Uk Settlement Visa Granted...

[alexjw]

We applied for my wife's visa on 7th Feb. We compiled all the information required and handed it in, then obviously we were a bit nervous. In particular my wife was not looking forward to having an interview. Then on the 16th Feb I got a call on my mobile. I knew it was from the Embassy as I'd saved the number on my phone. I just assumed that there was some problem with the application having read all the stories on these forums. Anyway, they asked to speak to my wife and spoke in Thai for a minute or so. She hung up the phone and told me that she could go and collect her visa. They told her that because we handed in all the relevant information no interview was required. Whilst I did a good job of compiling the folder of 'evidence' I was still worried that something might be missing and no way thought we would be one of the lucky couples who don't need an interview. Anyway just registering my joy and slight shock (in a good way of course). Also thank you for your help on this website, it made the process a lot smoother and I felt more confident applying having read some of your posts. Good luck to everyone else applying for various visa's.

[chareehusbee]

Good lord! Congratulations! You should go buy yourself a lottery ticket!

Edited February 19, 2006 by chareehusbee

[GU22]

I just assumed that there was some problem with the application having read all the stories on these forums.

Most of the posts on forums such as this are from people who have a problem with their application, so will give a false impression.

Congratulations, you prepared properly, had a strong case and provided the evidence to prove it; like the majority of applicants, in fact.

Good luck with your new life in the UK.

[Prakanong2005]

We applied for my wife's visa on 7th Feb. We compiled all the information required and handed it in, then obviously we were a bit nervous. In particular my wife was not looking forward to having an interview. Then on the 16th Feb I got a call on my mobile. I knew it was from the Embassy as I'd saved the number on my phone. I just assumed that there was some problem with the application having read all the stories on these forums. Anyway, they asked to speak to my wife and spoke in Thai for a minute or so. She hung up the phone and told me that she could go and collect her visa. They told her that because we handed in all the relevant information no interview was required. Whilst I did a good job of compiling the folder of 'evidence' I was still worried that something might be missing and no way thought we would be one of the lucky couples who don't need an interview. Anyway just registering my joy and slight shock (in a good way of course). Also thank you for your help on this website, it made the process a lot smoother and I felt more confident applying having read some of your posts. Good luck to everyone else applying for various visa's.

Congratulations - hope mine goes half as smoothly.

I am compiling items for my folder as we go along such as hotel bills with both our names, all phone cards bought and used, pictures, emails are kept, trying to download SMS, emails between her and my sister to show family contact etc

I will not be applying until October at the very earliest and in all probability early next year.

[rockwellrob]

Congratulations, to you both,

I know exactly how you feel, the very same hapened to my wife the day before, and we were totally stunned, i even contacted the Embassy the next day to confirm thinking thay had made a mistake.

I seems that with some hard work in getting all the evidence together and presenting it well is starting to pay off.

My wife collects her visa tomorrow, and i am about to book the flights to bring her home to England.

Good luck, and i hope all goes well for the future.

[TBWG]

Congratulations, to you both,

I know exactly how you feel, the very same hapened to my wife the day before, and we were totally stunned, i even contacted the Embassy the next day to confirm thinking thay had made a mistake.

I seems that with some hard work in getting all the evidence together and presenting it well is starting to pay off.

My wife collects her visa tomorrow, and i am about to book the flights to bring her home to England.

Good luck, and i hope all goes well for the future.

Congrats on both of you getting your visas, all the best for the future.

Although why we all want to come back to England beats me.

At the moment it is dull and overcast with drizzle, about 40F degrees in other words bl**dy grim.

Cost of living increases daily as Blair/Brown find yet another wheeze to extract more tax. Not satisfied with making more red tape and passing more legislation they are hel_l bent on making us all work longer as well.

As for me and the boss lady can't wait to get back to LOS with all its faults it is still bliss compared with blighty!!

Hope I have not put a dampener on your plans but I am sure like me you will want to return to LOS ASAP.

TBWG

[Jersey_UK]

We applied for my wife's visa on 7th Feb. We compiled all the information required and handed it in................

Congrats to you both!

