Fiancee Visa Company Recommendation?

[ge3]

Hi everyone,

I have met a lovely girl a few months back after my last visit in Thailand. Shes never worked in a bar etc. She currently has a decent job in a clothes, jewellery shop.

Unfortunately I have had to return to the UK to work but will be coming back and fore to Thailand in the future holidays and visits.

I asked her on my last visit if she would like to come to the UK to live with the possibility of marriage in the future. She said she would love to come and visit with the future intentions of marriage.

We have explored the tourist option but this does come with quite a high failure rate. So we then looked at the fiancee visa route which seems a little more secure and easier and would additionally allow us to get married in the UK legally.

Has anyone experienced this visa route and could possibly give some advice and which company they could recommend that are reliable and not con men. I have seen a lot advertise NO WIN NO FEE etc..

Its quite a minefield and some feedback would be great!

Thanks

[Pleng]

I believe you have to get married within 6 months on an engagement VISA. If that is the case then it's probably not suitable for your situation, seeing as you've only known the girl for a few months.

[Big Boy]

I never used a company, i.e. I did it myself.

As long as you meet the criterion, and you have nothing to hide, it's not hard. Be honest, make sure you tell them everything and make sure you rehearse possible questions about you with your girlfriend.

IMHO, even though some of these companys guarantee success, they do not say on which application you will succeed, and each subsequent application incurs a cost - no incentive to get it right first time.

[dtaai-maai]

In my opinion the ones who make the guarantees are the ones most likely to be con men. All that these consultants can do is help you fill in the forms and offer advice on the immigration rules - of course, you have no way of knowing how competent they are or how up-to-date their knowledge is.

I would normally agree with BB - be honest in the application.

Having said that, I would also have to agree with Pleng that your application would have more chance of success if you had known each other longer.

I can give you the email address of a British visa consultant in Bangkok who is a former UK immigration and visa officer and whom I believe to be honest. Probably not free though! PM me if you're interested.

[ken.p]

Hi ge3

I have applied for both a tourist & settlement visa in the past and been successful, with both.
As other have said I think you’d be better applying yourself as there are No guarantees.

You will need proof of your relationship, i.e. emails, photos, evidence of each time you have met, copies of tickets, hotel accommodation. The more info you supply the better.
Also bank statements, to show your able to support her while she visits, letter from her employer saying she still haves a job on her return.
Proof of any savings, property your lady friend has.
If your supporting her in anyway, copies of banks statement showing that.
Telling the truth, leaving nothing out.

You say you have known each other only a short time, again I agree with others probably better leaving it longer before applying,

You could always marry in Thailand and apply after, that’s what we did, I’m not saying, that’s a better or more sure way of obtaining a Visa.

Good luck, if you need any more help once you start the application, which is now done online. Just email me and I will help if I can.

Ken. p

[BingoBango]

Send this girl an email and make contact, Sameera Khan(sameera.khan@globalvisas.com), based in London, i got charged £800 on top of visa fees, get married in Thailand to save converting fiance into marriage visa.

If you dont get married in Thailand you have to get married in the uk within 6 months your girls arrival, then pay another fee to convert to marriage, it cost me £630 4 years ago so it must bee at least £800 now.

If you have got time on your hands get the criteria from the border and immigration website and do it yourself but if you have got spare money and are busy I would let the agent do it all for you.

They guarantee your lass to get the visa but they dont have a magic wand or pay any back handers to the immigration, its just that this company will not submit your application until they are 100% sure that she will pass.

Speak to them and through your situation they will give you an accurate date that you could expect to get your lass here.

Be honest with the agent and even if your girl was not a bar girl they may suggest a way of writing the history of your relationship better than you can.

Any supporting evidence, photos, phone bill/logs, her language skills, her money, your money, photos of your house, etc etc etc.

Its a little bit of pain in the arse but if shes worth it, do it, if she can help it will not seem bad though.

I had a friend that went through it all after but he was going through it with a non talking drongo from the jungle who couldnt speak english or use a computer, if thats the case I would use a company based in Bangkok who will blag her through life in uk test and take her for fingerprints etc.

As much as all the process been a pain it certainly gives you an indication as to how your lass will perform tasks in your future life together.

Good luck and im glad its you and not me, 4/5 years on and a few grand lighter we look back and reflect on what a load of shite it was that we had to do and wonder if anyone at immigration even looked at the 3 inch thick wad of evidence we sent or if they just chec whether the cheque cleared then got out the visa stamp

[ge3]

Thanks for everyones replies. They all convey good advise and good feedback. Yes its all a minefield. The only thing I am confused about is that, would the length of time be relevant of knowing your girlfriend if you had the intention of getting married anyway?

I would prefer not to take the tourist visa route as she does not wish to return to Thailand in the near future and does not wish to return to her job. She has never been married to a Thai and doesn't have any children.

Just for the record, we met with online dating during my stay in Thailand as I never had tried this before and fancied giving it a try.

