41 replies to this topic

[Mr Rotten]

Friend of mine just got a UK spouse visa turned down for a TG. He recently got married after 2 failed attempts at visitor visa, they said the TG had no family, house, decent job etc. so was not likely to return.

Did not get the details of why he was turned down but as far as I am aware he hit all the right boxes in terms of income etc. I suspect it was because of the 2 failed visitor visa attempts, anyone any experience fo a similar situation? From what I know normally a failed previous attempt at visitor visa would not be grounds for turning down a spouse visa as long as no fraud was involved but would not be surprised if regulations where getting tougher.

[brewster]

I find it outrageous that any spouse visa would be denied.  How can a British citizen be told that he cannot bring his wife back to his home country?  

[7-Eleven]

In my (albeit limited) experience it is unlikely that they used the insuffiecent reason to return as a single reason to refuse a visitors visa.  I would hazard a guess that there were more reasons given for the refusal.

Can you post the refusal reasons word for word (omitting any personal details) that is the only way we can really understand and advise on what to do next.

IMO they should have looked at the refusal reasons for the first application and have all those reasons covered by the second application.  If at that point the VV was still refused the reasons should have been addressed again and perhaps a letter written to the ECM (Entry Clearance Manager) although there is no appeals process for VV's I have seen applications progressed in this way.

[welshwonder]

Yeah heard this one a million times, this is the standard response by the agency (ECO) vetting Tourist Visa aplications. The posibility and probabilty of the TG not returning to Thailand. Same old chesnut they keep on saying for years and years now because .....

1) Its the easiest thing to say without having to back it up with facts or logic.

2) And secondly to make you re apply and make even more money off you.


I know i sound a bit negative in my response  but the same thing happened to me years ago and am still pissed about them keeping my money. Either give me my money back you thieving twats or give me my  Tourist visa.

Ok iv had my rant and feel better now, heres some positive thoughts for your friend, try a gentleman called Paul Aslett at www.thaivisaexpress.co.uk   I have heard alot of good things about this company and has got an extremely high rate of successful applications.  Good luck.

[brewster]

The OP says it was a Spouse visa not a tourist visa.

[lespaul5000]

brewster, on 05 June 2011 - 03:09 PM, said:

The OP says it was a Spouse visa not a tourist visa.

i feel bad for the OP that he can't get his wife back to his home country....but i think most western countries are cracking down more and more on marriages of convenience.

anyway good luck to the OP, i hope it all works out for him and his wife.

Edited by lespaul5000, 05 June 2011 - 03:23 PM.

[welshwonder]

Mr Rotten, on 05 June 2011 - 02:17 PM, said:

Friend of mine just got a UK spouse visa turned down for a TG. He recently got married after 2 failed attempts at visitor visa, they said the TG had no family, house, decent job etc. so was not likely to return.

Sorry for the confusion, i was replying to the OPs statement concerning the two failed attempts at a Tourist Visa for his lady . But i imagine its the same old excuse they used for turning down his Spouse visa too plus the other reasons the OP has stated.

brewster, on 05 June 2011 - 03:09 PM, said:

The OP says it was a Spouse visa not a tourist visa.

[kansuwan]

Serpentine, on 05 June 2011 - 02:50 PM, said:

In my (albeit limited) experience it is unlikely that they used the insuffiecent reason to return as a single reason to refuse a visitors visa.  I would hazard a guess that there were more reasons given for the refusal.

Can you post the refusal reasons word for word (omitting any personal details) that is the only way we can really understand and advise on what to do next.

Exactly.  Refusal on grounds of unlikely 'intention to return' is a bit of a non-sequitur as far as spouse visas are concerned.  They depend principally on
(i) the UK spouse's ability to support his missus in the UK without recourse to public funds and
(ii) evidence of a 'real' prior relationship and marriage.  

Visa Section will have given the wife of OP's mate detailed reasons in writing for the refusal.  Without sight of those (name etc edited out)there's not much that anyone can usefully add.

[I Love You Longtime]

Maybe he found his new wife in a bar and her English was limited and has had no real job other than the Bar scene!

I know they have to pass an English test and they get interrogated for a few hours, they are all coached into what to say in interview if they are from a bar but they either crack or they don't want to leave!

They don't want to leave because A they don't love there BF or Husband and want to stay between family and friends

and B because they want money sending still each month.

I have seen many bg's marry because of money not love, sad but true they get taken care of and so do the family problem solved.

[7-Eleven]

I Love You Longtime, on 05 June 2011 - 07:34 PM, said:

Maybe he found his new wife in a bar and her English was limited and has had no real job other than the Bar scene!

I know they have to pass an English test and they get interrogated for a few hours, they are all coached into what to say in interview if they are from a bar but they either crack or they don't want to leave!

They don't want to leave because A they don't love there BF or Husband and want to stay between family and friends

and B because they want money sending still each month.

I have seen many bg's marry because of money not love, sad but true they get taken care of and so do the family problem solved.

Love the cynicism.

[kanoguy63]

I'm wondering if he is getting the full story from his girl.  I've known a number of guys who found out that their honey-ko in the Philippines was already married or had some kind of arrest record only after the US Immigration turned her down for a spousal or fiance visa as a result of turning up a piece of information that he was not privileged to.

[brewster]

I Love You Longtime, on 05 June 2011 - 07:34 PM, said:

Maybe he found his new wife in a bar and her English was limited and has had no real job other than the Bar scene!

I know they have to pass an English test and they get interrogated for a few hours, they are all coached into what to say in interview if they are from a bar but they either crack or they don't want to leave!

