What i used to get a visa for the TGF to come to the UK

[moon71]

I was just about to reply to a thread asking what was needed to get a visa to the UK. I decided to start a new thread instead so as this reply is simply not lost as a reply in another thread. My first visa failed for various reasons and i fully understand why, the second was successful.

 

Your average thai girl 'friend' will not get a visa to visit the uk. Deal with it. Filling in the application form and handing it in is not enough. You have to do allot of thinking and planning. I'm guessing it also depends allot upon the relationship and what you can prove and seriously, the commitment you have shown. A half hearted approach is not gonna work (like my first attempt). This is my own personal account and is not taken as 'bible'. I consider our application to be very lucky, but i appreciate some of the angles i could sell above your average application would have swayed the entry clearance officer.

 

I failed my first visa in April 2010. I wanted to use a well known agent in Pattaya and well recognised on this board, but they were closed for Songkran, and after Songkran i was in Malaysia (for a reason, a stamp in her passport). In October 2010 we re-applied, i was not in Pattaya (chiangmai/bangkok/buriram)so yet again i didn't have the services of the agent i wanted to use. I had too research everything online, i talked to a few people who have had experience and hoped for the best. I never expected to be succesfull. I'm sure he knows who he is, his reputation is excellent and maybe one day we'll meet as he is my first point of call.

 

Before i state everything that i provided to get the visa to the uk, i think people should appreciate that this is information for genuine people who want a loved one to come and visit them in the UK. These details have not been provided so that people can flame certain financial parts of obtaining the visa or importantly my relationship with an ex-barlady. The facts and figures worked for me against an employment situation of my girlfriend that does not read to good (in application merits).

 

This thread is not here to analyse my relationship either. We are very happy with our lives. She has proved beyond doubt her trust earned, even though i have expected to be dissapointed at every turn and proven wrong. These last two years she has religously tried to prove the 'sponsored girl stil bad' syndrome is not her and she simply hoped to meet someone not far of her age range with the ability to take the pressure of her support to her family.

 

 

OK THIS IS WHAT I PROVIDED TO GET A SUCCESSFUL VISA.

 

We included the application form. Written in English and in her own hand writing. At the end is a big box for the applicant to write anything they may feel they want to add. She wrote "i want to take care of my boyfriend and see snow number 1. I love my boyfriend but he sometime mow but good heart never make me cry take good care of mee love me tooo mut he do". I still laugh 555555.

 

I provided a letter of invitation. This was 10 pages long and was an epic to write. I explained everything from our relationship to why she will never get the magic letter of 'her job being held for her' which would most likely be detrimental to a successful visa (thai people don't have holidays), this letter also covered my very first visit was to see my dads new life and that Pattaya didn't do it for me, to my second visit where i met a friend of my dads wife (a lie, she was a barlady and i met her on the 3rd holiday)that i grew to like and my 3rd 4th 5th holidays where our relationship developed. I explained that it was on our 3rd holiday we had a romance of sorts but it was not until my 4th holiday that i took the relationship seriously. Further more i stated the reason i send 7000TBH (paid every 3 months as 21000) was because every time i visited her, she has to 'officially quit her job' (true) and hope to be re-employed or seek a new job, i also stated and proved that the 7000TBH/month covers her lifestyle (2000room 500water electricity 3500food) but when i depart, i also hand her some cash that i couldn't prove. It was the money that i send which was stated as her main source of income and working was generally considered the 'extra'. She generally worked in a Big C for 4-5months at a time imbetween my visits(payslips prove this). It was also this letter that explained our communications, teelak is very demanding and usually wants an hour or more on the phone daily plus a sms (or five), and it's because of these phonecalls we rarely email, quote: "why write an email everyday asking how are you and how was your day when i have just spoken to her for an hour", and hence we have little proof of emails. We do post to each other rarely (usually jiffy packets), this was rare at best (birthday, christmas and valentines day or after holiday photos). It was this letter that 'glued everything together' for the entry clearance officer and before i forget, i think i wrote " I am hoping -------- can visit on the earliest date, Saturday 6th November 2011 as this is the day I leave Thailand and we state that her departure date to be Saturday 6th February 2012. Though this may conclude that -------- will be in the UK for 13weeks, the reality would be actually 6 weeks within this window of dates." I also stated that as they read this we would be holidaying in Chiang Mai and visiting her family in Buriram.

