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Our Thailand Offices
UK Visas
UK Settlement Visas
UK Tourist Visas
UK Student Visas For Thais
UKBA Property Inspections
EEA EU Residents in UK
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Fees Scale And Online Payment
On Line Sponsorship Form
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Arriving in the UK
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UK PBS Tiers Introduction
PBS Tier 1 Work
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PBS Tier 4 Students
PBS Tier 5 Young Workers
Thai and UK Calendar 2009
Thailand Travel Tips
Buddhism In Thai Daily Life
An Outline of Thai History
Gold in Thailand
The OISC Explained
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Contacting Us
| UK Settlement Visas for Fiancees, Wives, Partners, Children |
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| For UK Visa Advice Please Call 08712886930 or 013272 210361-2 or 07956059792 |
 Orchid of Siam are authorised to provide immigration advice and services by the Immigration Services Commissioner Ref. No. F200500016. Members of the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association. Now in our 21st year of business.    We offer a full visa service with friendly, initial advice or visa assessment available 9am-6pm Monday-Friday by telephone in the UK and Bangkok, E-mail or through our online forms. Please do not hesitate to contact us.  For our THAI language website please click here: http://www.orchidofsiamvisas.infoThe UK SETTLEMENT VISA also referred to as a Fiancée or Marriage Visa, is an entirely different type of visa to a tourist visa. Here the emphasis is on the UK national who is sponsoring the applicant to be able to join him/her as a fiancée or husband/wife. The sponsor must prove that he/she can support and accommodate the applicant adequately without recourse to public funds, you must also prove the fact that you are married or intend to be in the near future, and that there is an existing and substantial relationship. The documents required to prove all this will vary from case to case but we will inform you accordingly and discuss the best method of satisfying the requirements. These types of visas need to be very carefully prepared and managed as they are often completely life changing applications and the consequences of failure can be disastrous. This type of visa should be regarded as one that can lead to settlement in the UK. Please note that from 27th November 2008 the age requirement has been raised to 21 years old for both the sponsor and the applicant in fiancee and married partner applications before a visa can be applied for. All settlement visas MUST be applied for online only which we obviously do for our clients, this is a long process with an average of 175 questions to be answered correctly and it is not possible to change an answer once the application has been submitted online. If a change is required a completely new application must be made. It is very important that all Thai language details are accurately translated into English in order to complete the form correctly and the necessary translations are included in our service fee. This visa is for people who are already married. If you have been married for over four years indefinite leave to remain in the UK may be granted if the language and citizenship knowledge requirements for ILR have been met. In all other cases a probationary visa valid for two years from the date of issue will be given after which further leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain will need to be applied for in the UK. Since 29th July 2008 visas have been issued with a validity of 27 months as many people do not travel immediately the visa is issued. This then allows about three months to travel to the UK and still leaves time to complete the 24 month residency requirement for indefinite leave to remain. This must still be applied for approaching the end of 24 months in the UK. In order to obtain a fiancée visa a wedding in the UK may be provisionally booked at an Anglican Church but this is not a requirement. After your marriage in the UK form FLR(M) must be completed to allow your wife to start her two year probationary period and allow her to remain in the UK. The application must be made before the expiry of her fiancée visa. Please note that a fiancee is not normally allowed to use the National Health Service other than as a fee paying patient and if she is pregnant at the time of application you may well be asked to deposit a large amount of money with your local NHS trust before a visa will be granted. After you are married and her two year visa has been granted she is entitled to use the NHS for free if her husband is qualified to use it. Since 27th November 2008 both parties must be over 21 years old in order to apply for a visa. For same sex couples wishing to have a civil partnership ceremony in the UK the requirements under the immigration rules are exactly the same as for a fiancée. Since 27th November 2008 both parties to a proposed Civil Partnership visa for the UK must be over 21 years of age. Civil Partnerships are not possible in Thailand. Any couple who can prove that they have lived together for a minimum of two years can apply for a UK settlement visa for the non British partner but they must both be over 21 years old. For all the above visas a child or children can be admitted to the UK at the same time as the parent but a separate fee is payable to the Embassy for each child and a seperate visa application form must be completed in full for each child. Children over 10 years of age may be interviewed, this is not a formality. Children aged 10-14 may be interviewed in the presence of a responsible adult. Children over 14 are not interviewed in the presence of an adult. The interview is to asess the current situation of the child compared