British goiverment Visa RANT

[icare999]

they are complete After 30 years together legally married for 27+ of those 2 children its still a hazzle and I've learnt only way to make sure is to provide tons and tons of evidence and loads of money in my wife name. Now she has a 10 year visa but to get it we previously did many tourist visas then 2 year then 5 year. My wife has several properties in her name and accounts in Malaysia and SIngapore with several million baht in funds and investments. We provide it all each time to each country and even then its always a huge hazzle. Often they ask why do you provide all this to which we answer so you have no excuse possible to not grant visa. Other countries have been same and before when thais needed a visa for Japan my wife supplied amongst other papers a bank statement showing over 10,000,000 baht of investments in her SIngapore account. She was told no good had to be in a This bank and that she did not have enough n her thai account. I told them ok well go put 1m ill ion baht in and come back later. They said that would be enough. Luckily I had a pass book of mine with over 1m ill ion baht in it and our marriage papers and they accepted that.

I haven any many friends who have had their wives refused who are quite rich and failed to take my advise to shower the with ask uhf asset proof as possible preferably in wife or GF name

I loathe and hate them

[Alfredo46]

I had the same problem with New Zealand - there is one sentence that drives me nuts:

"we are not quite satisfied" - with no explanation !!!!!

[icare999]

It will not help your mood to discover (as I did last week) that it is far easier for a European with a Thai wife to visit the UK than it is for a British citizen with a Thai wife to do so.

They can enter under EU citizen's rights rather than the usual immigration regulations.

You are quite right. The right to free movement does not apply in your home country.

to be fair reason is someone married to a UK citizen is far morel likely to try and stay . My this wife automatically gets free a shenken visa since uses married to a EEC citizen and she has a UK visa. Its automatic free and cannot be refused under EC rules. You apply for a EC family visa.

Having said that we've found german immigration when visiting total bastards and swiss even worse and UK immigration people on arrival in UK really friendly. My this wife often comments how nice it is to visit UK since the immigration people are so nice and friendly unlike when we've visited many other places

[wooloomooloo]

I loathe and hate them

You're wasting far too much time on fear and loathing.

I spent six months researching my wife's settlement visa application. I didn't take anything for granted. I may have overdone it and spent far more money than necessary, but achieved our goal.

I/we did the same for ILR and in a few weeks will apply, on my wife's behalf, for citizenship. I do the paperwork and my wife signs. It's all above board.

My wife nailed LitUK test and also B1. It was all about application and research. Before the application [any application] is submitted I will go over it all at least three or four times to ensure complete coverage.

We don't moan, sulk or waste time. Rules are rules and has been the same since I started primary school and that's why, fortunately, every step of the way has been successful. If we were refused, we'd just take it on the chin and start over. That is life.

Edited June 10, 2014 by wooloomooloo

[icare999]

I loathe and hate them

You're wasting far too much time on fear and loathing.

I spent six months researching my wife's settlement visa application. I didn't take anything for granted. I may have overdone it and spent far more money than necessary, but achieved our goal.

I/we did the same for ILR and in a few weeks will apply, on my wife's behalf, for citizenship. I do the paperwork and my wife signs. It's all above board.

My wife nailed LitUK test and also B1. It was all about application and research. Before the application [any application] is submitted I will go over it all at least three or four times to ensure complete coverage.

We don't moan, sulk or waste time. Rules are rules and has been the same since I started primary school and that's why, fortunately, every step of the way has been successful. If we were refused, we'd just take it on the chin and start over. That is life.

we've always got visa and my wife now has a 10 year UK visa but I do loathe and hate them.

Why should we being married nearly 30 years have 2 children who are This and UK citizens have property in UK and here have to (which we do) provide to make sure bastards can't refuse normally 50+ pages of evidence giving all our assets and why should some jumped up person in visa place have any right to treat my wife as they do many times like some criminal or prostitute. ITs not just UK

I repeat we've always got visas we want for UK USA New zealand europe and many more places

i repeat they are mostly complete bastards

If my this wife with 2 UK kids tons of money property in UK and rest has hazzle and she has they must treat others probably worse. Once a german immigration official interrogated her for 2 hours even though she had a proper visa lots of money and basically accused her of being a prostitute. I was in arrivals hall waiting for her.

