A friend of mine is getting his wifes visa through Orchid of Siam. Can anybody reccomend these people, and/or suggest a better way to do it. These people are based in the UK, and it seems strange to me a UK based firm can get visa's for girls in Thailand.

just go direct - however it has just been outsourced to the same guys as the Australian embassy

hi there there are firms out there that do visa,but i would adivse your friend to do it himself ,as when i did my wifes settlement visa there were signs everywhere saying do not use these sort off firms,

iam sure gu22 and scouser will point you in the right direction,

A friend of mine is getting his wifes visa through Orchid of Siam. Can anybody reccomend these people, and/or suggest a better way to do it. These people are based in the UK, and it seems strange to me a UK based firm can get visa's for girls in Thailand.

A UK-based representative is more likely to be able to effectively advise on the pros and cons of a given application. The majority of the para-legal firms that you get in Thailand I wouldn't class as immigration advisers; just people who think they know what is required. As soon as they are presented with a situation outside of their experience, they don't know what to do next. To be honest, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to lodge the application yourself.

I've never heard of Orchid of Siam, but if you do instruct a representative in the UK, they have to be either a member of the Law Society or registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).

OISC - find an adviser.

Cheers,

Scouse.

A friend of mine is getting his wifes visa through Orchid of Siam.

No, he isn't. He may be advised by them on making the application, but he will most definitely not be getting any visa through them.

Visas are issued by the visa section of the relevant embassy, for Thai residents this is, of course, Bangkok.

I see from their website that they claim to be registered with the OISC, or at least their London office does, so one would assume that they probably know what they are talking about. But remember, they cannot influence the visa decision in any way, merely advise on how to best prepare the application.

In the vast majority of applications everything one needs to know can be found by reading the guidance notes and asking questions on forums such as this. It is only in complex cases, usually with a chequered immigration history, that expert advice may be needed. In which case I would advise talking to an immigration lawyer rather than a marriage cum visa agency.

However, at the end of the day, it is up to your friend to decide.

Remember, advice here is free. Advice from an agent is expensive.