Financial questions in application for tourist visa

[lucas861]

Hello everyone

I would like bring my Thai girlfriend for 2 months holiday to the UK.

We know eachother for around 8 month already I have been In Thailand 3 times and also we spent 2 weeks in Indonesia 

My girlfriend works in the hotel and get paid cash she makes 12000baht a month. She has bank account but she don't deposit her salary. I have been sending her money for treats valentine's birthday and helping her out some time. In the application they ask whats are her total monthly outgoings. She has put there 10000bath as this is covers her monthly expenses. Are my money transfers considered as an another regular income? If it so should she put up with this amount to match with amount I sent?. However my transfers are irregular. She also has saved 30000bath and that would cover her thai expenses for 2 months while she is In UK.

I will be very grateful if anyone could advise.

[theoldgit]

When your girlfriend applies for her visa to visit the UK for two months, she will need to satisfy the Entry Clearance Officer that her proposed visit is genuine, affordable and that, on the balance of probabilities she will return to Thailand at the conclusion of her extended holiday.

 

Two months is a long time to be on holiday, she will need to provide evidence of her employment and get the hotel to confirm that they are allowing a two month holiday and that he position is available on her return from her trip. A locally based member of the UKVI staff based in Bangkok may well call her employers to verify the details, if the letter is written in English they will expect to communicate in English, if the letter is written in Thai they will communicate in Thai but it will need to be translated into Thai.

 

What does your girlfriend propose to do in the UK for two months, does she intend to stay with you, are you working?

 

30,000 Baht isn't a lot of money to spend on a two month holiday, the air fare alone would take a big chunk out of that, are you going to pay some of her costs, if so you will need to demonstrate that it's appropriate for you to do so, you will also need to provide evidence of affordability.

 

As to whether your transfers for valentine and other treats would be counted as regular income, probably not, it would really depend how much you send her and how regularly, but she should should mention it in her covering letter, as should you.

 

The biggest thing for her to prove are her strong ties to Thailand, the ECO will need to be convinced that her ties are strong enough to leave no doubt that she wouldn't just stay in the UK with you. 

[rasg]

On 3/11/2019 at 12:36 PM, lucas861 said:

I would like bring my Thai girlfriend for 2 months holiday to the UK.

We know eachother for around 8 month already I have been In Thailand 3 times and also we spent 2 weeks in Indonesia 

My girlfriend works in the hotel and get paid cash she makes 12000baht a month. She has bank account but she don't deposit her salary. I have been sending her money for treats valentine's birthday and helping her out some time. In the application they ask whats are her total monthly outgoings. She has put there 10000bath as this is covers her monthly expenses. Are my money transfers considered as an another regular income? If it so should she put up with this amount to match with amount I sent?. However my transfers are irregular. She also has saved 30000bath and that would cover her thai expenses for 2 months while she is In UK.

Two months is a bit of a stretch for a first visit visa imho. I would only request a month. No reason why she can't extend it for longer as long as she has a good reason. She will have to explain why she stayed longer in an subsequent visa application though. If the next is a settlement visa and you plan on getting married staying longer doesn't matter as no reason to return is required.

 

As she doesn't bank her money I would suggest that she doesn't supply bank statements at all. They always seem to open up a can of worms that make quite a few applications fail. Sending her money each month has the same effect on many applications if your girlfriend relies on your payments to live. If that is what you choose what to do you will need to sponsor her.

[SteveK]

You're not actually married, and all she has to return to in Thailand is a job which pays very little. And seeing as she is paid in cash - they don't even have any proof of the income. I know foreigners here who have failed a few times to get UK visas for their girlfriends or wives, one mate of mine paid an agent 40,000 to deal with everything and still got rejected, so make sure you get as much advice as possible before giving anyone any money.

 

From the point of view of UK immigration, they will be suspicious about the fact that the money is not deposited, and then think that in fact she does a different, more nefarious job, and that she could be thinking about marrying you in the UK or overstaying.

 

You've only known her for 8 months, why not take her to Koh Samui, Angkor Wat, Luang Prabang, or Singapore instead?

[lucas861]

Thanks for advice

I have been in Thailand 3 times in 8 month period we travel together to Indonesia in September and I have visited her parents In December. We are actually plan to get married In August I will be her sponsor cause with her salary she can't afford tickets and the rest.

 

I work in UK full time and run limited company. She has been working in this hotel for 13 month now. The manager will write her letter confirming her contract, salary and also he agreed for her holiday. 

With you advise we cut her holiday down to 1month. I want her to visit me cause due to my work commitments I simply cannot take much more time of work.

 

[lucas861]

12 hours ago, rasg said:

Two months is a bit of a stretch for a first visit visa imho. I would only request a month. No reason why she can't extend it for longer as long as she has a good reason. She will have to explain why she stayed longer in an subsequent visa application though. If the next is a settlement visa and you plan on getting married staying longer doesn't matter as no reason to return is required.

 

As she doesn't bank her money I would suggest that she doesn't supply bank statements at all. They always seem to open up a can of worms that make quite a few applications fail. Sending her money each month has the same effect on many applications if your girlfriend relies on your payments to live. If that is what you choose what to do you will need to sponsor her.

I'm quite confused about not sending her bank statement, i have sent her around 40k baht in 6months period and recently 25k in one payment to cover her expenses while she's in the UK. Would this not help with establishing genuity of our relationship. Or should I not mention of any money I sent to her account and skipped her statement for application.

On the other hand we have nothing to hide. She is poor Im helping her there's nothing wrong with that.

Thanks again for all advice

[rasg]

On 3/13/2019 at 11:41 AM, lucas861 said:

I'm quite confused about not sending her bank statement, i have sent her around 40k baht in 6months period and recently 25k in one payment to cover her expenses while she's in the UK. Would this not help with establishing genuity of our relationship. Or should I not mention of any money I sent to her account and skipped her statement for application.

On the other hand we have nothing to hide. She is poor Im helping her there's nothing wrong with that.

Thanks again for all advice

If you send that amount of money and she relies on it, UKVI will think that she has no reason to return to Thailand. Why would she when her main income provider is with her in the UK? Sending her money when you want a visit visa can and probably will have the opposite effect on her visa prospects. Explain that she is paid in cash and it is never banked. It worked for my wife back in 2015 and it was true. It seems from what you have said it is true for your girlfriend too.

 

You will need to be her sponsor. It doesn't matter that much if she doesn't have a lot of money as long as you have enough to pay for the trip.

You've visited her three times in eight months which shows you have some commitment.

 

Prove the two of you are in a relationship, provide a reason (or reasons) to show she will to return to Thailand and showing you have enough money to fund the trip are the main requirements for a successful visit visa application.