uk visa for the wife....how to get one....my story.

[eyecatcher]

I suggested to her first of all the usual routes in to the uk, on the inside of a container full of washing machines; stowing away on the channel tunnel car train; wearing a yashmak and calling everyone guvnor, and the best method sitting on the seat of a train because the security forces only look under it.

But the wife isn’t looking to stay, God no I have already given her lecture and verse about why I left the godforsaken place and convinced her that Thailand is paradise

So it was down the formal route, for a second time.

I decided on a trip in May, when all the flight prices substantially dropped by 25%, in fact May to Sept is the cheapest international flight time. May is also the absolute worst month in the year by our spa records for income so it’s the best time …though I must say this March is trying hard to top that!!(and probably will)

In order to apply you must go online to the website "visa4uk" and start the process with an online application. Its not an easy application to fill in, and you will probably need to complete it yourself with the TGF/TW standing over your shoulder. Even for me, I was baffled by some of the questions but there is no help, no one to ask, and the website has been under construction for at least 3 years so you need patience…lots of it…..for example a question says which country are you travelling from?, the drop down list didn’t even show Thailand!!

It is quite onerous and the paperwork to collect can be quite offputting;..of course like all Governments they simply want to be assured that the visitor will not be claiming off the state (which never ever happens in the uk!! ) and you have enough cash to pay for your trip, and that you have good reason to piss off back from whence you came….ie have kids,have a business, have a mortgage blah blah blah

As part of our paperwork collective, we had photos of us together, I had to get a bank statement from our business, and my accounts, her accounts, her mortgage statements and house book etc.

I also had to ask that my mum handwrites a formal letter inviting us to stay with her at her house, and that she is the owner of the house…what a carry on!

Of course on other days (not staying with mum) they want to see your hotel guesthouse reservation, so booking.com was given a severe work out. I loved booking those 5 stars hotels, Missus spent the following few days reading about the Stately Homes and the castles we would be staying in.

Little does she know, those will all be cancelled before we leave here, and I will be asking her to look at campsites instead.

I had also booked and paid for an emirates flight at risk, but i was confident we would get the visa, normally, and our first time we just got an agent to make us a reservation for a 100bt fee just for the Embassy purposes.

We also needed to make an itinerary of what we will be doing each day. So in my example I just listed out a trip to the Tadcaster brewery, wine tasting in the cotswolds and a whisky tour around Scotland, I think I added a couple of afternoons at the races, one in the north so I can wear my flat cap and shart “cum on lad” and one in the south so I can be a proper hooray henry. It’s a bit of a joke really.

You can submit your application no longer than 3 months away from the intended date of travel and a uk visa lasts for 6 months. Actually it costs the same as was my Thailand 6 month tourist, at around £85.(i think 110 dollars on the form)

You must pay when you submit your application and at the same time you must also make an appointment to visit the visa processing centre on Sukhumvit in Bangkok. Appointments are normally at least 10 days hence so you need to plan when to put the mrs on a plane.

Our appointment was for 2.10pm on Friday, you cant miss it, no ifs and buts, just gotta be there for them to interview the missus and check all the submitted paperwork is adequate. (i didnt go incidently)

For people visiting from outside Bkk, they offer to post back all the documents for a small fee, 200bt max I think, including her passport or if you wish you can go back in person and collect when it is ready.

In our case, Friday was the interview and everything was just ticked, ticked and ticked and she was sent on her way with a smile.

The following Friday, she had a sms message telling her all the documents were already returned and back in Chiang Mai, Saturday morning passport with uk visa.

Result.

Without wanting to bore the tits off you further I will add that, this was our second application. The wife came back to UK with me 18 months ago which very likely made the process a bit easier for us, already knowing the system, but also I guess a little less scrutiny was done by the UK Embassy having being a model tourist previously.

Though I do like the idea of trying to get her in via a 32 ton articulated tractor unit carrying Singha beer.

[narkeddiver]

It's funny - my wife can get a Schengen Visa for next to nothing, a sheet of A4 and a copy of my passport because she's married to an EU citizen. Same for an Irish visa. But to get a UK visa (my home country) the amount of paperwork and the cost is ridiculous

Last time we got a 5 year tourist visa to stop the incessant trips down to Bangkok

[MESmith]

10 years ago, we applied for a UK tourist visa for my wife, through the mail to the embassy in Bangkok. A few days later, passport with 6 month tourist visa came back via EMS. How times change

[stoneyboy]

Just spent 4 hours in the Trendy building today,nothing trendy about it whatsoever.

