Step daughter visitor visa

[daleyboy]

My wife and i have been married for 15 years and have a 9 year old son and i have a 21 year old step daughter.

My step daughter has always refused point blank about coming to the UK to live, although after our last visit she has shown an interest in visiting us for a holiday.

I fully understand that she wouldn't be able to reside permanently but how difficult would it be to get a visitor visa?

My wife has been a British citizen for approx 8 years now, we have room to accomodate her, i have financial documents to show we can support her etc etc. She has a job in 7/11 but no savings or land etc.

I have been out the loop so long, im not sure of the process. When we applied for my wife it was all done at the British embassy in Bangkok, there were no language requirements or health tests, is this still the case?

Any help would be appreciated, I'm coming over in November for 3 weeks to look at some business ideas, and would like if possible to sort the visa at the same time.

[theoldgit]

There's no reason why your step daughter shouldn't be successful in her application for a visa to visit the UK on holiday, thousands of Thais do so every year, just bear in mind that it's her application and her that needs to convince the UKVI that her proposed visit is genuine, affordable and that she's likely to return to her home county at the conclusion of her holiday.

If you're going to finance the trip then you need to satisfy the ECO that it's affordable and reasonable for you to do so. If you and your wife are accommodating her then you should say so in a covering letter, outlining what accommodation is available. If her and her mother are in regular contact it might be advisable to provide details of such contact.

She will need to satisfy the ECO at the visit is genuine, so she need to outline the reason and her plans for the trip, I'm assuming she's talking about a couple of weeks. She also needs to demonstrate her reasons to return, she should give evidence of her employment with 7/11 together with salary details, she should also obtain a letter from her employers advising how long she has worked there, that the leave of absence is authorised and that she is expected to return to her job on her return from her holiday. She might find it advisable to give details of her living arrangements.

Whilst you play no part in the application process, apart from providing evidence of your sponsorship, you can assist her with the online application process, she has to lodge the hard copy of the application and the supporting documents herself.

http://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/thailand/

[daleyboy]

Thank you for the quick response.

We were actually planning a visit for her of a few months rather than weeks.

She hasn't worked at 7/11 for very long, and i think she would probably have to find another job when she goes back, as i don't think they will hold her job open.

As for everything else you mentioned, i can supply all of that, it's just this employment thing that concerns me. I know how difficult it was for us to get my wifes visa 15 years ago. We were rejected 3 times and eneded up getting my local mp involved.

Jane Lacey Smith kept saying we wouldn't stay together as husband and wife, oh well proved her wrong, amd she has actually popped up on my facebook as someone i might know haha

[bobrussell]

It may be a little more difficult to persuade an ECO to issue a visit visa as it is pretty unlikely that a 7/11 would allow a holiday of that length. Would they write a letter stating they would be willing to re-employ her on her return?

Show as much information showing a settled life in Thailand and hope for a sympathetic ECO?

(Lots of people seem keen to believe relationships won't last. I gather figures suggest relationships with Thais are a bit more likely to survive than average. Every time I get a bit fed up my wife does something that makes me realise it was worthwhile. Yesterday she was bouncing on the trampoline to catch low hanging oak tree branches to trim!!)

Edited August 24, 2015 by bobrussell

[theoldgit]

In my opinion your step daughter would have a hard time convincing an Entry Clearance Officer that a visit of a few months is a genuine visit, she really needs to prove her ties to Thailand..

I think she would have a harder time than your wife did all those years ago, the ECO's have to operate within Immigration Rules and there's nothing your MP can do to circumnavigate the rules. An MP can only highlight where a decision has seemingly been made that is at odds with those rules, which I assume is what your MP did.