencies are an option but in my opinion you can save yourself a lot of money by putting the application together yourself.

There is lots of good, free advice to be found on the internet, but I thoroughly recommend this site

thailand-uk.com

I used this website to find templates to copy when writing a letter of support for my wife's visa application, and if you have any questions, you can post a comment and someone will always answer you with the information you need.

I didn't want to post my comments on the open through risk of starting an argument between members about the merits of using a visa agent or not.

I can see both sides, but if your application is a straightforward one, where you and the wife/GF easily meet all of the requirements, then there really is no need to use a visa agent, you honestly could put it all together yourself.

Some agents will charge you anywhere from 30,000 baht minimum, including the Pattaya ones. I don't have any idea of specific Bangkok agents, but I have heard some horror stories about a couple of Thai owned agents.

Friends of my wife told her they had used several agents in BKK. One paid about 120,000 baht! That is extortionate.

Please take a look at thailand-uk.com. I've got nothing to gain from it, I'm not a sponsor of the forum or a visa agent, but I just don't like the idea of anyone having to pay through the nose, or at all, for a service from a visa agent which you could honestly do yourself.

You'll need to write a letter of support, basically sponsoring your GF/wife. Examples of these can be found on thailand-uk. Then you'll have to provide evidence of:

1. Your finances - basically you have a job or savings that will help support you and the wife in the UK

2. Your home or accomodation - you have to show you can provide somewhere for her to live in the UK, either your own home or with a family who agree to it

3. Your relationship -you'll need to prove your relationship is genuine, and not a marriage of convenience just to get her into the UK

For all of these 3 points what you'll need is supporting evidence - letters, bills, bank statements, mortgage statement/rent agreement statement. Photographs of you and the wife together, receipts from where you might have sent the wife money, hotel receipts from holidays you've taken together.

All of these things are easily in your possession already, or can be put together already. All a visa agent will do for his money is ask you put the same stuff together then hand it to him, so he can assemble it in a folder or whatever.

Good luck with the application.

If you think there may be some problems then use an agency, they usually know all the pitfalls and can help you overcome them. I used Thaivisa express in Pattaya for my wife's holiday a couple of years ago and am currently using them to get her settlement visa. The cost is around £800 and Paul is a down to earth guy. If you live a distance away you can deal with the majority of it over the phone or e-mail

£800 for an agent, plus another £800ish for the visa itself. Ouch.

If you think there may be some problems then use an agency, they usually know all the pitfalls and can help you overcome them. I used Thaivisa express in Pattaya for my wife's holiday a couple of years ago and am currently using them to get her settlement visa. The cost is around £800 and Paul is a down to earth guy. If you live a distance away you can deal with the majority of it over the phone or e-mail

Fees for Tourist visas are nowhere near that amount settlement visa applications are 30/35 k.All tourist visas are taken on a no win no professional fee basis (email me if required).

It makes no difference most of our applicants are based all over Thailand they simply post the documents to us once the application is ready we meet them in Bangkok for submission etc.

Hello mate

visa agencies are an option but in my opinion you can save yourself a lot of money by putting the application together yourself.

There is lots of good, free advice to be found on the internet, but I thoroughly recommend this site

thailand-uk.com

I used this website to find templates to copy when writing a letter of support for my wife's visa application, and if you have any questions, you can post a comment and someone will always answer you with the information you need.

I didn't want to post my comments on the open through risk of starting an argument between members about the merits of using a visa agent or not.

I can see both sides, but if your application is a straightforward one, where you and the wife/GF easily meet all of the requirements, then there really is no need to use a visa agent, you honestly could put it all together yourself.

Some agents will charge you anywhere from 30,000 baht minimum, including the Pattaya ones. I don't have any idea of specific Bangkok agents, but I have heard some horror stories about a couple of Thai owned agents.

Friends of my wife told her they had used several agents in BKK. One paid about 120,000 baht! That is extortionate.

Please take a look at thailand-uk.com. I've got nothing to gain from it, I'm not a sponsor of the forum or a visa agent, but I just don't like the idea of anyone having to pay through the nose, or at all, for a service from a visa agent which you could honestly do yourself.

You'll need to write a letter of support, basically sponsoring your GF/wife. Examples of these can be found on thailand-uk. Then you'll have to provide evidence of:

1. Your finances - basically you have a job or savings that will help support you and the wife in the UK

2. Your home or accomodation - you have to show you can provide somewhere for her to live in the UK, either your own home or with a family who agree to it

3. Your relationship -you'll need to prove your relationship is genuine, and not a marriage of convenience just to get her into the UK

For all of these 3 points what you'll need is supporting evidence - letters, bills, bank statements, mortgage statement/rent agreement statement. Photographs of you and the wife together, receipts from where you might have sent the wife money, hotel receipts from holidays you've taken together.

All of these things are easily in your possession already, or can be put together already. All a visa agent will do for his money is ask you put the same stuff together then hand it to him, so he can assemble it in a folder or whatever.

Good luck with the application.

Not sure why you feel it necessary to suggest another (commercial site). All the required information is already on this forum. Look at:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/525924-uk-visa-and-citizenship-basics/

Check the visit visa section and ask questions here if necessary. If you feel the application may be a problem then use a good agent. If not do it yourself!

Many forum members have been through the system successfully!

I'm sure plenty of people have used this forum successfully, Bob. I'm one of them

There is a great deal of useful information to be found on the internet as a whole, not just Thaivisa.com. The more information for the OP, the better, surely?

Advocating the use of just one visa forum for advice is a bit short sighted.

I can't see why you find it so strange of me also mentioning thailand-uk.com????

Please note that discussion on the pros and cons of this forum versus another has nothing to do with the use of visa agents and so further discussion on those lines will be deleted as off topic.

The gentleman from Visa Plus (after reading alot of this forum) seems to be very well respected. If I needed an agent, I would ask him. However, there is a gentleman named Bangcockney (cool name) who seems to have worked for the UKBA for a very long time and, it seems, is a professional. He helps alot and provides very good answers.

Just read this forum first though, they are mainly good and knowledgeable especially if you are one of them (an older farang gentleman).

Off topic post deleted.

It depends on you gut feeling, if you think the visa might not be approved if you do it yourself then get an agent.

You have to supply good reasons for your GF returning to Thailand, I don't understand why people post things about sponsorship but forget the main topic (the willingness or need to return to Thailand).

There are many stories on this forum about agents, I must say I read their comments and posts and they seem to be above board and very capable of getting the required result.

But, for me, I do the applications myself and my wife has received 2 and my Mother In Law one.

A good application with the correct requirements is all that is needed, try it yourself, ask the questions here in this topic and you will get all the assistance you need.