british visa for thai step daughter

[boris77]

hi all. Am sure this has been asked many times before on here , sorry will ask again. We have decided now is the time to bring my wifes daughter to join us in the uk now for good, well if she likes it that is. We feel the uk has more to offer her and more oppurtunites plus we are here now for at least 15 years until the kids have grown and left the nest. She has just turned 16 and was living with grandparents but now lives with the wifes sister. I have been on the uk visa website and as i remembered when i sorted my wife s visa then settlement then british citizenship it is not the easiest to navigate around.

My wife now has citizenship and a british passport , any advice , idea s and possible problems would be appreciated , p.s my wife also has sole custody, no contact with the father for along time , many years thanks boris

[Jay Sata]

Your biggest problem will be explaining the time elapsed from when your wife first came to the UK which I assume was at least five years ago.

It appears she has lived with her grandparents and her aunt but now you feel it is ''convenient' for her to come and try life in the UK?

In my opinion you face an uphill battle and you should have tackled this issue some years ago

[boris77]

hi sorry was asking for a little friendly advice not some arrogant answer . You know nothing of the circumstances . Convienence doesnt come into it and there were reasons we didnt do this years ago but thanks alot anyway for your help if thats what u were trying to do

[Jay Sata]

I did not mean it that way but you may find it helpful to approach one of the visa agents who sponsor this forum.

[howerde]

You are going to have to show with evidence that you wife has been making all the decisions that affect her daughters life, ie choice of school, dealing with school and all that goes with being a parent, etc etc and the more years they have been apart the harder it is, were you/wife sending money to support her? do you have the receipts to show it, I am not trying to be unkind, but look at it from the embassys point why can she not carry on living with the sister. that should be your starting point getting the evidence

Edited February 10, 2014 by howerde

[theoldgit]

hi sorry was asking for a little friendly advice not some arrogant answer . You know nothing of the circumstances . Convienence doesnt come into it and there were reasons we didnt do this years ago but thanks alot anyway for your help if thats what u were trying to do:wai:

The answer may have appeared arrogant but it's exactly the question the Entry Clearance Officer will ask themselves when considering the application, people on this forum can only give advice on the information given.

Your wife will need to satisfy the ECO that it's in the child's best interest to come to the UK at this stage, and they will wonder why she didn't go to the UK when her mother did.

I do agree that it's not going to be a straight forward application.

[bobrussell]

I don't see an arrogant answer. It is not at all straight forward to get a settlement visa just because a mother lives in the UK.

There have been a number of threads on this subject before and the longer the period of separation the tougher it is to convince an ECO to issue a visa.

Don't shoot the messenger just because you don't like the answer!

It is likely to be an uphill struggle and one of the few situations where I would advise a good, qualified and experienced agent. This is friendly advice.

[boris77]

cheers for the replys, maybe it was an arrogant answer maybe not but the term convienient when he knew nothing about me or the situation i found a bit off and un called for. i understand its not straight forward which is why am trying to research and understand the whole process before application. bob russell had nothing to do with not liking the answer just the way the message was put . could anybody recommend a decent agent and a ballpark figure of what they would charge

[Jay Sata]

cheers for the replys, maybe it was an arrogant answer maybe not but the term convienient when he knew nothing about me or the situation i found a bit off and un called for. i understand its not straight forward which is why am trying to research and understand the whole process before application. bob russell had nothing to do with not liking the answer just the way the message was put . could anybody recommend a decent agent and a ballpark figure of what they would charge

Hi Boris,

I'd like to apologise as I may have been a bit blunt. Sometimes I just state the facts and shoot from the hip and upset people.

Entry Clearance Officers are expected to process around 50-60 applications a day so they are not inclined to look at the life story of the people trying to get the visa.

Whatever visa agent you use don't pay money up front.

There are some very good organisations but many sharks.

Good luck and best wishes

[howerde]

I would use an 'oisc' registered agent, there is a sponsor of this site, the post by jay sata is worth bearing in mind, if you want a personal reference. pm me

[boris77]

thanks jay sata , i appreciate that. The goalposts have changed as in the living conditions for step daughter. She was settled and happy with grandparents but old age has come into it. They are both now well into their 70 s and health comes into it. with their declining health everybody decided that she would move in with the wife sister. She is ok there but they havent the room to have here their full time. My wife and i allways had the intention of her joining us if she so wished herself , they speak everyday on the phone and skype etc and it would break both their hearts if i couldnt get it for them . no pressure then 555

[7by7]

Have a read of the SET07 - Children, paying particular attention to SET7.8 What is sole responsibility?

Considering her age and the time they have been separated, at least three years as your wife now has British citizenship, then I think you are going to have problems.

Obtaining a Kor Por 14 from the girl's local ampur may help in establishing sole responsibility. Whilst it is not enough on it's own, the Entry Clearance Officers do give it credence.

I agree that you should seek the help of a competent agent; either ThaiVisaExpress in Thailand, click on their ad, or an OISC agent near to you in the UK. See How to find and choose a Regulated Immigration Adviser

Edited; Addendum.

Edited February 13, 2014 by 7by7

[boris77]

cheers 7by 7, the wife obtained the kor por 14 when we were in thailand over christmas. Have made contact with thaivisa express .see how they see it.

[Jay Sata]

Good luck Boris.

I hope it all works out OK for you.

[aland2012]

Yes, good luck Boris, please keep us up to date with your plans etc on this subject. This is something me and the misses is thinking about with her daughter too.

Alan :-)

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