Thai national coming to visit farang at home (UK)

[caller]

I will let you know how Key and the process goes if u wish

Good luck! Be good to get feedback.

[buksida]

Anyone done this recently? Just trying to plan ahead ... Mrs Buksi has been to the UK before on the 6-month visa but it was years ago and I forgot the massive list of paperwork we submitted. Mulling the idea of going in summer (if Thailand finally opens its doors for our return).

I know KeyVisa do it, and I swear by them for UK passports, but 30K is a lot of dough (it's essentially the cost of the flight). Thinking of attempting it ourselves as we did before. Does anyone know the current list of requirements and processes ... or are we mad to even contemplate it?

[migrant]

I can't speak for the UK but in November we applied for a visa for Mrs migrants brother to the US. It took all morning to fill out the application since it's timed and kept kicking us out when we looked for the answers to their questions. When we did complete it and got a return approval we contacted the embassy for the next step, a interview. Well the first interview was May 5, almost 6 months ahead.

[Dannie Boy]

It’s more than 2 years ago since I last helped my wife get a UK visa - this was a 5 year visa whereas all her previous ones (four I think) were 6 month visas, although the process is exactly the same as far as I recollect and IMO detailed but not that difficult and I certainly wouldn’t pay any agency to do it.

The best thing to do is go to the UK website and go through the application process to see what is required - obviously a lot of routine stuff like personal info (self and family), sponsor (you), funding, plan while your there, where you’ll be staying etc etc. one of the most important things is providing a reason why she wants to return to Thailand rather than remain in the UK, so family back here, assets are all helpful.

The UK government don’t deal direct with the visa application, it’s handled by the agency VFS Global in Bangkok, but they’re not too difficult - your wife has to go in on her own for the interview and my wife has never been refused.

Once you’ve looked at the website come back with any specific questions.

[buksida]

Ok, thanks, that sounds similar to what we did in 2016. Will do some digging.

[lomuamart]

Agree with DB.

It's been a while since my wife was back in the UK but the process wasn't too onerous. What makes things so much easier and will for you is that your missus has been there before and returned in accordance with her visa. They like that.

As a reason to return, I always say that I've been in Thailand for xx million years and now on retirement extensions. It's not our intention to settle in the UK. If it were, we'd be applying for the appropriate visa. We're coming back to Thailand. Her reason to return is me - with a history of three UK visits and returns.

[DSB]

I am also thinking of taking my Mrs to the UK later this year, the visa application form is linked here, https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor/app ... sitor-visa. and it cost 95 Pounds. Apply within three months of travel.

[Ginjaninja]

I think you just have to be as thorough with your paperwork as possible and provide sufficient supporting documentation.
Mrs. GN submitted her previous visa application documents (inc. scan of the visa), bank statements, condo blue-book scan, supporting letter from myself declaring our relationship and dates, photos of us, fictitious 'tour' booking, etc. etc. For yourself you could add marriage cert, info on the kids. If she's working; letter from her employer.. any reason to justify the necessity to return to Thailand and not stay in the U.K. for good.
Probably worth applying for a longer validity visa as may help in the long-run for visa applications. Of course there will be extra cost with these. Mrs. GN went from multiple 6-month visas to 1 or 5-year (can't recall exactly) and her latest visa is valid for 10-years.

[buksida]

Word of warning to anyone undertaking this process - it takes 3 months after the appointment to get the passport and visa back so allow a lot of time and don't book your flights before you get it!

[GroveHillWanderer]

Word of warning to anyone undertaking this process - it takes 3 months after the appointment to get the passport and visa back so allow a lot of time and don't book your flights before you get it!

That's what they told my wife when she handed in her application in early June (well, they told her "about" 12 weeks). She got her passport back with the approved visa exactly 3 weeks later.

The 12 weeks thing seemed to be an attempt to get her to pay extra for expedited processing. They told her the only way to guarantee getting it sooner was to pay an extra 10,000 Baht.

[buksida]

Yep, heard the same, but we were told 2-6 weeks in April. We didn't pay the 10K, hence the 3-month wait.

[Dannie Boy]

I guess that where you have the time, it’s better to apply early and then you don’t have to consider the fast-track option, but of course sometimes you have to travel at relatively short notice and then you can’t really bank on getting it back quickly, even though as GHW has experienced, it does happen!!

[DSB]

Word of warning to anyone undertaking this process - it takes 3 months after the appointment to get the passport and visa back so allow a lot of time and don't book your flights before you get it!

Just competed the visa for my Mrs to go to th UK. We started here https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa. This is the UK goverment site, where you can find the form. They do ask not to produxe too much information, so we provided scans of the blue book, marraige certificate, copy of my passport, copy of her passport and ID card, and copies of bank statements. I also wrote a letter of gaurantee. We got an appointment for the 14th July, and we picked up her passport with visa today, 11th August. We did not pay for any fast track, and I had made a slight mistake on the original application. Trendy Office (wherre VFS Global are located) was busy, as a lot of people now want to travel, so I think they did well.

[Ginjaninja]

Mrs. GN is planning a visit to the U.K. this Christmas however she wishes to take GN-Jr. Due to working for a crappy international cooperation on an equally crappy contract; I cannot guarantee that I will make the trip...
Does anyone have any experience with a Thai partner (10-year visa) travelling with an infant (Thai birth cert.)?
Thanks,
GN-Sr.

[PeteC]

Just an experience to the USA, but must be similar.

1) Make sure all required vaccinations for his age are up to date in his booklet to allow entry.

2) It's 3-4 months from now so a big help IMO would be for him to get his UK passport as a UK citizen before travel. That will help ease procedures. Who is going to hassle a UK citizen infant and accompanying mother.

3) The bad part. . I did similar with my 6 month old son in 1972. U-Tapao to Japan to Wake island to Honolulu to Travis AFB in California. It was a trip from hell, as at that age he had no idea how to clear his ears with the pressure changes. We felt so badly for him as nothing we could do over that 24 hour period except try to make him swallow water/formula from his bottle, and he screamed non-stop during those changes in altitude. We were not alone, as other families on that flight had the same problems.

This was a Flying Tiger stretch DC-8, and it wasn't the most airtight aircraft These days I don't know, maybe youngsters don't experience those pressure changes in modern aircraft. Good luck with it all.