Thai Wife's UK Visa Application Refused.

[Green Nomad]

My Thai wife of 22 years has just been refused a visit visa for the UK next month. I am, as you can imagine extremely pissed off with the UKVI. By the way i am British , but have not lived there for 30 years. We planned to travel together to see family and friends staying in hotels. One family friend of ours has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer whom we haven't seen for about 15 years. The application was done through the VFS Global service here in Saudi, my wife attended that office herself as she lives here with me. We supported the application with proof of flights there and back through Bahrain and the hotel bookings. The excuses were that my wife would have insufficient funds and no other family links to her home country, so she is considered a risk of staying in the UK. What a crock.... We are now considering trying again next year in Bangkok when I have retired and we are both living in Thailand as that may provide more backing.

Anyone else encountered this sort of problem in getting a spouses visa for UK? If so what was the next step? After calling the embassy in Riyadh I was told to reapply with more details and a covering letter from myself and maybe the friend in the UK. Any ideas please?

[Dannie Boy]

I was really shocked to read your post as just a few hours ago my wife and I returned from VFS in Bangkok having submitted her passport and doing the biometrics for her application - she’s been a fairly regular traveller over the years, so I was assuming the application was a formality, now I’m just a little bit more concerned, but hopefully not unduly.

As an aside and this is for the benefit of anyone applying in Thailand, we received an email acknowledging the application last week and an appointment together with a link of where to find the VFS centre, only it turned out to be the old location in the Trendy Building - when we got there a man told us they had moved more than a year ago. They are now located at
VFS (Thailand) Ltd.
The Shoppes Grand Rama 9 @ Belle, 2nd floor
131/1,141/1 Rama 9,Huai Khwang,
Bangkok

[Dannie Boy]

By the way Green Nomad, I would definitely try again providing as much support as possible - be inventive with the truth!!

[Big Boy]

It was a while ago, but whenever we brought my daughter and granddaughter to the UK, I always explained that they had no funds to support them, but showed a bank account showing sufficient funds (back then £10,000 did the trick), which I said would be to solely fund their trip.

Isn't there a minimum amount of money you need to show these days?

It also helps if there is a decent job and/or property to go home to. They are simply looking for a reason for her to want to go home again.

[GroveHillWanderer]

After calling the embassy in Riyadh I was told to reapply with more details and a covering letter from myself and maybe the friend in the UK. Any ideas please?

Yes, as far as I'm aware, if you're travelling together with your spouse, it's always recommended to supply a letter outlining the details of your relationship, your trip and the reasons why your wife is likely to return with you to your place of residence.

I also always supply a letter from the people who we'll be staying with in the UK (my parents) saying they're happy to welcome us and have sufficient space in their house to accommodate us.

In terms of having sufficient funds, I always supply a copy of my bank account statement and mention that I will be paying for all expenses related to the trip. In fact I believe that one of the questions the applicant has to answer, is to say if anyone else is paying towards the trip and if so, how much they will contribute.

I have always included all this info and I've never had a problem getting a visa for my wife.*

So if you're going to re-apply as the Embassy suggested, I would definitely include those things.

*I say "I" include this info, obviously on the application everything has to be answered as if it is the applicant themself who is speaking, but I'm the one who actually fills it out.

[Big Boy]

^^
As I said, a long time since I've done it, but that advice sounds spot on.

[Green Nomad]

Thank you guys for all your replies, it does calm me down a little to learn that I should have loaded the information a bit more instead of taking it for granted we have been together so long, she has even followed me around the middle east with me for the best part of twenty years. Will post again if I have any developments.....once again I am very thankful for this forum.

[caller]

Yes, a difficult one, but the emphasis and advise for those travelling has always been absolute proof of funding and absolute proof of a reason to return wherever at the end of the trip. Can't be emphasised enough, hence the reason for this post!

[HHTel]

At least Trump blatently closes his border.
In the UK the border is being closed by stealth. The rejection rate currently is 30% 1st application. 50% 2nd and 65% 3rd.
A friend of mine has just had her second rejection. She owns her house outright and included her deeds. Bank account with a reasonable balance. She has 2 teenage sons living with her and was applying for a 10 day visit.
She's a very clever lady with several diplomas and a Bsc. She works freelance for various schools and occasional government work.
She has a sponsor in the UK with the required salary, accommodation etc.

The second one was refused on the grounds that she works freelance so no compelling reason to return.
It seems they can refuse just because they don't believe the application in spite of the evidence.

Doesn't really matter which visa company you go to. The decision is made in the Home office.

It was so much easier back in the day when it was handled locally by the embassy.

[Meerkat]

This must be so frustrating for all of you, particularly when you consider how irregular/illegal immigration is occurring on a daily basis across the beaches of Kent. I won't suggest that you consider that method. For what it's worth, I have shelved the idea of taking my wife of a mere 12 years to Australia, as I take exception to being treated as a human trafficker.

[Green Nomad]

We have decided to delay our visit to UK until maybe June now, I will need to renew my passport by post before then anyway, and if that comes back in time we will reapply using as much info to back it up as possible, even stating we have a paid for house in Hua Hin, as well as 2 other plots of land and my wife has 2 million in the bank. What more do they want? As Meerkat writes above, I also take exception to being the guilty party, I even got pulled out of a line at immigration once at Madrid airport because I was arriving with her, and we lived in Spain at that time. Unbelievable.

[malcolminthemiddle]

My only suggestion is to apply for a multi-entry visitor visa which demonstrates she intends to leave and prevents jumping through the same hoops each time she wants to go to the UK.

[Green Nomad]

Good suggestion malcolminthemiddle, thank you.

On another similar subject if we do indeed decide to go again to the UK in the future, assuming she is successful this time of course, what is the procedure for applying for a Schengen visa also? We may, after I retire in Feb next year, do a tour of Europe in addition to a trip to the UK in the same period. Any thoughts anyone? GN.

[dtaai-maai]

On another similar subject if we do indeed decide to go again to the UK in the future, assuming she is successful this time of course, what is the procedure for applying for a Schengen visa also?

PM pharvey, his (much) better half is Chinese and they have gone down the Schengen route several times. He's away for the weekend, but I'm sure he'll be happy to help.

[Dannie Boy]

Does Mrs Harvey, aka the LHG, have British citizenship?