[Beornfrith]

What exactly is the question you asked ? Please let us know the response when you get it.

I asked the following:

What training do Entry Clearance Officers have in dealing with the objective aspects of the applications?

What training do Entry Clearance Officers have in dealing with the human aspect of their applicants?

What justifies the exorbitantly high cost of applying for a settlement visa (nearly £900)?

Do ECOs or their superiors have to meet a minimum level of refusals during any given time frame?

If so, are there penalties for failing to meet the minimum level?

Why does the FCO contract a third-party (VFS) to be the public-facing body in many countries? This approach creates a situation where applicants with queries are told "We can't help you, it's the embassy that deals with that" when asking VFS a question and "We can't help you, you have to speak to VFS" when asking the embassy a question.

They've said they've assigned my request a caseworker and will get the answers to me by the 25th. We'll see..

[Gringogazzer]

It will not help your mood to discover (as I did last week) that it is far easier for a European with a Thai wife to visit the UK than it is for a British citizen with a Thai wife to do so.

They can enter under EU citizen's rights rather than the usual immigration regulations.

Britannia is an excellent host, but a bastard mother.

I've had to jump through untold hoops just keep my wife close to me when I'm home for work or visiting and I've paid tax into that system all my working life.

I told the wife it would of made life so much easier and been financially better off with her benefits if I strapped her to a lorry.

My humour was lost translation and she didn't talk to me for nearly an hour.

I have every sympathy with you. Your wife is your wife and should be given priority over all other vagabonds from your home nation if you can prove its a valid marriage.

My rant over.

Good luck

[stretch5163]

Totally agree with the OP here and also would like to say that there is no consistency in the way that Visa's are isued from Bangkok UK Embassy.

This is from my own past experience. When i initially married my wife we filled in paperwork for a 2 year Visa for her. This was done myself and after initial problems of getting the visa Agency to even accept the Visa application, which eventually they did. Gladly and with no problems the visa was issued.

I was in the Force's at the time and my wife visited 2 time's within the duration of the 2 year Visa.

There were no problem's and no overstay of any kind.

Eventually it came time to renew the visa so again we went through the rigmarole of the paperwork required. Again i did everything myself sending all the relevant paperwork needed. Basically thought this would be a formality and the visa would be issued no problem. How wrong i was.

I was still in the military and earning more money than the first application that was accepted.

The application was refused by the Embassy due to lack of fund's on my part. You can imagine my dismay when the wife in tear's was telling me this on the telephone. I had just returned from a tour and was looking forward to seeing her in the UK.

We appealed and the appeal was refused. I was totally disgusted as to how they can give a visa initially and then suddenly refuse for some crappy reason which was inaccurate.

In the end i decided to contact my local MP who took up the case for me and to cut a long story short within a week apologie's and visa was issued.

There is no credibility in the way Visa's are issued from the Embassy in Bangkok. My wife was reduced to tears by embassy staff being rude on the phone to her and i actually think that someone was having a bad day and refused the visa. Or even that there is a limit on the number of visa's given and our applicaton was over the limit that day.

We have not applied for a Visa since but dare say we will 1 day but god only know's what will happen then.

[howerde]

95% of visit visas are granted - the ECO has a few minutes per application. Failure to tick all the boxes puts you into the 5% rejection group. You did not tick the boxes!

This is a bureaucratic box ticking exercise and you have to accept that at the outset. The ECO does not have the time, nor the requirement to chase up missing or inadequate paperwork. It is your job to provide what is needed.

The £90 cost gets soaked up in government spending so don't expect value for money or sympathy from HMG, you won't get and they won't care!

Run away from any agency offering guaranteed visas! Good ones may offer a no win, no fee service but they can give a good indication of whether a visa is likely to be granted from an initial meeting.

It is always much more difficult to get a visa to your own country than another Schengen country, presumably because the country can make up its own rules.

VFS does seem to be doing a pretty awful job for some applicants at the moment from comments made here.

Fill in the missing gaps, pay the £90 for a new application with all the required information.

