thai girlfriend back to uk

[fabman]

hi all , i would like to take my thai girlfriend back to the uk with me the next time i go ( just for a holiday not permanent as we have a house in hua hin already )

whats the easy way of doing this ? we have been together 6 years now and i would like her to meet my family

thanks for any help .....

[Big Boy]

fabman, there isn't an easy way - it's very hard. I'll be honest with you, I haven't heard of one successful application this year yet (stand back and wait ). It can be done, and you have to tell the truth (and make sure your lady knows the same version of that truth).

Make sure you provide everything they ask for, plus whatever else you think might be useful. Most difficult bits will be:

- proving she will return after the holiday (returning to kids for example is useless).

- explaining how her employer can release her for a holiday (they take a lot of convincing).

When you need to know specifics, feel free to ask.

Avoid using the visa agent sharks, who will gladly relieve you of your hard earned cash. They will be lying in wait to ambush you and your lady, and are very convincing. They give false promises.

My personal feeling is that this is a bad year to try for a visa. I genuinly wish you the very best in your quest. Let us know how you get on.

[caller]

Well I could suggest going to T-UK, where you will read of successful 1st time visit visas being granted this year (sorry BB), but they're having a bit of a break at the mo after a few interesting threads and the forums shut down for a few weeks.

Are you mainly based in LOS or UK? If the former, the need to return thing won't be as important of the proof of relationship and life in LOS thing. If the UK, as BB says, ask away here, or towards the end of the month go to T-UK where most there are Brits in relationship with Thais. They have sample folders to copy for every eventuality.

http://www.thailand-uk.com/forums/forum.php

[Big Boy]

Don't be sorry caller, you've restored my faith in the system. I suppose it's bound to go the way of only hearing about multiple failures from time to time. I honestly have not heard of a single success in 2010. To make it worse, the failures have included 4 kids - until this year, I had not heard of a single kiddie refused.

[STEVE G]

It really is a ridiculous state of affairs; I've been with my partner now for over eight years and would rather like to take her back to the UK for a holiday, just to see where I'm from, but it's just not easily done.
There is absolutely no way I'm going to jump through hoops, or get anyone else to do the same, just to go on holiday in bloody Nottingham!

[margaretcarnes]

Lomu did it apparently without too much hassle. Admittedly not this year. Maybe he will be along soon with his secrets to success, but best of luck. It's a ridiculous situation and always has been, but one small point - might sound silly but I've heard it carries some clout with the Thai authorities - get the wife/GF a nice smart suit to wear to her interview. It isn't all about the farang.

[pharvey]

Why is it so much more difficult to take a Thai partner back to the UK than a Chinese partner for example? Have things become that much tougher over the years?

Admittedly, when I first took my (now) Chinese wife back to the UK some 10+ years ago, it was a bit of a song and dance - interviews in Beijing etc., which was a bit of a pain considering it's a 2.5 hr flight from Chongqing!! As BB says, provide everything and more - it's exactly what we have always done (details of employment (both), letter from sponsor (you), savings, properties etc..... The only time ''she who must be obeyed'' was refused a visa, was for Canada just after the whole SARS episode. I was told later that the Canadian embassy was not issuing ANY visas in China at that time.

[lomuamart]

We were in a different situation, Mags, in as much as we were married and I'd lived here for 8 odd years at the time, so my wife's reason to return was me and I stated that we didn't want to settle in the UK even though my wife could have applied for a settlement visa. We were going back for my brother's wedding.
I'm not really up-to-date with the UK visa requirements these days, but as the OP and his g/f have been together for 6 years (that is more time than us when we applied), they have a house here and they intend to return to Thailand after their visit, they may have a stronger case that some others?
Does the OP work here? Is he retired and the holder of a retirement extension? If the answer's "yes" to either of those, again it adds more weight to the application.
As others have said, make sure all the paperwork is in order. Also make sure that the OP supplies photocopies of all the relevant pages of his passport(s) to show he's been here for 6 years. Make sure that the g/f can take care of herself financially (or the OP can as sponsor) and that they both have somewhere to stay when in the UK - a letter of invitation from a family member to stay at their home will be necessary, together with details of whether the home is owned or not, how many rooms it's got etc.
Other members will be able to give more detailed advice as to what to supply, but overall I'd have thought the OP has a fair chance.
My ex g/f was turned down twice years ago, but then I was still in the UK working and we had only been together for 3 years. Not exactly a very strong case as I found out later.
BTW, I doubt that there will be an interview. The decision will be made based on the evidence/documents supplied.

[kendo]

It's all in the planning and proof of relationship my wife came to the uk on a settlement fiancé visa in 5 and a half months and I was told no chance by other chaps that had Thai wifes here.
Kendo.

[Big Boy]

Lomu did it apparently without too much hassle. Admittedly not this year. Maybe he will be along soon with his secrets to success, but best of luck. It's a ridiculous situation and always has been, but one small point - might sound silly but I've heard it carries some clout with the Thai authorities - get the wife/GF a nice smart suit to wear to her interview. It isn't all about the farang.

