Uk Visa For My Thai Girlfriend

[l13unn79]

Hello everybody

I am a 26 yr old male currenly living in the uk and not really too clued on all matters visa related. From what i have read there a lot of people on here who know a lot more than me. I would appreciate any help you can give me. And be sure if we were ever to meet I would stand your bar bill for the night.

I have been going out with my thai girlfriend for close on two years now and after living together for 5 months and me coming to see her every 3 months for one month I am wanting to bring her back to the uk. She does not want to settle in the uk but we are seeing it as a stopgap. This is because as a 26 yr old male i am 15,000 pounds in debt and can not afford to pay off this western debt with an eastern wage. Also being young and carefree i still live with my parents who no longer have a mortgage and fairly comfortable money wise.

I have been looking into acquiring a visa for my girlfriend and the only one applicable for ourselves looks like being the 6 month tourist visa. Now my parents are volunteering to become sponsors for my girlfriend. We have two years worth of phone cards ( over 300 all kept) all my holiday details, all letters emails and presents and pictures of us together over this period. Obviously we have my parents salary slips and bank details too. I am wondering before we go ahead with this if there is anything which will help us. The reasons we are thinking of giving is that girlfriend being an english teacher would like to help improve her english therefore give her an increased understanding of the language. Also am i going to be fighting a losing cause living with my parents and them acting as sponsors

All help is greatly appreciated

Thank you either way for taking the time to read this

[atlastaname]

I don't think you are fighting a lost cause but it won't be at all easy. It would appear she has a job which is a good thing but has she had it for a long time and is it permanent enough to show liklihood of returning to Thailand after your holiday. For here lies one of your problems as you will have to show strong "reason to return" to Thailand after the holiday which i suggest you don't make for too long this time..maybe 1 month , certainly not 6. You will need a letter from her employers stating she has worked for xx years and has a job to return to .

Presumably she has no land or other similar strong ties to Thailand ?

As long as your parents house is big enough your accomodation shouldn't be a problem but you will need a letter from them offering this for the length of her stay stating how many bedrooms .

Another problem you have is money. Although your parents may be willing to fund this trip it may well be that the Embassy staff will ask to see your financial affairs and they don't look good from what you have posted. Whilst this won't stop her getting the visa , if they see you are so far into debt it will possibly make them look closer at this application than they otherwise might. You should be aware of this .

As you are in a relationship you will need to convincingly show a reason why she won't just stay with you when she gets to the UK.

[agsnowdon]

The reasons we are thinking of giving is that girlfriend being an English teacher would like to help improve her English therefore give her an increased understanding of the language.

Hi

I'm going through the same situation with my TGF and one thing I might add is the to add to your reason for your GF to come to UK. As in say the reason is for her to visit your family now you have been in a substantial relationship.

My GF has no job to return to but has alot of capital and owns a car and some land, she is also sponsoring the trip herself but my parents have also said if there are any unforeseen problems they will pay for anything and have supplied sponsor letter and bank statements and also the deeds to their house and a recent mortgage payment statement.

I have been leading people to this THREAD for some time now as it has a great list of what you could need for a UK VV and Chrisp who posted this list supplied all of this and passed first time. I think this list just needs slightly changing for each case IE where and who statements are coming from but for certain if you can provide these items there’s not much they can say

Have a read of the entire thread and I'm sure there will be some good pointers there for you.

Good Luck Ash

[cuddleypete]

hi there l13unn79

From the circumstances you've outlined, my opinion is that your g/f would not find it impossible to get a visit visa.

The visa officer would also look at such factors as how long you've known each other and, of that, how long you've actually spent in each other's company,which seems not to be a problem for you both,you all so have a good amount of phone cards ,emails ,photos etc etc which the eco will look at and see that you have spent time together.

Your g/f will also be expected to have knowlege of you and your life in the UK etc etc etc

i can only see one problem maybe is your money situation ,because maybe you will have to show the eco your bank statments,and you say you have £15,000 debt,but as long as your bank staments do not show this and you have a job with regular income then it should not be a problem.

maybe scouser or GU22 can give you more advice

best of luck though

pete

Edited June 12, 2006 by cuddleypete

[agsnowdon]

one problem maybe is your money situation ,because you will have to show the eco bank statments,and you say you have £15,000 debt,but as long as your bank staments do not show this and you have a job with regular income then it should not be a problem.

Will he have to show bank statments as he isn't the one sponsoring the visit?

