Tourist Visa For My Thai B/f

[apj696]

hello everyone

i want to take my thai boyfriend to england for a holiday. i have been living in thailand for 2 years, teaching, and plan on staying for.....who knows how long.

i have been with my b/f for only 3 months, he's a beach boy. my parents have agreed to sponser him as they have already met him. i have heard so many horror stories about getting a visa for the uk, i haven't a clue where to start?

one of things i have heard is that we have to have paper proof of our relationship. we both have prepaid credit mobile phones, i have never emailed him as he lives 15 mins away from me. any suggestions?

if someone can give me some starter tips, i would be eternally grateful.

[TRIPxCORE]

Here are the entry requirements for Thai nationals into the UK but you probably already know these. Thats all I have.

/ 14MAR06 / 0821 UTC

National THAILAND (TH)

Destination UNITED KINGDOM (GREAT BRITAIN) (GB)

UNITED KINGDOM (GREAT BRITAIN)

Passport (must be valid for the period of intended stay)

required.

Visa required. For information on minors holding Child

Visitor visas, see: For details, click here .

Minors:

children registered in parent's or guardian's passport:

- may not travel without holder of passport; and

- visa in passport (if required) must indicate that it is

also valid for the child(ren).

Flights from/to United Kingdom to/from Channel Islands,

Ireland (Rep. of) and the Isle of Man are domestic flights.

Therefore, there is no Immigration control.

Non-compliance with entry requirements(incl. forged documents)

will result in fines for carrier of GBP 2,000.- per visitor

and either deportation or indefinite delay for visitor at

point of entry (detention costs at carrier's expense).

A person may be considered committing an offence upon arrival

in the United Kingdom, if failing to produce to an Immigration

Officer a document, which satisfactorily establishes identity,

nationality, or citizenship. A person guilty of this offence

may be liable to up to 2 years in prison, or a fine, or both.

[Boo]

For a tourist visa the UK embassy usually wants to see a relationship of 6 months or longer. On top of that you have to prove he has good reason to return from the UK so a letter from his employer offering him his job back after 6months in the UK or an admission letter to study in Thailand already paid for or land or house in his name, anything that shows his ties to Thailand are strong & he has reason to return.

Proof of your relationship could be photos of you together at different stages (but 3 months isn't long enough to show different hair styles, trips to other places together) joint bills (don't live together so not possible)& emails, letters to each other etc. As you have only been together for a few months, apart from it being really quick to be taking him home, you have nothing to show you are a real couple & that he will return from the UK so that will go against you.

Sorry to sound negative & the embassy do make exceptions but I was with my husband for 2.5years & married before I took him back to the UK & then it was to live permanatly. We had bills for 18months in joint names for 3 properties, our marriage certs, proof that we ran a business together & numerous photos of us & our friends as well as with his family in Issan & pictures with our pets from puppies to adults dogs which showed the time frame. They still asked him a load of questions & I was called in to clarify some points before his residency visa was issued.

They make it difficult but it is usually for a reason.

Read through the requirements & try to provide all the paperwork & documents they ask for. Also try emailing them or giving them a call for advice. They aren't monsters but they are thorough.

Good Luck

[meme]

My bf and I are just on the last stages of putting our visa package together ( to the US and Canada for a month visit when I go home to visit this summer). I have researched it for three months now (check out the visa forum its lot of help) we have included invitation letters from both my parents (one is in the US and one in Canada), letters from his work ( hes a construction worker), his school (Adult ed. for his M1-6 that he didnt get before), proof of our 2 year relationship ie. plane tickets, pictures from the tsunami (we were both injured), general pictures of us, pics of me with his family and friends, proof that I lived and worked in thailand, a letter from me, a letter on behalf of his mother (who is illiterate) from the head of his village, A letter from his English teacher/my Thai teacher who has known us for the majority of our relationship verifying how long we have known eachother. etc etc. It has been quite trying and I am just praying he gets it. But just be prepared to do research and put some time and money into it. Good Luck.

