UK Fiancee Visa for a Thai national
A UK fiancee visa is a 6 month visa given by the British Embassy in Bangkok and clearly means that your intentions are to marry your Thai partner in the UK within the 6 month period of the visa.
Once you have completed your marriage in the UK to your Thai girlfriend, you will be given a further extension without leaving the UK which we call an FLR, (further leave to remain) and this extension is awarded by the UK border agency. The FLR is currently valid for 2 years and 9 months and allows your wife to then work legallly.
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 and affiliated with the Pattaya Expats club. 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.
Like the UK settlement visa, the benefit of this visa is that your Thai wife, after the extension is given, can then work legally in the UK and get a UK National Insurance number from the Department of Works and Pensions and also open bank accounts etc. They can do everything you would expect your settled wife to be able to do. The only thing that is not permitted is requesting government benefits. Tax child credit is allowed if you have a child together that is a British Citizen, as this is a permitted benefit.
When to apply for a fiancee visa
Most of the time we would advise a client to apply for this visa after they have first been to the UK on holiday. This is because mainly it is felt that your Thai girlfriend, fiancée or wife has to experience the UK before deciding to settle and the unwritten sentiment of the embassy is the same; why really should your Thai partner be given the full benefit of living in the UK if they have not experienced the UK previously? We will always deal with a clients request as not everybody’s circumstances are the same, but do consider a holiday in the UK before a long stay visa.
As with the UK Settlement visa, included in the UK fiancee visa application are three major hurdles you need to overcome. These include the UK Key A1 English test, which was introduced into the curriculum in November 2009, and the mandatory tuberculosis test. These are not to be feared as 99% of our clients pass the tuberculosis x ray the first time, due to our experience and training of the Thai applicant.
The main fear many of our clients have is the financial criteria for which we have a separate educational section on this website but, in short, the main aspect is the embassy officials wish to see that you have earnings of 18,600 pounds per year before tax if working, or a lump sum of 62,500 pounds in the bank that has been there for 6 months and at the disposal of the sponsor or pensions adding up to the sum of 18,600 pounds before tax which you must get correct. If you do not, the application will be refused immediately so if you do not meet this financial requirement as set out on the FM-SE you should not attempt to apply.
We first start by advising the sponsor and the Thai applicant of the documents required on the telephone or by e-mail or fax making sure that both parties fully understand all the requirements.
Darren McGarry is the English speaking staff to deal with the sponsor and we have Thai staff to deal with the partner, which is important to make sure that document supplied to us are correct and complete.
When the documents are received we collate and do the translations that are needed for the visa application.
We book your Thai fiancee’s 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 set up the NHS portal account for your Thai partner so the new NHS surcharge can be paid.
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 Thai 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 visa on behalf of your Thai fiancee from the UK visa application center in Bangkok (VFS Global).
We advise you when the visa has been issued and the start date so you can prepare flights for your wife which, for a settlement visa, can be a one way flight to the UK.
What can your Thai wife legally do in the UK?
Things that must be done before a UK fiancee visa can be processed
All applicants must pass the A1 English test called the Key English Test (KET) before considering applying for the visa without the test past you cannot apply for a UK fiancée visa please click for details. This English proficiency test is mainly about reading, speaking, listening and writing to a basic level and there are numerous you tube mock test available on the Internet. All applicants aged 18 years and over must pass this exam.
Tuberculosis x-ray
Financial criteria set out of the FM Appendix
To obtain a UK Settlement visa it is very difficult and we always advise getting professional help and at Key Visa we are specialists with the documentation and the presentation of the visa application. The application is done in two stages; the first being the online visa application and then the financial application which we call the separate financial appendix. One mistake and you lose the application and your money so why take the risk? Let Key Visa Visa consultants use their experience to get the application correct first time.
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.
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