Uk Visa For My Thai Gf

[TrueScot]

This is my first post, so I would like to say hello to the peeps on the forum. I would also like some advice on applying for a UK visa for my Thai girlfriend so she can visit me in the UK.

I have been dating my gf for approximately 1 year and have visited her in Thailand 3 times this year. I would now like to take her back to Scotland for a 2 week holiday. I have read the checklists on the www.ukvac-th.com websites, but I have some further questions:

1. Which type of visa should we apply for 6 months or 2 years? I currently work abroad myself on a 6 week on 2 week off rotation, and I divide my time off between the UK and Thailand. So I would like my gf to visit the UK each time I have to go back there also.

2. Does anyone have an example of a sponsors letter, or more in-depth details of what I should write in it?

3. Would it be possible to get the visa in time for my gf to visit the UK for xmas and new year?

4. Also, since I am not in Thailand and I have to supply copies of my last 6 months bank statements is it ok to scan them in to a computer and send them to my gf or fax them to her? or do they require the originals?

5. Should I book flight tickets for my gf before we submit the application?

I

[ling men]

I’ll do my best to answer some of your points.

1. I’d say a 6 month visa but to be honest I don’t know much about the 2 year visa. Bear in mind that when applying for the visa you have got to state the dates of her visit or visits. The visit visa is for exactly that, a visit. It’s not on open ended visa she can use to travel back and forth as many times as she wants. Actually, that is what it is but it’s meant for a single visit.

2. I’ll try and remember to post my sponsors letter when I get home. It was really simple though, introduction, notes on the evidence provided and then a bit about why she will go back to Thailand.

3. It can take as little as 5 working days to get the visa approved. Getting all the paperwork together took me ages though.

4. They prefer to get originals. You will need to send her a load of paperwork i.e. proof of accommodation, emails, photos, copies of passport etc. so you might as well include the bank statements.

5. You don’t need to book the flights. I printed out a quote from the emirates website.

Best of luck with the application, where abouts in Scotland are you?

[niggle]

Be prepared for questioning !

Make sure you have the right visa - if you are intending to marry her you MUST have a visa for a fiancee.

They will question both of you intensely - even down to knowing the names of each others family members.

She should be able to get a visa for this very quickly, you can then apply for a 2 year visa in the uk based on marriage. A right of abode in the uk needs to be supported by 2 years worth of documentation showing she is living with you at your address - get utility bills changed into joint names . Thay also will accept NHS cards, NI number etc.

They have to be satisfied you can support her financially without recourse to benefits.

Actually when I went through this proceedure 4 years ago (wife is Malaysian) we were told that one of the reasons we were interrogated so much was because we were too honest !!! this was by a senior immigration advisor.

One last tiip - be prepared for constant moaning about the cold weather and a refusal to sleep without coats and woolly junmpers

Good Luck

[atlastaname]

TrueScot,

I'm not sure that everything niggle has said is correct or applies to your case.

You are asking about a visit visa for your g/f. That being the case you should forget about the 2 year one , she will get a six month one like almost everyone else. The longer timescale ones are for the HiSo members of the Thai elite.. normal people get the 6 month. I don't know why they don't make this clearer on the websites as it does confuse many applicants thinking " ... ooh shall we ask for a 2 year or 10 year visa ?....." You'll get 6 months.

Right , secondly niggle is talking about fiancee visas and marrying but you are asking about a vv, so lets stick to that for now.

Next , they are trying to decide most applications on the paperwork alone , so if you are successful then you will be sent a letter asking her to pick up her passport..no interview. If she fails straight off then she gets a letter the same and picks up the passport without the visa and with the refusal letter explaining it .If they are unsure she will be called to interview but they will NOT interview both of you as he suggests , in fact you will not even be allowed into the compound !!.

Also forget this idea (very romantic i grant you ) of seeing each other everytime you are in the UK.A visit visa is just that , for someone to visit you in the UK. Not every few weeks !! That is called living together. I am sure in the fullness of time that may happen and you will need to look at a fiancee visa, but not yet it would seem from your post.

Seems like you are well short of understanding what a visit visa is (thats not a critisism just an observation) so have a good look at other similar posts on this forum and also read up on the UK Visas and British Embassy Bangkok websites. Its not a doddle to get and if you are ill prepared you will fail. And then she will have a failure on her record which doesn't help in the future. If you prepare well she should get it .

Rather than try to answer you here in detail (which would just take toooo long) have a read first and then come back if you are unsure of anything.

[atlastaname]

Forgot to add , on points 3) 4) and 5) ling men is quite right. And seems he is going to provide you with point 2.

