Another Satisfied Customer.

[the scouser]

The following e-mail was sent to me by someone who wishes to remain anonymous, although he did identify his user name to me:-

"Just like to thank you and other members of this board as well as thaivisa-uk, also the British Embassy in Bangkok.

My wife's settlement visa was processed and visa granted in 3 days.

I researched this site as well as the aformentioned site and full prepared for everything including wedding, Thai customs and application for the visa. We never used any third party only the information you and other members have kindly given for everything! Thanyou.

We did expect to wait for 3 months for an interview as was stated on the printed handout given to my wife at the time of application.

My wife did not attend any interview, just collected the visa as promised by the Embassy when they telephoned her 3 days after submitting her application.

We had lived together in Bkk for 13 months beforehand.

We fully prepared a comprehensive folder, proving without doubt our relationship. Making it foolproof as what may seem obvious to us is not obvious to all.

My wife told me that many Thai ladies were not prepared at the application stage, trying to pay with cash, incorrectly completed forms, no TB certificate, no or wrong size photo, girls that had just met guys a few days before! Also my wife talked to a couple of girls that clearly had no intention of going to the UK and were just clearly going through the motions to please their sponsors and wanted to remain in Thailand and receive their monthly allowance.

For us I feel that the easy times are over, difficult times await us in the UK, getting work and accommodation while trying to settle down after a fantastic time in LOS.

Once again, thankyou all for your input into this forum.

Scouse, you may post this msg, I will not post private stuff in public forums, thanks again, if your in BKK in the next month I will take you for a night out.

Cheers

N and B"

Why is it that whenever someone offers to buy me free beer, I'm never around. Bloody sod's law.

Scouse.

[Guest endure]

Well done, Scouse. There must be a lot of people on TV who're glad that you're here.

[GU22]

Good one, Scouse. Kindly pass my best wishes on for their future.

One very pertinant and important point in that message:-

We fully prepared a comprehensive folder, proving without doubt our relationship. Making it foolproof as what may seem obvious to us is not obvious to all.

I fear that many applicants fall down on this very point.

Another very interesting point:-

my wife talked to a couple of girls that clearly had no intention of going to the UK and were just clearly going through the motions to please their sponsors and wanted to remain in Thailand and receive their monthly allowance.

[chareehusbee]

Why is it that whenever someone offers to buy me free beer, I'm never around. Bloody sod's law.

Is "bloody sod's law" similar to Murphy's law?

I also scoured the web looking for info and support when we started our visa process, and TV is by far the best place to come to to get one's questions answered and to get support. So a big kudos to everyone here!

[thai3]

Why is it that whenever someone offers to buy me free beer, I'm never around. Bloody sod's law.

Is "bloody sod's law" similar to Murphy's law?

I also scoured the web looking for info and support when we started our visa process, and TV is by far the best place to come to to get one's questions answered and to get support. So a big kudos to everyone here!

To be fair to thailand-uk.com leaving aside some of the idiots on it who get away with murder, I would say that is by far the best place on the web for visa advice, as far as the UK goes anyway. I would have thought having lived together in LOS for over a year it would have been fairly simple to get a SV, but then the system is so unpredictable maybe not. Should there be a thread for dissatified customers?

Edited February 26, 2006 by thai3

[the scouser]

Is "bloody sod's law" similar to Murphy's law?

The perversity of the universe tends to the maximum.

Scouse.

[britmaveric]

Congrats Scouser - keep up the good work, you do us proud!!

[coldcrush]

Congrats to all and well done for your advice Scouse

As for the free beer offer I will take it up if you dont go!

