Misinformation or change in policy for UK visitor visa for Thai wife

[jimbob333]

Todaymywofe had an early appoinment at Trendy building, we plan to fly to England July 15th,tjeor policy is 3 months before.

So I was told by many people on this forum you can ask for visa to start 3 months from appoinment date, TOTAL BULLSHIT, my wife has being told if she applies today her visa will be issued from this date which means it will expire before we go, so either misinformation on this site or change in policy, but either way very disappointed, so a Thai person can only go to England with 3 months to go, <deleted> get a good deal on a flight, ludicrous

[Upnotover]

What was the planned travel date you put on the application? Normally the system wont allow you to make an appointment more than 3 months before that date.

[jimbob333]

July 15th,it let's you change date when you are in the application,I was advised by many Poeple on here that this allowed and doesn't have any bearing on application

[Upnotover]

Ah, never knew that. Yes, I saw the advice given but never had direct experience of it, but provided that the required travel date is clear in the application and you/she made a very clear note that the visa should be post-dated then she still has a chance, it is the embassy staff that issue the visa, not the Trendy staff who likely have little clue about all the ins and outs of the application process.

[7by7]

As I said to you here

All applications have to be made online.

As said, UK visas can only be post dated up to a maximum of three months. You are saying you will be travelling more than 3 months ahead, which is why it wont let you go any further.

When it asks if you will be travelling within the next three months answer 'Yes.'

You will then be asked at some stage for the actual date of travel.

As long as this date is no more than 3 months ahead you wont have a problem.

If you don't want the visa to start until July, then you will have to wait until April before applying.

This is confirmed on the UKVI standard visitor visa pages

How long it will take

You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to the UK.

So your wife has been misinformed, but not by anyone here.

If she was told she could not submit up to three months ahead by an actual member of staff inside the UKVAC then you may wish to make a complaint.

But if she was told this by someone else, such as one of the visa agent touts who hang around outside the UKVAC and prey on the unwary, then all you and she can do is learn from the experience; i.e. ignore them.

Having said all that, what start date did you put on the online form?

Did you change it on the paper form and if so, to what?

July is not three months away; it's five!

If you changed the date on the paper form to 15th July, or any date after 7th May, then if she did get to the counter to submit her application she should have been told she could not submit on 8th Feb and ask for a start date after 7th May.

If the requested start date was less than three months from today, i.e. 7th May or before, then the VFS staff at the UKVAC should have accepted her application.

I know many people who have successfully submitted a UK visit visa application in Thailand with a post dated start of no more than three months ahead, including my sister in law. So I can see no reason why your wife would have been misinformed by UKVAC staff.

Unless she was seen by a new staff member who had not been trained properly!

So, I repeat; if she was told she could not submit up to three months ahead by an actual member of staff inside the UKVAC then you may wish to make a complaint.

But if she was told this by anybody else, make a new appointment.

The same if she asked for a start date more than three months ahead; make a new appointment and this time ensure the requested start date is no more than three months ahead.

Whether you will have to make a new application and pay again, I don't know. I suspect that if the error was VFS's then you will at least get a refund of this fee; but if the error was yours, or your wife didn't turn up for her appointment, then I doubt it.

BTW, UK visit visas are valid for 6 months; 6 months from 8th Feb is 7th August. You have stated previously that you only intend to remain in the UK for three weeks from 15th July, i.e. until 5th August. So even were her visa to be dated from today, which it wouldn't be, the earliest it would begin is the day of issue, she would still be covered!

Edited February 8, 2016 by 7by7

[jimbob333]

Told them we were flying 15th July,that was on her application and also for any visa to start 3months from today,

She was refused from submitting her visa.

[jimbob333]

We changed our plans beofre making visa,15th July until 14th August,we have renooked our appoinment for the 17th Febuary where I will attach a letter of complaint,so that will cover the 6months,but still she had to take a day off so that was wasted,crap customer service would expect better from representitives of my country

[7by7]

What date did you ask the visa to start from?