 

Apparantly, visiting her family ticks a box. Don't quote this on me, i read it on the internet somewhere and in 'Thailand Fever' it's considered a big thing. So i did it.

 

I provided a council tax bill, a gas bill, an electricity bill. This is common.

 

I provided phonebills. These prove without a doubt that we talk for an hour everyday for over one year, god knows what we talk about but this is still the same 20 months on. Sometimes its 30 minutes, some days it's 2 hours. These phonebills also include at least one sms everyday or more and several picture messages. Seriously, we talk this much and for the record it costs me about £60/month.

 

Teelak provided her emails. I didn't bother. I got her to do this to prove that our communications were not one way.

 

I provided photo's of my house. I didn't know why this was important until i luckily saw a documentary about philipino girls. Apparantly some girls realy do believe that we live in houses from the movies or the inviting man is not exactly truthfull about his living arrangements. I think it's important that the girl knows exactly in what conditions she will be living.

 

I provided photo's off our travels and fun times, Koh Samet, Koh Chang, Malaysia, Pattaya's tourist stuff, Bang San (i think), and various temples, also icluded are allot of family photo's of us as a large family unit including stepmum dad brother stepsisters, when the entry clearance officer saw this i guess that he knew i wasn't your average monger. I didn't put any of the spicy stuff in, just tourist stuff.

 

A reference from my employer saying that i was a good bloke, worked 20 years in the same job and was trustworthy. He also stated that as i worked many extra days i had aquired allot of extra holidays in the event that my girlfriend would travel to the uk and that he would allow me any unpaid days off at my discretion.

 

A printout of my holiday allocation. This showed as well as my two 3 week holidays to thailand that i also had 18 days extra holiday. In my letter i stated that even though in the six weeks of her visit i will be working at christmas, for 3 weeks we will holiday together and she will not be sitting at home alone everyday waiting for me to finish work.

 

6 weeks payslips and an end of year P*something, you know, the form that states what you earned in one year.

 

My house deeds, i'm lucky, i own my own house outright.

 

6 months of bank statements proving i have no debts what-so-ever. I also include over £25k worth of isa's. Just for the record, i believe you have to have around £2,000 pounds for a 6week visit for a thai girl, though i exceed this, treat it as a reference. I don't know where i heard this.

 

6 weeks of payslips. I don't earn a fantastic wage, but the 60 hour weeks add up.

 

Various letters (post) between the two of us. As i post jiffy bags, i provided a photo of all the post, cuddly toys etc as it would be to cumbersome to add to the package.

 

Her passport obviously. Luckily we had a holiday in Malaysia previously as now they couldn't refuse her visa on the grounds of never having being away from thailand before. I don't know if this is a fact but better safe than sorry.

 

Photocopies of the pages from my passport including the biometric page.

 

Several passport photo's for her. This was so difficult to get in Pattaya. We went everywhere and i found something wrong with every photo and felt like i had too settle for second best. When she handed in the package in Bangkok she was told to go next door to the dodgy peeps that scare the girls in begging the falang to part with 25,000TBH to get visa, one million percent guarantee just to get the photos. Teelak said she needed money for photo's so i passed over 500TBH, she kept the change from the 500TBH and bought some clothes later.

 

Proof of sponsorship for 1 year. That is 4 reciepts of international transfers at 21,000-22,5000 TBH. Because of bank transfer costs, it makes sense to send 3 months money in one hit.

 

We provided a bank book and which showed a joint bank account of 100,000TBH. An englishman told me this 'magic' number, it shows that she can meet her own costs on returning home if you decide to 'kop a blobby'. You should also be aware the lady does have to have the adequate funds to find her own way home without banging on the embassy in an emergancy. Thats allot of money and as explained in my long letter, i don't send her money now, she draws her 7000TBH every month from this account.

 

And now whilst i prepare the paper work for her next visa, she assures me that she hasn't been cheeky and run off with it all. Actually she tells me that she is saving for her sinsot because she knows i ain't paying it.

