UK Visa applications - Bangkok or Manila - which is best?

[NSCR]

Does anybody have experience of applying for a UK visa (tourist or spouse) in Manila and/or Bangkok, and which would they recommend?

My wife is Filipina, but has residence in Thailand, so has the option for applying in either.

I've attached a file with the visa processing times for each. They are shorter across the board in Manila. The one that stands out is the Settlement visa, where Manila can process 71% in 40 days, Bangkok does 0%, although they both have 90%+ after 60 days.

VFS will respond to e-mailed questions in Manila in 5 days, whereas it is stated as 20 days in Bangkok, and this has been my experience. Although they are able to answer some questions over the phone.

However I have had bad experiences with Consulate personnel in Manila (especially the Thai Consulate) where the persons can often be pedantic and unhelpful.

For instance, I have submitted online bank statements in Bangkok without getting them certified or a letter from the bank. This seems to be a local practice as the UKBorder website states they need to be authenticated. Would Manila have a different set of rules (or interpretation of the rules)?

Does anybody have experience of both to make a judgement?

Visa Processing Times.docx

[7by7]

Your wife does not have the option of applying in either Bangkok or Manila.

As said to you in your other topic; UK visa applicants must apply in their country of residence, not country of nationality (although usually these are the same).

You say that your wife is currently in the Philippines; if she has returned there indefinitely and so is now a Philippine resident then she applies to Manila.

If she is only back as a visitor and will be returning to Thailand, then she should apply in Thailand.

As for which is better; UK visa decisions at any embassy are made by UKV&I staff all working to the same set of rules and the same guidance; where one applies should not make any difference. Although I accept that some ECOs may be stricter in applying the rules than others, this could be the case wherever she applies.

Also, as said in your other topic, if she does apply in Manila then the ECOs there will be able to access her file from her previous applications in Bangkok; both her successful ones and the latest, unsuccessful one.

The only real advantage over applying to one embassy over another is the processing times; due to Manila having considerably fewer applications in total than Bangkok for the period covered by the tables you have produced, they win that one. But remember, the figures you have copied are just for decisions made in one particular month. Choose a different month and the reverse could be the case.

[Jay Sata]

If I was you I'd apply in Manila.

Other experts may disagree but you'll find it's a lot easier as your wife is a resident there.

She may visit Thailand and have some sort of residency there but she'll always always be home and treated better in the Philiipines.

I love Manila .

Good luck and bon voyage

Jay

Edited January 1, 2014 by Jay Sata

[theoldgit]

If I was you I'd apply in Manila.

Other experts may disagree but you'll find it's a lot easier as your wife is a resident there.

She may visit Thailand and have some sort of residency there but she'll always always be home and treated better in the Philiipines.

I love Manila .

Good luck and bon voyage

Jay

Sorry but that incorrect advice, the lady in question is not resident in The Philiiipines [sic] whilst she is a Philippine national the OP has made it very clear that she is only visiting The Philippines and resident in Thailand, so that's where she should apply.

[NSCR]

Your wife does not have the option of applying in either Bangkok or Manila.

As said to you in your other topic; UK visa applicants must apply in their country of residence, not country of nationality (although usually these are the same).

You say that your wife is currently in the Philippines; if she has returned there indefinitely and so is now a Philippine resident then she applies to Manila.

If she is only back as a visitor and will be returning to Thailand, then she should apply in Thailand.

As for which is better; UK visa decisions at any embassy are made by UKV&I staff all working to the same set of rules and the same guidance; where one applies should not make any difference. Although I accept that some ECOs may be stricter in applying the rules than others, this could be the case wherever she applies.

Also, as said in your other topic, if she does apply in Manila then the ECOs there will be able to access her file from her previous applications in Bangkok; both her successful ones and the latest, unsuccessful one.

The only real advantage over applying to one embassy over another is the processing times; due to Manila having considerably fewer applications in total than Bangkok for the period covered by the tables you have produced, they win that one. But remember, the figures you have copied are just for decisions made in one particular month. Choose a different month and the reverse could be the case.

