Tourist Visa

[twix38]

We plan to apply for a tourist visa on my visit in April 2006

I have a couple of questions, please

Will the request be granted or declined on the same day we go to hand in our paperwork?

My Fiancee has stayed in the UK once before on a Settlement visa, arriving 6th March 2005 and returned to Thailand in late August 2005, all within the visa dates. We did not get married. Will this be a problem in applying for a tourist visa?

What do we need to provide and what rules governing the likelyhood of success are different to our Settlement visa above?

When is the best time to apply? We are interested in a 1 to 2 months stay maximum (a 6 month visa is fine, if that is what is generally issued) with my Fiancee arriving around end of May 2006.

What are our chances of success realistically? I am in employment, financially secure and assume it should be possible to have a month or 2 holiday together in the UK?

Any other advice in preparing our application?

Many thanks

[the scouser]

Hi Twix,

The embassy undertakes as far as possible to determine non-settlement applications on the date they're made.

You should provide evidence of your ability to pay for the holiday and accommodate your girlfriend whilst she's in the UK. Additionally, you will have to supply evidence of contact between the 2 of you since she has returned to Thailand. Your g/f, in turn, will have to demonstrate that she has a good reason to return to Thailand, which is something she won't have had to do when applying for a settlement visa.

Evidently, the visa officer is going to question your g/f about the settlement visa and why the 2 of you didn't get married. I would address this in a covering letter in which you state the reasons why you and your fiancée didn't marry when she was last in the UK, drawing to the visa officer's attention the fact that if her intentions were less than genuine, she wouldn't have returned back to Thailand.

It is, from the information posted, one that could go either way. The visa officer will be concerned that your g/f has failed to abide by the conditions of previous visa, but, providing that your reasons for not having married are convincing enough, and she has a good reason to return to Thailand, she's in with a shout.

Scouse.

[twix38]

Thanks Scouse,

Very helpfull as always.

We will give it a try in April on my visit there.

Do you know if visa granted, will the period be for 6 months or less? (we only require 1 or 2 months).

We would like visa to permit travel approx 1 month after the day from which we apply. With a 6 month visa this will be no problem as our length of stay still comes within the dates. Otherwise, can we ask to have a visa start date 1 month forward?

Any other info or assistance in preparing our application would be very welcome. If there is further information nheeded, feel free to ask.

Many thanks