Hot hot and very hot just inside the lobby,crap overpriced coffee at some incredibly under sized coffee shop.

Never seen so many miserable people and the applicants weren't much better.

Nearly passed out in the lift on my way up to the 28th floor which took about 45 minutes from the ground floor.

Horrendous corridor you have to stand in to gain entry to the UK and numerous other visa services.

Completely incompetent translation services abound as well.

Still passport application submitted and a 30 minutes sitting with puppy eyes at the young lady behind the counter who was very professional and polite in her work nearly made up for my misery.

Not a visa for the wife but a Brit passport for my daughter.

[delboy]

Went down to the Trendy building today to submit the wife's application for a UK visa. Travelled down on the 6:55 am flight for a 1pm appointment, could have caught a later flight as "too many people" caused the appointment to be shifted to 2:30pm. How can you have "too many people" with an appointment system ?

Fingerprinting took a long time as the equipment wasn't working properly, and we didn't clear the Trendy building until 4pm. Managed to "lose" the wife on the BTS/MRT/City Line network and spent an anxious time at Swampy trying to find each other. Eventually we did meet, but not until our flight had departed, so it cost 1,600 baht to catch a later flight (which only had 36 passengers total). Reached home at 23:45. A long, long day.

The more systems are "streamlined" onto computers and outsourced, the slower, more costly, and more complicated, they become.

[khundon]

Got 10 year UK visas for In laws last month, no problems at all. They had 2 previous 6 month visas in previous years and this application went as smooth as they did.

I did all the forms in UK then sent them to Thailand for them to take to interview. I also booked interview appointments and paid the visa fees, which they paid back to the wife

[ukrules]

This process is disgraceful.

[uthaithanirules]

You have to submit an itinerary of what you are going to do on holiday?

What possible reason could there be for that?

[SantiSuk]

OP is visiting family in UK. Have done so with my Thai family at least 6 times in the same number of years. Have never submitted a detailed itinerary. Have never submitted an invite letter. I don't think they are required - maybe the invite letter if you don't want to prove your finances are sufficient to support the trip, but it sounds as though OP did that anyway.

My tip would be that you don't need to give every last detail of your finances. You can read guidance that would imply that you should give copies of every account or investment you have showing the transactions over the last 6 months. I now just give a listing of asset and liability balances at a recent month end plus the 6 month statement copy of my main bank account plus I would show a statement copy of another account with sufficient funds in it to show the trip can be paid for if my main account were insufficient. You can use copies of statements downloaded from the Internet if your name is shown on the download. A friend just submits the one account with sufficient dosh.

[brewsterbudgen]

You have to submit an itinerary of what you are going to do on holiday?

What possible reason could there be for that?

An itinerary is not required. There is a section of the online form that asks what you intend to do in the UK and you can just briefly outline your plans.

[NancyL]

Sounds like the OP just had a bit of fun putting together an itinerary, mostly for his own amusement. A friend of mine listed Highclere Castle on the itinerary for the visit of his Thai wife, back when Downton Abbey was in current release. His Thai wife was a big fan and followed every plot twist. For her interview at Trendy, the first question was "what language would you like to use Thai or English" and she replied, "English, of course, I want to go to England" and then the interviewer saw that Highclere Castle was on the itinerary and the rest of the interview was about the latest happenings on Downton Abbey. Of course, she passed and got her visa.

[theoldgit]

Off topic and nonsense posts removed.

[rasg]

I think the OP had just as much fun writing his story. Made me smile. Any subsequent visas after the first are much, much easier because most of the information is repeated.

Must admit the washing machine lorry idea would be a much cheaper option when it comes to settlement visas etc.

Edited March 23, 2016 by rasg

[bobrussell]

Sounds like the OP just had a bit of fun putting together an itinerary, mostly for his own amusement. A friend of mine listed Highclere Castle on the itinerary for the visit of his Thai wife, back when Downton Abbey was in current release. His Thai wife was a big fan and followed every plot twist. For her interview at Trendy, the first question was "what language would you like to use Thai or English" and she replied, "English, of course, I want to go to England" and then the interviewer saw that Highclere Castle was on the itinerary and the rest of the interview was about the latest happenings on Downton Abbey. Of course, she passed and got her visa.

