magicroundabout

Hi Folks, Looking for a bit of advice.....I've an old bank account in Thailand (GSB Bank) which I haven't used for about 18months (I'm back in the UK). I accidentally transferred some money to it (was meant to send to my wife bank account). As its the GSB bank I don't have internet banking - My wife has checked via the updated bank book and the money is there but the ATM no longer works - The bank have said its because I need to pay an annual fee and only I can do it. My Wife is moving over to the UK next month as well and we are unlikely to be back in Thailand for a couple of years. Its not a great deal of money in the scheme of things but I'd rather not lose it. Do Thai banks close accounts is there no usage for a couple of years? Should I periodically send some small amounts of money over? Any advice appreciated Cheers

90 days

We got the passport delivered to my Wife's house......it arrived really quickly within a couple of days. You get an email as well which arrived just after we got the passport

Hi, I recently applied for Spouse visa for my wife so will try and help as I imagine its a fairly similar process (albeit - I'm no expert). Biometrics are in Bangkok (I think maybe Chiang Mai). My wife lives in Kalasin so had to travel to Bangkok for the Biometrics (I agree its a bit of pain). No way round this I'm afraid! However, she did have a few days holiday so she was happy The process had changed over the last few years - However, I think its easier these days. Everyone is different but I filled out the application (which is online) on my wife's behalf. You can upload copies of the supporting documentation at the end of the application (or you can take them to the VFS to scan them). Personally, I thought uploading was easier and it means you don't need to drag the paper work down to Bangkok. Cheers M

Wife got her visa today....it's stamped for 90 days.

Decision made (Don't know outcome until we get the passport back). 55 Working Days - Biometrics taken 25th November received email 14th Feb.

I sent a parcel to my wife a few days before the cyber attack and it got stuck.....However, it arrived last Thursday! For info there wasn't any tracking information that it left the UK just when it arrived in Thailand. Hopefully, things are on the move again!

Following on from the "theoldgit" post it does seem things are almost back to normal.....I can see a standard visa approval from Thailand a couple of days ago that took 65 working days. There was also an visa approved which was upgraded to priority which took 34 working days! Therefore it looks like standard visa applications from November are currently being processed.

I'm not sure if its the same in Thailand but in the UK the price does not have to be honoured! When something is for sale in a shop with a price label its classed as an "invitation to treat", you make the "offer" at the till, and then its "accepted" or not in this case! You need both "offer" and "acceptance". PS A lot of shop offers will honour the incorrect pricing but legally they don't have to (Hence why there is always some confusion with this).

We received the following email the other day....Look like timescales are going back to normal! This email is intended for information only. Customers are not required to take any further action at this stage. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the setting up of the Ukraine visa schemes to support Ukrainians wishing to come to the UK, visa status and information staff were diverted from normal work to support the UK Government response. This resulted in temporary service impacts across a range of visa routes. For Marriage and Family Entry Clearance applications, the service standard of 60 days was increased to 120 days and Priority Visa services were suspended. We are operating within this revised service standard and are hopeful that we will soon be able to reinstate our normal service standard and resume Priority visa services for new customers. As part of our operational recovery, Visa, Status and Information Services are pleased to announce that we will be offering a Priority Visa service for customers with an existing undecided application, ahead of this service resuming for new applications. There will be an additional fee of £573 payable for this service which will enable your existing application to be considered within 15 days, rather than the standard 30-day Priority Visa service. You will shortly receive a further email offering you this option with further details on how you can apply. We will be contacting applicants in date order, with the oldest outstanding applications contacted first. At that point, we will also advise you on current processing times, so you are able to make an informed choice as to whether you wish to proceed with the Priority Visa service. Should you wish to proceed at that stage you must confirm using the details in the email after which you will be sent a link that will enable you to make the payment. Once we have confirmed that your payment has been received, your application will be assessed within 15 full working days after the date we confirm we received your payment. For example, if we confirm your payment is received on 16 January 2023, the 15 working day processing time commences on 17 January 2023. For customers who do not wish to use the Priority Visa service, we will continue to process standard applications in date order. Please note the additional fee does not guarantee a visa will be issued, only that the application will be considered earlier. Should the case be determined complex or require additional information, we may not be able to conclude the application within the 15 days, and no refund will be made.

It does look like its speeding up a bit....... (From another forum) Biometrics taken on the 15th September and completed 6th Jan.

Its already been happening in Scotland....not for Asylum seekers bit for Ukrainian refugees. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-63845498

Yes, the Visa fee was always in US Dollars...The NHS Surcharge I'm fairly sure was in £'s before but I could be wrong! It was all in Baht this time!

When I paid mine a few weeks ago it seemed I could only pay in Baht.....The cost is about right I was just under £2k as well (unfortunately). You need to pay for the full length of visa 2.5 years hence why its so high!

My wife applied a 3 weeks ago.....I'll be honest we don't expect to hear anything before May 2023! We did get an email today stating that " online application which has been received at the UK Decision Making Centre". However, I imagine it's just a general email. I haven't heard if any increases but it wouldn't shock to see increases in the near future. No fast track available that I could see. I'll post again if we get any more info...Cheers