Thanks for the response. I thought I would start a different thread as I the topic might be of interest to others. Maybe that is not the case if applications have to be made from the residence country.

While I accept there should be equal treatment from all embassies, I still think that certain countries would be "more strict" than others based on previous application and non-compliance history. Although I would expect the Philippines and Thailand to be under similar levels of non-compliance. While your point of applications may vary month to month in each country, I thought it significant that Bangkok had no settlement visas resolved in less than 60 days, but then all the 15 and 40 day resolutions in Manila may have been rejections!

After the refusal of a 2 year general visitor visa in Bangkok, I went to the UK to take care of my parents, and my wife went to the Philippines to visit her family (not done that in 4 years). As we cannot reunite in the UK as planned due to the visa refusal, we proposed to meet again in Pattaya in March to apply again for a visitor visa, Having been absent from the UK for 6 months there is reason to believe that it should be issued. However, based on information and debate her, it may be better to apply for a Spouse visa.

So it occurs to me, that when my wife returns to Pattaya after 3 months to apply for a general visitor visa to the UK, if they see she was in the Philippines for 3 months (despite having a residence visa for Thailand) they could claim that she was not resident in Thailand, and reject the application saying she should do it in Manila. Our intention is to continue retirement residence in Thailand, however absences from the country may be construed as residence or not in the eyes of the immigration authorities, so it is difficult to know what to do. Intention doesn't seem to count as important.

So it does seem we have the choice of applying from Manila or Bangkok, by way of deciding where she spends her time prior to the application. For practical purposes, Bangkok is better because unless you are based in Manila, there are considerable difficulties in getting there due to the distances involved.

Its all a matter of applying from wherever we have the best chance. As you say, all consulates have access to the same information, so theoretically it should be the same. Whether it is in practice, I have my doubts.

[7by7]

She, presumably, has evidence of her residence in Thailand with you and has used this evidence in her previous applications.

All her previous applications have been made in Bangkok.

I can see no reason why her visiting her family in the Philippines should make the ECO in Bangkok think she is now a Philippine resident. If in doubt, put in the additional information box that she was just visiting.

The notion that being a Philippine national means she will be treated better by the British ECOs employed by UKV&I and basing their decision on the UK immigration rules in Manila than rather than Bangkok is, of course, absurd.

[NSCR]

She, presumably, has evidence of her residence in Thailand with you and has used this evidence in her previous applications.

All her previous applications have been made in Bangkok.

I can see no reason why her visiting her family in the Philippines should make the ECO in Bangkok think she is now a Philippine resident. If in doubt, put in the additional information box that she was just visiting.

The notion that being a Philippine national means she will be treated better by the British ECOs employed by UKV&I and basing their decision on the UK immigration rules in Manila than rather than Bangkok is, of course, absurd.

Thanks 7x7. You are right, my wife has a Thai residence visa, and her last two visa applications have been made in Bangkok (the first was in KL). I just thought that if she spent a prolonged period in the Philippines they would question why she didn't apply there. I'll get her back ASAP and start the application process.

While your comment about different treatment regarding visa applications in different countries being absurd, I'm afraid experience has taught me that this is not the case. It may or may not be true for the UKV&I, but I am sure many have experienced varying interpretations and enforcement of regulations in different embassies, making visa applications "easier: in certain embassies.

I can recall two episodes when faced with unhelpful, strict and pedantic embassies where it became apparent additional time and/or expense would be required to obtain a visa, I hopped on a plane and applied in another country, and was granted the same visa within 24 hours. My company routinely used to send us to particular countries to apply for visas due to the relative ease of obtaining visas in those countries when compared to others.

Absurd maybe, but that has been my experience, so I think the question is valid.

[NanLaew]

Out of interest, the OP states his Filipina wife has a Thai "residence visa". What exactly is that? I understood that apart from TR class visas for tourists, there was only the Non-Immigrant O, B, OA, ED, etc., type visas. As far as I am aware, none of these in themselves confer or imply any sort Thai residency.