39 replies to this topic

[garyka]

I,m fully aware that this post / topic will have its knockers""", and possibly the usual comments that go with using visa agents""".
But i,ve just got the fiancee visa for my girl & i,m happy """.
And yes to answer my own ? i did use a visa agent, i do actually have this forum to thank , because it was reading on here that i first read about him & his company.
Why use a visa agent?. for me it was to give myself the maximum chance of getting the result that we wanted, even after reading up on all the info i could over the past year or so , i still didnt feel confident in doing it myself, being 6000 miles away doesnt help either,
So thanks to paul at thai visa express we got our visa back in just 10 working days, i am 100% happy with the service i received & 100% happy with the result """""

[superconsult]

I,m fully aware that this post / topic will have its knockers""", and possibly the usual comments that go with using visa agents""".
But i,ve just got the fiancee visa for my girl & i,m happy """.
And yes to answer my own ? i did use a visa agent, i do actually have this forum to thank , because it was reading on here that i first read about him & his company.
Why use a visa agent?. for me it was to give myself the maximum chance of getting the result that we wanted, even after reading up on all the info i could over the past year or so , i still didnt feel confident in doing it myself, being 6000 miles away doesnt help either,
So thanks to paul at thai visa express we got our visa back in just 10 working days, i am 100% happy with the service i received & 100% happy with the result """""

Did she take any English test ? If so, where did she take it ? Do you know if the test was difficult ?

[Crash]

Using a visa agent to dot the "i"s and cross the "t"s sounds like a good idea. Be aware that some countries like Canada officially discourage their use.

[mowerman]

Did she take any English test ? If so, where did she take it ? Do you know if the test was difficult ?

English test for a Tourist Visa? didn't know they had to do that.

[garyka]

It was the fiancee visa we got mate not the tourist, but you are correct in saying that you dont need the english test for one """
She took the english test in bbk vantage siam,[ bullats] , after taking the test she thought that she had failed & said it was difficult, but all she needed to pass was a A1 level, after waiting 5 days for the results she past quite easily in the end, but what did slow us down was waiting for the certificate to arrive from the uk, and that took 4 weeks, if i remember to pass a1 level you only need to get 10-19% correct, ; [ she scored 29% on one subject], its not cheap though 7000 baht !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[superconsult]

It was the fiancee visa we got mate not the tourist, but you are correct in saying that you dont need the english test for one """
She took the english test in bbk vantage siam,[ bullats] , after taking the test she thought that she had failed & said it was difficult, but all she needed to pass was a A1 level, after waiting 5 days for the results she past quite easily in the end, but what did slow us down was waiting for the certificate to arrive from the uk, and that took 4 weeks, if i remember to pass a1 level you only need to get 10-19% correct, ; [ she scored 29% on one subject], its not cheap though 7000 baht !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Thank you for the information !

For the passing marks, it should be varied from one school to another. I know one school requires 30% when another school requires an average of 5.5. Yes. the exam fee is not cheap. But it's good that your GF passed it after just one test.

[zilly]

I,m fully aware that this post / topic will have its knockers""", and possibly the usual comments that go with using visa agents""".
But i,ve just got the fiancee visa for my girl & i,m happy """.
And yes to answer my own ? i did use a visa agent, i do actually have this forum to thank , because it was reading on here that i first read about him & his company.
Why use a visa agent?. for me it was to give myself the maximum chance of getting the result that we wanted, even after reading up on all the info i could over the past year or so , i still didnt feel confident in doing it myself, being 6000 miles away doesnt help either,
So thanks to paul at thai visa express we got our visa back in just 10 working days, i am 100% happy with the service i received & 100% happy with the result """""

Yes have to agree completely. Paul's done work for me and for a mate of mine. like you I'm 100% happy

[colina117]

Thinking of doing this myself, how much did it cost to use Pauls services. Congrats on your success

[dayo202]

how much did it cost you from start to finish by using visa express ?

[zilly]

how much did it cost you from start to finish by using visa express ?

Thinking of doing this myself, how much did it cost to use Pauls services. Congrats on your success

it really depends what you want. mine was around the £400 - £500 mark including accompanying my wife to the embassy and xray centre. Contact him and he'll quote you. http://www.thaivisaexpress.co.uk/

Edited by zilly, 27 December 2011 - 07:31 PM.

[muu]

it really depends what you want. mine was around the £400 - £500 mark including accompanying my wife to the embassy and xray centre.

I think the important thing for anyone who chooses not to do it themselves is that they are happy with what they are quoted/pay and they do get what they are promised.

Others have posted prices double the amount above and have not been happy with the service provided by their visa agent. The price the OP paid doesn't seem unreasonable for the service he received and the hassle it probably saved him.

[tatman]

I just wish i had noticed he was banned on here befor i parted with £500.Having a go myself at doing the girlfriends visa shortly.

