Has anyone recently taken their Thai partner to Oz for holiday?

[advancebooking]

I was thinking of taking 'the wife' to the nanny state of Australia for a holiday. 

 

It seems that there is a 17 page form to get an electronic tourist visa. <deleted>? We would have to take the form to the consulate and get fingerprints and pay the money. 

 

Or I think its possible to do it online and then we still have to go there for the biometrics. Do you know how  long it takes to do the online process i.e. get the result? 

 

If we have a toddler do we have to execute 2 forms?

 

Of course Australia would have to make it hard to get a simple tourist visa. I laughed when hearing the American accent recording at the oz consulate in Bangkok. Classy. 

 

Thanks for your opinion. 

[wanderluster]

i ve got australia booked for in oct and nov for myself (canadian and will need visa) and the thai GF. she will need as well. sorry just posting so that i get notifications when hopefully someone answers with real info.

[Lamkyong]

took us 3 months  for visitor visa to N Z    by the time all that happened   i had gone and returned  to   pre arranged visit to see my daughter and family   all this because i thought it would be quicker to use an agency    15 k  lighter and was told about a week total misinformed  robbing   b     rd

 

sorry not about AUS    i guess the morale of the story is dont use an agent

[psyvolt]

I did it in Feb, so about 4 weeks ago.

I started the Visa about 2 months before we were due to come, and actually found the process a lot easier then I thought it was going to be.

We used the visa services in CM to apply for the visa, and also got biometrics done on the same day we dropped the forms in.

I think it took about 10 business days from dropping the forms in till we recived the sms that the paperwork was back (they won't tell you over the phone if the visa was granted).

We did spend a lot of time making sure we filled in all the paperwork correctly, and showed lots of proof that she was a genuine tourist, and that I was supporting her for the duration of her stay (ie, airfares booked, hotels booked, even right down to including the travel insurance policy she had).

All in all, it was a long process, but not that hard, just time consuming.

[Pepper1959]

Honestly, I could not believe how easy it was. Was aiming for last mid Dec, tried July, too early, so went back within the three months with all the paperwork completed. In the office no more than ten minutes, simply to hand over all the forms and our evidence of being together and the biometric and received a positive reply within two weeks via mail. Did everything ourselves. Included photos and letters of reference. Had to include bank statement. Need to say we are same sex couple but that does not make an issue I assume to Australia but my partner was not working at the time, so a negative, but all went well. When we reached Perth airport, I went with him through Border Control due to language, all done within one minute. ps  took the form off the Dept website and did it all, it is easy, if you are a legitimate couple, and you can prove you are covering costs and your partner is a legit Tourist Visa, then you can complete the pages yourself, no need to waste money on an agent. It is not a difficult set of forms to complete. I had questions and emailed the relevant section and the were helpful and quick with their replies. pss you do not get a visa in the passport anymore, it is all electronic, you  do not submit your partner's passport, you will be sent a letter with all the necessary numbers and positives and you show at border control in Oz.

Edited March 11, 2017 by Pepper1959
Added info.

[crutchy26]

TRIED about 18 months ago. No agent. Thought to myself: I can do this. We own our house, our car, our motorcycle. I deposit money into her bank account daily. 2 kids at a Mancha Kiri Christian school,,,,,,,,,,,, etc, etc. And some thai-employee of OUR embassy 'phones her up, and interviews her (TO MY DISDAIN, WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE).

Rejected: As she may not return!

Not the first instance I have heard of this.

Compounding matters: Issan ppl do not really like talking to Bagkok ppl. My observance! The have different dialect..............

Thanks Australian Embassy ................... OOOPs That should be the AUSTRALIAN  Embassy thanking me for the visa app fee!

 

And, while I have your attention (please, oh please someone from the Embassy must read this.......................   )

WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO DO OUTREACH VISITS TO KHON KAEN????

To the useless public servants, at the Embassy,  drawing a huge salary, making decisions above and beyond their very-limited scope!)

 

[Peterw42]

I took GF last year, did the application online. Fill in the form online, supporting documents attached as PDF or word docs. Answer back via email after a couple of weeks. The Biometrics part is a little vague via the online system, it says you may need to do bio-metrics, we didn't need to.