Like you say maybe scouser or GU22 can give more advice.

[l13unn79]

hi

thanks everyone. As you have said maybe it is not a good idea having my girlfriend come here for a long time maybe it is best just have her come for a short time. Also my bank statements are all in order and show no real signs of debt they just show the amount of money being paid in on a weekly basis. Por my girlfriend is thinking of enrolling on another university course and if she were would this be deemed a strong enough reason to return.

thank you everybody for your words of advice

[doctormann]

The reasons we are thinking of giving is that girlfriend being an english teacher would like to help improve her english therefore give her an increased understanding of the language.

Just a cautionary note:

Be very careful how you phrase this part of the sponsor's letter and also watch what you actually put on the VF1 form. The reason for being cautious is that if the EO suspects that your GF is coming to UK to study - and the interpretation of this can be very broad - then she will not be eligible for the Visitor's Visa. Probably not a real problem for you but just be aware that applications have failed before in circumstances such as this so make sure that you don't plant any seeds of doubt about the purpose of the visit.

Good luck.

DM

[oblivious]

Agree with doctormann, in fact I think it would be a mistake to include this as part of the reason at all.

The whole application, including the reason to return, will depend on you convincing them of the strength of you relationship. Wanting her to meet your folks and she where and how you live is absolutely natural if your relationship is strong and is reason enough for the visit.

Scouser and GU22 are the real experts on here mind and I would wait for their input before deciding anything if I was you!

[GU22]

l13unn79,

Unless the two of you are committed to marrying and settling in the UK, then, IMHO, the best option you have at this time is a visit visa.

The basic criteria for a visit visa are:-

1) The applicant must be able to afford the visit, either from their own funds or with the help of a sponsor or sponsors.

If she has sufficient money of her own, then she should show this by providing up to date bank books, pay slips etc.

If you are going to help her financially, being in debt is not necessarily a problem. As long as you can service the debt, meet your other financial commitments and have enough left to pay for the visit. You should show this by providing the last 6 months bank statements and pay slips.

If your parents are going to pay for the visit then they should provide the same evidence.

2) The applicant will be suitably accommodated during the visit.

Your parents should write a letter inviting her to stay. They should include a brief description of the property and who else is living there to show that there is room for her. Ideally she should have a bedroom for herself, but as she is you girlfriend sharing with you should be ok.

Your parents should include a copy of the deeds or their final mortgage statement to show they own the property and so can legally make an offer of accommodation.

3) The applicant will return to Thailand, or at least leave the UK, when or before the visa expires.

She is a teacher, presumably employed by someone. A leave of absence letter from her employer, stating when she is expected to return to work and that her job will be kept open for her, should cover this.

Also, many applicants have successfully obtained a visa to visit their boy/girlfriend in the UK even though they have not had a concrete reason to return. This is because they have shown their relationship to be genuine and therefore the reason for the visit to be genuine. Basically, if the ECO is satisfied on this point then s/he will feel that she would not want to jeopardise a future settlement application by overstaying or otherwise breaching the conditions of a visit visa.

You should write a covering letter briefly detailing the history of the relationship and the reason for wanting her to visit at this time; i.e. to meet your family and to get a taster of the UK. It would also be good to include a brief outline of you future plans together.

The reasons we are thinking of giving is that girlfriend being an english teacher would like to help improve her english therefore give her an increased understanding of the language.

You could add this, but don't make it the main reason for the visit, for the reason given by doctorman.

Provide lots of evidence of contact, phone bills, e-mails etc., and a selection of photos of the two of you together at different times and different locations always helps.

See also:-

Guidance - Visitors (INF 2)

Guidance - Sponsors (INF 3)

Diplomatic Service Procedures - Entry clearance - Volume 1 - General instructions Chapter 10 - Visit entry requirements

Documnet checklist for social visits (pdf)

Edited June 12, 2006 by GU22

[RAZZELL]

Look at and search:

www.thailand-uk.com/

Has most answers to your visa questions...

Good luck

[l13unn79]

Thank you all for taking the time to read this post and submitting your opinions and guidelines which i am sure will help me. I t is very appreciated and this site is a gold mine of information and i sincerely hope that at some time i can do the same to somebody else by offering advice. I will keep you posted on how i do and if you ever see the name levis on a pool table waiting list. Come across and hold me to the promise of footing your bar bill.

thank you

[the scouser]

From the details you have posted, it would appear that your girlfriend has a reasonable chance of getting a visit visa. She should certainly support her application with a letter from her employer which states how long she has been employed, her job, her salary and when she is expected to resume work.

