Preparing for the future... Visa for visiting England

[Pleng]

I've known my current girlfriend for around 5 years and it's kind of inevitable that at some point, probably in a couple of years time, we'll want to visit England together.

Is there anything we can do now to ease the process of applying for a Visa in the future?

My girlfriend has a reasonably high ranking position in an international hotel chain, so that should hopefully help with reason to return.

What sort of evidence are we likely to need to prove that we are partners? We're not planning on getting married any time soon. I heard once that taking pictures of ourselves with newspapers clearly showing the date can help? Is that genuine, or more of an old wives tale?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Big Boy]

The main thing always seems to be proving that she has a reason to return to Thailand e.g. owns a property or something similar. The fact that you can prove that she has been with you for X years, and you will be returning will help.

[lomuamart]

You'll need to show that either you or she can support her/herself whilst she's back both financially and with accommodation.
The length of time you've been together always helps but make sure you can back it up - letters, photos, emails etc.
As BB has already said, the big thing the embassy will look at is her reason to return. She should get a letter from her employer stating how long she's been there and that the job remains open for her when she gets back. That'll help.
Also, what sort of visa/extension do you have? If it's an annual extension based on retirement then that will go some way to demonstrate that you are coming back here and if the embassy are satisfied that you have a genuine, lasting relationship then you are also a reason for her to return. Photocopy all the visa/extensions you've had here to show that you're committed to Thailand.
If you're prepared and methodical with her application, there's no reason to think she won't get a visitor visa. Make the covering letter from you (if you're sponsoring her) as easy to understand as possible with clear directions to supporting docs.
Good luck.

[dtaai-maai]

My girlfriend has a reasonably high ranking position in an international hotel chain, so that should hopefully help with reason to return.

My own experience in this field is outdated, but in the case of a visit visa this fact alone, supported by a brief letter from the hotel, should be enough to satisfy the meanest of visa officers.
In this case, I certainly wouldn't bother about proving the length of your relationship with photos holding newspapers, etc. - if anything that would smack of over-elaboration!

Major disadvantages used to be age (not enough of it), a tendency to 'overdress' (or rather underdress), hardly speaking a word of English, and an inability to describe income in terms unrelated to buffalo or rais of rice. I doubt any of these apply to your lady, Pleng.

Of course, the best advice comes from those in a similar position over the last couple of years - it's not only the rules that matter, but how they are applied.



EDIT: And, of course, what Lomu said!

[Bristolian]

I took my wife for the first time, last year, to the UK.

The problem if any is that you need to work through an agency and not the embassy.

The main criteria as BB has already elaborated is that there is good reason to suppose that your GF will want to return to Thailand.

As BB has already stated, this could be property but could also be a business, funds in a Thai bank, long term job etc.

We wanted to take my sister in law with us but she was refused as she had only recently opened a business and could not produce a bank account with sufficient funds or her company finances as she had been running her business for only a short time.

Proof that there is good reason for her to return to Thailand is key. Letter of invitation and statement of funds to support the visit are necessary but secondary in terms of importance.

[lomuamart]

Correct me if I'm wrong, Bristolian, but I thought the applications only were outsourced to the agency. They're then sent to the Embassy for evaluation so it's still the Embassy who make the decision about getting the visa or not.

[Bristolian]

Correct me if I'm wrong, Bristolian, but I thought the applications only were outsourced to the agency. They're then sent to the Embassy for evaluation so it's still the Embassy who make the decision about getting the visa or not.

You are 100% correct and in my case I appealed to the UK on the decision for my wife and my appeal was accepted and visa granted.

The problem with the agency is that when you visit them with your mound if paperwork they do not give advice if anything is missing or indeed wrong. Only the applicant is permitted to enter the main office. I sat outside with a briefcase of support documents but was not allowed to consult.

All of the paperwork submitted was in order and in compliance with the agency web site.

After refusal of my wife's visa I appealed and was given a written apology by the embassy for the first decision to refuse the visa. The embassy were actually fantastic but getting to speak with them was a nightmare until the appeal was heard in the UK and the embassy instructed to do something.

[Bristolian]

As a post script to my mail, we were asked to provide proof that there were sufficient funds available to support the visit. I supplied two original and current Barclays statements, for UK current accounts with sufficient funds for many many visits.

The refusal included the reasons
1) the statements were not originals but colour copies - not true, they were originals
2) the accounts had not been used on any regular basis for a long time. Please provide information regarding the source of the funds - WTF

Clearly to 1) I could only refer to Barclays print quality of statements

As for 2) I explained that since living in Thailand I had very infrequent need to use my UK Bank accounts

Although the decision clearly is with the embassy they arrive there with a stamp - Approved by Agency - Not approved by Agency. The embassy simply indorse the recommendation.

[Pleng]

Ok Thanks for that everybody. It looks like there's not too much that can be done in advance, so probably best wait until the time actually comes!