[TRIPxCORE]

My bf and I are just on the last stages of putting our visa package together ( to the US and Canada for a month visit when I go home to visit this summer). I have researched it for three months now (check out the visa forum its lot of help) we have included invitation letters from both my parents (one is in the US and one in Canada), letters from his work ( hes a construction worker), his school (Adult ed. for his M1-6 that he didnt get before), proof of our 2 year relationship ie. plane tickets, pictures from the tsunami (we were both injured), general pictures of us, pics of me with his family and friends, proof that I lived and worked in thailand, a letter from me, a letter on behalf of his mother (who is illiterate) from the head of his village, A letter from his English teacher/my Thai teacher who has known us for the majority of our relationship verifying how long we have known eachother. etc etc. It has been quite trying and I am just praying he gets it. But just be prepared to do research and put some time and money into it. Good Luck.

I hate to be Johnny Raincloud here but even with all that stuff you mentioned you had, you're missing the most important element they are looking for. They want to know that your BF has assets in Thailand. It's to prove he isn't poor and won't try to overstay his visa looking for an illegal job when he gets to the U.S. They want to see lots of money in the bank, a house in his name, proof of a "well-paying" job or something along those lines. I know too many people that have been turned away because of this single important factor. Sorry!

[meme]

My bf and I are just on the last stages of putting our visa package together ( to the US and Canada for a month visit when I go home to visit this summer). I have researched it for three months now (check out the visa forum its lot of help) we have included invitation letters from both my parents (one is in the US and one in Canada), letters from his work ( hes a construction worker), his school (Adult ed. for his M1-6 that he didnt get before), proof of our 2 year relationship ie. plane tickets, pictures from the tsunami (we were both injured), general pictures of us, pics of me with his family and friends, proof that I lived and worked in thailand, a letter from me, a letter on behalf of his mother (who is illiterate) from the head of his village, A letter from his English teacher/my Thai teacher who has known us for the majority of our relationship verifying how long we have known eachother. etc etc. It has been quite trying and I am just praying he gets it. But just be prepared to do research and put some time and money into it. Good Luck.

I hate to be Johnny Raincloud here but even with all that stuff you mentioned you had, you're missing the most important element they are looking for. They want to know that your BF has assets in Thailand. It's to prove he isn't poor and won't try to overstay his visa looking for an illegal job when he gets to the U.S. They want to see lots of money in the bank, a house in his name, proof of a "well-paying" job or something along those lines. I know too many people that have been turned away because of this single important factor. Sorry!

I know all this and have read your postings in the visa forum as well. While he has 40,000 in the bank plus invitaion letter from my father saying he will pay for everything plus proof of my father's income. He doesnt have any assests other than a motorbike. I understand that the chances of getting an American tourist visa are one in a million. The only thing we are hoping might work is that he only wants to be in the US for a week and then off to Canada for 3. So we are trying to get the Canadian visa first and then if we get it we will then apply for the US showing them that he was the Canadian one already. I also understand this probley won't work. But no harm in trying.

[girlx]

sorry to rain on your parade, but there is little to no chance of your getting him a visa to the UK- especially since he is a "beach boy".

[Boo]

I don't think being a beach boy has a lot to do with it. The embassy gives tourist visas to bg's or ex bg's. The UK embassy doesn't' really care what job your partner does. It is the proof of the relationship & assets which will probably prevent the visit visa in ap696's case.

As I said apj696, there are exceptions but I would suggest waiting a few more months & taking time to put as much documentation together as you can.

[TRIPxCORE]

I know all this and have read your postings in the visa forum as well. While he has 40,000 in the bank

40,000 baht is merely $1000 USD. They are looking for a lot more than that.

Let me tell you a short story here. A good Thai female friend of mine wanted to come visit the US with her daughter. This lady has lots of money. She owns a construction supply company in Thailand and also builds and sells houses. When she went to get the visa for the US, they told her she barely had enough money to meet requirements. Now this lady makes around 10,000 USD a month just from her company. I am sure she had plenty in the bank and they said it was barely enough! I couldnt believe me ears.

[Boo]

A thai friend & his UK gf were invited to a wedding in Las Vegas & applied for a visa for a 4 day trip. He had the invite, the bride & groom had made him a booking for flights & wrote a letter explaining that he wasa very good friend who had stayed with them in the UK, he had been in & out of the UK for 5 years on tourist visa without any problem & he had around 8k GBP in the bank & a registered business & land in LOS. The US Embassy in Bangkok told him his visa was refused as he wasn't "smart" enough ! What the hel_l that was supposed to mean he wasn't sure but he met he requirements on paper but they do what they like it seems

[MissAnge]

well now i am really worried.... anyone know if the aussie tourist visa is as tough as the US? my b/f is applying for a visa soon, i think we have everything covered, pics, letters, letters of support from my parents in Aus, proof of funds, work to come back to..... anyone had experience with the aussie tourist visa app process?