 

That wraps up my successful visa. Looking back, if there's one thing that will sell the application to the entry clearance officer a successfull aplication it would be the long letter of invitation and a certain amount of financial security. Don't scribble your letter on a balcony on Pattaya thinking everything will be ok, thats a fail. If you have known 'your girl' a long time and have built a relationship and you are truely commited i believe anyone can do what i did.

 

As an afterthought i look back to the first time i met ------. I had BF'd her 5 days in a row as she was easy going, attentive, and hadn't done a bad job getting along with the family, "why go shopping when this was on the menu?" i thought. She didn't want to go to Walking Street that night so i left her in the room watching cartoons. 4 hours later i was talking to my dad in Beach club when the word "shit" spilled from my mouth. Dad said "whats up" and i replied " £500 quid and 20,000TBH, in the top draw". I thought 'o fuk it, if she's done a grab and run it's too late now anyway'. I returned that night, opened the door, the TV was still on and the brown skin was sleeping soundly.

 

That wraps up an hour of my time typing. This was posted as an informative post to show what is needed for a successful visa. Some people may think they can just invite 'thai girl friend' to come and visit, seriously in my oppinion, don't bother unless your commited and can state she's your girlfriend, and not just a girlfriend from one holiday experience.

Edited February 16, 2011 by moon71

[7-Eleven]

Spot on post mate.... Well done for getting it right second time. Some people say getting a VV is harder than getting any of the longer term visa's. I'm not sure if I believe that but it goes to show that you need your shit together to get one.

 

I would love to be a fly on the wall in the British embassy for a few hours, it would be interesting to see the range of applications they get in terms of quality. This post will certainly help some.

[Dr.Winston]

Very helpful. What I really like is that it gives an example of an imaginative and well thought out solution to the dilemma presented by the fact that although many of the applicants are ex-bar girls you can't actually say that on the application forms.

[BostonSteve]

Just amazing what a government requires a thai and brit to do for a visa.

 

Last time I visited family in the UK it seemed that Thai's were not a real issue within the country. I wonder if the Visa requirements are the same.

[Frogster]

Thank you for spending the time to make this helpful and informative post. I and many others I am sure will use it as a benchmark in the future when (fingers crossed) our turn comes.

 

Also, may I wish you luck on your future plans together…. Best wishes to you both.

Edited February 15, 2011 by Frogster

[Thai Visa Express]

A visitors visa can be very difficult the Eco only has to say he does not feel the applicant will return to Thailand and the visa is declined.

[Big Casino]

Well done for taking time to post. I have got three visas so far for my Thia GF and the main points have been communication by E Mail between the two of you and finances to cover her time in the UK. My personal letter to the Embassy was less than a page but direct to the point of what the trip was for, where she would be staying and I would be covering all costs associated with the trip. This with a letter of my employment and her visit to the EMbassy with reams of printed off E Mails plus Photos seemed to work for us.

However the main thing is for you GF to be totally HONEST at the interview as integrity is a main factor when they are being interviewed.

 

Big Casino

[7-Eleven]

Topic pinned.

[bmwman]

Don,t know how true,but i was told it was easier to get a settlement visa(still hard)you don,t have to provide proof that she has a job

[Bladefire]

I have done 5 visas so far myself and for friends. All got first time with no interviews. Spot on information, my tgf, now wife, had no money in any account when we applied. As the op said above, an half-hearted application will fail and proof of relationship critical. Anyone who thinks they can meet a girl here and after two weeks get a visa is dreaming. Dont listen to the ads you see on TV, two of my mates tried that long ago before i knew them, both failed and they lost over 50,000 baht for the pleasure!!! Good luck to anyone applying. Not easy and forms can be confusing and yes, i did fill all the forms out for my now wife and she just signed at the end. Easy Visa? Easy Money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[belfastmatt]

Fantastic post for something Im about to do myself.

 

My question regarding all these kind of posts though relates to occupation. Despite the fact many (most?) of these applications are guys who met their girl in a bar, they all seem to inevitably have a story about working in a shop/factory/farm etc and that they met through a friend.