Agree with GU22 that rather than the success stories this website WILL attract those with the problems........or those like me who tend to plan everything to 'nth degree (OCD, me?!! ) and just like the sound of their own..........typing - so will give a disprortionate reflection of what happens in the real world.

[silomfan]

Why is everyone so grateful that the Embassy allows their other halfs to come to the UK?? It should be a right not a thing to be so stressed about . The gratitude when people get a visa is m indblowing , and doesn't distract from the ever growing number of refusals as visas are made harder and harder to get.

Clearly if you had a cast iron case even the Embassy can't refuse , but spare a thought for the thousands who don't have piles of evidence but are nonetheless genuine.

Congratulations anyway , hope you'll be happy together

SILOMFAN

[GU22]

Why is everyone so grateful that the Embassy allows their other halfs to come to the UK??

I was under the impression that the OP's gratitude was extended toward the members of this forum from whom he had received advice!

We have argued over your other points before, and I do not intend to bore everyone by going over it again. However, one point I would like to respond to:

doesn't distract from the ever growing number of refusals as visas are made harder and harder to get.

Really? Not in Bangkok.

From Entry clearance - facts and figures Percentage of applications, for all types of visa, made to the British Embassy in Bangkok which were refused:-

2001/02; 8%

2002/03; 10.1%

2003/04; 6.8%

2004/05; 5.9%

Sorry, Silomfan, but it looks like a visa is getting easier to get, in Bangkok at least!

Maybe it's because of the advice applicants are getting from forums such as this one? As I have repeatedly maintained, show that the criteria are met and the visa will be issued.

Edited February 20, 2006 by GU22

[phuketsiam]

Congrats Alexjw

[silomfan]

Why is everyone so grateful that the Embassy allows their other halfs to come to the UK??

I was under the impression that the OP's gratitude was extended toward the members of this forum from whom he had received advice!

We have argued over your other points before, and I do not intend to bore everyone by going over it again. However, one point I would like to respond to:

doesn't distract from the ever growing number of refusals as visas are made harder and harder to get.

Really? Not in Bangkok.

From Entry clearance - facts and figures Percentage of applications, for all types of visa, made to the British Embassy in Bangkok which were refused:-

2001/02; 8%

2002/03; 10.1%

2003/04; 6.8%

2004/05; 5.9%

Sorry, Silomfan, but it looks like a visa is getting easier to get, in Bangkok at least!

Maybe it's because of the advice applicants are getting from forums such as this one? As I have repeatedly maintained, show that the criteria are met and the visa will be issued.

Isn't it true though that there has been a big increase in the number of applications, so that a tiny fall in the percentage refused can still lead to a greater actual total being refused ? If you see what i mean ?

SILOMFAN

[GU22]

Yep, I see what you mean. If more people apply then it follows that more people will be refused. Therefore rather than give the actual numbers I used percentages, which give a truer picture.

Edit:-

Well, well. I've looked at the actual figures for 2002/03 and 2004/05, as they have the highest and lowest percentage refusals.

2002/03:- Applications received; 32722. Refused; 3289

2004/05:- Applications received; 43511, Refused; 2586

So the number of applications have increased, but the number of refusals have gone down!

Edited February 20, 2006 by GU22

[alexjw]

Why is everyone so grateful that the Embassy allows their other halfs to come to the UK??

silomfan, i'm not at all greatful to the embassy. In fact i admit i have a bit of an attitude problem when it comes to people who are supposedly in authority (especially pen pushers) and always negatively assume they are out to get me. I too feel that it should be less stressful and that the embassy should be less judgemental. At the same time though i understand that to some extent they have to try and weed out the false claims. I think the real shame is that it's that the normal guys like us who get stuck in the middle. Surely there must be a better way. Although i've seen that sign posted outside the embassy (dated June 2005) saying that they're trying to outsource to cut some of the load from the visa section and this should be done by the end of 2005. clearly this still hasn't been done. it doesn't really give you much hope! It's the fat cats upstairs, using the pen pushers and red tape to walk all over the little man!!!

[silomfan]

Alexjw, i agree with what you say. All this talk about how many thousands are refused or not on selected statistics is all very well , but it can't hide the fact that genuine cases are being refused bec ause of the increasingly hard to please ECO's . The only way to change this unfairness is to lobby those in authority .