[sylvafern]

Aussie visa was a breeze to get for my Thai b/f last July. Didn't question anything and got it within four days. However he'd already been to NZ once so had 'proven' he could abide by visa regulations and return to Thailand. However, in saying that, the NZ embassy was almost as difficult the second time round as the first and still needed lots of paperwork..... like meme's hoping for with the Canada/US visa, it may have been because we got the NZ one first that the aussie one was approved.

First time we went to NZ we had been together 2 years + and did have a lot of the stuff required (same sorts of things that have already been mentioned) and it was still really difficult to get the visa .... took about 6 weeks to get approved and only after a lot of paperwork, questioning and even a hefty 'bond' was paid. Even after having a child together it still took several weeks and a lot of 'proof' of our relationship before the visa was approved for our second NZ trip!

[girlx]

I don't think being a beach boy has a lot to do with it. The embassy gives tourist visas to bg's or ex bg's.

untrue... they can not reveal that they were bar girls and get a visa... here is a recent article on it on Stickman's site

The UK and the US are the two hardest places to get visas for Thais, and if you have been together only 3 months and he works in a bar on the beach with no assets you have virtually no chance.

[apj696]

I don't think being a beach boy has a lot to do with it. The embassy gives tourist visas to bg's or ex bg's. The UK embassy doesn't' really care what job your partner does. It is the proof of the relationship & assets which will probably prevent the visit visa in ap696's case.

As I said apj696, there are exceptions but I would suggest waiting a few more months & taking time to put as much documentation together as you can.

Thankyou for your comments. i realise that we have only been together for a very short time, however i know that the whole proceedure can take months which is why i am thinking about it now. i plan to do as much research as i possibly can and keep my fingers crossed!

thanks, i appreciate ur help.

[MissAnge]

Aussie visa was a breeze to get for my Thai b/f last July. Didn't question anything and got it within four days.

That is good news! Will just keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best..... he's going to apply at the aussie visa application centre in bangkok (it is seperate from the embassy), anybody know how the initial appliaction process takes? will he just drop of the mound of paperwork and leave them with it, or will he need to hang around and answer questions for a while?

[Butterfly]

Thailand is "unofficially" listed as a "terrorist friendly" country (thanks to the South) so it might be more difficult to get anything from the US embassy these days, even more if you are a Thai man from the South

[sylvafern]

Aussie visa was a breeze to get for my Thai b/f last July. Didn't question anything and got it within four days.

That is good news! Will just keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best..... he's going to apply at the aussie visa application centre in bangkok (it is seperate from the embassy), anybody know how the initial appliaction process takes? will he just drop of the mound of paperwork and leave them with it, or will he need to hang around and answer questions for a while?

We spent ages filling in the forms downloaded from the internet but when my b/f went to drop them off he had to fill in different ones because apparently the ones on the internet were wrong (??). Just filled them in on the spot, paid the fee plus a small amount (300 baht?) to have them delivered to our house on the other side of bangkok. By the way, I've learnt that it can be easier to get a Visa without mentioning you will be staying with family .... way more paperwork to fill in if they have a 'sponsor'. When we went to Australia we said we were staying in hotels in Sydney and didn't mention the fact we were also staying with my father in Adelaide.

Edited March 16, 2006 by sylvafern

[sbk]

I doubt Butterfly's reason would have anything to do with being turned down and GirlX's everything; very short time relationship + no assets= no chance

[MissAnge]

my boyf picked up his aussie visa today! heading down under for the songkran break! ripper!!!

[Boo]

good news missange, have a great time both of you

[MissAnge]

thanks Boo

no i just have to convince him that a trip to sydney ( i am from Melbourne) will be better than a trip to australia zoo to see Steve Irwin!!

[sylvafern]

thanks Boo

no i just have to convince him that a trip to sydney ( i am from Melbourne) will be better than a trip to australia zoo to see Steve Irwin!!

A trip to see the crocodile hunter over a trip to Sydney .... hmmmm, you'll have to come up with some good ones to convince him on that (even I would go for the Steve Irwin option!) ... does he like shopping? Maybe you could offer to buy him whatever he wants in return for following you around all day carrying your shopping bags. Or maybe you'll just have to do both. Have fun!