 

[electric]

1 hour ago, psyvolt said:

I did it in Feb, so about 4 weeks ago.

I started the Visa about 2 months before we were due to come, and actually found the process a lot easier then I thought it was going to be.

We used the visa services in CM to apply for the visa, and also got biometrics done on the same day we dropped the form ...

psyvolt ... good informative post #4. Thanks. What the heck is biometrics ? I've seen that it's a requirement, but I've no idea what's involved.

Edited March 11, 2017 by electric

[Peterw42]

5 minutes ago, electric said:

psyvolt ... good informative post #4. Thanks. What the heck is biometrics ? I've seen that it's a requirement, but I've no idea what's involved.

Photos and fingerprint scans.

[electric]

2 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Photos and fingerprint scans.

Biometrics = photos and fingerprints  5555 Thanks Peterw42

 

Trust the Oz bureaucracy to come up with some bullshit terminology for a simple process.

 

I imagined it might be something far more sophisticated and intrusive. Full eye scan, lifting a fingerprint, perhaps a blood sample for DNA, even a stool sample wouldn't have surprised me, or bend over ... we've got the rubber gloves on.

 

[mfd101]

2 hours ago, crutchy26 said:

TRIED about 18 months ago. No agent. Thought to myself: I can do this. We own our house, our car, our motorcycle. I deposit money into her bank account daily. 2 kids at a Mancha Kiri Christian school,,,,,,,,,,,, etc, etc. And some thai-employee of OUR embassy 'phones her up, and interviews her (TO MY DISDAIN, WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE).

Rejected: As she may not return!

Not the first instance I have heard of this.

Compounding matters: Issan ppl do not really like talking to Bagkok ppl. My observance! The have different dialect..............

Thanks Australian Embassy ................... OOOPs That should be the AUSTRALIAN  Embassy thanking me for the visa app fee!

 

And, while I have your attention (please, oh please someone from the Embassy must read this.......................   )

WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO DO OUTREACH VISITS TO KHON KAEN????

To the useless public servants, at the Embassy,  drawing a huge salary, making decisions above and beyond their very-limited scope!)

 

So I wonder why your experience is so different from Pepper1959 and Psyvolt?

 

My own experience (same-sex couple in Isaan) on various occasions (twice as tourist, then 'permanent' [= 5 years] residency) is exactly as theirs: you follow the instructions, fill out the forms neatly, deliver the forms at the Trendy bldg in Sukhumvit soi 13, and wait. No sweat.

 

The main thing they always want reassurance on - perfectly reasonably in my view, given Thai people's attitudes to obeying the law - is that the Thai person will return home: so they want to see return tickets, financial support & residence during the trip, incentive for return (family, job). Much the same issues as falangs encounter travelling to Thailand!

[bazza73]

You can read about my holiday in Australia with my Thai GF in the Chiang Mai_Wandering website.

Be aware visa decisions made here ( Australia Consulate Bangkok )are not subject to appeal or review.

The first visa application was refused, because some Thai employee of the consulate considered my GF was a risk of overstay. I had provided ample proof ($250K in bank deposits ) of financial support in the application.

First application cost was $380. To add insult to injury, the biometric scans and fingerprinting had to be repeated. Second application (successful )through an immigration lawyer cost $1400.Excuse me for thinking there is some corruption involved.

Save your money and go to Vietnam or Hong Kong instead. Australia does not deserve tourists from South East Asia.

Edited March 11, 2017 by bazza73
Addition

[advancebooking]

55 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

So I wonder why your experience is so different from Pepper1959 and Psyvolt?

 

My own experience (same-sex couple in Isaan) on various occasions (twice as tourist, then 'permanent' [= 5 years] residency) is exactly as theirs: you follow the instructions, fill out the forms neatly, deliver the forms at the Trendy bldg in Sukhumvit soi 13, and wait. No sweat.

 

The main thing they always want reassurance on - perfectly reasonably in my view, given Thai people's attitudes to obeying the law - is that the Thai person will return home: so they want to see return tickets, financial support & residence during the trip, incentive for return (family, job). Much the same issues as falangs encounter travelling to Thailand!

they said to me that they didn't want to see any airline tickets. 