[jonnie]

I have been an avid reader of posts since deciding to invite my girlfriend to the UK on a tourist visa. Everyone I spoke to poured cold water on the idea. Not married, unfair BKK embassy etc. I researched the process solely from the British Embassy web page and the many thaivisa posts. Scouse with his replies to other members has unknowingly been a tremendous help to me, whilst I collated my evidence and application. For this I thank him. I thought we had a water tight application although my girlfriend was nervous because of stories she had heard about the interviews. We stood inline, on the BKK pavement at 7am and I felt quite hopeful as she went through the gate. Unfortunately in my documentation, I made the mistake of printing only email titles and not the actual emails. The ECO decided she needed to go back in 10 days with the actual emails. At no time was the Embassy rude or disrespectful. I found them to be very supportive and (as you would expect) professional. Due to my oversight they could have rejected her application on the spot. I am grateful for their understanding and help and for the opportunity to remedy the situation. I said as much in a second letter of sponsorship/covering letter 10 days later. I think (know) the rest of the application and more importantly supporting evidence was in order and appreciate why they needed to see the full emails. If I can offer one piece of advice:- Applicants should leave nothing to chance. Thaivisa is a wealth of information, and I see Scouse as an integral part of our successful application. My girlfriend has been here now for 5 weeks and has had a great time. I was surprised to read a few post knocking Scouse recently, as far as I am concerned he is a Saint. It is also easy to knock the Embassy, who I think do a difficult job, with sometimes difficult people. I feel sorry for those who suffer the stress of a refusal and would urge them to keep trying, whilst making sure their paperwork is watertight.

Keep up the good work.

Jonnie.

[the scouser]

Thanks for your support, Jonnie.

Contrary to what some members think, I don't post on here for either self-glorification or vanity, but because I experienced the operation of the UK immigration laws first hand for a period of 14 years, and am in a position to assist those who aren't as aware of the interpretation and policy. I can only guess at the neuroses which inhabit the brains of those who display resentment and hostility.

Scouse.

[cuddleypete]

Scouse you do a brillent job, You do this to help people like myself which you and gu22 helped very much,

I also think the embassy do have a difficult job, with sometimes difficult people.

I also feel sorry for those who suffer the stress of a refusal and would urge them to keep trying, like i did and in the end you will succide,whilst making sure their paperwork is watertight.

So scouse and gu22 Keep up the good work.

[silomfan]

Thanks for your support, Jonnie.

Contrary to what some members think, I don't post on here for either self-glorification or vanity, but because I experienced the operation of the UK immigration laws first hand for a period of 14 years, and am in a position to assist those who aren't as aware of the interpretation and policy. I can only guess at the neuroses which inhabit the brains of those who display resentment and hostility.

Scouse.

I hope you are not referring to me , purely because i questioned your fairness in closing a thread without warning. I realise you have "saint" status here , but you also have a fault , which is that , at the slightest critisism , you start displaying the nastier side of your character by constantly making cutting remarks at me, without mentioning my name. Why shouldn't i be resentful that a visa was unfairly refused .? Why should i put up with the Embassy's underhand tactics (132.5 days out of 133 thing again that you will be familiar with but chose not to comment on i noticed) .

And as a matter of interest , why should the Embassy need to read the e-mails in full, the headers are proof of contact , why do they have to be so difficult and inconvenience jonnie for another 10 days . Was his application SO borderline that reading the e-mails in full was the deciding factor in giving or not giving the visa. Of course not .Just the Embassy being difficult again.

Your posts are often very helpful , and ought to be given your background. I don't dispute that . I would like to ask you to stop posting nasty remarks hinting at me though. If indeed your remarks are directed at others and not me (which i don't think is the case ) then why don't you actually say who you are sniping at when you post ? Everyone else does.

I expect the usual crowd will spring to your defense now that someone has had the guts to "have a go" at "saint scouser" . Like a load of "yes men" around a boss at work.

SILOMFAN

[thai3]

, I made the mistake of printing only email titles and not the actual emails. The ECO decided she needed to go back in 10 days with the actual emails. At no time was the Embassy rude or disrespectful. I found them to be very supportive and (as you would expect) professional. Due to my oversight they could have rejected her application on the spot. I am grateful for their understanding and help and for the opportunity to remedy the situation. I said as much in a second letter of sponsorship/covering letter 10 days later. I think (know) the Jonnie.

