Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

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buksida
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Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

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Yingluck Shinawatra has been given a 10-year visa from the British government, according to BBC Thai.

“She can enter and leave England anytime but each stay in the kingdom must not exceed six months,” BBC Thai said in a Thai-language report, quoting a source.

The travel arrangements of the former prime minister since she left the country last year have been a subject of scrutiny in Thailand. Related agencies have told the public they are doing everything in their power to bring her back to serve time.

British officials refused to confirm the issuance of the visa, citing standard policy on privacy of personal information, according to the BBC Thai report.

It said standard terms of the 10-year non-immigrant visa provide that Ms Yingluck can travel freely in and out of the United Kingdom, but must return at least every six months.

Thai officials had earlier claimed that she held passports of Montenegro and Nicaragua, as had her brother Thaksin after his flight from Thailand.

Earlier, many speculated she might have claimed asylum in the UK.

Spokesperson Busadee Santipitaks confirmed that the British government had provided no information about the visa application to the Thai government. She said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no information about the BBC Thai report.

"[The MFA] only learned from the news report. The ministry itself has no information about this," she said.

The Foreign Ministry said it had already cancelled Ms Yingluck’s passports.

A long-term visa is better than an asylum in Yingluck's case since claiming the status usually takes a long time during which the applicant cannot go abroad, work or open bank accounts.

Yingluck left the country on Aug 24 of last year, the day before the Supreme Court was to issue its ruling on whether she was guilty of dereliction of duty over the rice policies of her government.

The following month, the court issued its ruling in absentia, finding that she had failed to stop fraud and corruption involving the rice-pledging policy and sentencing her to a 5-year jail term.

The spokeswoman was tight-lipped on Monday on a reported attempt to secure extradition of the former prime minister, Ms Busadee said: "The collaboration of agencies involved is ongoing," she said.

Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politi ... sa-from-uk
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oakdale160
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Re: Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

Post by oakdale160 »

Oh the Generals are going to be so pissed off--- Hope they dont try to take it out on Brits in Thai.
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Re: Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

Post by 404cameljockey »

buksida wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 9:09 am “She can enter and leave England anytime but each stay in the kingdom must not exceed six months,” BBC Thai said in a Thai-language report, quoting a source.
Is this right? I would have thought her visa would expire if she was OUTSIDE the UK for more than 6 months.
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Re: Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

Post by Dannie Boy »

404cameljockey wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 10:04 am
buksida wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 9:09 am “She can enter and leave England anytime but each stay in the kingdom must not exceed six months,” BBC Thai said in a Thai-language report, quoting a source.
Is this right? I would have thought her visa would expire if she was OUTSIDE the UK for more than 6 months.
The report above mentions that she can only stay a maximum of six months and must return at least every six months. I read that as she could stay for say six months and then go wherever she likes for say 5.1/2 months and then return to the UK and keep her visa valid and stay for up to a further 6 months, etc, etc.
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404cameljockey
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Re: Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

Post by 404cameljockey »

Visas usually expire if you don't spend long enough in the country. The report says she can't stay in the UK for longer than 6 months (at a, stretch I imagine). Maybe it's an unusual visa.
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Re: Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

Post by STEVE G »

I imagine it will be something like an investor visa:
http://www.ukvisas.com/tier-1-investor-visa/
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Re: Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

Post by 404cameljockey »

Yes it restricts the number of days that can be spent outside the country, not inside it!

That's why I think the BBC Thailand article has it wrong.

Anyway, the suspicion that some here had a few months ago, that the UK would grant her a visa has been proven correct.
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Re: Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

Post by Dannie Boy »

This is an extract from the UK visa pages and may explain the type of visa Yingluck has been granted.

Applying for a UK visa Frequently Asked Questions

How long can I stay in the UK on a visit visa?

 A visit visa is usually valid for 6 months and allows multiple entries to the UK. You can stay for up to 6 months. You can apply for a longer-term visit visa if you travel regularly to the UK. These visit visas are valid for 2, 5 or 10 years and allow multiple entry for up to 6 months on each trip.

Long-term visit visas

You may consider applying for a long-term visit visa if you travel to the UK regularly.

Can I apply for a 10 year visit visa if I’ve never been to the UK before?

 Yes, but check online guidance carefully, you need to demonstrate that you have a genuine reason to visit the UK on a regular basis, and lack of previous travel may be a factor. The difference in fees will not be refunded if the Entry Clearance Officer issues a 6 month visit visa.

There is more detail available
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Re: Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

Post by hhinner »

This site is also helpful. https://ukvisa.blog/2017/04/28/long-ter ... lications/.

Frequent visits for up to 6 months at a time and should not be in the UK for long periods which would suggest living there. So no 6 monthly border hops would be permitted.
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Re: Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

Post by hhinner »

Anyway, do billionaires need to follow the rules?
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Re: Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

Post by StevePIraq »

Strange that the only source for this news is BBC Thai, while it is reported on many sites the source is always BBC Thai. BBC world service has no reference to it.
Is it true, who knows
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Re: Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

Post by fft100 »

It is just a standard multiple entry 10 year visitor visa. No requirement to spend a minimum no of days in the UK, but a max of 6 months per year. My Thai wife has one. Took 3 days to get from BKK. I guess Yingluck would have applied for hers from outside Thailand :-)
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Re: Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

Post by Dannie Boy »

fft100 wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 2:37 pm It is just a standard multiple entry 10 year visitor visa. No requirement to spend a minimum no of days in the UK, but a max of 6 months per year. My Thai wife has one. Took 3 days to get from BKK. I guess Yingluck would have applied for hers from outside Thailand :-)
I appreciate this is going away from the OP, but prior to the 10 year visa, did your wife have a 2 or 5 year visitor visa?
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Re: Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

Post by fft100 »

Dannie Boy wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 2:45 pm
fft100 wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 2:37 pm It is just a standard multiple entry 10 year visitor visa. No requirement to spend a minimum no of days in the UK, but a max of 6 months per year. My Thai wife has one. Took 3 days to get from BKK. I guess Yingluck would have applied for hers from outside Thailand :-)
I appreciate this is going away from the OP, but prior to the 10 year visa, did your wife have a 2 or 5 year visitor visa?
She had had a number of 6 month UK visitor visas over an 8 year period. And half a dozen Schengen area visas. I was fed up filling forms in and organising trips to BKK. Over 10 years, it was also cheaper than 10 individual visas, and the price of UK visas probably isn't going to go down !
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Re: Yingluck gets 10-year visa from UK

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I LOVE THE SLAP TO THE JUNTA.
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