Of course some controls must be in place otherwise much of the third world would seek to migrate to the UK, but if you make the controls too "robust" (a horrible word that is all the rage in the UK now) then genuine cases are also caught in the trap. I can think of no fair reason why a boy/girl whose other half wants them to visit the UK should be refused just because they can't prove "reason to return" or just because they don't have a job. There are some posters here who seem to think that to allow such people into the UK will result in our phone boxes being littered with their "calling cards". Personally that wouldn't concern me at all(if you don't like it ...don't look !!) but it is nonsense to say it anyway. More typical of the scaremongering News of the World newspaper.

Everyone should be given the benefit of the doubt on their first application , and should only be subjected to the ritual British Embassy humiliation if they breach their conditions on that first stay and thus give themselves a bad record. Even if they do breach their conditions that should only mean they are examined closer next time , not neccessarily refused. After all , how many UK citizens are in Thailand now on minor breaches, overstay etc. How would they feel if they were refused enrty to Thailand forever?

SILOMFAN

[GU22]

All this talk about how many thousands are refused or not on selected statistics is all very well , but it can't hide the fact that genuine cases are being refused bec ause of the increasingly hard to please ECO's .

How the <deleted> do you work that out? The statistics I produced are not "selected statistics" they are the actual figures arrived at by the simple method of counting the number of applications, counting the number of acceptances and counting the number of refusals! These figures clearly show that as far as Bangkok is concerned, the number of applications has gone up, and the number of refusals have gone down.

It is true that some genuine cases will be refused, for the reasons I have gone through before. But this can be put down to two factors: genuine mistakes by the ECO and poorly prepared applications. The review and appeal procedures are in place to help those caught up in this. It's not perfect, but no system is.

So how do you justify the statement "genuine cases are being refused bec ause of the increasingly hard to please ECO's ."? If you have evidence, not supposition, to prove the figures are wrong, then I challenge you to produce it.

I can think of no fair reason why a boy/girl whose other half wants them to visit the UK should be refused just because they can't prove "reason to return" or just because they don't have a job.

If they can show that they are a genuine person with a genuine reason for visiting the UK, then they are not refused; they get the visa, as many posts on this and other forums have shown.

There are some posters here who seem to think that to allow such people into the UK will result in our phone boxes being littered with their "calling cards". Personally that wouldn't concern me at all(if you don't like it ...don't look !!) but it is nonsense to say it anyway. More typical of the scaremongering News of the World newspaper.

The argument that "if a prostitute wants to come to the UK to ply her trade, so what?" could have some merit. Unfortunately, as many news items show, there are a large number of girls tricked into coming to the UK and then forced to work in brothels, often being subjected to severe physical abuse and/or hooked on drugs to keep them docile. If you prefer not to look, shame on you.

But prostitution is not the only, or even main, reason for people wishing to come to the UK illegally, or overstay once they are here.

Everyone should be given the benefit of the doubt on their first application

They are, the level of proof that the applicant is genuine, if you want to call it that, is on the balance of probabilities. Most visas, of every type, are issued with either a short interview or no interview at all.

You are correct to say that people who have proved themselves untrustworthy by breaching the conditions of a previous visa will find it harder. This is, after all, what happened to your boyfriend, and the reason why he found it difficult to get a visit visa, isn't it?

The difficulties you and he have faced are not due to an unfair system, nor to hard to please ECOs, not even, as you have claimed before, to a particular ECO not liking him. They were due to his previous breaches of the immigration rules. The fact that he has now received his civil partner visa, without even being interviewed proves this, as it removes the concerns about overstaying.

You keep bleating on and on about the unfair system and capricious ECOs, and every time the figures prove you wrong you dismiss them as "selected statistics." If you have any evidence to show that your supposition is anything other than sour grapes on your part I challenge you to produce it.

In other words: Put up or shut up!

Edited February 21, 2006 by GU22

[the gent]

GU22,

Good work with the stats,mate, but you can lead a horse to water..........

UK Immigration served 50,000 dross with removal notices in 2004 including bogus asylum seekers.16,000 of them were administrative cases i.e. those who overstayed or who were found working in breach of their conditions, all of whom at one stage had told the eco or immigration officer that they were going to do something that they eventually didn't do.