Who told her she could not submit the application; a VFS staff member inside the UKVAC or someone else?

With respect, a significant part of the problem is your wife submitting her application so early; five months before her date of travel.

I suspect the issue is that the date of travel is usually the date people want the visa to begin and this is what both the VFS staff and the ECO will look at; did you make it clear that this was not the case in your wife's application? Did you include a note of why these dates are different?

I am not attempting to excuse poor service, but if all the VFS staff member had to go on was the date of travel, then they are not at fault for believing she was submitting too early.

As you were advised previously, if she didn't want the visa to start until July then she should have waited until April to submit her application. That wold have avoided this confusion.

So make sure that it is obvious that although she isn't travelling until July, she actually wants the visa to start in May; and why.

Or to make it simpler for all concerned, say she intends to travel in May! If queried on her entry to the UK in July she can simply say that your and her plans changed.

It is worth remembering that VFS play no part in the decision making process. They cannot refuse to accept an application and forward it to the embassy if the applicant insists.

[jimbob333]

The VFS staff refused to accept her application,I was not allowed to the 28th floor just herself.

I attached a note to the front of her applcation that made it clear when we were travelling and what date the visa was to start,

Also I do not think its good to wait until 3 months beforeto apply,( I know they are the rules but they are arcane and punish people who want to plan early)

prices for flights are good at the moment,we are attending a wedding and have plans,yet if she is refused those plans are no longer valid,so I think to apply early is a Fair request and was made clear when and why.

I think the system sucks,I have lived here over two years and never will I comolain how hard the Thais make it difficult for me to retain a visa here,compared to my home country its a walk in the park.

[bobrussell]

If you applied for a visa with a request for it to be post dated by less than three months then there is either a mistake or misunderstanding. A visa cannot be postdated by five months but it seems very likely that VFS staff did not understand and it may be that your wife did not clarify the situation.

One of the reasons for limiting early application is to minimise the chance that the applicants situation has changed. The longer the time, the more likely it is that circumstances do change! This might increase the risk that an immigration officer may refuse entry to the UK if they believe circumstances have changed.

The system has to have some rules and three months seems sensible enough to me! I would get on with the complaint! You have plenty of time to put the application in again..

[jimbob333]

3 months is not in my book enough time,my wife made it clear as did the note attached,didnt ask for 5 months we asked for 3,and if I plan to go to a wedding I want some time to prepare,like letting people know we will BOTH be coming,and like I said only 3 months before prices change and availability also.

And very small minded of a country to refuse a visa just because the application is beofre that,how,is that different than say an American booking to come to England and booking his flight one year before?I call it racist

[Jip99]

Told them we were flying 15th July,that was on her application and also for any visa to start 3months from today,

She was refused from submitting her visa.

Quite right.

Nothing wrong with that.

[jimbob333]

Why is there nothing wrong with that?

[7by7]

Many countries have similar limits; the USA, for example. One cannot apply for a USA visit visa until 90 days before the intended date of travel.

An American, or anyone else, applying for a UK visit visa would be subject to the same restriction; no more than three months ahead.

So this is not racist.

I agree with bobrussell, this is obviously a measure designed to limit the possibility of significant changes in circumstances between the visa being issued and the actual date of travel;. Changes which may mean the visa is no longer valid and could result in the traveller being refused entry on arrival at a UK port of entry.

Of course, had you followed the advice given to you in your earlier topic and put May as the date of travel or waited until April to apply, your wife would not have encountered this difficulty!

IMHO, your wife encountered this difficulty because you ignored that advice and you are now trying to shift the blame elsewhere.

Edited February 8, 2016 by 7by7

[jimbob333]

What so I should have lied and said I was flying in May?then next time I visit she is stopped to ask why the different dates,and its racist,my sister a uk citizen has booked 3 months ago to go to Disney,she has completed her online check and all sorted.

