UK Visit Visa Basics - updated March 2020

[theoldgit]

There are three basic requirements to be met when applying for a UK visit visa.

 

All UK visa applications in Thailand must be made initially online; starting here. Visa Application the details of the company outsourced to receive hard copies of the applications and to capture the biometric details are VFS, their details are here vfsglobal and from this you can access details of the procedures, the Visa Application Centre and the current fees. 

 

Once you have completed the application and paid the fee you will be taken to a page where you can make an appointment with the UK Visa Application Centre for the applicant to submit  their supporting documents and have their biometrics taken.

N.B. If  the applicant makes a mistake on the online application form you can no longer amend the application and it must be done again.

 

VFS offer a number of premuim services, whilst most are probably uneccessary for the majority of applicants, applicants should read the details of the services and judge for themselves. 

 

On submission of the supporting documents at the Visa Application Centre, they are scanned (scanning has only just been introduced and seems to have some teething problems) by VFS staff and are returned to the applicant, either on the spot or later (I will update the procedure as and if it beds down), the decision on the application is made by Entry Clearance Officers in New Delhi, the decsion is relayed to, a very much reduced, UKVI staff in Bangkok, who will either affix the visa vignette to the passport or issue a refusal letter.

 

1) The applicant is a genuine visitor with a genuine reason to visit.

Most of the posts about UK visit visas on this forum come from British sponsors of Thai visitors. In such cases the reason for the visit is to see or travel with or to visit their British sponsor, the applicant should provide evidence of their relationship with his or her sponsor.

 

If living together in Thailand then provide evidence of your life together in Thailand together with a copy of the sponsor's passport  detailing their immigration status in Thailand.

 

If living apart, one in Thailand and one in the UK, then provide evidence of contact such as phone records etc. and a copy of the sponsor's passport to show how often they have visited the applicant.

 

Any person sponsoring an applicant should write a brief supporting letter outlining the history of their relationship, the reason for the visit at this time and any plans the sponsor and applicant have for their future, and I mean brief. I normally advise writers of letters of support to keep them fairly short and to refrain from including any unnecessary information, just include information that will help the decision maker make their decision.

 

2) The visitor be adequately maintained and accommodated whilst in the UK without working or claiming any public funds.

There is no minimum amount of available money required. Everyone's circumstances are different and the amount of money needed is variable. For example someone touring for 4 weeks and staying in hotels will probably need more than someone staying for 6 months with friends or family.

 

The applicant does need to show that sufficient finances are available to them to cover all the costs of their visit.

 

Finance can come from the applicant's resources, the sponsor's, a third party's or any combination of these. Whoever is contributing to the finances should provide evidence of their ability to do so, e.g. 6 months bank statements and the source of their income. If a third party is providing support then they should say why they are doing so, and the decision maker must be satified that they have a genuine profesional or personal relationship with the applicant, are legally present in the UK, or will be when the visitor arrives, and can and will provide support to the visitor during the duration of their stay. 

 

Do not be tempted to pad the applicant's bank account prior to applying with a lump sum, not only is this unnecessary, but it can cause the ECO  to be suspicious, as they will want to know where this money suddenly came from and why.

 

Accommodation can be in a hotel, staying with the sponsor or with friends or family of the applicant or the sponsor. If staying in a private household the person offering accommodation should write an invitation letter briefly describing the property to show that at least one room is available for the exclusive use of the applicant; although sharing a room with their sponsor or a friend or relative of the same sex is fine. It might prove helpful if the person offering the accommodation supplies proof of ownership or a letter from their landlord granting permission for the visitor to stay; whichever is applicable, but it is not an actual requirement.

 

3) The visitor will leave the UK when or before their visa expires (reason to return).

This will be easier to prove if the applicant is living with their sponsor in Thailand, as the relationship with the sponsor can be their reason to return, in this case the sponsor should provide evidence of their status and circumstances in Thailand.

