This new policy reflects the government’s view that users of the appeals system, who can afford to pay, should contribute to the system’s cost. Fees of £80 for a paper consideration and £140 for an oral hearing will be applied to appeals against decisions taken on or after 19 December 2011.

These are low-level fees that should be affordable for people who are required to pay. The proposed fees are not set at full cost recovery, but only recover around 25 per cent of the full cost of administering the appeal system. The government considers that it is an appropriate balance between low, affordable fees which enable access to justice, and a meaningful contribution towards the costs of the Tribunal.

Applicants who appeal decisions dated 19 December 2011 or later from outside the UK will be required to submit their appeals directly to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) in Leicester and will no longer be able to send them to the visa application centre overseas that made the initial decision. For more information about this process please see the Ministry of Justice website.

Applicants who want to appeal a decision dated before 19 December 2011 from outside the UK are still able to send their appeal to the visa section that made the initial decision. For further information about this process please see the Appeals section on the UK Border Agency website.

A new online payment facility will be available shortly. This will allow applicants to make an appeal and payment online for decisions dated from 19 December 2011. Appellants must be able to pay using a MasterCard or a Visa credit or debit card or be submitting an appeal which does not require a fee to be paid. Appellants can ask another person to pay the fee on their behalf using their payment card details, with their permission. For more information about submitting appeals online please see the Ministry of Justice website.

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UK has lowered the age from 21 back to 18 for a Settlement or Financee visa

UK has lowered the age from 21 back to 18 for a settlement or financee visa. This follows the original changes to immigration from November 2008 when the minimum age to apply for a settlement or fiancée visa age of 18 was changed to 21. The reason given was to tackle forced marriages.

The Supreme Court ruled the governments the ban on foreign spouses under the age of 21 coming to the UK is unlawful.

The new rules came into effect on 28 November 2011.

Anyone wishing to apply at 18 years for a UK settlement visa or fiancée visa will now be able to.

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Showing a genuine relationship is very important when applying for any visa. There is no such thing as too much relationship evidence.

One of our clients visited our office recently with a suitcase full of emails sent to and from him and his Thai girlfriend. The emails measured 16 inches in height.

These emails were sent over a 10 month period.

Though this was an extraordinary large amount of emails sent over that period, it wasn’t too many in the eyes of the embassy. I am pleased to confirm that the visa was issued and the Thai girlfriend visited her partner.

Please note you cannot provide too much relationship evidence, however you can provide too little, which will result with the visa being refused.

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A tourist visa for Thailand can only be obtained from a Thai consulate or embassy outside of Thailand. If you plan on staying in Thailand for longer than a 30 days, is it good practice to obtain a tourist visa before you leave your home country. You will not be able to obtain a Triple entry visa in Asia

How long you can stay in Thailand on a double Triple tourist Visa

• On arrival in Thailand granted 60 day stay
• 30 days extension given at immigration office in Thailand
• Border Run
• On arrival in Thailand granted 60 day stay
• 30 days extension given at immigration office in Thailand
• Border Run
• On arrival in Thailand granted 60 day stay
• 30 days extension given at immigration office in Thailand
• 7 Days extension given at immigration office in Thailand

Total amount of time given on a Thai triple entry tourist visa can be up to 292 days if used correctly.

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A tourist visa for Thailand can only be obtained from a Thai consulate or embassy outside of Thailand. If you plan on staying in Thailand for longer than a 30 days, is it good practice to obtain a tourist visa before you leave your home country.

How long you can stay in Thailand on a double Entry tourist Visa

• On arrival in Thailand granted 60 day stay
• 30 days extension given at immigration office in Thailand
• Border Run
• On arrival in Thailand granted 60 day stay
• 30 days extension given at immigration office in Thailand
• 7 Days extension given at immigration office in Thailand

Total amount of time given on a Thai double entry tourist visa can be up to 187 days if used correctly.