Also judging by your reply you really dont know what you are talking about,as many people on other posts said its cool to apply more than 3 months ahead just make a note,I aksed for visa to start 15april which would have giving us time,and spoke to a friend who's wife applied 3 weeks ago to go in Spetember,she was issued a visa last week with a start date of May the 1st.

So one rule for one amd one for another.

I call that crap,service and most likely money changing hands

[Jip99]

Why is there nothing wrong with that?

Quite simply because they cannot accept an application more than 3 months from your 'flying date'.

Took me 20 seconds to find this in the Vfs FAQ's:-

• When can I make my application?

  Applicant can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to the UK. We strongly advise you not to confirm your travel arrangements until you have received your visa.

But you were told that by 7x7 and others.

You thought you could beat the system by requesting a visa to be issued 3 months hence that would cover your period of travel.

No. It doesn't work like that. You would only have got away with that tactic if you had quoted the date of travel as 7th May. However, that would not have helped either because you changed your plans to return on 14th August.

What you should have done was to change your appointment to 15th February once you changed your plans.

I am not sure what grounds you have for complaint. Certainly there is no valid complaint against Vfs.

I think you need to take your mistake on the chin and move on. Remember when you re-visit on 17th you could have the same problem unless you tell them that your travel date is, say, 17th May.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Jip99

[jimbob333]

Erm again why would I lie,I did not try to cheat the system,I came on here before we made a visa,and people in a post(not yours another) stated this could be done if we gave a valid reason and also asked for the visa to start 3 months from the day,like I said we have a wedding to go to,I am to be his best man with my wife there,I find it ridiclious that we can not book a flight now and have to leave it until only 3months before,again I can travel most parts of the world and can book a flights 6-9 months beofre,why should I oay more at the whim of a <deleted> up rule,we are travelling in summer time,flights at the end of the year were 42,000 baht,now only 26,000,no wonder they call it a broken nation

[Jip99]

Erm again why would I lie,I did not try to cheat the system,I came on here before we made a visa,and people in a post(not yours another) stated this could be done if we gave a valid reason and also asked for the visa to start 3 months from the day,like I said we have a wedding to go to,I am to be his best man with my wife there,I find it ridiclious that we can not book a flight now and have to leave it until only 3months before,again I can travel most parts of the world and can book a flights 6-9 months beofre,why should I oay more at the whim of a <deleted> up rule,we are travelling in summer time,flights at the end of the year were 42,000 baht,now only 26,000,no wonder they call it a broken nation

You listened to the wrong people. The instructions could not be clearer. The fact that you don't like them is irrelevant. Write to UKVI on that one.

It could not be done the way you described. Still can't unless you lie about the travel dates as you can ONLY apply within 3 months of the intended travel date.

Three months is more than enough time to prepare for a UK visit and, if you are confident of getting your application approved, book your flights.

I have always booked my flights before making the application because I knew they would be approved.

I will repeat; if you want to quote your travel date as 15th July I recommend that you change the appointment to 15th April.

[bobrussell]

The visa system is not there to be convenient. The government consider a visa to be a privilege and not a right. It is not their problem how much fights cost. They don't care because they don't have to!

Without boundaries and restrictions the ECO has to consider so many more factors, not least will a couple still be together?

Three months does not seem too restrictive. Should you take a chance and book tickets in advance then you do still have time to reapply should the application be rejected.

Of course one reason why flights are less expensive is because demand is limited by the visa rules. If everyone could apply five months early then the tickets at the low price would sell out earlier!

Airlines only sell a certain number at the rock bottom prices so you would be competing with everyone else with post-dated visas!

Edited February 8, 2016 by bobrussell

[7by7]

<snip>

and its racist,my sister a uk citizen has booked 3 months ago to go to Disney,she has completed her online check and all sorted.....

How can it be racist when exactly the same rules and requirements, including this one, apply to all those applying for a UK visa; regardless of their race, nationality, sexual orientation or anything else you care to mention, including the type of visa applied for?

