Thai And English Passport For Son - Visa App

[BusyBee123]

On my last trip I think I messed up as we were of the opinion we could get my son a british passport through the usual way (going to the embassy with the correct docs and them sending it to hong kong and back in approx 6 weeks) but after talking to people they said we should get my son a thai passport first and then the british passport after as he would lose his thai citizenship (is this correct?). Well we managed to get the thai passport done in bangkok (in and out in 20 mins the brits could learn from the efficient system they have) but it took a week to arrive at my girlfriends home by which time i had gone back home to the uk.

It is therefore going to be a double visa application for my girlfriend and son for travel to the uk in March next year. She has been to the UK before on a visa but now doesn't work because she has my son, so i'm thinking reason to return maybe a tough one as they really want to see employment, i will be going to thailand to see her and return with my son and again return with her and my son to thailand in early september, all flights will have been booked and paid for.. do you think it will be refused on the grounds of insufficient reason to return? We have been together 4.5 years which has already been documented on the previous visa application...

Is my sons application the same as my girlfriends ie a visitor visa? What the heck do you write on this for reason to return? he will be returning with his mother... Will I be able to get him a british passport in the uk while he is here and if so can i state this on the visa application?

Would it be better to pop across for a week at christmas and sort out his british passport from thailand and save the hassle of his visa application, do you have to go to the embassy in person ie could i send my passport to thailand and she bring it to the british embassy with the rest of the docs for a british passport or do i have to be there in person? (yeah i know this is probably a stupid and risky option but i thought i'd ask anyway)

Thanks for any replies

ps does anyone have any screen grabs of the online visa process as the questions are slightly different to the old paper visa which some countries still apply on.

Edited October 23, 2012 by BusyBee123

[7by7]

Whoever told you that obtaining a British passport for your son would adversely effect his Thai citizenship was wrong; both countries allow dual nationality.

He, or rather you, can apply for his British passport whilst he is in the UK as a visitor, provided you have a UK address for the passport to be sent to. For a guide to the procedure, see Get a passport for your child.

If he does not have a British passport before arriving in the UK then he cannot enter the UK on his Thai passport unless he has the appropriate visa. So unless you do obtain him a British passport first he will need to apply at the same time as his mother, and pay the same fee.

You may find UK Visit Visa Basics helpful

Even if there is no 'concrete' reason to return, many people have obtained a UK visit visa based upon the strength of their relationship with their sponsor. If the ECO believes the relationship to be genuine then they will also believe that the applicant would not want to jeopardies future applications, such as settlement, by overstaying or otherwise breaching the conditions of a visit visa

So write a strong sponsor's letter explaining the history of your relationship, how she lives in Thailand without working, and provide evidence of any monies you send her to support herself and the child, and explain what your future plans are and why she and you son do not at this time wish to settle in the UK.

[BusyBee123]

Briliant, 7by7 you are a legend