Well well, we posted that we had sent a lot more emails to prove relationship and the reply was from somebody here, who I will not name, that it was ONLY NECESSARY TO SEND IN THE HEADERS NOT THE BODY OF TEXT. So that was wrong and good job I had not done that. Contrary to what some believe then the advice here is not always accurate and should be taken at the readers own risk. Nobody is infalliable, especially when commenting on a process where one officer can object to something others do not due to this discretionary <deleted>. As others have said it's a lottery so why not just pull names out of a hat?

Edited March 2, 2006 by thai3

[silomfan]

A perfect example given by thai3 of the "lottery" nature of this system . Thats why it should be changed . Of course if my "fact based" system was adopted , discrepancies like this couldn't happen and genuine cases would not be refused due to inconsistancies between ECO's

SILOMFAN

[GU22]

Silomfan, I thought you had agreed to give this argument a rest?

[silomfan]

Silomfan, I thought you had agreed to give this argument a rest?

SORRY couldn't resist... i will try harder .. honestly !!

[GU22]

Well well, we posted that we had sent a lot more emails to prove relationship and the reply was from somebody here, who I will not name, that it was ONLY NECESSARY TO SEND IN THE HEADERS NOT THE BODY OF TEXT. So that was wrong and good job I had not done that. Contrary to what some believe then the advice here is not always accurate and should be taken at the readers own risk. Nobody is infalliable,

My wife is not the only person to have been told by an ECO that it was not necessary to have printed out an entire file of e-mails, just the headers would have done. I can only assume that there was something about Jonnie's girlfriend's application that meant the ECO wanted to see some of the e-mails to substantiate the relationship. Even so, not having them has not resulted in a refusal, although having to go back in 10 days with them is, I admit, inconvenient.

The advice I give is based on my reading of the rules and guidelines published by HMG, from what I have read and heard directly from others of their experience and, of course, from my own experiences. I endeavour to give the best advice that I can, for free, and anyone who feels that they have been misled by any of my advice is entitled to claim a full refund of the fee that I charged them!

I have never claimed to be infallible, and have apologised in the past for any errors that I have made.

I leave claims of infallibility to a certain Jintara stalker from Leicester.

Edited March 2, 2006 by GU22

[Rinrada]

Sod's Law..(thanks to Richard Digance)

The great Sir Isaac Newton,

He once made a valid proclamation,

That the forces equal to a nominated mass,

when multiplied by acceleration

That was the law of motion

His laws are a real brain teaser,

I've thought of one more

and its called Sods Law

Which I discovered when you found another geezer.

I learned them all when I was at School

and I think I learned one more

We were doing alright

'till you cleared off tonight....

And apparantly thats Sods Law..

Now Einstein was a very clever man,

with us all his philosophies he shared,

He gave us the theory of relativity,

which is E equals M C squared,

Where E is Energy and M is Mass

And C is the speed of the light,

But it didn't help much when you kicked me into touch

By walking out the door last night

I learned them all when I was at School

and I think I learned one more

We were doing alright

'till you buggered off tonight....

And apparantly thats Sods Law..

The Hypotenuse has a square on,

which is equal Pythagoras instructed,

to the sum of the squares on the other two sides

If a triangle is cleverly constructed.

That was the first geometric law,

Quite frankly I'm still at a loss,

Cos who gives a shit where the three squares sit,

since you buggered off I couldn't give a toss!

I learned them all when I at School

and I think I learned one more

We were doing alright

'till you cleared off tonight....

And apparantly thats Sods Law..

Archemedis said Eureka,

Cos in English he weren't to aversed in,

when he discovered that the volume of a body in the bath,

is equal to the stuff it is immersed in,

That is the law of displacement,

Thats why ships don't sink,

Its a shame he weren't around in 1912,

The Titanic would have made him think.

I learned them all when I was at School

and I think I learned one more

We were doing alright

'till you cleared off tonight....

And apparantly thats Sods Law..