All said and down just spare a thought for the other half's ' the applicant's' in what for them can be a huge experience and possible life changing situation, no stress there then......................

Exactly

It is so bloody stressful for them and without the wherewithall to know the situation.

The first application was submitted with no preparation at all. We had sod all in the way of supporting evidence, and, with the benefit of hindsight, had I been the ECO I would have refused it.

Next time we prepared properly. We found out exactly what was required and made sure we had it. In fact we submitted more than was necessary. Result? Visa issued after a 5 minute interview!

Was it a hassle doing all this preparation? Not really. It required a lot of running around getting all the necessary documents, translations etc. It was a task, at times a tiresome task. But as the end result meant my wife and I could be together I would not say it was a hassle.

For the benefit of most of us who are applying what did you supply as supporting evidence and what docs did you have to have translated ?

The request for "supporting evidence/documents" is vague to say the least. It would be nice to know what sort of things they are actually looking for from someone whos been successful with an application.

Thanks

For the benefit of most of us who are applying what did you supply as supporting evidence and what docs did you have to have translated ?

It was nearly 6 years ago, so I may have forgotten something, but from memory:-

Letter from me briefly outlining the history of our relationship

Marriage certificate

Wife's birth certificate

Step-daughter's birth certificate

My birth certificate

Wife's divorce certificate

My wife changed her name back to her maiden name on her divorce, so the name change certificate

Papers from Thai court giving sole custody of her daughter to my wife

Wife's passport

Step-daughter's passport

My passport (this was checked and copied by them and immediately returned to me when we handed in the application, these days I think they want you to provide the copy)

Wife's bank book

My last 6 months bank statements

My last 6 months pay slips

Letter from my father offering to accommodate us, together with a brief description of the property to show there was room and a copy of the deeds to prove ownership (a mortgage statement will do instead of the deeds, but my father had paid his mortgage off. If renting then a landlord's letter)

Phone records, mobile and landline, since we met

Copies of every e-mail that we had exchanged

About 30 photos of us together at various times and locations

I think that's it, but as I say, I could have forgotten something.

All documents in Thai were accompanied by an English translation, certified by the translation agency.

The list in Guidance - Husbands, wives and partners (INF 4) is a bit vague, but a more comprehensive list can be found in the appropriate VFS checklist

Have a read of the DPS, chapter 13 as well for an indication of what they are looking for.

For the benefit of most of us who are applying what did you supply as supporting evidence and what docs did you have to have translated ?

It was nearly 6 years ago, so I may have forgotten something, but from memory:-

Letter from me briefly outlining the history of our relationship

Marriage certificate

Wife's birth certificate

Step-daughter's birth certificate

My birth certificate

Wife's divorce certificate

My wife changed her name back to her maiden name on her divorce, so the name change certificate

Papers from Thai court giving sole custody of her daughter to my wife

Wife's passport

Step-daughter's passport

My passport (this was checked and copied by them and immediately returned to me when we handed in the application, these days I think they want you to provide the copy)

Wife's bank book

My last 6 months bank statements

My last 6 months pay slips

Letter from my father offering to accommodate us, together with a brief description of the property to show there was room and a copy of the deeds to prove ownership (a mortgage statement will do instead of the deeds, but my father had paid his mortgage off. If renting then a landlord's letter)

Phone records, mobile and landline, since we met

Copies of every e-mail that we had exchanged

About 30 photos of us together at various times and locations

I think that's it, but as I say, I could have forgotten something.

All documents in Thai were accompanied by an English translation, certified by the translation agency.

The list in Guidance - Husbands, wives and partners (INF 4) is a bit vague, but a more comprehensive list can be found in the appropriate VFS checklist

Have a read of the DPS, chapter 13 as well for an indication of what they are looking for.

Thanks for that there are a few things there I can include which I didnt think of before. The checklist link to the website is still out of date, theres now 12 points on it instead of the 9 on the web one (see my earlier post) I emailed the Embassy and VFS about the out of date info but havent had a reply from over a week ago.