UK Visit Visa issued, possible change of circumstances

[DrChopper]

Hi All,

I keen to hear if anyone has insight into our situation.

We got a UK visit visa (6mo mult) for my wife a couple of months ago.

In the meantime I have been offered a job that will require spending some time in the UK, possibly the full 6 months.

On our application we stated that the visa was for a holiday which we did not expect to last more than 3 weeks.

If I take the job and she goes to the uk and stays for ~ 6 months will this change impact future applications? She will leave prior to the end of the visa so there will be no record of wrong doing, but her actual stay won't match the details on the submission.

If it is relevant I am keen to know whether it would affect both a future visit application and/or a more permanent application.

Thanks in advance.

DrC

[beano2274]

if for future applications you state the reasons why she stayed so long then should be no Issues in getting further visas.

[theoldgit]

You need to prepare yourselves to what could possibly happen at the UK Border, some Border Force Officers ask to see a return ticket, whilst it's not a legal requirement a tourist visiting for three weeks would normally have one. If your wife had a ticket for six months hence, or didn't have one at all, it could lead to further questioning.

If they were at all concerned they might check the original application, this would show that her original application was for three weeks and she now intended to stay for six months. This could be regarded as a material change in circumstances and as such she could be denied entry into the UK, unlikely but it could happen.

[DrChopper]

Thanks both.

Would it be worth (and is there even a way to do it?) me calling UKBA ahead of time to tell them?

Also occured to me - UK doesnt stamp people out does it? Would they even know how long she stayed?

[rasg]

Would it be worth (and is there even a way to do it?) me calling UKBA ahead of time to tell them?

Contacting UKBA is not an easy task at all by phone or email.

Also occured to me - UK doesnt stamp people out does it? Would they even know how long she stayed?

They would know how long she stayed. If I remember correctly, they get that info from the airlines. It would cost a little to do what we did. Book the tickets for the three weeks and then pay to change the return ticket later. On my wife's two visits last June and December she wasn't asked for return tickets even though she had both. On each occasion she stayed longer than requested. 14 weeks the first time after asking for a month. 12 weeks the second time after asking for six. If they do ask and you have asked for three weeks and your GF produces a return ticket for six months it wouldn’t look good.

On each subsequent visa I explained in my sponsor letter the reason for the longer stay. No problem at all for us as we got a settlement visa a few months ago.

[7by7]

Also occured to me - UK doesnt stamp people out does it? Would they even know how long she stayed?

In addition to rasg's reply, the Thai exit and entry stamps in her passport would show how long she had been out of Thailand for; and in the absence of any other such stamps, apart from her UK entry, the conclusion that she had spent all of that time in the UK is obvious.

BTW, you say in your OP

We got a UK visit visa (6mo mult) for my wife a couple of months ago.

In the meantime I have been offered a job that will require spending some time in the UK, possibly the full 6 months.

Remember the visa is valid for 6 months from the date of travel entered on the application; which can be no more than 3 months ahead, and will expire 6 months from that date.

She can, of course, use the visa to enter the UK at anytime between the valid from date and the expiry date; but must leave the UK on or before the expiry date.

So, if you and she delay travel for too long, she will not be able to spend 6 months in the UK!

[theoldgit]

Also occured to me - UK doesnt stamp people out does it? Would they even know how long she stayed?

In addition to rasg's reply, the Thai exit and entry stamps in her passport would show how long she had been out of Thailand for; and in the absence of any other such stamps, apart from her UK entry, the conclusion that she had spent all of that time in the UK is obvious.

It's worth noting that Thai passport holders are now being directed to the automated gates, these of course will not stamp the passports when leaving or re-entering Thailand.

I don't know if all Thai passport holders now have to use these gates, and there are a lot of these gates at Suvarnabhumi now, but on recent trips, as recent as last week, my partner was told to leave the queue where so we was with me and use the machines, no Thai passport holders were being processed manually on the days we travelled.