They don't want to leave because A they don't love there BF or Husband and want to stay between family and friends

and B because they want money sending still each month.

I have seen many bg's marry because of money not love, sad but true they get taken care of and so do the family problem solved.

Prior work in bar is not a reason to refuse a visa if the relationship can be shown to be genuine.

[praf974]

i have seen countless indians in the uk on IT industry 'fastrack' visas bringing their wives/kids with them .. no problems at all, and they can stay permanently and are eligible for all social security benefits/ health / schooling.

[7-Eleven]

praf974, on 06 June 2011 - 04:12 PM, said:

i have seen countless indians in the uk on IT industry 'fastrack' visas bringing their wives/kids with them .. no problems at all, and they can stay permanently and are eligible for all social security benefits/ health / schooling.

Getting a visa isn't difficult despite what people might think and despite what some "visa agents" will let you believe.  If you have the time and energy to put the work in its just a case of ticking the right boxes.

[praf974]

i would hope so .. if your a uk citizen it would be extremely distressing if foreigners can get visas for their families whereas you cannot.

[The Mentalist]

There's obviously more to this than we have been told.

[tourasia]

I suppose a 25 year age difference would make the visa process even harder...?

[7-Eleven]

tourasia, on 06 June 2011 - 04:43 PM, said:

I suppose a 25 year age difference would make the visa process even harder...?

Harder but not impossible and varies greatly with the different kind of visa's... the onus is on the applicant to show that the relationship is genuine.

[Mr Rotten]

Just to clarify it was someone I know not myself that was applying for the visa, I will try and get the details but what happened was

1. Two failed attempts at visitor visas (said she had insufficient reason to return).
2 He then got married and was turned down for the spouse visa (did not get the full story on the reasons).

There is not a huge age gap and she is a former bar girl although been out the game for a while (speaks and even reads pretty good English).

I am guessing the reason is that they did not think the relationship was genuine, I hear that the TG gets an interview in Thai at the embassay, she is a bit scatter brained and I guess she did not say the right things (like not mentioning she was a BG).

Although working in a bar is not supposed to be reason for refusal in practice considering the hysteria around sex trafficking I suspect this really would have went against them.

Shit thing there is she is actually quite genuine.

Edited by Mr Rotten, 06 June 2011 - 06:37 PM.

[7-Eleven]

Mr Rotten, on 06 June 2011 - 06:29 PM, said:

Just to clarify it was someone I know not myself that was applying for the visa, I will try and get the details but what happened was

1. Two failed attempts at visitor visas (said she had insufficient reason to return).
2 He then got married and was turned down for the spouse visa

Well.. I reckon the ECO thought that your friend got married just because he thought it would magic wand a visa after being turned down for two VV's.

Again... I highly doubt that "insufficent reason for return" would have been the sole reason for refusal of the VV's its usually combined with something else.

[kansuwan]

Serpentine, on 06 June 2011 - 06:35 PM, said:

Well.. I reckon the ECO thought that your friend got married just because he thought it would magic wand a visa after being turned down for two VV's.

Again... I highly doubt that "insufficent reason for return" would have been the sole reason for refusal of the VV's its usually combined with something else.

What you said.  And, to reiterate, the fact that an applicant is or has been a BG is not an absolute bar to the granting of any kind of visa.  The keys are careful preparation of the supporting paperwork and honesty during the interview.

[RickyD]

That's right, it was probably seen as a marriage of convenience after the 2 VV were turned down. PM if you want some advice as it happened to me a few years ago and is easy to overturn.

[chivas]

Thought this load off old bollacks had been stopped in the 90's by the Home Office, whereby if a couple legally marry and unless it is VERY CLEAR that the marriage was to facilitate entry only into another country,than the application CANNOT be declined.

So may well be underlying reasons such as the girl in interview just happening to mention that she doesnt love her husband and only wants entry to the UK ( or wherever )

[superconsult]

I want to clarify that I am a visa consultant.  Most of my clients are British, so I have more experience in UK visa applications than other applications.  The refusal of 2 tourist visa applications is the main reason for having an interview with the TG, but it can't be the reason for refusing a spouse visa application which concerns mainly the financial position of the sponsor husband, the accommodation arrangement and the genuine relationship between the parties.  If she was not well prepared for the interview, the officer should be able to find out the discrepancies in answers giving by her at the interview and the information filled in by her in her 2 previous applications.  It's true that the best way to deal with it is to look at the Embassy's written refusal letter and then find out the ways to reply to the grounds of refusal.

My previous experience in one UK visa application is that the married Thai lady couldn't get a tourist visa through an agent in Bangkok on the ground that the British husband is in receipt of social benefits.  When I asked them why they didn't apply for a settlement visa if their true intention was for her to settle in UK, they replied that it's because the visa consultant said it would be easier to get it than a settlement visa. At the end, I applied a settlement visa for her and it's granted within one month from the date of application without any interview.  I must say that the British Embassy is a lot more generious and reasonable than many other Embassies in the world.  Once I can answer their query about the social benefits of the husband, they approved the settlement visa application without even interviewing the Thai lady.

I do believe that the Embassy must have strong grounds for refusing the settlement visa applications based on what have been submitted in writing and what were given orally at the interview.  I am sure if the 2nd application is done properly, I don't see why the Embassy is so unreasonable or unfair to them.

[snowmaan]

you should try paul at thaivisaexpress he helped me get a fiancée visa for my cambodian gf when no one else would even try