[mfd101]

7 minutes ago, advancebooking said:

they said to me that they didn't want to see any airline tickets. 

Fine, so just follow their instructions, and the instructions on the forms (1 for you, 1 for your partner). If there's anything you don't understand, ask them.

 

The forms are long but not difficult. Just answer the questions. There will be some parts that are not relevant for you or your partner, so put a line through those parts or write N/A according to the instructions.

[Ooladolla]

Did mine online in November 2015 came back in 10 days approved. There was no mention of fingerprints 'bio-metrics' when was this introduced anyone know ?

[pbeieio]

8 hours ago, advancebooking said:

to the nanny state of Australia

What are you on about, free goats??????

 

[Poppadom]

We went to Perth and WA last November. She looked up everything on Pantip, submitted docs to AU immi online site, paid visa processing fee with CC, etc. Was notified to go for biometric scanning shortly after online submission and visa granted 1-2 days after the biometric thing, for which she had to travel to BKK. Total 10-12 days, smooth as silk.

[The Real NCG]

12 hours ago, Ooladolla said:

Did mine online in November 2015 came back in 10 days approved. There was no mention of fingerprints 'bio-metrics' when was this introduced anyone know ?

Biometrics became mandatory in May 2016.

 

I'm an Aussie who has brought my (then) Isaan girlfriend here multiple times. It really couldn't have been simpler. The only pain point is having to get the biometrics done for each application. From memory you can only do this in Bangkok or Chang Mai so you have to schedule a day trip (or overnight) to one of those places. (A police report is also required I think.)

 

She is now my wife and we have since gone through with a partner visa application. Her (and her daughter's) TR309 were granted in 5 months and she will be migrating here permanently here in April after SongKran.

 

Our experience may be a bit smoother since I'm an Aussie citizen but really, it's not that hard. Do the paperwork, meet the requirements and it's easy. As other's have noted, the important points are demonstrating that you both have reasons to go home. (A job, a child etc). The Aussie government is strict on overstayers and Thailand is a classed as a high risk country.

Edited March 12, 2017 by The Real NCG
spelling

[Peterw42]

Can you assume that if you get sent for bio-metrics that your visa will be ok pending the bio-metrics ? Or have people had the experience of doing bio-metrics only to then have the visa denied ?

[GreasyFingers]

20 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

I took GF last year, did the application online. Fill in the form online, supporting documents attached as PDF or word docs. Answer back via email after a couple of weeks. The Biometrics part is a little vague via the online system, it says you may need to do bio-metrics, we didn't need to.

 

Same with me. Opnened an Immi Account on line and did everything there except for the biometrics which meant a short holiday in Bangkok as she had never been there before (for the cynics, no, she is not young). It took a lot of time providing birth certificates (to show she had children to return home to), marriage & divorce cerificates, change of name etc. The Thai system, up here at least, has everything in hand written ledgers that you have to copy then certified by the relevant office. Then scanning them as PDF files.

 

It appeared that the two main criteria are having money to support her and a good reason for here to return to Thailand.

It is easy enough but still time consuming.

[DUNROAMIN]

Gone through the process twice, first time took over two months and was rejected, second time was approved in 10 days after I did a lot of research on the internet. I was lucky enough to get hold of copy of the criteria check sheet the Embassy uses for its assessing officers, so knew exactly what they were looking for in each applicant. Don't waste your money on visa companies, they are leeches praying on your emotions. You can do it yourself for free. You have to go to VFS Global to submit your application and bio metrics with the 4000B fee. The three most important things they are looking for are

1. She has sufficient money in the bank. Minimum 100,000B.

2. Proof that she will return to Thailand after the visit.

3. Proof of your relationship with photos and bank statement showing your support.

There are other factors involved, too lengthy to discuss here.

Don't get carried away with booking airline tickets and insurance, you might think you are submitting a perfect application, things can go horrible wrong and you end up with egg on your face.

The best tip I can give you is to prepare your girlfriend with all the info regarding your relationship, eg, peoples names, places, family, in Australia, so that if Immigration rings she is well prepared.

Oh, nearly forgot I submitted  STAT DEC signed and stamped by the Oz embassy guaranteeing her return.