That is the background which preoccupies your average eco in any visa section. The fact is those nicked are probably only a small proportion of likely offenders. An analogy might be Customs and Excise who regularly acknowledge that they only seize about 10% contraband imported every year.

Thailand is a 3rd world country.3rd world people want to go to the 1st world to work. Once there they don't want to go back unless forced to.Forcing people to leave countries working to a rule of law enshrining human rights back to a country that doesn't is bloody difficult. That is why the 1st world operates a visa regime to maintain some semblance of an immigration policy that doesn't piss off those who will end up competing for jobs and services. Simple really but evidently a concept beyond Silomfan.

But, we 've been here before and Silom never listens..........

[the scouser]

Oh gawd, he's back. That was a bloody quick 2 weeks!

Scouse.

[the gent]

Oh gawd, he's back. That was a bloody quick 2 weeks!

Scouse.

And I'll try to keep me words under 3 syllables........but antipodean will always be a challenge.

[Rj 81]

I know silomfan's post are repetitive and tiresome sometimes, however I think he also puts valid points across. If everyone just conformed to the government then the process really would be unfair.

It's people like silomfan, who raise the question and challenge what they see as unfair treatment, who inadvertently make the process better. Which is what we all want, is it not? I have my doubts sometimes.

I think he just wants a better, fairer and more efficient system.

Edited February 21, 2006 by Rj 81

[silomfan]

RJ81 , THANK YOU for your kind words, and its true all i want is a fairer system , and not for me , i already have what i wanted. But for others who come after me .. i would hate for them to have their human rights abused as mine and my partners were by being forcibly kept apart for a year because an ECO disliked him. (that sentence should annoy "the gent" , whose purpose here i am still trying to work out) What a shame we can't all meet up one day , what a conversation that would be !!

There is something good on TV now but i will re-read GU22's unusually insulting post later and no doubt reply soon.

Meanwhile, for the benefit of GU22 and the gent , lets have 3 cheers for the loves of their lives . the ECO's !!

[Rj 81]

Meanwhile, for the benefit of GU22 and the gent , lets have 3 cheers for the loves of their lives . the ECO's !!

Finished work now, got to shoot off home, can't wait to get home to see how this one pans out!

Edited February 21, 2006 by Rj 81

[GU22]

i would hate for them to have their human rights abused as mine and my partners were by being forcibly kept apart for a year because an ECO disliked him.

Again, you are ignoring the real cause of your boyfriends visa difficulties; his previous breaches of the immigration rules! Blaming some mythical personal animosity from an ECO may be good for your ego, but as you say your aim is to help those who come after you, perhaps a good place to start would be by acknowledging the truth about his difficulties.

We both want to help people get the visas they require, but have totally different methodologies. Mine is to advise them on how the system works and how to provide the necessary information in order to get the desired result. Yours seems to be to simply complain that the system is completely unfair and the ECOs are all biased against applicants and so you end up telling people that they do not stand a chance.

I wonder which of these approaches people here have found the most useful?

I have repeatedly asked you what suggestions you have to improve the system; you have repeatedly failed to provide any.

I have repeatedly asked you to provide evidence to support your allegations about capricious ECOs and visas getting harder to get, despite what the actual figures show; you have repeatedly failed to do so.

Do you honestly think any MP is going to listen to you when all the evidence points to the opposite of what you claim? If you want to be taken seriously, you have to provide evidence to back up your claims; but it seems that you are unable to do this.

As I said before: put up or shut up!

But it seems that you can't do either, so have to resort to silly, snide comments.

Edited February 21, 2006 by GU22

[Rj 81]

GU22, talking on a broader scale, other than silomfan's own personal experiences, the point he is trying to put across is that the system needs improvement. I don't want to get into this personal debate between yourselves, however essentially I agree with silomfan that there is room for improvement.

We know that unfair or incorrect decisions are made by ECO's because of the appeals that are won, thus are point of view. Visit visa applications don't get the chance of a appeal, so there is one improvement that could be implemented.

