Hi

Am looking for help/advice on obtaining a 3 or 6 month holiday visa for my thai girlfriend, Noon, to visit the UK.

Outline of relationship-

I have spent over 4 months in Thailand since December 2011.

I met Noon on my first trip to Pattaya in that December. We then spent 6 weeks together.

When I returned to the Uk we kept in touch but only by phone. Have records on my bill but she has since changed her number and was on PAYG.

No financial obligations were made by myself.

This fizzled out and after a couple more trips I only spent a few days or so with her in September.

No contact was kept after this either, until I decided to return recently in December just gone.

Apart from a few days I spent in Phuket with friends we spent almost the whole 5 weeks together.

I have decided and we are discussing me helping her financially and her returning back closer to home.

She also wants to work herself to boost her finances and because I think there is not to much to do in the village where she lives.

The only history I have of the relationship is a few photos from past and the few telephone calls a year ago now.

Would just like to know how things would go once we have spent time together in the reality of the UK.

Looking to get as much advice as possible so I can decide if to tackle myself or maybe use an agent, the latter I assume is a lot more expensive.

Any help is gratefully received, many thanks.

read my thread ,you will find some links in there ,,so many people on here who have helped so much i cant thank them enough

@ swarvehave, the first thing to bear in mind is that you don't apply for a visa she does, it's her application and it's her that has to prove that the proposed visit is genuine, affordable and that, on the balance of probabilities, she will return to Thailand, or at least leave the UK.

Your girlfriend will need to prove that her visit is genuine, even if a person intends to visit the UK for a standard holiday, a few weeks or so, a six month visa would normally be issued, that doesn't mean that they would be expected to visit for six months, though they could legally. Very few people would have an extended holiday of that length, and in any case your girlfriend would still need to convince the IO at the UK Border that the visit is genuine.

I'm assuming that you are going to sponsor your girlfriend, so as well as providing evidence of your ability to do so you have already already picked up that you need to provide as much evidence of your relationship, this will help convince the ECO as to why you are sponsoring her and the purpose of the visit. In your covering letter be as honest as you can, if you don't have evidence say so.

The most important thing for your girlfriend to prove is that she will likely to return home, or at least leave the UK, at the end of her holiday, this would normally be evidence of her approved absence from work, college or the like.

As to whether to use an agent or not, some people are confident enough to submit their application their own, as you say there is plenty of advice on this forum, some people prefer the peace of mind that using an agent brings. If you do use an agent I can thoroughly recommend Thai Visa Express, they are based in Pattaya.

In my humble opinion,0% chance,save your money.

You have to prove she is going to come back, finances are not a problem if you are going to help out. Write a letter saying that she will return within the specified time as you do not want to mess up further visa applications. Also make an itinerary to show where she will go.

Question - What will she do when you are at work? (this is where an itinerary might help you)

As theoldgit, says, we can possibly help. If your girlfriend is in Pattaya then she can come along to the office for a free chat and assessment. We can also liaise with you by email, as we would probably need some further information to make a full assessment. Alternatively, just contact the office via the website.

Do the Visa yourself its not rocket science, You can get all the Forms of the UK Boarder site.It would cost you very little, Just fill in all the questions. if you come to a question you cannot answer, then come back on this site, and ask, you will get a wealth of information. maybe cheaper to try yourself first.