Visit VFS Global website and look at the Visa 600 criteria.

Good luck

[stancatts]

I am an Australian national without any type of negative record. I hired an agent (legally qualified) to do the tourist visa application for my defacto wife, in conjunction with an application for her 14 year old daughter (only wanted to be in Oz 30 days). A court order was included with the paper work for the sole custody of the daughter (written in thai). The embassy claimed there was an error of fact in the court order (even tho it was bone fide) and rang the defacto wife without warning, They alleged that the defacto said something that was inconsistent with the written application. On the basis of this, the embassy not only refused the visas but ordered that no visa application could be made for 2 years. Multiple attempts to reverse these decisions failed. Once they take a negative view of an application  from a thai, the visa is refused.  I think there may be a quota system - that staff have to knock back a certain number of thai applications. I found the process completely arbitrary and unreasonable. I cannot recommend using an agent. The form is not complicated (if no under-age kids are involved).

[oxo1947]

44 minutes ago, stancatts said:

I think there may be a quota system - that staff have to knock back a certain number of thai applications. I found the process completely arbitrary and unreasonable.

I went to BKK got the Visa about 10 days ago---(I mean they notified me after 5 days) --why on earth would there be a quota system for tourist stancatts ? they would like as many in as possible. The worse thing I think you can do is use an agent--there not liked by embassy's ---& there is just no need for it, everything is laid out quite simply. I applied to soon (before 90 days) so had to quickly add a little letter while I was there that I live in Issan- would be holidaying in Malaysia---didn't want to come back to BKK,,, so wanted to get it out the way now.

The Oz Office is shared by the UK Visa --so there is quite a crush of people--- I think about 30 desks--18 to the UK, 12 to Oz, numbers being called all the time. Yes you do the Biometrics before you know if you will get the Visa or not....(they say inform you within 10 working days)

Just a word of warning---also in the building, The Trendy building Soi 13 Sukumvit: is the visa for USA /Swiss/Canadian ....and others that I didn't pay attention to. When you enter the foyer you may be approached by a guy in a suit-- asking what visa you are seeking, whatever the answer you give is--he will tell you that they will check the papers for you. IT'S AN AGENT  SCAM.  just proceed to the lifts go to your appropriate floor. I wish, as the main tenants that the Embassy's would all do something about it.

Edited March 12, 2017 by oxo1947

[Will27]

4 hours ago, DUNROAMIN said:

Gone through the process twice, first time took over two months and was rejected, second time was approved in 10 days after I did a lot of research on the internet. I was lucky enough to get hold of copy of the criteria check sheet the Embassy uses for its assessing officers, so knew exactly what they were looking for in each applicant. Don't waste your money on visa companies, they are leeches praying on your emotions. You can do it yourself for free. You have to go to VFS Global to submit your application and bio metrics with the 4000B fee. The three most important things they are looking for are

1. She has sufficient money in the bank. Minimum 100,000B.

2. Proof that she will return to Thailand after the visit.

3. Proof of your relationship with photos and bank statement showing your support.

There are other factors involved, too lengthy to discuss here.

Don't get carried away with booking airline tickets and insurance, you might think you are submitting a perfect application, things can go horrible wrong and you end up with egg on your face.

The best tip I can give you is to prepare your girlfriend with all the info regarding your relationship, eg, peoples names, places, family, in Australia, so that if Immigration rings she is well prepared.

Oh, nearly forgot I submitted  STAT DEC signed and stamped by the Oz embassy guaranteeing her return.

Visit VFS Global website and look at the Visa 600 criteria.

Good luck

A couple of points.

 

Having money in the bank isn't required if the holiday is being sponsored by a partner or friend.

There is a separate box to tick on the application form advising if the holiday is being paid for

by someone else. So in reality, it doesn't really matter if the applicant has 5 Baht or a million Baht in their bank account.

The sponsor will of course have to provide evidence of funding.

 

Secondly, a Stat Dec really holds no weight for a visitor visa. Pretty much a waste of time and expense IMO.

A Stat Dec guaranteeing someone will do something isn't worth the paper it's written on.

Not required by Immigration.

 

As most have already stated, providing reasons to return to Thailand are pretty much the number 1 priority for Immigration.