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A tourist visa for Thailand can only be obtained from a Thai consulate or embassy outside of Thailand. If you plan on staying in Thailand for longer than a 30 days, is it good practice to obtain a tourist visa before you leave your home country.

• Thai tourist visas are available as
• Thai single entry tourist visa
• Thai double entry tourist visa
• Thai triple entry tourist visa

How long you can stay in Thailand on a single Entry tourist Visa

• On arrival in Thailand granted 60 day stay
• 30 days extension given at immigration office in Thailand
• 7 Days extension given at immigration office in Thailand
• Total amount of time given on a Thai single entry tourist visa 97 days.

If you obtain a Thailand tourist visa in Asia, you will only be able to obtain a single entry or double entry.

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Walk in 30 day visa. Visa on arrival Thailand

• This visa can be extended by 7 days at an immigration office inside Thailand.
• Overland visa run on re-entry will be given a 15 days. Only 4 visa runs will be allowed
• Leave the country and arrive back by air receive 30 days.

It you wish to stay longer in Thailand as a tourist, then you will need to apply for a tourist visa prior arriving in Thailand.

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HI Key Visa
I am a British living in the UK and I have been refused a tourist visa for my Thai girlfriend to visit me in the U.K., I presumed we had fulfilled all the criteria with having a reason for return as she owns her own property and has money in the bank, she does not work and I financially support her and this was the reason for refusal, what do you think?

Thank you David

Answer My Thai girlfriend is loaded, why did we get refused?

HI David, Presuming and over confident, are the main reasons why Thai people are refused visas. A clearing officer at the Embassy can have numerous reasons to refuse a visa and in most cases that we see on a daily basis they are correct with the decision.l

Due to strict tightening of Immigration policies from most major Embassies it is imperative to submit an application that is of professional quality and presentation, In your case I agree that your partner has collateral that would be an incentive for a return to Thailand.

Maybe the officer is concerned what is your partner doing all day whilst you are working and also taking away the bricks and mortar your Thai partner is solely financially dependent on you,

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In my experience dealing with a lot of the expat community in Pattaya, the task of obtaining a last will & testament seems to be a subject they do not wish to talk about or is put at the bottom of the list of priorities. However this should not be the case. Would you leave your assets to chance in your own home country?.

Coming to pattaya & enjoying the sunshine & wonderful lifestyle can make the best of us forget what things are important & it is so easy to put important tasks to the back of our mind & think I’ll do that job tomorrow.

In my honest opinion protecting your assets in Thailand should be a very strong priority for you & your Thai partner.
Owning your own home or car or motorbike or money in a Thai bank needs protection for your beneficiaries be it your family in your home country or your Thai partner whether you are married or unmarried for a small expense you can safeguard your hard work & possessions.
IF I DON’T HAVE A WILL WHAT HAPPENS TO MY ASSETS?

Not got a last will & testament

If you have not got a last will & testament in place it is a horrendous task for your Thai partner if not married or your next of kin to claim the right to your assets I myself have had one friends who has unfortunately died in Thailand & not prepared a last will & testament his family one year later are still going through the Thai judicial system to claim his assets.

If you have a Thai partner & you are not married then your partner has no claim over your assets what so ever which leaves them in a very vulnerable position.

If you wish your family to receive your assets then they have the arduous task of coming to Thailand & starting the process by proving they are next of kin then they have to employ a Thai lawyer to undertake your case which can be a lengthy process anything up to 18 months.

In the 18 months there will be numerous visits to the courthouse & will incur large legal fees in the instances I have seen the legal fees have totaled 50% of the asset value!! This is not including the massive stress factor your beneficiaries have to endure.

In layman terms shall we say your assets will be frozen & if there is no resolution through the courts then your assets will die which is a harrowing prospect.
DOES MY THAI PARTNER NEED A LAST WILL & TESTAMENT?