[Golden Retriever]

My bf and I are just on the last stages of putting our visa package together ( to the US and Canada for a month visit when I go home to visit this summer). I have researched it for three months now (check out the visa forum its lot of help) we have included invitation letters from both my parents (one is in the US and one in Canada), letters from his work ( hes a construction worker), his school (Adult ed. for his M1-6 that he didnt get before), proof of our 2 year relationship ie. plane tickets, pictures from the tsunami (we were both injured), general pictures of us, pics of me with his family and friends, proof that I lived and worked in thailand, a letter from me, a letter on behalf of his mother (who is illiterate) from the head of his village, A letter from his English teacher/my Thai teacher who has known us for the majority of our relationship verifying how long we have known eachother. etc etc. It has been quite trying and I am just praying he gets it. But just be prepared to do research and put some time and money into it. Good Luck.

Meme, congratulations. I have remembered you asked questions about your bf visa couple of months ago. Finally, you got it! Happy for you

[meme]

My bf and I are just on the last stages of putting our visa package together ( to the US and Canada for a month visit when I go home to visit this summer). I have researched it for three months now (check out the visa forum its lot of help) we have included invitation letters from both my parents (one is in the US and one in Canada), letters from his work ( hes a construction worker), his school (Adult ed. for his M1-6 that he didnt get before), proof of our 2 year relationship ie. plane tickets, pictures from the tsunami (we were both injured), general pictures of us, pics of me with his family and friends, proof that I lived and worked in thailand, a letter from me, a letter on behalf of his mother (who is illiterate) from the head of his village, A letter from his English teacher/my Thai teacher who has known us for the majority of our relationship verifying how long we have known eachother. etc etc. It has been quite trying and I am just praying he gets it. But just be prepared to do research and put some time and money into it. Good Luck.

Meme, congratulations. I have remembered you asked questions about your bf visa couple of months ago. Finally, you got it! Happy for you

I wish!! Miss Ange and her bf are the ones who got the visa to go to Aus (congrats Miss Ange!!). My bf and I are sending our huge visa package (like 30 pages!!) into the canadian embassy on Monday. So cross your fingers for us.

Meme.

[Golden Retriever]

I wish!! Miss Ange and her bf are the ones who got the visa to go to Aus (congrats Miss Ange!!). My bf and I are sending our huge visa package (like 30 pages!!) into the canadian embassy on Monday. So cross your fingers for us.

Meme.

oh, sorry, I got misunderstood. Anyway, you will get it, good luck.

[too true]

I wish!! Miss Ange and her bf are the ones who got the visa to go to Aus (congrats Miss Ange!!). My bf and I are sending our huge visa package (like 30 pages!!) into the canadian embassy on Monday. So cross your fingers for us.

Meme.

Canadian Embassy's not your biggest obstacle, I'm afraid. From all the paperwork you're sending, you should get the Canadian visa no problem. It's the American one that you may not get.

If I were you, I'd call a few days after you've sent the application just to make sure they've received it. When we applied for my husband's Canadian visa last year, we just let it go and didn't even think to call to check that they'd received all the papers. Then, when we hadn't heard anything in over two weeks, I called them and they said "oh, sorry, we seem to have lost it. Call back tomorrow and we'll see if we can find it." Egads!!! They finally found it after 3 days buried in some papers, or so the story goes from them. Not the smartest cookies in the jar, those Canadian embassy workers.

Cheers,

TT

[MissAnge]

sorry to cause the confusion!

best of luck meme fingers and toes are crossed... hang on maybe its bad luck to cross your toes in thailand! I will cross my toes and eyes for you meme

missange

[meme]

sorry to cause the confusion!

best of luck meme fingers and toes are crossed... hang on maybe its bad luck to cross your toes in thailand! I will cross my toes and eyes for you meme

missange

Thanks for all the crossing Miss ange!!

TT, I have read one of your ealier posts about how the embassy lost the application, so yes, he will be calling on MOnday to make sure they recieved it. Thanks for that tip. As for the US visa my bf and I have decided to forget it as everything I have read shows we might as well not even waste the time and money, as he does not have a lot of assets. Going to the US was only to visit my dad and he has agreed to come to Canada if my bf gets the Canadian visa. Applying for one visa was enough stress and hassel for this year!