 

 

 

[Will27]

3 hours ago, oxo1947 said:

I went to BKK got the Visa about 10 days ago---(I mean they notified me after 5 days) --why on earth would there be a quota system for tourist stancatts ? they would like as many in as possible. The worse thing I think you can do is use an agent--there not liked by embassy's ---& there is just no need for it, everything is laid out quite simply. I applied to soon (before 90 days) so had to quickly add a little letter while I was there that I live in Issan- would be holidaying in Malaysia---didn't want to come back to BKK,,, so wanted to get it out the way now.

The Oz Office is shared by the UK Visa --so there is quite a crush of people--- I think about 30 desks--18 to the UK, 12 to Oz, numbers being called all the time. Yes you do the Biometrics before you know if you will get the Visa or not....(they say inform you within 10 working days)

Just a word of warning---also in the building, The Trendy building Soi 13 Sukumvit: is the visa for USA /Swiss/Canadian ....and others that I didn't pay attention to. When you enter the foyer you may be approached by a guy in a suit-- asking what visa you are seeking, whatever the answer you give is--he will tell you that they will check the papers for you. IT'S AN AGENT  SCAM.  just proceed to the lifts go to your appropriate floor. I wish, as the main tenants that the Embassy's would all do something about it.

Yep, no quota for refusals at all.

 

I'm pretty sure the refusal rate for visitor visas to Australia is under 5%.

 

Bottom line is, in most cases, if you get a refusal, it's more than likely a poor/weak application.

Not all mind you as sometimes you can get a rough decision, but in most cases.

[Joinaman]

got a visa for my Thai girlfriend a few weeks ago so we could travel this week to see my relatives

Could not do it online so had to fly down from Isaan to Trendy House 

Spent a long time checking out everything online, getting lots of copies of everything

If in doubt, copy it and take it with you

Printed loads of pictures of me and her on various holidays in Vietnam and Laos to show we are a couple

The centre was heaving when we got there so when the y offered to fast track us for an extra fee and guide us through everything, i gladly paid

they checked everything, decided we needed more photos, more copies of my bank staements and also more copies of my travel visas

No worries, all done quickly, the taken through to private room and fast tracked through everything else\About 1 hour in total. Some of the other people had been there for 3 or 4 hours and still waiting

Got a couple of missed calls about a week later saying they would like more paperwork and could we cone back 

They told us to bring more paperwork and explained what we needed. Turned up and fast tracked through again, in and out in 15 minutes, no charge

got the visa about 1 week later

Not cheap, after paying the extra visa fees, m 1 lots of return flights, plus hotels plus the beer money, probably cost me over 16,000 baht

But hopefully it will be worth it, my visa is done online for free in about 5 minutes

Now just got to find cheap travel insurance, cos everything from the flights to insurance seems to be much dearer from here than England

 

 

[DUNROAMIN]

On ‎12‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 7:06 PM, DUNROAMIN said:

Gone through the process twice, first time took over two months and was rejected, second time was approved in 10 days after I did a lot of research on the internet. I was lucky enough to get hold of copy of the criteria check sheet the Embassy uses for its assessing officers, so knew exactly what they were looking for in each applicant. Don't waste your money on visa companies, they are leeches praying on your emotions. You can do it yourself for free. You have to go to VFS Global to submit your application and bio metrics with the 4000B fee. The three most important things they are looking for are

1. She has sufficient money in the bank. Minimum 100,000B.

2. Proof that she will return to Thailand after the visit.

3. Proof of your relationship with photos and bank statement showing your support.

There are other factors involved, too lengthy to discuss here.

Don't get carried away with booking airline tickets and insurance, you might think you are submitting a perfect application, things can go horrible wrong and you end up with egg on your face.

The best tip I can give you is to prepare your girlfriend with all the info regarding your relationship, eg, peoples names, places, family, in Australia, so that if Immigration rings she is well prepared.

Oh, nearly forgot I submitted  STAT DEC signed and stamped by the Oz embassy guaranteeing her return.

Visit VFS Global website and look at the Visa 600 criteria.

Good luck

 

On ‎12‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 11:31 PM, Will27 said:

A couple of points.

