As of 2 November last year, the process for applying to extend your UK visa for your Thai girlfriend or wife changed if you are in the UK. This is applicable to settlement, citizenship along with any stay for study or work. Although the changes we not too substantial and indeed you are still given the choice of using the old system or moving to the new method it is certainly worth taking onboard what the changes actually mean in practice.
According to the government website, you will be able to submit your application along with paying for it online with the same being the case for the immigration health surcharge. After you have paid the health surcharge, you will be redirected to the Sopra Steria website and from here you will be able to book an appointment at a UK CAS center with the option of purchasing added-value services – something that is only available to those using the service.
Appointments will be available within 5 working days of making the application and all applicants will be encouraged to make the appointment as soon as possible although reminders will be issued every 15 days. The application will now include other family members and all children under 15 years of age must be accompanied by the person making the application. This effectively means that using the new service will remove the requirement to physically post supporting evidence to the UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) as it can be either uploaded or taken with you to your appointment.
When you make your appointment in the UK, your documents will be returned to you immediately after processing although it may not be possible to use your passport for travel purposes until a decision has been made in regards to your visa. When you attend your appointment, you will need to bring several documents including confirmation of your appointment, your passport and, if you haven’t uploaded it already, supporting evidence of your validity for the visa that you are applying for.
Applications can be made at the following locations:
- Belfast
- Cardiff
- Croydon
- Glasgow
- Liverpool
- Sheffield
- Solihull
In an attempt to speed up the process and increase efficiency, most paper application forms will become obsolete for applications that are made within the UK. However, applications that are made from overseas, for instance for your Thai girlfriend, wife or fiancée will remain largely unchanged. Thanks, to Thai Visa Express’ experience we will be able to assist you with your UK visa application in Thailand. If you are thinking about taking your Thai wife to the UK to live and you or she are in Thailand, we can assist you with your application. So, why not call us on: +66 (0)80 102 2328, +66 (0) 38 420 313 or +44 (0) 20 8133 8059, email us on: info@thaivisaexpress.com or alternatively contact us via our website.