[BIGTOE3]

Hi True Scot,

My Advice is contact an expert.

The Scouser on here is one for sure, He helped me greatly. We have had 2 x 6 month visa's and have just got our 2 year visa.

Give/send him a PM - CHEAP AT HALF THE PRICE AND AVOID ALL THE PITFALLS already mentioned.

BT

ps WHERE in Scotland are you from.

[GU22]

The guidance Atlastaname refers to can be found by following these links:-

Guidance - General information for Visitors Visa Applications

Guidance for Visitors Visa Applications

Guidance - Sponsors (INF 3)

Chapter 10 - Visit entry requirements

Further to your questions;

1) Ordinary Thais do get visit visas for longer than 6 months, not just HiSo ones. However, as it says in the guidence

How long will my visa be valid for?

With a visit visa you can usually enter and leave the UK any number of times while the visa is still valid. The Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) may occasionally limit a visa so that it is valid for only one or two entries. You cannot stay for longer than six months on each visit. Visit visas can be valid for six months, one year, two years, five years or ten years. You can apply for a visa valid for any of these periods. The ECO may decide to make your visa valid for a shorter time than you have asked for, for example if you are not a regular traveller or have never visited the UK before.

(My emphasis)

It is extremely rare that anyone will get more than 6 months on a first application. Also, even if she were granted a 2 year visa, or longer, the maximum she can stay in the UK at any one time is 6 months and only in the most exceptional of circumstances could she stay for more than 6 months out of any 12.

Apply for 6 months this time. Once she has built up a positive history she can apply for, and should get, a longer one.

2) Brief history of the relationship, why she wishes to visit the UK at this time, how long she intends to stay, what she intends to do whilst in the UK, any future plans together.

3) Possibly. If no interview is required then turnaround is a maximum of 10 working days, usually less. If an interview is required I believe the waiting time for non-settlement interviews is about 3 to 5 weeks.

4) Originals or certified copies of supporting documents are preferable, but if time is short explain in your covering letter why you have sent faxes.

5) The embassy advice is to not book flights until you have the visa. Evidence that you have done so is therefore not required.

[TrueScot]

Thanks for the help guys.

In response to ling men and bigtoe3 I live in Aberdeen. Probably not the best place to introduce a Thai girl to the UK for the first time, espcially at christmas time. I can see an expensive bill for some warm clothing in my future. She moans when I have the aircon on too low when im in Thailand

[ling men]

Better late than never

Hope this is a help baboonboy. If you have anymore queries let us know

Best of luck

8th September 2006

Regent House, 2nd Floor

183 Rajdamri Road

Kwaeng Lumpini

Khet Pathumwan

Bangkok 10330

Dear Sir or Madam:

My name is x, I am, and always have been, a citizen of, and resident in, the United Kingdom I am writing, to offer my sponsorship to the application of a tourist visa by my girlfriend x, short name x. I have known x for almost 14 months. We met during my first visit to Thailand in July 2005. Since then I have formed a relationship with her through regular phone calls, e-mails, SMS messages and a second trip to Thailand that I made in April 2006. I will be paying for her travel fares, accommodating her and paying all other expenses incurred during her trip.

I have tried to provide evidence for the above statement as fully as possible. I have orginised the evidence into separate sections to make each item easier to find when required. These sections are as follows:

1. A complete photocopy of my passport.

2. Bank statements for the previous six months, pay slips for the previous six months and my P60 End of Year Tax certificate for 2005-06 which shows my annual salary for last year. My P60 also includes my National Insurance number

3. Proof of relationship including: 1. Copies of passport pages showing dates of trips to Thailand. 2. Emails we have sent to each other that I have printed from my inbox folder and sent folder. 3. I talk to x once or twice per week. I use international dialing cards for these calls and they are via 0800 free numbers and therefore do not show on itemized phone bills. I have included a selection of the used cards. 4. Itemized mobile phone bills showing SMS messages to x. 5. I have included photos of x and myself. T. 6 I have included a receipt from a money transfer from myself to Jongjit.

4. Proof of residency including mortgage statements, utility bills, telephone bills.

5. Plans for trip. This includes 1. A print out of web UAE web page showing flights I shall buy once visa is approved. 2. Details of places I will take x during her trip.

I hope this information will prove to be sufficient to your requirements. I would also like to point out that we have been together for over thirteen months and we have discussed the possibility of getting married in the future. This is dependant on several things but we are both very aware that an infringement on the conditions specified in any visa which is granted will count against any future applications. For this reason x will return to Thailand on the correct date and we will apply for additional visas for any future visits

Sincerely,