 

What is the best tale to tell for this? That my girl lives with her mum and i met her through a friend? I dont think saying "i picked her up in a beer bar but she liked me so much i got it free" will cut it!

Edited April 4, 2011 by belfastmatt

[Limey]

Thanks to the OP for posting this very useful information. I need both a Schengen and a UK visa for my 44 year-old tirak. She has lodged the application and her passport at the German embassy for the Schengen, and is going to do the UK bit tomorrow. I can see problems.

The Germans have given her an interview date of 19th April - we're flying on 24th May - although I made sure the application was in a month ago, and of course the UK people will want her passport when she applies there tomorrow - she ain't got it, so will go and ask the Germans if she can have it back for a while... If they oblige, she has to get the UK bit done by 18th April to get the passport back for the Germans to put their visa stamp in it.

Anybody else done both visas, and how can this be timed so there are no hassles? I foresee problems, should have asked sooner I think.

It's a bugger that the UK didn't sign up to Schengen.

[7-Eleven]

Thanks to the OP for posting this very useful information. I need both a Schengen and a UK visa for my 44 year-old tirak. She has lodged the application and her passport at the German embassy for the Schengen, and is going to do the UK bit tomorrow. I can see problems.

The Germans have given her an interview date of 19th April - we're flying on 24th May - although I made sure the application was in a month ago, and of course the UK people will want her passport when she applies there tomorrow - she ain't got it, so will go and ask the Germans if she can have it back for a while... If they oblige, she has to get the UK bit done by 18th April to get the passport back for the Germans to put their visa stamp in it.

Anybody else done both visas, and how can this be timed so there are no hassles? I foresee problems, should have asked sooner I think.

It's a bugger that the UK didn't sign up to Schengen.

 

How did you end up booking the flights before the visa was obtained?

[Limey]

Because I'm sure she'll get the Schengen visa, and the flights are to and from Germany. The Germans do things rather better in that they check the sponsor's finances before the application goes in - the sponsor has to take out health insurance and sign a legal agreement to be responsible for all costs in the Schengen area, including deportation if necessary - he then gets a certificate that this has been done and the rest is basically sorted with an interview at the embassy, to satisfy them that the girl has every intention of returning to Thailand.

The problem is the UK leg of the trip and the timing.

[nodster]

very good post and thank you for spending the time to write it .

[moonbeam]

Very helpful and with a lot of detail.

This info will be very useful next year when I bring my TGF to the UK.

Will also check if there have been any official changes.

[mattyb]

Fantastic post for something Im about to do myself.

 

My question regarding all these kind of posts though relates to occupation. Despite the fact many (most?) of these applications are guys who met their girl in a bar, they all seem to inevitably have a story about working in a shop/factory/farm etc and that they met through a friend.

 

What is the best tale to tell for this? That my girl lives with her mum and i met her through a friend? I dont think saying "i picked her up in a beer bar but she liked me so much i got it free" will cut it!

 

Have just done our visa (should hear this week) and the visa guy in pattaya i used that has done 4 of my friends (all succeced) said just be honest,so said we met in a bar/restaraunt (that she was cashier/running the place as owner was pregnant),she had to go back to Phuket to provide photos,and letter from the overall boss, stating it wasn't a beer bar etc:

The visa guy checked it all out and was all fine..

[no more lies]

Letter of invitation 10 pages long!. Holy crap. Thats the reason, that's it. You borded the staff there to death so they gave you the visa just incase you wrote another editorial. Ha.

 

Absolutely unnecessary.

[Sofa King High]

2 questions arise when reading this. First, what is "the magic letter of 'her job being held for her'" and second, what do you mean by "jiffy bag"?

[gdrgfbdrdxdg]

Hello. And Bye.

[liston]

2 questions arise when reading this. First, what is "the magic letter of 'her job being held for her'" and second, what do you mean by "jiffy bag"?

 

Jiffy bag is just a padded envelope. The bit about the magic letter I think just means that Thai people don't get holidays and their jobs held for them 'til they get back .They have to stop that job and find another one afterwards.

