Emergency uk visa

[thaiscot]

Hi all

I have searched the forum but found nothing of note for  my inquiry which is , is there such a thing as an emergency uk visa for a thai citizen for example i am from the uk ,my daughter has dual citizenship thai & uk but my wife only has thai passport if any of my parents were to die & we need to go to uk for funeral could my wife get an emergency visa as i know how long getting a proper visa takes as we have been back to the uk on 2 previous occassions

 

Thanks

[theoldgit]

What should I do if I need a visa in an emergency?

• Before contacting UKVI check if you qualify for any of the user pay services such as super priority or priority visas that have quick turnaround times and apply as per If you do not meet the conditions, please apply for the standard visa category and pay the relevant fees.
• You may then email/ contact the International Enquiry service with the application details (case reference GWF number, complete name or passport number). Should your case qualify as an emergency, the team will get in touch with you. All other cases will be dealt with as normal.
• Please note this service is available only in case of a serious medical emergency or an unfortunate event in the family that requires immediate emergency travel and should be evidenced with the application. This service is not available for business emergencies.

http://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/Thailand/frequently_asked_questions.html

[sumrit]

I don't know how good the system is now but I it was excellent a few years ago. Regent House was the contact point then, and when my mother died we went there to ask if there was a fast track service to get my wife a visa quickly so she could attend the funeral in the UK. And I've got to say they were extremely helpful. They prioritized my wife while she did the bio metrics then once everything was done the Manager took my phone number and assured me he'd get the application sent to the Embassy straight away and phone me as soon as he had any information. We left at about 1pm on the Monday and at about 10:30 the following morning the manager phoned me to say my wife's visa was approved and waiting there for us. He said they wouldn't normally divulge whether the visa had been approved over the phone but he did so to enable me to have as much time as possible to book flights before having to travel to Bangkok to collect her passport. Just how thoughtful is that.

 

I know we hear a lot of complaints about the British Embassy in Bangkok but when it mattered, for me both they and the vfs global staff at Regent House were brilliant.

[thaiscot]

Thats good news as we live in chiangmai so would be handy if we could go to bangkok together get her visa then fly out

[theoldgit]

The experience that sumrit was, as he said, a few years ago, and whilst that was a good service, things have moved on.

As I pointed out earlier you now have to pay for a priority service, if you meet the requirements, or make an application in the usual manner and then email the helpline and explain the pressing need.
I'm not saying that they will not pull out the stops, but the easy route sumrit experienced seems to have changed.