Settlement Or Vistors Visa

[tonyteenai]

hi

just after alittle advice regarding visas for the uk

i'll give you some background to my situation....

ive been with my thai g/f for 13 months now, visited her on 3 occasions and lived together in thailand for a month, we are the same age, i own my house, have savings, in full time employment earning a decent enough wage.

she doesnt own land, a house or have savings, she works but doesnt have fulltime employment.

i want her to visit the uk this year, which visa should we apply for?

we do intend to marry, but before we do i want her to visit the uk, see if she likes it over here, last thing i want to do is marry her and find that she cant settle in the uk.

does anyone have any idea if she would be refused entry on a vistors visa, due to fact that she doesnt have fulltime employment (hence not having a reason to return to thailand). or would it be better to apply for a settlement visa (showing more commitment) and see how the relationship works out over here?

we can provide evidence of our relationship, photos, letters, phone bills dating back to when we first met, and i can provide the bank statements, payslips and get a letter from my employer proving i work etc.

any advice would be most helpful

thanks

[the scouser]

If only a visit is intended, then I wouldn't recommend applying for a settlement visa at this stage. Apply for whichever visa governs the category in which your g/f wishes to seek entry. I accept that, given the circumstances you've described, she does not appear to have an incentive to return to Thailand but I wouldn't set out to deceive the visa officer about your intentions.

I would provide a covering letter which concentrates on the positives of your relationship; i.e. the length of time you've known her and the depth of feelings you have for each other, adding that the primary purpose of the visit is to enable her to establish whether she likes the UK. If she does, your g/f will return to Thailand and then seek a settlement visa.

Cheers,

Scouse.

[silomfan]

I don't think you will get a vv .. many recent posts on this forum were refused where the circumstances were better than yours.. and although you have a longish relationship there is no reason at all for her to return is there? Personally i don't like this "reason to return" clause , but the fact is its there and you have to satisfy it .

And surely from what you say, you don't yet qualify for the settlement visa anyway.

Looks tricky to me

SILOMFAN

[GU22]

A settlement visa is so she can travel to the UK to settle, i.e. marry and live with you. Only do this if you are both 100% certain that this is what you want. If still not sure, then a visit visa is the best option for you.

As Scouse says, write a covering letter detailing the length of the relationship, when you met, how many times you've visited her etc. Provide a small portfolio of photos of the two of you together taken at different times and locations. Evidence of contact is crucial; phone records, e-mail headers etc.

If the ECO is satisfied that the relationship, and therefore the reason for the visit, is genuine then s/he will be less concerned about a concrete reason to return. In other words; if she comes across as a credible applicant then the ECO will trust her. Many people in your situation have successfully applied for visit visas.

Finally, to emphasise something Scouse said, do not be tempted to lie or try and hide anything. For example, if you met in a bar say so. If the ECO catches her in a lie, and they almost certainly will, then all credibility flies out the window along with her chance of a visa.

Best of luck.

[tonyteenai]

hi all

thanks for the advice so far!

if we apply for the vistors visa and she gets a refusal, will it have any bearing on reapplying in a month or so for the settlement visa?

we are engaged...she has the ring on her finger now!! ive just returned from thailand 4 days ago, and as i said in my first post we do intend to marry, possibly in the uk in september (if she can get a visa) the only issue for me is can my girlfriend settle in the uk, its a big move to leave your family behind and try to live in another country.

also...should my g/f write a letter too to submit with the application? and can she write it in thai? although she speaks very good english, her writing in english isnt as good, i think she will be able to write a better account of our relationship if she can write in thai. will this be a problem?

sorry if iam asking questions that have been asked before!

regards.

[the scouser]

A visitor can no longer get married in the UK unless their visit visa was specifically issued for the purpose of allowing them to marry. The holder of a fiancé(e) visa is allowed to marry in the UK, with the expectation that following the wedding they will remain in the UK.

If your fiancée is refused a visit visa and shortly afterwards applies for a settlement visa, the visa officer might be suspicious of the timing of the application, but whether this results in refusal would depend upon the circumstances of the application in their entirety.

With regards to a covering letter, it'd be better if you were to write it and then give it to your fiancée to take with her when she lodges her application.

Scouse.