Sadly to rain on your parade, there is no interview at Trendy. These are just agents that collect and collate the information so it can be forwarded to the Embassy. They are not allowed to give advice (beyond ticking boxes) and they take no part whatsoever in the decision to grant or reject a visa.

Nice idea though!

[7by7]

It's funny - my wife can get a Schengen Visa for next to nothing, a sheet of A4 and a copy of my passport because she's married to an EU citizen. Same for an Irish visa. But to get a UK visa (my home country) the amount of paperwork and the cost is ridiculous

Last time we got a 5 year tourist visa to stop the incessant trips down to Bangkok

The EEA freedom of movement regulations do not apply when visiting the country of which the EEA national family member is a citizen (unless Surinder Singh applies).

So if you were, for example, Irish then your wife could get a free EEA family permit for the UK with the same ease, but would have to meet all the requirements and pay the required fee for an Irish visa.

Same if you were a citizen of any other EEA state.

[eyecatcher]

Sounds like the OP just had a bit of fun putting together an itinerary, mostly for his own amusement. A friend of mine listed Highclere Castle on the itinerary for the visit of his Thai wife, back when Downton Abbey was in current release. His Thai wife was a big fan and followed every plot twist. For her interview at Trendy, the first question was "what language would you like to use Thai or English" and she replied, "English, of course, I want to go to England" and then the interviewer saw that Highclere Castle was on the itinerary and the rest of the interview was about the latest happenings on Downton Abbey. Of course, she passed and got her visa.

I know you have a tendency to disbelieve people these days but the itinerary was deadly serious.

the first time the wife applied for the visa, becasue you can get no information whatsoever from the uk4visa website, she used her guile to check out the Thai peoples forum (wonder if its like this) and tried to find out what other people had to provide.

we came up with a long list, that wasnt too onerous just to be sure.

of course we were apporved last year, so this year we decided to follow suit again. i do accept that the itinerary seems completely pathetic, and even asking mum to write another letter again, necessary very doubtful.

the itinerary though is a good idea, for planning and giving structure to a trip..

My own amusement, well I only tend to amuse myself when my readers are not amused, but i prefer to leave readers guessing if I am serious or just taking the p$$

[blackcab]

Went down to the Trendy building today to submit the wife's application for a UK visa. Travelled down on the 6:55 am flight for a 1pm appointment, could have caught a later flight as "too many people" caused the appointment to be shifted to 2:30pm. How can you have "too many people" with an appointment system ?

Fingerprinting took a long time as the equipment wasn't working properly, and we didn't clear the Trendy building until 4pm. Managed to "lose" the wife on the BTS/MRT/City Line network and spent an anxious time at Swampy trying to find each other. Eventually we did meet, but not until our flight had departed, so it cost 1,600 baht to catch a later flight (which only had 36 passengers total). Reached home at 23:45. A long, long day.

The more systems are "streamlined" onto computers and outsourced, the slower, more costly, and more complicated, they become.

Why didn't you meet on the plane or even at the boarding gate?

[7by7]

In your OP, eyecatcher, you say

As part of our paperwork collective, we had photos of us together......

Of course on other days (not staying with mum) they want to see your hotel guesthouse reservation, so booking.com was given a severe work out. I loved booking those 5 stars hotels, Missus spent the following few days reading about the Stately Homes and the castles we would be staying in.


Little does she know, those will all be cancelled before we leave here, and I will be asking her to look at campsites instead.

I had also booked and paid for an emirates flight at risk, but i was confident we would get the visa, normally, and our first time we just got an agent to make us a reservation for a 100bt fee just for the Embassy purposes.

We also needed to make an itinerary of what we will be doing each day......

If you read the UKVI Visitor: supporting documents guide you will see that none of this is needed.

"Section 4: documents you should not send unless specifically requested" includes photographs, hotel bookings and flight bookings.

Indeed, UKVI specifically advise against paying for flights until the visa is issued, so doing so, or even placing a deposit, will have no effect on the outcome of the application.

There was also need to provide the copious financial evidence you list, merely sufficient to show that the trip is affordable. At first I provided my last 6 months personal bank statements and my pay slips, but now I just provide the bank statements.

It doesn't say that a day to day itinerary isn't required, but neither does it say anywhere that one is. I, or rather the visitors I have sponsored, have never provided one; and all those applications have been successful.