Applying for a UK visitor's visa for a Thai friend to go to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland can be very stressful. I am also certain that it is more difficult for people from some countries than for others and Thailand falls into this latter category. This is because the staff are concerned about the applicant's ability to support him/herself when they originate from a Third World country. This is UK government policy and you must not hold it against the British embassy staff - they are only carrying out orders! It is worth your while remembering this when you speak to the embassy staff about a UK visitor's visa.
Please remember that if you are successful in obtaining a UK visitor's visa in Bangkok, it is valid for multiple entries into the UK over a period of six months. However, the embassy is loathe to give a UK visitor's visa to a Thai the first time round as they know that not many Thais could afford to stay there that long without working. So you will be asked to state when you will arrive and when you will leave. You have to sign this note and it will be stapled into your passport. You must aide by this self-inflicted limitation, although your visa is sill nominally good for six months.
The UK visitor's visa for a Thai strictly bars access to public funds of any and every kind. No social security, no health benefits and no working. It does not grant you the right to work. It is strictly enforced as it is in Thailand and any contravention will mean enforced repatriation to Thailand with your own ticket! If you mean to visit a lover, say so, but know that you will have to prove it. To be on the safe side, do not pply for knowing your friend for at least six months.
I will concentrate on providing evidence of a continuing relationship. Most applicants from Thailand will need a sponsor. This is usually an employer or a lover. Obviously, immigration stamps in a passport can prove how long it is possible that a couple could have known each other, but you will need more evidence than that. A letter from a friend, employer or relative stating when you met can help. However, you should keep all correspondence, telephone bills, bank statements (recordings of ATM transactions), restaurant receipts, theatre tickets, train and bus tickets, even menus and photos. In fact, anything that can help establish that you are having the relationship that you claim you are having and that you have had it for at least six months.
Then you can proceed by obtaining the 'Visa Application Form (VAF) from the British embassy in Wireless Road, Bangkok or from its website. The website is very helpful for advising what you should include with your visa application form, but it will often include the 'evidence' mentioned above, the passport, the fee, photos, and sponsor's letter etc. In fact anything that helps you prove your case even a little bit.
So the sponsor is very important here. It is really up to your sponsor whether you get your first UK visitor's visa at the first attempt. He has to guarantee that he will take care of you and provide you with somewhere to stay and the embassy staff will have to be convinced that he is up the job.
Therefore, the sponsor has to show a letter from his company proving that he has a steady income or a bank passbook or statements proving sufficient funds to be able to cover his guarantee of taking care of your welfare while in Britain. But not only that, if you have said that you will stay in his house, you must provide a letter from the mortgage provider, the council or something similar proving ownership or lease. Proof of marriage or divorce does not appear relevant although the applicant may be asked. Sometimes seemingly strange reasons are cited for a refusal for a UK visitor's visa:
"the applicant for a UK visitor's visa has not been outside Thailand before " a piece of cake, eh? Just fly down to Malaysia for a short vacation to break in her new passport.
"the Thai person applying for this UK visitor's visa does not have strong socio-economic ties to her country of origin" They don't believe that you have enough to return to Thailand for. A letter from your boss, doctor, solicitor or village elder, your house book; proof of children or living parents and proof of property are all very useful.
Take your time over the application - if you get it wrong, it'll cost you at least six weeks before you can reapply. Consider why you really want to go to Britain. They will ask you and you don't want it to come as a surprise. The answer may seem obvious to you now, but in the embassy you may not feel comfortable giving it. Above all, behave like a lawyer and provide irrefutable evidence for everything you say.
Make sure you know the answers to questions about your sponsor: about his family, town and work. You will be alone in the embassy, but don't let that make you nervous. Some questions will be in English, but if you get stuck it's not a problem, just speak Thai.
Tip: ask for a longer stay than you need because the visa runs from the day it's granted and you will have to book flights. You could be delayed coming back too. If you have to cancel you UK visitor's visa, don't arrive back on a Friday unless you want a few nights in Bangkok.