[asdapuk]

Hi as a newbie looking to do the same, I was wondering if a good "Super store" job and 3 visits to see her will be enough? she has a good income and has works permission and recommendation to take the holiday to uk with job secured on return.. do i still need to be seen to support her, which i`m obviously doing, to cover her expenses such as flight and accomodation which will be with me anyway, or do i need to do more? I`ve done a long? 2 page letter and included invitations from family and friends with all my bank stuff which is substantial and passport copy.. She has never travelled and has just got pasport to visit me. Will it be to our advantage to go with her to the interview in Bkk on which will be my third visit and should she / we take a visit to "malaysia" or similar to prove we travel? We are taking things slowly and want to see if she will be happy in the uk and if things go ok.. before thinking "further ahead", This is not a fiancee visa just a holiday visa we want to begin with,should we declare our love /relationship in the "letter" or just keep it as foriegner wanting a holiday to see friend at this stage? thanks again for the post and good luck with your relationship.. asdapuk

[nagida]

This looks great advice -in my case I am a marrying my tgf in May this year after a year Romance and 5 holidays ,we will have a property near her parents in Jopburi but I need to continue to work in UK for 6-12 months, will that make my application any easier to obtain despite our 30YR age difference as I want to spend last few months together in UK before returning to LOS to live

[irlguy1]

Great post

lots of good info now if only I could get the same info from an Irishman I would be laughing.

If any of the above is relevant to me I will be in your debt mate as getting info on Ireland is difficult.

I am hoping to bring my TGF over ASAP she is getting her passport tomorrow so I can start the process

soon.

Any advice from anyone is appreciated at this point.

[shagwell]

I've done it twice (with two different girls) successfully, the first one was the most the most likely to fail given our circumstances so thats the one I'll talk about...

 

If you read up on it what they are looking for is:

• Proof of a long term relationship, how long you've known each other - I printed out skype records, included a few pic of us together in her village etc.
  
• Proof that you can afford the trip - Included (my) bank statements, and pay slips.
  
• Where you will stay - I work abroad and have no property in the UK, but included a letter from my mother saying we could stay at hers (we only stayed there for a couple of days)
  
• A reason for going - As I said I work abroad, the reason I gave is that my girlfriend (note she was only a girlfriend not a wife) lives in Thailand and my kids from a former marriage and mother are in the UK. I have limited holidays and want to kill 2 birds with one stone.
  
• A reason for her to want to return (this is because although your intentions may be honourable hers might not and she may do a runner once she gets there) - Her children, money in her account, land or property are useful. She only had land - so we provided proof of this.
  

I also included the obligatory covering letter which essentially explained the evidence we included with application pretty much as I've explained it above.

 

You don't need an agent, and indeed I seem to remember there is a note on the wall in the Embassy advising that this may do you more harm than good. We both dressed as though we were going for a job interview - smart ( I saw some couples who looked like the guy had just walked in from a beach and the girl had just finished her shift on Walking Street - wonder how they got on).

 

I met my girl while she was a bar girl in Bahrain, so we didn't include this, and also she had no proper job that she could mention in the application. We didn't lie but decided to be economical with the truth. I told her if they ask don't lie also - just don't say more than you have to. They are experts at spotting a lie - it's there job, and if you fail because of this you can forget about succeeding in the future.

 

She was inteviewed for no more than 5 minutes at the window where we submitted the paperwork, I was with her but it was conducted all in Thai by a Thai. I thought this would be a precursor just to weed out the definate refusals before she would have to return for a longer interview in one of the interview rooms off to the side. They asked her where we met and she replied Bahrain. The Embassy girl just rolled her eyes and glanced at the Brit standing beside her - I thought game over as anyone doing her job in the Embassy would know that the overwhelming majority of Thai girls in Bahrain are international hookers, but 5 minutes later we walked out with my girl telling me we pick up the visa that afternoon - and she was right.

 

My girl (at that time) could talk to authority with confidence, didn't get nervous, and doesn't come across as being uneducated when talking. This, as well as telling the truth and taking the process seriously by dressing smart I think did it for us. As well as of course ensuring that documented evidence for all the things they require was included in the application.

 

There was a 12 year age gap between us. My current Thai wife is 24 years younger than me. She has also obtained a UK visa (though this was applied for in a different country and we were already married and living together).

Edited March 7, 2012 by shagwell