Tips on getting a visa for a single lady to visit the UK

[uncle tom]

Having successfully climbed this mountain, I thought it might be helpful to others to share some experiances.

I don't think there is a magic formula for achieving this objective, but a few points come to mind:

1) Simply filling in the forms is not enough, unless the applicant has visited the UK in the recent past and has not blotted her copybook.

2) Supplementary information should include evidence that you have previously met and subsequently corresponded. Photographs of you with your lady (preferably not in bar) together with transcripts of emails, text messages or skype connection logs should be appended.

3) Make a convincing argument that there is no possibility of your lady working or needing to work whilst in the UK, unless you are openly looking to recruit Thai restaurant staff - an approach that has various hoops to jump through, which I have not researched...

4) Prove that you have the means to fund her return ticket, and indicate when she will return to Thailand.

>> other tips??

[lomuamart]

The only thing I'd add is to your point 4. The fact that someone has a return ticket and return date are not necessarily, of themselves, going to be adequate to prove that she'll return to Thailand.
This can be the hardest thing to prove and the one that Imm look at very closely. In our instance, we're married and I live here and can show that I've done so for 16 years. I'll be returning, so her reason to do so is me.
Other reasons to return are a job (get a letter from employer saying that the employment is still there after the holiday), land, savings assets etc here. Things like children don't normally wash. Imm will just see them as being further visa applications in the future if the lady remains in the UK. And family take care of them in her absence anyway so they're never a good reason for return.

[Big Boy]

a letter from employer saying that the employment is still there after the holiday

And how they are going to fill the labour while the applicant is overseas. I've seen a couple of refusals because they didn't understand how a viable business could manage without an employee for so long.

[kendo]

Proof of relationship is the biggest thing and proving that she would not be a financial burden to the state so sufficient funds must be in place and even taking out a travel insurance policy would be a good thing. Keep and print off email photos financial transactions as in your case I know your girl is at university and any other supporting evidence that can prove your in a genuine relationship.

Another important thing is tell the truth at the visa interview as they will throw in a question or two just to test the girl a bit my wife was asked what her occupation was she told them farmer, so she then was asked by the lady "why are your hands so beautiful" ( as my wife is always painting flowers on her finger nails) and she replied " because I ware hand socks" .

I took my wife to the UK within five and a half months of us meeting on a fiancé visa and it really wasn't that difficult I don't really understand why people use visa agents with a little leg work it can be done.

Kendo.

[uncle tom]

Another important thing is tell the truth

Agree - my impression is that at the first whiff of BS, the officers start building the case for a refusal..

[oakdale160]

A guy who was a supervisor of the visa dept at theCanadian consulate told me that they have had cases where the sponsor presents the material to the officer and there between pages one and two is a note that says--- please do NOT grant her a visa.