No 1 Tip: don't tell lies to the embassy staff, they have heard it all before. If you're unsure of something, just say so.
Please remember that if you are successful in obtaining a UK visitor's visa in Bangkok, it is valid for multiple entries into the UK over a period of six months. However, the embassy is loathe to give a UK visitor's visa to a Thai the first time round as they know that not many Thais could afford to stay there that long without working. So you will be asked to state when you will arrive and when you will leave. You have to sign this note and it will be stapled into your passport. You must aide by this self-inflicted limitation, although your visa is sill nominally good for six months.
The UK visitor's visa for a Thai strictly bars access to public funds of any and every kind. No social security, no health benefits and no working. It does not grant you the right to work. It is strictly enforced as it is in Thailand and any contravention will mean enforced repatriation to Thailand with your own ticket! If you mean to visit a lover, say so, but know that you will have to prove it. To be on the safe side, do not pply for knowing your friend for at least six months.
I will concentrate on providing evidence of a continuing relationship. Most applicants from Thailand will need a sponsor. This is usually an employer or a lover. Obviously, immigration stamps in a passport can prove how long it is possible that a couple could have known each other, but you will need more evidence than that. A letter from a friend, employer or relative stating when you met can help. However, you should keep all correspondence, telephone bills, bank statements (recordings of ATM transactions), restaurant receipts, theatre tickets, train and bus tickets, even menus and photos. In fact, anything that can help establish that you are having the relationship that you claim you are having and that you have had it for at least six months.
Then you can proceed by obtaining the 'Visa Application Form (VAF) from the British embassy in Wireless Road, Bangkok or from its website. The website is very helpful for advising what you should include with your visa application form, but it will often include the 'evidence' mentioned above, the passport, the fee, photos, and sponsor's letter etc. In fact anything that helps you prove your case even a little bit.
So the sponsor is very important here. It is really up to your sponsor whether you get your first UK visitor's visa at the first attempt. He has to guarantee that he will take care of you and provide you with somewhere to stay and the embassy staff will have to be convinced that he is up the job.
Therefore, the sponsor has to show a letter from his company proving that he has a steady income or a bank passbook or statements proving sufficient funds to be able to cover his guarantee of taking care of your welfare while in Britain. But not only that, if you have said that you will stay in his house, you must provide a letter from the mortgage provider, the council or something similar proving ownership or lease. Proof of marriage or divorce does not appear relevant although the applicant may be asked. Sometimes seemingly strange reasons are cited for a refusal for a UK visitor's visa:
"the applicant for a UK visitor's visa has not been outside Thailand before " a piece of cake, eh? Just fly down to Malaysia for a short vacation to break in her new passport.
"the Thai person applying for this UK visitor's visa does not have strong socio-economic ties to her country of origin" They don't believe that you have enough to return to Thailand for. A letter from your boss, doctor, solicitor or village elder, your house book; proof of children or living parents and proof of property are all very useful.
Take your time over the application - if you get it wrong, it'll cost you at least six weeks before you can reapply. Consider why you really want to go to Britain. They will ask you and you don't want it to come as a surprise. The answer may seem obvious to you now, but in the embassy you may not feel comfortable giving it. Above all, behave like a lawyer and provide irrefutable evidence for everything you say.
Make sure you know the answers to questions about your sponsor: about his family, town and work. You will be alone in the embassy, but don't let that make you nervous. Some questions will be in English, but if you get stuck it's not a problem, just speak Thai.
Tip: ask for a longer stay than you need because the visa runs from the day it's granted and you will have to book flights. You could be delayed coming back too. If you have to cancel you UK visitor's visa, don't arrive back on a Friday unless you want a few nights in Bangkok.
No 1 Tip: don't tell lies to the embassy staff, they have heard it all before. If you're unsure of something, just say so.
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