UK visa information follows our lighthearted rough guide on how to get a visa for a Thai citizen from somebody that has experienced most visa scenarios in Thailand. Having processed literally thousands of applications since 2006 I have witnessed & experienced most if not all scenarios & I have heard every single visa story believe me. When any farang is dating a Thai their comes a point when she finally asks you & you know its coming “darling make visa for me” those dreaded words mean expense, hassle & endless arguments. You will then have to listen to ” my friend know somebody at the embassy” possibly she does have a friend who knows the cleaner, but more than likely than not her friend knows nobody & it wouldn’t influence any visa decision even if she did have a contact at the embassy. Also, you should get ready for every Tom Dick & Harry to come out the woodwork offering advice some will be giving good practical advice others will simply be voicing their own opinion over a bottle of chang.
Everybody’s a visa expert – chances are they have never applied for a visa!
- Do not take advice from friends & family offering UK visa information or listen to anyone that has tried & failed to obtain a UK visa. The process to get a visa is not a scam & if you put the effort in you stand a good chance of success.
- My friend Jai said her teerak dave does visas can you give him a call, he perhaps has done one visa but that doesn’t make him an expert.
- The visa process has changed what your friend did 2 years ago is not relevant anymore, visit visas are not issued on the strength of a relationship anymore, employment, land & assets, strong family ties all play a part in any visa decision now.
- Do not let the applicant’s Thai friends complete immigration forms it’s a recipe for disaster, mistakes on forms can lead to the applicant getting a 10-year ban.
- Do not let your girlfriend pick the agent she can obviously be influenced by friends, family or perhaps even the agent.
- VFS staff have no influence over the decision, they may try to tell you that they do but they are generally powered mad hi-so Thais.
- Anybody claiming to have contacts at the Embassy should be ignored at all costs fact.
- Do not lie on the visa application form, honesty is the best policy with any application.
- Do not listen to Thai friends offering you letters of employment a trained visa officer can see this a mile off.
- Take your time to fill in the form correctly, put your application together in neat & tidy order.
- Do not listen to the “my friend got a visa with no documents at all ” & she only knew her boyfriend a week, I have heard it all before. Especially the very special quote ” its only a tourist visa application it’s a simple application” can do it myself.
- Anybody offering visa services & assistance outside the Trendy building should be avoided at all costs – visa touts begging for work are desperate souls good agents can be found on google & word of mouth.
- Do not forge documents to get a visa if & when you are caught it can lead to a 10-year ban.
- Do not artificially inflate your partner’s bank account thinking it will get it to visa it won’t just be a refusal, they do not need a minimum balance in their account this is a myth.
- Then we have the farang who enters the office & you give him very candid advice on his chances of getting a visa which is zero. He will then visit another agent who tells him what he wants to hear, he relieves him hundreds of pounds & he returns to your office 3 months later with his 3 refusals & now wants you to sort out the mess.
Avoid the common mistakes – beware of the following :
- Avoid Pattaya visa agents asking for their fees in full upfront, any good agent will offer a no visa no professional fees.
- Are they or have they been registered with the OISC- although it’s not a requirement if working overseas its a bonus if they have formal qualifications or some immigration background? Affiliation with the local Pattaya boys club is not anything to boast about it means nothing, It free nobody regulates them this is just an expats club.
- Watch out for the famous scam we have had a problem with send me an extra few hundred pounds & I can get you a visa. The chances are the visas have been issued already & are sat in the agent’s drawer.
- Do they offer free UK visa information & advice?
- Ignore ridiculous reviews because some agents are so bad they actually make up reviews about competitors thinking it will help all their bad reviews go away. They really should be cleaning their own act up & concentrating on their own business ethics instead of wasting valuable time worrying what others are doing.
- Before paying a deposit to ask the agent the current turnaround time some agents collect deposits & leave the application sat on their desks for months, after months of frustration you send your Thai girlfriend in to collect the documents which are then classed as cancellation & they get to keep your deposit.
- Do not let your girlfriend pick the agent they have absolutely no idea about the visa process, some agents say what the applicants want to hear & its not necessarily the truth about their personal circumstances.
Getting a UK visa the easy way – employ a good immigration consultant
We have many visa agents offering UK visa information the choice is done you employ an agent or go it alone. This depends on your circumstances perhaps employing an immigration consultant can save you money
- You can continue to work in the UK & earn money.
- No need to travel overseas running about like a headless chicken for 2 weeks when you are supposed to be on holiday.
- You are paying for application experience, knowledge & service, in some cases, you would not get a visa without an agent’s expertise.
- Their staff speaks the local language, this can save you hours as this is often lost in translation.
- Do they offer a free visa assessment?
- Do they operate on a no visa no professional fees basis ( with a contract)
- What’s the agent’s formal background in immigration.
- Does he have Thai staff, a registered Thai company, a real office, & a work permit?
- UK bank accounts, registered UK company, take payments in the UK.
- Do they have registration in the UK (previously/valid) to operate in Thailand no license is required?
- What’s their success-rate & feedback via reviews
- Do they use social media such as Facebook, can they easily be contacted, do they give regular free articles, etc.
- Is the fee fixed, does it include translations, completion of immigration forms, booking of A1 test, x- rays, etc.
The choice to use an agent or not is entirely up to the applicant & sponsor to decide, keep smiling & feel free to contact us should you need professional immigration advice & assistance.