Tourist Visa To Australia For Thai Wife

[TongueThaied]

I am an American expat living in Thailand with a Thai wife. We would like to travel to Australia for a week to 10 days as tourists in October 2012. My wife is a school teacher currently employed by the governement (she's a government officer) and has been so employed for over 28 years. She owns property, vehicles and bank accounts. Is getting a tourist visa in this time frame reasonbaly possible?

It would be virtually impossible to get a similar visa to the US in such short time.

[simple1]

I suspect that your wife will be considered low risk based on the profile your have provided. You will be pleasantly surprised for the tourist visa processing times go to:

http://www.immi.gov....r/visas/1.0.htm

Edited August 10, 2012 by simple1

[TongueThaied]

I suspect that your wife will be considered low risk based on the profile your have provided. You will be pleasantly surprised for the tourist visa processing times go to:

http://www.immi.gov....r/visas/1.0.htm

Thanks! Actually, she's classified as "high risk" simplpy becasue she's Thai. To be low risk, you have to be from an ETA approved country and Thailand is not one of them. But even so, the link you pointed me towards says about one month for a high risk, non-sponored applicant currently outside Australia. So that's not bad, and it's a helluva lot better than the US.

Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.

And, YES, I am pleasantly surprised!

Edited August 10, 2012 by TongueThaied

[secretariat]

Hmm, quite a difference in advertised processing times for a Thai resident applying for an Australian Tourist Visa with a sponsor.

http://www.immi.gov.au/about/charters/client-services-charter/visas/1.0.htm

The Australian immigration website states for High Risk (Thailand - not ETA eligible) sponsored tourist visa - 1.5 Months

http://www.vfs-au.net/visitor_processingtime.html

The VFS website states for Thai Passport holders applying for a tourist visa only 5 to 7 days

[TongueThaied]

Wow, as I drill deeper, it's not looking good. They want "certified" documents and what is that in Thailand? It may require a trip to the Australian embassy in BKK and that is simply not possible. My wife is teaching. It is enough to get away for the trip. She can't just keep taking off more and more days. Also a letter from the Thai government giving her permssion to travel is part of the application. That could take a month by itself. It must be a bitch to be a citizen of a developing nation wanting to travel. If you are poor, forget it. If you are rich, just hire a lawyer to take care of everything, but if you're in the middle, bend over.

I'm guessing an absolute minimum of 1.5 months. That would put me out close to October 1st, and I have to risk buying airplane tickets and maybe not get the visa in time. But with the required letter from the Thai government, we might be looking at 2.5 months. I guess it ain't gonna happen. I should have started six months ago. It's just that I always forget that my wife is treated as a lesser person than me, even though she is much more than I'll ever be.

[yankee99]

I suspect that your wife will be considered low risk based on the profile your have provided. You will be pleasantly surprised for the tourist visa processing times go to:

http://www.immi.gov....r/visas/1.0.htm

Thanks! Actually, she's classified as "high risk" simplpy becasue she's Thai. To be low risk, you have to be from an ETA approved country and Thailand is not one of them. But even so, the link you pointed me towards says about one month for a high risk, non-sponored applicant currently outside Australia. So that's not bad, and it's a helluva lot better than the US.

Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.

And, YES, I am pleasantly surprised!

tourist visa to the usa are very quick if approved

I also looked at the modified return rate and thailand statistics are very good and comparable too many developed countries. www.immi.gov.au/media/statistics/visitor.htm

Edited August 10, 2012 by yankee99

[ripstanley]

I suggest that you , if you have not already done so, apply for an ETA. As a citizen of the USA you can. Then you apply through VFS for a visa for your wife. You also submit a letter from you stating the following.

Where you want to travel to and what you want to see in Australia This will also include dates

Include a copy of your marriage certificate

Include a copy of drivers licences or any other evidence of residence in Thailand.

Copy of her teachers contract.

Go onto the Immigration website and download the visa application. Then fill it in. This will save time at VFS

If you do this I think the visa will be granted very quickly.

I am Australian and applied for a visa for my girlfriend at the time ( now wife) and after a phone call from the embassy and more documents lodged it was approved within 7 days from initial logement.

[simple1]

Wow, as I drill deeper, it's not looking good. They want "certified" documents and what is that in Thailand? It may require a trip to the Australian embassy in BKK and that is simply not possible. My wife is teaching. It is enough to get away for the trip. She can't just keep taking off more and more days. Also a letter from the Thai government giving her permssion to travel is part of the application. That could take a month by itself. It must be a bitch to be a citizen of a developing nation wanting to travel. If you are poor, forget it. If you are rich, just hire a lawyer to take care of everything, but if you're in the middle, bend over.

I'm guessing an absolute minimum of 1.5 months. That would put me out close to October 1st, and I have to risk buying airplane tickets and maybe not get the visa in time. But with the required letter from the Thai government, we might be looking at 2.5 months. I guess it ain't gonna happen. I should have started six months ago. It's just that I always forget that my wife is treated as a lesser person than me, even though she is much more than I'll ever be.

For the letter confirming her job and application for leave, can't your wife obtain from the school principal?

[TongueThaied]

Thanks for all the replies. I can get an ETA visa almost instantly, so will wait for that until after my wife gets a visa. If she can't get one, then I won't go. I'll get a letter from her principal in Thai and English that verifies both her current employment and her intent to continue, along with permission to travel. She has no contract; she's ratchakan (a government officer).

I'll give it a shot and see what happens.

[UbonOz]

Do you have relations/friends in Oz?

If you do, an invite letter and copy of their passport will help the application.

[secretariat]

Why does your wife need a letter from the Thai government giving her permission to travel?

I know this comes into play for a working visa, but if she's only applying for a tourist visa why is this required?

[simple1]

Why does your wife need a letter from the Thai government giving her permission to travel?

I know this comes into play for a working visa, but if she's only applying for a tourist visa why is this required?

A slight misunderstanding, the letter requirement is from her employer, a school (Thai government agency) to confirm her employment status and holiday leave request. Tourists from some countries, due to overstays, need to document compelling reason/s to return to their home country. Thailand is one such country

Edited August 11, 2012 by simple1

[spacebass]

I have done this as UK citizen and Thai wife, I did not send certified copies of chanutes etc but stated we were willing to bring originals to Embassy at short notice. I think certified copies might be for bigger visas than tourist. I would send some original pay slips as well as car documents and chanutes. Could send originals EMS and provide return stamped envelope, (Not that the people in the Post Office knew what that was !!) and letter from anyone you are visiting.

The biggest problem I had (which made it feel far worse than it was) was the Australian Embassy phoning up my wife and her not answering the call because all the calls she normally gets from Bangkok are sales people canvassing and the Embassy not following up the unanswered call with an email, which is what I was actually monitoring.

If i had not twigged those phone calls all would have been lost ! So watch out for that one.

Good Luck and its not as bad as it reads.