 

Having money in the bank isn't required if the holiday is being sponsored by a partner or friend.

There is a separate box to tick on the application form advising if the holiday is being paid for

by someone else. So in reality, it doesn't really matter if the applicant has 5 Baht or a million Baht in their bank account.

The sponsor will of course have to provide evidence of funding.

 

Secondly, a Stat Dec really holds no weight for a visitor visa. Pretty much a waste of time and expense IMO.

A Stat Dec guaranteeing someone will do something isn't worth the paper it's written on.

Not required by Immigration.

 

As most have already stated, providing reasons to return to Thailand are pretty much the number 1 priority for Immigration.

 

 

 

Hi, not sure if you are quoting from personal experience or written documentation policies from Australian Immigration or not.

It does state in the Immigration web page that the applicant must provide their original bank book with the application to indicate if he or she has sufficient funds for the visit. This is regardless whether or not they are being supported by another person.

On our original application we ticked the box for another person supporting the visit. Along with many other documents showing income support. Our refusal letter indicated that they did not think she could support herself and that she would not return to Thailand, manly because we did not provide good enough reasons why she would return. You maybe right about the Stat Dec, however, seeing that I was in the Oz embassy on other matters I had one signed by them. This time around we provided more evidence of her intention to return to Thailand, more back up docs on income support by me and a healthy bank account. I believe the more ammunition the better whether or not they use this info or not. This time around, approved.

Cheers

[Surin13]

18 hours ago, DUNROAMIN said:

Hi, not sure if you are quoting from personal experience or written documentation policies from Australian Immigration or not.

It does state in the Immigration web page that the applicant must provide their original bank book with the application to indicate if he or she has sufficient funds for the visit. This is regardless whether or not they are being supported by another person.

Yes it states that you must supply the original bank book if using that as evidence, but you don't have to supply a bank book as such.

 

Here is what it says in the Tourist Stream Application Checklist (Thailand) from here http://thailand.embassy.gov.au/files/bkok/Visa_Tourist_En May.pdf

 

Quote

If you are providing a bankbook, you must provide the original and photocopy bankbook;

The important point is the If at the start. 

 

Will27 is spot on with his advice, but to add to it, another important thing to do in your application is make sure its consistent and doesn't have gaps, don't assume the person assessing the application will see your logic. ie don't put 300,000 baht into a Thai's bank account that has a normal regular job and not explain how or why its there.  

 

Also be upfront and honest with the persons circumstances.

 

As for personal experience, I recently got my Sister in-law (early 20's) a tourist visa to Australia, didn't supply a bank book with the application as she doesn't and never has had a bank account . I did explain that in the application.

 

She doesn't have a paying job (works on the family farm), no assets, no savings (no bank account) and no kids/partner.

 

Visa approved within 2 weeks with no issues, as the application address all relevant points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 15, 2017 by Surin13

[DUNROAMIN]

4 hours ago, Surin13 said:

Yes it states that you must supply the original bank book if using that as evidence, but you don't have to supply a bank book as such.

 

Here is what it says in the Tourist Stream Application Checklist (Thailand) from here http://thailand.embassy.gov.au/files/bkok/Visa_Tourist_En May.pdf

 

The important point is the If at the start. 

 

Will27 is spot on with his advice, but to add to it, another important thing to do in your application is make sure its consistent and doesn't have gaps, don't assume the person assessing the application will see your logic. ie don't put 300,000 baht into a Thai's bank account that has a normal regular job and not explain how or why its there.  

 

Also be upfront and honest with the persons circumstances.

 

As for personal experience, I recently got my Sister in-law (early 20's) a tourist visa to Australia, didn't supply a bank book with the application as she doesn't and never has had a bank account . I did explain that in the application.

 

She doesn't have a paying job (works on the family farm), no assets, no savings (no bank account) and no kids/partner.

 

Visa approved within 2 weeks with no issues, as the application address all relevant points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the input, hopefully once she has completed the first trip and returned home this will make the next application easy.

Cheers

[Northpoint]

4 minutes ago, DUNROAMIN said:

Thanks for the input, hopefully once she has completed the first trip and returned home this will make the next application easy.

Cheers

Just make sure you keep a copy of the application form and other documents you submit.