 

Whether the sponsor lives in Thailand or not, the applicant should also provide evidence of their circumstances; do they work? Study? Own land? if so, provide documentary evidence, such as a letter from their employer granting a leave of absence and guaranteeing they will have a job on their return.

 

Be aware, though, that if using an employer's letter or similar that the ECO or a locally employed Thai speaking member of the UKVI team may telephone the person who signed the letter for confirmation of the contents included in the letter. If the letter is written in English they will expect to speak to that person in English and will doubt the genuineness of the letter if that person is unable to do so. If the letter is written in Thai then the team member calling will be happy to speak to the signatory in Thai, if however the letter is in English they would expect to communicate in English, if the applicant is seeking to visit the UK for a prolonged period, then it can be much harder to satisfy the ECO of the reasons to return.

 

Family in Thailand, even children, is not considered by itself to be a 'reason to return.' Many Thais work abroad and send money home to their family.

 

Even if there is no 'concrete' reason to return, many people have obtained a UK visit visa based upon the strength of their relationship with their sponsor. If the ECO is satisfied that the relationship to be genuine and subsisting then they may also believe that the applicant would not want to jeopardise future applications, such as settlement, by overstaying or otherwise breaching the conditions of a visit visa.

 

You should provide details of previous travel outside of the applicants home country, especially to countries that require Thai Nationals to obtain a visa before travelling. If the applicant has previously travelled to the UK then provide details of the visa and travel history, if an applicant previously applied for a UK Visa indicating they intended to visit for a couple of weeks and then stayed for the full validity of the visa, then explain why. Whilst staying for the full validity of the visa doesn't breach Immigration Laws, extending a stay over and above the initial stated time could cause the ECO to doubt the credibility of the applicant.

 

There used to be several categories of visit visa; but most have now been combined into one; the Standard Visitor Visa.

 

This covers the four most common reasons members here have for visiting the UK; tourist, visiting friends, visiting family and child visitor.

 

If the intention is to marry whilst in the UK, then the visitor should apply for a Marriage Visit Visa. Note that this is a visit visa only and the holder must leave the UK when or before it expires. It cannot be converted into settlement inside the UK.

 

Every applicant should provide documents to support their application:

1.documents you must provide with all applications,

2.suggested documents that you might want to provide in order to demonstrate that you meet the requirements.

3.additional documents for specific types of visitor.

See the Visitor Supporting Documents Guide for more details.

 

 

 

Important notes:

All UK visa applications are decided by Entry Clearance Officers based in the UK (changed from Delhi at the end of January 2020) who are directly employed by the UKVI.

 

The UK Visitor Application Centre, is outsourced under contract to VFS Global, a private company, VFS are handling agents only, they play no part in the decision making process. Their function is to capture biometric details of applicants and upload supporting documents at the applicants request, receive applications and forward them to the UKVI in the UK for a decision to me made, VFS retain the passports and if a visa is granted they receive a visa vignette from the UKVI team in Bangkok and insert into the passport. VFS facilitate the collection or delivery of the passport to the applicant.

 

VFS staff may not advise applicants on the category of visa nor the quality or otherwise of the supporting documents. If the applicant insists, they must upload the supporting evidence if requested.

 

The UKVI, and regular contributors to this forum, advise that a non refundable flight tickets and/or non refundable accomodation should not be purchased before Entry Clearance is granted. 

 

It is a good idea to carry a copy of the visa application and relevent supporting documents in your hand baggage when the visa holder travels to the UK in case you are questioned by Border Force staff at the point of entry; whilst it is not common to be asked, it does happen.

 

A visitor maybe questioned by Border Force Officers and they may ask if the visitor has either a return or onward ticket valid for travel before the expiry date of the visa, or evidence that the visitor has the funds available to enable them to purchase a ticket. If they are unable to produce one or the other, the visitor could be refused entry.

 

Whilst this guidance is accurate at the time of posting, the UKVI constantly change the procedures, members should check the forum and the UKVI and VFS websites for recent changes in critera and procedures

 

E&OE