Hi all,

My Thai wife is currently in the UK on a family tourist visa for 6 months which expires in August.I would like to know how soon she can apply for a settlement visa as i heard there is a a 6 month gap between applying for visas.Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

This '6 month gap' is not a rule as such, but a convention that visitors should not spend more than 6 months out of any 12 in the UK.

That's visitors, but your wife will be applying for settlement.

There is no reason why she cannot apply for a settlement visa immediately she returns to Thailand from her visit.

You can apply immediately upon her return, the rules change in July so be aware of this.

Ok thanks for the reply.What are the new visa rules then? I want my wife to come back next year in February time as i have no holidays at work left for this year and want to go out there and bring her back.Also how long is the average waiting time for a settlement visa as the family visitor only took a week to get issued?Thanks in advance.

Samsong

We have an active thread about the new rules already.

Waiting times vary throughout the year but it can take up to 90 days to process.