A lot of us have done it, and many, including me, have been successful many times - personally, I've never been refused. I have always advocated the honest route, talk to the embassy (via e-mail for any points of clarification) along the way, and make sure the person applying knows as much about me as possible (I've got a list of example questions that might be asked during interview). Present as much evidence as possible.

Lomu would have no problem whatsoever if he applied today - he's already done it once, and his wife returned to Thailand. I'm the same with my Thai family.

The point I was trying to make was that everybody that I know who was applying for a first visit to the UK from Thailand this year had been refused. However, caller has put that myth to bed as he can quote numerous successful applicants in the same period.

[Governor]

There is absolutly no problem in your girlfriend getting a visa for a holiday to the UK providing of course she qualifies, though I am afraid there are a few hoops to jump through - even for a holiday to Nottingham.

First of all the basics, she needs to convince the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) that the visit is genuine, affordable and most importantly that, on the balance of probabilities, she will comply with the terms of her visa and return to Thailand at the end of the holiday.

When you say you have been together for six years and you have a house in Hua Hin, am I to assume that you have been living together in Hua Hin for those six years? if that is the case, and you can prove it, you can apply for a visa for a family visit, the requirements are the same as a tourist visa but an application for a family visit visa carries the right of appeal if it's refused where a standard visit visa doesn't. To qualify for a family visit you must have been living together in a relationship akin to marriage for two years.

She needs to provide details of how she is paying for the trip, if she has her own funds then all well and good, and that doesn't mean depositing funds into her account, she needs to supply bank statements or pass books for the last few months showing she has the money. If you are going to sponsor her then you must prove that it is reasonable for you to do so, and it's affordable. So you will need to provide proof that it's affordable by providing copies of your bank statements and explain in your letter of sponsorship why you are paying.

To provide details of your time together it will depend if you are living together in your house or not, if so then provide proof, bills going back for a couple of years or letters addressed to you both at the house. Also point out the relevant permission to stay in Thailand that will be in your passport.

If you have been together for six years but not living together for two years or more then you cannot get a family visit visa, but she can still a tourist visa though it's not as easy, they may think that she is trying to circumnavigate the regulations to move to the UK, that's if you are there of course.

So if the house and or land is in her name, that would be a very good reason to return, so supply proof. If she works then get a, genuine, letter proving it adding that the holiday is approved.

To prove your relationship, if you are living in the house then do what I have suggested in the earlier, if note prove the time you have spent in Thailand and provide details of any trips you have been on together, especially if you have been overseas.

As most applications are considered on the information supplied it is essential to ensure that you have put forward a convincing case, the sponsors letter is important, but don't re-write War and Peace, make it as snappy as possible. Interviews are rare, so I'm afraid she probably will not need a new outfit.

For all the doom and gloomers out there, applications stand far better chance of being granted than refused, in 2008/09 91% of tourist visas were granted and 90% of family visit visas. In May 2010 there were 1288 applications for tourist visas and 437 applications for family visit visas, so if the current approval rate is holding firm, that's an awful lot of visas being issued.

I have rambled on a bit, sorry, if you have any specific questions, please ask on here.

[Big Boy]

Thank you for such an upbeat post Governor - it portrays the exact same attitude (although a lot more eloquently than me) that I had until the start of this year. I would have been in total agreement until 2010 started.

[Edit]

The UK is going through a lot of change at the moment. IMHO being steered by a bunch of headless chickens who have no idea how to execute their bright ideas. Meanwhile, the Civil Servants are making stupid decisions driven by indecision at the top.

[Governor]

You are of course correct Big Boy, there are problems back in the UK but I still think there is every chance that visas are still being issued at pre-2010 levels, in fact I know they are.

There has been a change in ECM in the visa section with the current manager having an UKBA background, she was previously at Heathrow, as opposed to the last ECM who had a FCO background, though she was very experienced. My experience with UKBA staff is that the majority of them think it's perfectly reasonable to have to jump through hoops to be granted a visa, that thinking is bred into them. All that said ECO's have to comply with published guidelines, so if the applicant can tick all the boxes they will get a visa.
I fully understand your concerns about UK Civil Servants but they have to abide by the current legislation, and of course many of the ECO's in Bangkok are locally employed.
I am pretty confident that when the statistics for this year are published it will prove that the level of visas granted will remain at the previous high figure.

[Big Boy]

I genuinely hope you are right, and your thoughts certainly agree with caller's comments.

[usual suspect]

Fabman..One thing the UK Embassy likes to see on applications is 'history'...you say you've been together for 6 yrs,if you've photos,E-mails, proof of this it helps. Remember also they need to be happy with your accommodation in the UK for the duration of your stay. As mentioned in an earlier post a well worded letter from her Thai employer stating she has been given leave from work within chosen dates is very good too.
Write down all the good hints you learn, & get a good case together...then when you both go to Embassy you will feel confident.