Your sister's case is irrelevant; she is not travelling to the UK and not applying for a UK visa. She is travelling to the USA, unless you mean Disneyland Paris. In either case she does not need a visa because;

• if it's the USA being British she comes under the US visa waiver program or
• if it's Paris then as a British citizen she is also an EEA national and so can freely travel to any other EEA country including, of course, France.

[Jip99]

I would be interested to see what decision Jimbob makes regarding submitting his wife's visa application.

I hope he comes back to his thread and completes the story.

Whilst I seriously doubt that the application would be accepted on 17th February (with an intended flight date of 15th July) it would be interesting to know if I am wrong.

[blackcab]

Erm again why would I lie,I did not try to cheat the system,I came on here before we made a visa,and people in a post(not yours another) stated this could be done if we gave a valid reason and also asked for the visa to start 3 months from the day,like I said we have a wedding to go to,I am to be his best man with my wife there,I find it ridiclious that we can not book a flight now and have to leave it until only 3months before,again I can travel most parts of the world and can book a flights 6-9 months beofre,why should I oay more at the whim of a <deleted> up rule,we are travelling in summer time,flights at the end of the year were 42,000 baht,now only 26,000,no wonder they call it a broken nation

You sound like you have chucked your dummy out of the pram because you can't have things your way. The way forward seems quite logical to me:

1. Book tickets now to take advantage of cheap prices. If you are in doubt whether the visa will be issued then opt for refundable tickets.

2. Book an appointment for the visa application 3 months on advance.

If you are trying to get everything sorted in order to get some peace of mind then it appears that your current method of tackling the process is having the opposite effect.

[Jip99]

No sign of Jimbob.......... I wonder if kept the 17th February appointment ?

[jimbob333]

Thanks for your concern Jip99, yes my wife kept her appointment.

I now know why a friend told me not to listen to people like yourself on Thai visa,as all your advice was bad and my wife is the proud holder of a 6 month Visitor visa

So you can apply early, her application said she flies the 15th July, no lying about dates like you suggested (which could have potentially messed future applications )

So my only advice on here after a successful application is to never listen to people like yourself who are bitter and sad, I waited to reply as I knew you were hoping we would fail.

Your advice did not help me one bit.You told me I had listened to the wrong people saying we could apply early in the format we applied, sorry bud but you were wrong, and to advise someone lie about flight date's like you did seems to imply you are the worst person to ask for advice and give advice.

Cheers for nothing.

[theoldgit]

Thanks for the update, as a matter of interest what was the validity date of the visa?

[jimbob333]

180 days from the 1st of May as my wife requested, so shows if you give them everything they want, make it look good and organised everything goes smoothly, they never once asked for further info and took 7 days for a big Yes.

[roo860]

No sign of Jimbob.......... I wonder if kept the 17th February appointment ?

Looks like you're off the Christmas card list.

Edited February 28, 2016 by roo860

[Jip99]

Thanks for your concern Jip99, yes my wife kept her appointment.

I now know why a friend told me not to listen to people like yourself on Thai visa,as all your advice was bad and my wife is the proud holder of a 6 month Visitor visa

So you can apply early, her application said she flies the 15th July, no lying about dates like you suggested (which could have potentially messed future applications )

So my only advice on here after a successful application is to never listen to people like yourself who are bitter and sad, I waited to reply as I knew you were hoping we would fail.

Your advice did not help me one bit.You told me I had listened to the wrong people saying we could apply early in the format we applied, sorry bud but you were wrong, and to advise someone lie about flight date's like you did seems to imply you are the worst person to ask for advice and give advice.

Cheers for nothing.

Pleased you got it sorted JimBob but they acted outside their own issued rules. I simply repeated those.

[jim3778]

Hi guys. Does anyone know the website address for applying for a visa for a thia national?

Thanks in advance

[brewsterbudgen]

Hi guys. Does anyone know the website address for applying for a visa for a thia national?

Thanks in advance

https://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/home/welcome