to other Thai children and to determine if there are any compelling or compassionate circumstances as to why the child should be allowed to enter the UK. In legal parlance these interviews are deemed to be 'hostile.' It is not enough that a sole custody order has been isuued or that the sponsor is a parent. We will fully advise clients on how to meet the requirements. For children under 10 the Embassy may interview a parent or guardian. A 'child' over 18 years of age can apply as a dependant relative in only the most exceptional compassionate and compelling circumstances. Applicants for UK visas of over six months duration from Thailand require a TB test conducted under the supervision of the International Office of Migration before they can apply for a visa. Our Bangkok office advises applicants on this and can book an appointment on their behalf. Tests can only be done in Bangkok. Generally an interview will be required for all settlement visa applications. We prepare the applicant with a mock interview/briefing session in Bangkok as close to the interview as possible. If an interview is required it can take up to three months from the date of submission of the application. In all cases it is necessary to show that there will be adequate accommodation for the visa applicant and everybody else living at the same address. For this purpose bathrooms, kitchens and toilets are excluded from the room total. A baby under 1 year old does not count as a person and any children under 10 years of age count as only half a person. At least one room must be for the sole use of an adult visa applicant but this obviously may be shared with a spouse or fiancee or partner. The following table lists how the requirement is calculated.
Please also see our UKBA Property Inspection page as you may need an Accommodation Certificate if the dwelling has multiple occupants. In all cases there must be proof that adequate financial support is available for both the visa applicant and any other members of the immediate family. The minimum income requirement is the same as the income support benefit level after the deduction of taxes, rent, mortgage, council tax etc. From 6th April 2009 the income support level for a married couple over 18 years of age is £100.95 per week. It is therefore necessary for the sponsor to prove that his disposable income after deductions is at this level or higher. If a sponsor is in receipt of any public funds he must be able to clearly demonstrate that he will not have any need to claim extra funds for the visa applicant. We can help by drawing up a weekly or monthly budget for submission to the Embassy in consultation with the sponsor. In the case of a spouse no permission to work is required and if the applicant can prove that they have skills or an offer of employment this will be taken into account in determining if adequate support is likely to be available. In all cases the Embassy will return all the documentation submitted in support of the application to the visa applicant along with their passport and the outcome of the request. Original documents will NOT be returned unless a photocopy is supplied along with the original at the time of application. Being located in Epsom in South East England we are only approximately 30 minutes by train from London Victoria, Waterloo or London Bridge stations and within a few minutes of the M25. We welcome personal visitors although we appreciate that many people prefer the ease of dealing with us from the comfort of their homes via the internet. We know that a settlement visa application is a life changing process for all parties involved and that people are concerned about the cost and the risk of being refused which is why we handle all applications with the greatest of care with our expert qualified advisers available to our clients seven days a week. We are well aware of various visa forums on the internet but they are often not worth the risk of relying on as the average person cannot sort the wheat from the chaff and in such an important, life changing application personalised advice from experienced professionals who will see your case through to completion is invaluable. With our directly employed highly qualified staff in Bangkok to assist the applicant and our office in the UK to assist sponsors we remove the nuisance of both the time difference between the two countries and the language barrier. With over 20 years of experience of dealing with visa applicants for Thai nationals and our legal registration in the UK we are confident that we offer a very specialist, genuine, service at an affordable fee and we look forward to welcoming you as a client. Please telephone or E-mail us to discuss your situation. The British Embassy obviously works in accordance with UK law and our professional qualifications to act on your behalf and represent you to the Embassy can be verified by visiting the websites of the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) at http://www.oisc.gov.uk or The Immigration Law Practitioners Society at http://www.ilpa.org.uk In some cases the Embassy may refuse an application in which case they must supply a written notice detailing their reasons. Often we find that the Embassy have made a mistake or acted in an unlawful manner. For our clients we do not charge for launching an appeal and there are no further fees payable to ourselves or the Embassy. The cost of getting advice on making an appeal would be at least £500.00. In the majority of cases the issue can be resolved without the need to go to a full appeal which takes at least six months and frequently a year. Please also read our UK Visas page for important information. Please also see our UK Visas, UK Tourist Visas, UK Student Visas For Thais and Our Thailand Offices pages.  
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| Epsom, | Surrey, | KT18 7DL |
| Visitors: 22778 |