You appear to have sufficient evidence of contact and have been to visit your girlfriend on a number of occasions, so that, too, should stand her in good stead. Contrary to other posters, I would mention that a secondary reason for the visit is to improve her English. It is perfectly reasonable for your girlfriend to seek to do this, given she is employed as an English teacher and, providing she has evidence of her employment, it would be difficult for the visa officer to suggest that she intends to stay in the UK for anything other than a visit.

Cheers,

Scouse.

[phusingpete]

l13unn79,

Unless the two of you are committed to marrying and settling in the UK, then, IMHO, the best option you have at this time is a visit visa.

The basic criteria for a visit visa are:-

1) The applicant must be able to afford the visit, either from their own funds or with the help of a sponsor or sponsors.

If she has sufficient money of her own, then she should show this by providing up to date bank books, pay slips etc.

If you are going to help her financially, being in debt is not necessarily a problem. As long as you can service the debt, meet your other financial commitments and have enough left to pay for the visit. You should show this by providing the last 6 months bank statements and pay slips.

If your parents are going to pay for the visit then they should provide the same evidence.

2) The applicant will be suitably accommodated during the visit.

Your parents should write a letter inviting her to stay. They should include a brief description of the property and who else is living there to show that there is room for her. Ideally she should have a bedroom for herself, but as she is you girlfriend sharing with you should be ok.

Your parents should include a copy of the deeds or their final mortgage statement to show they own the property and so can legally make an offer of accommodation.

3) The applicant will return to Thailand, or at least leave the UK, when or before the visa expires.

She is a teacher, presumably employed by someone. A leave of absence letter from her employer, stating when she is expected to return to work and that her job will be kept open for her, should cover this.

Also, many applicants have successfully obtained a visa to visit their boy/girlfriend in the UK even though they have not had a concrete reason to return. This is because they have shown their relationship to be genuine and therefore the reason for the visit to be genuine. Basically, if the ECO is satisfied on this point then s/he will feel that she would not want to jeopardise a future settlement application by overstaying or otherwise breaching the conditions of a visit visa.

You should write a covering letter briefly detailing the history of the relationship and the reason for wanting her to visit at this time; i.e. to meet your family and to get a taster of the UK. It would also be good to include a brief outline of you future plans together.

The reasons we are thinking of giving is that girlfriend being an english teacher would like to help improve her english therefore give her an increased understanding of the language.

You could add this, but don't make it the main reason for the visit, for the reason given by doctorman.

Provide lots of evidence of contact, phone bills, e-mails etc., and a selection of photos of the two of you together at different times and different locations always helps.

See also:-

Guidance - Visitors (INF 2)

Guidance - Sponsors (INF 3)

Diplomatic Service Procedures - Entry clearance - Volume 1 - General instructions Chapter 10 - Visit entry requirements

Documnet checklist for social visits (pdf)

Hi, Re-." You should show this by providing the last 6 months bank statements and pay slips."

My girl friend has visited England twice during our 5 year relationship.As we are newly married I assume we should submit our marriage certificate with the visa application.Will this be returned? If I recall correctly my bank statements were not returned last time, is this usual.?.......Cheers

[cuddleypete]

My girl friend has visited England twice during our 5 year relationship.As we are newly married I assume we should submit our marriage certificate with the visa application.Will this be returned? If I recall correctly my bank statements were not returned last time, is this usual.?.......Cheers

hi there when my wife did here settlement visa last year they kepted my bank statments (all six months ,) only the copies,And they kepted a copy off the marriage cert,and gave the real one back

all the best to you both

pete&som

[phusingpete]

My girl friend has visited England twice during our 5 year relationship.As we are newly married I assume we should submit our marriage certificate with the visa application.Will this be returned? If I recall correctly my bank statements were not returned last time, is this usual.?.......Cheers

hi there when my wife did here settlement visa last year they kepted my bank statments (all six months ,) only the copies,And they kepted a copy off the marriage cert,and gave the real one back

all the best to you both

pete&som

Hi, thanks for the prompt reply.So, did you hand in the originals and copies. I am sure they will give back the marriage cert. but I would like my bank statements back this time....

cheers Pete & Rarai

[GU22]

They should return all the documents. If they don't, ask for them!

[phusingpete]

They should return all the documents. If they don't, ask for them!

Thanks 'GUZZ', will do that next time....