[dtaai-maai]

To my mind, your post is actually a pretty good example of why speaking to someone who can offer you reliable professional advice might be advisable.
I have absolutely no knowledge (and even less interest!) of how things are done by visa officers these days, but it is quite possible that there is some in-house instruction ruling out, for example, computer dating relationships that are less than a year old.
It is quite possible that making a premature unsuccessful application could unfairly jeopardise a later attempt.

I'd send an email to an assortment of agencies and consultants outlining the circumstances and see what responses you get.

Best of luck.

[Takiap]

ge3....................I know what you're saying, but in your case I think it is best to take the tourist visa approach. This visa, if issued, can easily be extended in the UK. In fact, you won't even need to go to immigration to extend since you can download the form and send everything in the mail.

I'm not a UK citizen but I was living and working legally in the UK for 10 years. Because I wasn't a UK national, my girlfriend was not able to get a fiance visa, even though we had known each other for a few years, and had even gone through the Buddhist marriage ceremony. We applied for a tourist visa, which was denied twice, but grant on the third application. She got six months, but we simply extended this in the UK and she ended up staying there for close on three years. We also considered getting married while in the UK, and we determined that we could do so if we had wanted to, despite the fact that she only had a tourist visa. BTW........we've been married for 12 years now.


My friend on the other hand (UK citizen) applied for a fiance visa for his lady, and the amount of red tape was unbelievable. The even wanted the measurements of the rooms in his home in the UK. His lady had a very good job in Thailand, and was in fact only wanting to visit the UK for two weeks. In the end, he also went the tourist visa route.

Another friend of mine, also from the UK has been married to a Thai women for the last three to four years, and she still has not managed to get into the UK based on marriage. Having said that, they have never taken my advice and applied in person. Instead, they have used agents three times already, and as far as I'm aware, it's already cost him close to 100K (baht) BTW.....the agents they've used also "guarantee" success.


So, my advice is...................you and/or your girlfriend should apply in person, and in my opinion, you should apply for the tourist visa first. Your girlfriend and you should also rehearse your story/plans. For example, she only wants to visit for x amount of weeks, during which time she'll be staying with you, and etc, etc, etc.

They will want to interview her for the visa, so the more fluent her English is, the better. If you are in Thailand at the time, you can also asked to be interviewed, which they may or may not allow. When I was going through this with my girlfriend, I was here in Thailand for the third application, and at my request, I was called into the interview room after they had spoken to her. I explained our situation, and the visa was granted. However, I had been over to Thailand dozens of times to see my lady, and we had thousands of photos to prove our relationship was for real. In our case, the biggest problem was that neither of us were from the UK.


A long reply, but maybe it can help in some way. Best of luck.

[kendo]

Hi Ge3

You really dont need an agent with the carefull planning and the right criteria it's easy.
As always on this forum some really good advice allready.

My wife came to the UK on a fiancee visa 7 years ago i was told impossible as we had only been together for 5, months but heart and soul carefull planning she sailed through the application.

We will be back in the UK next week so PM me if you would like our help we are only 45, minuits down the road from you.

Kendo.

[hhfarang]

I never used a company, i.e. I did it myself.

Me too and I don't remember it being that difficult and it was approved very quickly. The visa in our case was for 90 days, not six months, but I'm talking the U.S., not U.K.

[brianks]

Not really relevant in this case but visitors visas to U.S. are for 6 months and after first visit can be reapplied for and good for 10 years.

[ken.p]

Sorry guys, but things have change a lot since you all applied.
Immigration rules change yearly.

Sure before I don’t doubt you could extend a tourist Visa whilst in the UK, now if you need to do this you need to return to where the visa was issued.

Length of time you have known each other is also a very difficult area. A friend who met a lady over in Thailand, lived together there for 4 months, applied for a Tourist visa, wishing to visit friends and family got refused He appealed, don’t remember the wording on the letter he received, but it was down to the amount of time they had been in there relationship.

I too met my wife on a dating site, now 3 years later we are expecting our first child, we have only just gotten the wife’s settlement Visa, not saying you need wait 3 years.

Take a look at the application form, it available on line, the question will give you some idea.

I’m sure your both in love, but time will really help you.

Careful at this stage if you choose to use an agent, check them out carefully.

My advice would collect more proof of your relationship over the coming months, you have nothing to loose but much to gain.


Good luck.

[moose 961]

we used chatholic charities for a fiance visa in the u.s. less then 400 ten years ago. it was split into two parts. the first part to a lawyer. almost 1500 then to C C. they tell if they need to be at certain hearings. a lawyer will be there milking you the whole way.

[ge3]

Thanks for everyones replies. I am just gathering all the information and chewing it over. Just a hyperthetical question. Would it make it easier if I got married in Thailand? Or wouldn't it make any difference? I'm not saying I'm getting married yet but just out of interest.

Cheers