Can you please show where you got this info from(an official source), there are published stats on how many applications/time taken, but can find no official reference to pass/fail rates,

I would be amazed if 95% off visit visa from Thailand was correct

[bobrussell]

We have all had to jump through hoops in a broadly similar manner. The requirements do change and it is inconvenient to do. It is the same for every applicant wherever they live outside the EU.

Visit visa applications require information that confirms a visit is for the right reason, can be afforded and the visitor will go back in line with the terms of the visa. Just because you are married, have children does not change the fact that the applicant needs to present evidence that this is the case.

A settlement visa requires evidence that the applicant meets all the requirements for that visa.

The system is far from perfect but it is the same for everybody with a non-EU partner. Not sure why anyone deserves to take priority over anyone else. Most visit visas take a matter of days to process anyway.

Grumbling because you have not prepared an application well is hardly constructive. The first visit visa I prepared with/for my now wife was rejected because it was not particularly well put together. In those days you could talk to the ECO directly and when I did he was very pleasant about it. He made it clear why the visa was rejected and made it very clear that all we had to do was fill in the gaps!

ECO's are more distant nowadays from the applicant but the only help and advice that the ECO offered is easily found on this forum.

There is intense and unrelenting pressure in the UK to reduce immigration but nothing has changed the fact that if an applicant meets the requirements and shows they do, then a visa will be issued.

Whinging about fairness is a waste of time. The rules apply to everybody equally so it is completely fair. Whether it is right is a different argument.

Edited June 10, 2014 by bobrussell

[thaiguzzi]

Sympathy to the OP.

Would have been so much easier if you had married a Somali or Afghanistani. Or anyone who had a refugee problem in their country. Might have even thrown in a council house. I'm all for tough immigration policies, but when it comes to being sensible and having some common sense... jesus i hate office workers and the rule is the rule and don't forget to dot your "i's".

[Thanet]

I understand your frustration OP. The old saying "what can't be cured must be endured" applies.

As much as I sympathise with you regards the pettiness of this rejection, and as much as I share your distaste of all this pointless bureaucracy, the simple fact is this: Raging against the machine won't help you in any tangible way, I'm sorry to say.

All you need to do is get bank statements, or fix whatever else the worthless bureaucrats want to see, suck it up and reapply with a deferential smile. More than likely, Mrs. T will then get her visa, and you shall both go to the ball, and have a wonderful time in beautiful England. Weather permitting, of course, but the pubs are fantastic whatever the weather.

If at first you don't succeed, stiff upper lip, and all that.

Edited June 10, 2014 by Thanet

[ATF]

Not many countries are going to let a Thai woman in if she can't show independent means of support or evidence of assets in Thailand. To apply for a Euro/Aus/UK/US Visa they have to show they have at least 600k baht in their account for at least six months. I would be suspicious if someone had been married for seventeen years and never taken their wife to their home country plus you should have given her the original plus the copy of your bankbook updated on that day.

Anyone know if schengen visas are good for the UK now? UK was talking about allowing them.

[longballlarry]

I never thought I would have an issue with our application. I have been married for 8 years, have taken my Thai wife and our kid to the UK twice. I met the financial requirements, had previously served my country for 12 yrs, so felt there would never be a problem with her settlement visa application. Like the OP, I put it together over confidently, without taking the time to complete it properly. Her visa was refused, so I spat the dummy out for a couple of days. Then I corrected my mistakes, put the corrections together and it was accepted a few days later. Don't take it personally, just do what they want. If you have been living here for 17yrs, you must have had to put up with endless red tape and nonsense from Thai immigration, so a few forms for your wife should be a walk in the park.

[mikecat]

Lets just forget all the bullshit and lectures, the man is British, he is legally married for ten years and has a right to to take his wife home for a holiday. This heartless bunch of nose pickers at the Embassy need a good kick up the backside and told a few facts of life End of story.

[Jip99]

Lets just forget all the bullshit and lectures, the man is British, he is legally married for ten years and has a right to to take his wife home for a holiday. This heartless bunch of nose pickers at the Embassy need a good kick up the backside and told a few facts of life End of story.

Indeed it is "End of Story"

No visa!

[theoldgit]

The OP has had his "rant", this forum is designed to offer advice and support during the application process and to answer any relevant questions.

This thread has run its natural course and is no longer serving any useful purpose.