UK Settlement Visa for Thai Spouse
One of the most common visa applications we deal with at Key Visa Company is to help our British clients with a UK settlement visa for their Thai wife or partner. We offer this as a full, start-to-finish service. The Key Visa team is with you every step of the way, From getting you and your Thai partner legally married if you’re not married already to applying for the visa that will allow your new wife to live and reside with you in the UK so that you can live happily as a married couple.
We take care of all online and paper application forms and associated letters and are completely hands-on from start to finish whilst constantly communicating to update local and overseas customers on the application progress so you can relax and leave it to us
An English owned and managed company with bilingual English / Thai staff who will help your Thai partner through the entire process with no hassle and full support from the beginning of the process right up until you receive your visa
We are a well respected company in Pattaya and throughout Thailand. Our team go above and beyond to offer simply the best visa service in Thailand with additional benefits not offered by any other company such as an airport concierge for solo travellers.
Key Visa Company’s role in this service is to help you and your Thai wife through the process of going from fiancées living apart to husband and wife living together in a hassle free and quickest way possible. When you decide to accept our assistance, you will be glad that you did. All we have done for you will be apparent when you talk to others who have tried to go it alone and made small, costly mistakes with the necessary documents or misunderstood the financial requirements.
What is a UK Settlement Visa?
A UK settlement visa allows you to live in the UK with your Thai partner as a couple. The foremost criteria for this visa is that you have been legally married in Thailand.
When the settlement visa is awarded to your Thai wife it is a 2 year and 9 month visa which can be extended while still in the UK at the UKVI, without your wife having to return to Thailand.
The extension given after the 2 years and 9 months is normally another 2 years and 3 months making the stay up to 5 years, this is to prove you are a genuine couple and still in an ongoing relationship.
The visa allows multiple entries so that your wife can return to Thailand on holiday and to visit family.
When all of the requirements have been met, then your wife will be able to apply for permanent leave to remain in the UK.
What can your wife legally do in the UK?
A UK Settlement visa allows your Thai wife to work legally, obtain a National Insurance number, be eligible for National health care, sign on with your local doctor and do pretty much all the same things as an English wife would be able to achieve.
Your Thai wife cannot claim Government benefits including job seekers allowance which is actually stated on the visa as, “no recourse to any public funds.” So as the UK sponsor, your job is to financially take care of your Thai wife for the duration of your lives together in the UK.
- Our English speaking team work with the sponsor to collate all of the required documents and our Thai team help the Thai citizen to prepare what to say to the immigration officers, we explain what is required for the English exams and help them to collate their required documents.
- When the documents are received we collate and do the translations that are needed for the visa application.
- We book your partners tuberculosis x-ray appointment and then take her for the x-ray.
- We accurately prepare the online application and organize the visa application fee.
- We take your wife to Bangkok to sit the English exam and then to the VFS centre to submit her visa application.
- We advise on the required documents and help you collate everything that you need.
What is included in our service
- We first start by advising the sponsor and the Thai applicant of the documents required making sure that both parties fully understand all the requirements.
- We have native English speaking staff to work with the foreigner and Thai staff to help the Thai partner.
- If you are not yet married we can organize a legal marriage service.
- We make sure your Thai wife has changed her passport into your surname if she wishes to do so. If this has not yet been done then we help obtain the new passport.
- We prepare your Thai partner for the English exam and take them to Bangkok to sit the English exam and submit their visa application.
- We write all associated letters for you and your Thai partner to ensure the necessary wording.
- We book the appointment to submit the visa application with your Thai partner in Bangkok and make sure your Thai wife is word perfect.
- We make sure that your partner says the correct information to the officers,which is important when submitting the visa application, as they submit a report.
- We then get an application tracking number and check the status of the application every day until the decision has been made.
- When the decision has been made we collect the application, passport and UK settlement visa on behalf of your wife from the UK visa application center in Bangkok (VFS Global).
- We then post the passport with the visa back to your wife at her home in Thailand.
- If your wife will be travelling to the UK alone, we can provide an airport concierge service for solo travellers (extra charges apply)
Things that must be done before a UK Settlement Visa can be processed
A1 Test for UK Settlement Visa Applications
Tuberculosis X-Ray
What are the Financial Requirements for a UK Settlement Visa?
When you apply for a settlement visa for your partner or spouse, it’s usually necessary to demonstrate that your annual income is at least £29,000. This is known as the ‘minimum income requirement.
There are exceptions to this financial requirement if:
- Your partner receives certain disability or carer’s benefits.
- You initially applied as a partner before April 11, 2024, and are seeking to extend your visa. This also applies if your initial application was as a fiancé, fiancée, or proposed civil partner.
The method of proving your income can vary depending on its source. Alternatively, you may be able to use savings to satisfy the income requirement.
Exemptions for Partners Receiving Disability or Carer’s Benefits
If you are receiving any of the following benefits, the minimum income requirement does not apply to you:
- Disability Living Allowance
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
- Armed Forces Independence Payment or Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
- Constant Attendance Allowance, Mobility Supplement, or War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme
- Police Injury Pension
- Child Disability Payment
- Adult Disability Payment
You must still prove that you and your family can adequately provide for your housing and living expenses without the need for additional public funds. This evaluation will consider both your income and housing costs.
It should now be noted that your Thai wife-partner has to enter the UK within 30 days of the visa being issued or risk having to apply again for a vignette visa this is a new ruling introduced towards the end of April 2015.
When the visa has been awarded the documents and passport can be collected at our office, or we can post them to your Thai wife’s home if they so wish. This will prevent any unwanted travel to Pattaya. We have 18 years experience in obtaining UK settlement visas with faultless accuracy, no hidden agenda and priceless experience so why go elsewhere.
For more information including all associated costs at very competitive rates please contact us at [email protected] or call our office in Thailand on 038 422 131 or ask us a question using the contact form below.
We appreciate all the hard work you have done for us and 2 previous tourist visas and our daughters U.K. Passport application whilst in Thailand.
18 years of visa experience, honesty and integrity for both our Thai national and expat clients.
Nationwide service across Thailand, no matter where you live in the country we can solve your visa problems
We make visa applications seamless, keeping you informed every step of the way.