In my professional opinion the answer is yes you may ask why? Taking into consideration the other side of the coin if your Thai partner is the owner of your assets e.g. home ,car ,motorbike in there name or you are married and you are entitled to a 50/50 share what would happen if your Thai partner should unfortunately die.

In my past experience I have witnessed the Thai partners next of kin claim the right to the assets of there deceased family member & the foreign partner who had paid for everything being left with nothing including having there home & car were they once lived happily taken away from them because they had no will & testament arranged which believe it or not is a common occurrence.

I can only imagine it is difficult to deal with loosing a loved one but to loose your Thailand assets at the same time would be unbearable.

To pre-empt a situation is the best policy and my advice is utilize a small piece of your time and arrange a last will & testament for your own piece of mind you can then carry on with your quality of life knowing your assets are secure.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I CAN ADD TO MY WILL?

One of the main problems I have seen is that when a foreigner dies in Thailand there can be a conflict between the family in there home country & there Thai partner this being due to the Thai partner wanting a Buddhist cremation ceremony & the family wishing the body to be sent to the home country which to say the least can be a very awkward situation for the foreigners embassy to deal with so in the last will & testament the foreigner can state after there demise which way they
would wish to be laid to rest.
HOW DO I ARRANGE A LAST WILL & TESTAMENT

If you wish to arrange a last will & testament at key visa co we make the whole process a hassle free experience for the client we do understand that this type of consultation is difficult for the customer so we make it as easy for you as possible.

We start the process by consulting with the client & asking them to produce information on there assets & who the named beneficiaries will be.

The client then returns with the information & we prepare there last will & testament the format we use is both in Thai & English but we can have it translated for any nationality.

The whole process once we receive the clients information is done and registered in a maximum of three days from start to finish.
CAN I/WE CHANGE THE WILL AT ANY TIME?

The will can be altered at any time by the client if there is two parties involved in the will then both parties have to produce the signature on the paperwork & there original identification before the lawyer will proceed with any changes.

WHAT IF I HAVE A WILL IN MY OWN COUNTRY?

If you have a will in your own home country it will not be sufficient to protect your assets in Thailand my advice is to arrange a last will & testament in Thailand to protect your assets here.

We at key visa co feel very strongly about advising the expat community no matter how difficult the consultation to pre-empt a situation in Thailand is always the best option.

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Pattaya Expat Club Sunday meetings

Pattaya Expat Club meet at the Hotel Mercure, Pattaya 2nd Road and Soi 15, behind the Avenue. Entry Tickets are sold from 10:00AM – 11.30AM if you want the Breakfast Buffet at 180B for all.

Breakfast ends 1130AM, then Speakers begin at 11:30 am. If you only want Coffee, Tea and Water then you can arrive at 1130am and enter for a reduced price of 80B.

Entry fees pay for our excellent technical presentation facilities of the Hotel Mercure. The table plan is usually in friendly format tables for eight or ten – so please allow the ‘gaps’ to be filled by new arrivals at your table. Pattaya Expat Club are a friendly Expats helping Expats advice forum.

Pattaya Expat Club Sunday meetings

Why not come along next Sunday or any Sunday morning (10:00am entry, 11:30 Programme start) to the Hotel Mercure,

484 Moo 10, Pattaya Second Road Soi 15, 20150.

This Soi runs from 2nd Road to Soi Bua Khaow. If you walk through THE AVENUE, on 2nd Road, to the back, you will be in Soi 15, turn right, walk about 50 mtrs (past Pattaya Bay Resort), and you will see H. Mercure on your left.

Please dress appropriately for a hotel setting

Please dress appropriately for a hotel setting. Thai culture is governed by respect, so the way you dress reflects how you respect yourself and others. Notices banning beachwear and vests from our club function room are displayed outside the meeting hall and at the ground floor lobby. But we are informal, so open shirts (covering shoulders and chest) and shorts are fine.

Visit the Pattaya Expats Club website for more information

Pattaya Expats Club

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