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.
Note well: a standard UK visitor’s visa for a Thai (or any other nationality) to the United Kingdom lasts 6 months and allows the recipient to enter and leave the country as often as he/she wishes. Usually, though, at least for the first visa, you will be asked to restrict the length of stay to what you specify in the interview. So, for example, if you say you want to go for two weeks, your six months visa will have a note pinned to it requiring you to leave after two weeks. You have to agree to this limitation in writing, although your UK visitor’s visa is clearly valid for six months!
Your UK visitor’s visa strenuously forbids you from claiming any money from the state, free help from the hospitals or doctors or working. It is not a work-permit! Many Thais are refused a UK visitor’s visa because they dither when asked why they want to visit the UK. You must be clear about why you want to go there. If it’s to visit a friend or lover, say so. It really is not a problem. But you must be prepared to prove your relationship. It must have lasted at least 6 months although this is not really ‘official government policy’.
So, how do we provide proof of a ‘continuous long-standing relationship’? well, it’s not that hard if it is true. Keep photos, mementos, hotel bills, bus tickets, ATM receipts, phone cards, letters and such like. Don’t exaggerate how long you have known each other besides the stamps in his passport there are other ways of becoming suspicious too. Do you know the names of any of his family? Do you know what he does for a living or where he lives? Is his father still alive? Get the picture? You must prove to a doubting Thomas that you are having a relationship (of over six months to be safe). They have seen many Thais try it on over the years.
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.
Your sponsor will have to prove that he has sufficient funds to support you. This can be a letter from his employer or a letter from his bank. If he has offered you accomodation, he must prove that he has somewhere for you to stay. A lease, letter from the mortgage provider or from the council will suffice. Marriage or divorce does not seem to be an issue for rejection, but some seemingly weird things are:
“this Thai applicant for a UK visitor’s visa has never been outside the country before ” this is an easy one, just pop over to Cambodia for a weekend.
“the person applying for a UK visitor’s visa does not seem to have strong socio-economic ties to Thailand” or, in other words, they don’t trust you to return to your country. A letter from your boss, doctor, solicitor or village elder; proof of children or living parents; proof of property are all useful.
Do not be tempted to hurry the application for a UK visitor’s visa. Ensure that you have a ‘valid reason’ for wanting to go to the UK and remember it; ensure that you can prove everything that you say. Pretend for the day of the interview for a UK visitor’s visa that you are a lawyer and provide solid, written proof.
Run through your story until you have it well-rehearsed (they will not want to see the sponsor and sometimes, he is not even allowed to wait on the embassy compound). The applicant for a UK visitor’s visa will be required to attend an interview the first time and this can be held in English or Thai. The UK visitor’s visa will normally be available for collection the next day.
Advice: if you want to stay in Britain for two weeks apply for four, because you don’t have flights yet and you may be delayed on your return. Also, if you kneed to cancel your visa, don’t fly back on a Friday, because the embasy is closed for the weekend.
The best advice you’ll ever get is: don’t lie in the embassy. The staff are trained to spot liars and you will be refused a UK visitor’s visa point blank.
Are you trying to get a UK Visa for a Thai? We can help you on our free website called http://uk-visas-for-thais.the-real-way.com.