I don't think silomfan's last comment was snide, maybe a bit silly, but I think you have taken it out of context. After all if we can't agree on everything, at least lets keep it interesting

Edited February 21, 2006 by Rj 81

[silomfan]

Actually it was neither snide or silly , but an attempt (that failed !) to lighten up an unusually moody GU22 ..

I really have to sleep now as i have to be up early for work , but i will reply to GU22's extensive postings tonight but it will take time and i'll hope to have that tomorrow .

Goodnight GU22 ...cheer up

[GU22]

Rj 81, as I have often said before, no system that employs humans is going to be perfect, which is why there is the review and appeals procedure in place. I know that it can be heartbreaking and frustrating for a genuine couple caught up in an error, but at least they have the opportunity to correct it. The only alternative that I can see is to have a completely open door, and no government is going to do that!

Any changes that have been made have resulted in the procedures being tightened. For example the qualifying period for ILR as the spouse of a British citizen used to be 1 year, now it is 2.

I am not a complete fan of the system. One area I think is totally unjust is the fees. When my wife applied for her sv I queried why it was so much more expensive than a vv etc. I was told that the fee covered not only the cost of processing the sv, but also her subsequent ILR application, and, if necessary, FLR before that.

These used to be free. Then this wonderful Labour government introduced the current fees for FLR and ILR (£335 by post or £500 in person)! Transferring an ILR stamp to a new passport also used to be free and done by an IO at port of entry. Now you have to apply to the IND and pay £160 by post or £500 in person! (Fortunately for us, my wife had, just in time, recieved her ILR before the fees were introduced.)

When the government introduced these fees I wrote to my MP, Humfrey Malins, who at the time was shadow immigration minister. He was already campaigning and arguing in committee against these fees on behalf of, among others, several universities who were concerned about the effect they would have on their foreign students.

Result? These exorbitant fees are still in place.

Silomfan, I look forward to reading your arguments when you have prepared your evidence. I must say, though, that as you have been going on about this for so long I am surprised that you haven't already done so.

[silomfan]

Can someone tell me , in childlike steps, how to highlight sections of someone else's post so that it can be dealt with bit by bit ? GU22 and others are good at doing this and it makes for a more interesting read , so can someone tell me what buttons to click ?

SILOMFAN

[GU22]

Click the quote icon at the top of the reply box.

Highlight the part of the other post you want to insert, then right click and click on "copy."

Go back to the reply box and place cursor just to the right of

.

Right click and then click on "paste."

Click on the quote icon again.

See, I can be helpful!

PS, you can do the same to insert quotes from other websites. Remember that it's good netiquette to include a link to the original web page, though.

Edited February 22, 2006 by GU22

[silomfan]

Click the quote icon at the top of the reply box.

Highlight the part of the other post you want to insert, then right click and click on "copy."

Go back to the reply box and place cursor just to the right of

.

Right click and then click on "paste."

Click on the quote icon again.

OK THANKS i tried that so here's a test to see if it worked

PS i don't remember ever saying you weren't helpful, just that your interpretations of just about everything differ with mine.

I am at work now - UK - so i will try to reply tonight .

SILOMFAN

Ooooppps...it didn't work. Not to worry , i will continue the old way

SILOMFAN

[GU22]

Click the quote icon at the top of the reply box.

Highlight the part of the other post you want to insert, then right click and click on "copy."

Go back to the reply box and place cursor just to the right of

.

Right click and then click on "paste."

Click on the quote icon again.

OK THANKS i tried that so here's a test to see if it worked

PS i don't remember ever saying you weren't helpful, just that your interpretations of just about everything differ with mine.

I am at work now - UK - so i will try to reply tonight .

SILOMFAN

Ooooppps...it didn't work. Not to worry , i will continue the old way

SILOMFAN

Did you copy from my original post, or from the quote in your reply box? Try again, only this time copy from the original post, like this:-

OK THANKS i tried that so here's a test to see if it worked

Odd. Now why didn't that work? Let's try again

OK THANKS i tried that so here's a test to see if it worked

Very strange! Maybe if I try from a diffrent post

See, I can be helpful!

Sh1t, now I am confused!

Edited February 22, 2006 by GU22

[GU22]

Well, I've just tried it in another thread and it worked a treat.

Now I am confused!