[udontony]

I used a visa agent in Pattaya for holiday visa and then married visa to get my now wife to England in the past. He charged less than it would have cost me to stay over here long enough to do all the paperwork and stay in Bangkok etc. Also know of many people that had to return several times to sort out paperwork which I didn`t have time to do. It certainly made sense for me to use the agent and in the long run I got peace of mind and the visa`s withing a short time scale at reasonable cost to me.

This week I have been to see the same agent in Pattaya ( Darren @ Keyvisa ) to get myself a visa to stay here. I was on a one year multiple entry holiday visa for the last year and wanted a married or retirement visa. Took the documents asked for on Monday morning and he said he would phone when ready. Tuesday late pm phoned and we went to collect passport with visa in it. Will be back again in a year when I need another one or if we need visa`s for my wife to get back to the UK at anytime.

[garyka]

Sorry for delays in responding "", I think its only right to email thai visa express direct & paul will give you a price on his fees, it was not a issue for me if paul was banned from this forum or if thai visa express was no longer a sponsor, what i was interested in was the job he could do for me & the results gained. All the info is available on the net to do the application yourself, if you feel confident enough"" but if you dont want to put your partner & your self through the stress & worry, then give the job to someone who knows what they are doing""".

[pubstud]

I've used Paul, for getting my own visa problems all nicely sorted, so I was very happy with his speedy service. I'm a firm believer in using agents to handle these matters, they have already greased the palms and connected to the speedy service lane. Sure you pay more but the results are faster and more certain than trying to do it by yourself.

[aligisdaman]

It's all very well for others to say 'oh, your wasting your money on using a visa agency - any monkey who can fill out a form & willing to take the time to fill out the paperwork can do exactly the same as a visa agency'.

Well, that's fine for those who have met their girlfriend outside of the bar scene, have stable work history, savings, assets, etc.

But what if your girlfriend comes from the bar industry, or has no job or savings or assets? I don't see many threads on here explaining how guys have successfully submitted visa applications on their own for their girlfriends with no 'regular' job, savings or assets?

Personally, I would not engage a visa agent to help submit information regarding relationship, visa application forms, finances, etc.
However, I would engage a visa agent if they have a proven track record & know to overcome the 'reason to return to Thailand' issue with girls who have no significant savings/assets or regular longterm employment.

[MaiKowJai80]

the myth is that it's difficult, the truth is they need a strong reason to deny a visa, by collating proof of relationship and filling the forms youself and providing heaps of paperwork...the visa fee doesn't cover that, that's work your end, then there's little more that an agent does, it's more like somebody asking you questions and writing down what you answer on a form, cut out the middleman and write your own answers on paper and save the money for flight and other bits

if your gf is clean no tb aids etc, no criminal record, you've sufficient evidence to prove a genuine relationship exists and that you can support youself then there's little room for the visa to be refused, these visa companies don't work magic, all they do is collate the info you give them, put it in an envelope and deliver it for you, that'll be 5-600 please haha

after dealing with an agent and the visa process i honestly feel could start one of these companies and offer the same service with same no gurantee policy for half what the established agents cost, i was advising keyvisa how to fill the form out, these guys aren't anything special, they are just form fillers, there are not great at lateral thinking nor are the highly connected, you're basically giving them money for info that's free and available to the public

[aligisdaman]

I think it also depends on the country for which you are trying to apply for a visa with. I'd imagine some countries are harder than others to obtain visa's.

420, I think you're somewhat over simplifying the visa process - I think there's more to getting a visa then simply filling out paperwork & filling in forms. That might apply for the vast majority of situations where the gf meets all the criteria.

Let's say I visit Patts tomorrow, find the hottest bar girl I can & decide I want to take her home with me in 6 months time. When I'm in Thailand I'll take a heap of photos of the two of us together. Then set up skype accounts and call her mobile regularly & email her over the next 6 months when I'm home. Perhaps agree to send her a token amount of money each month into her bank account. During this 6 months she continues to work in her gogo. She has no assets, no land, no regular job, etc. Now despite being able to prove that I've known the girl for 6 months, and being able to fill out the visa paperwork - what do you think are the chances are of getting the visa?

Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not pro visa agents. I think they are very overpriced for the service they offer. I think 10,000 baht would be more than fair for their service. But there are too many stories online about being rejected visa's based on 'not having a genuine reason to return to Thailand'. Personally I can't see a foreign embassy falling over themselves to approve a visa application for a bar girl.

Of course you are going to end up having to do most of the paperwork yourself. That's the way it should be as no-one knows the relationship with your gf better than you do. Leave it to an agent to liaise with your gf only & take the groundwork away from you & who knows what vital information they could miss out.

But if a visa agent is willing to work on a 'no win, no fee' basis, and if they are knowledgable visa agents who know how to best prepare a visa application for tricky situations, then effectively you are paying to reduce the risk of being rejected for the application. There is also the fact there is the risk your gf will say something detrimental in her application that could risk future applications unless she is guided by someone.

[aligisdaman]

double post

Edited by aligisdaman, 25 January 2012 - 09:03 AM.

[MaiKowJai80]

I think it also depends on the country for which you are trying to apply for a visa with. I'd imagine some countries are harder than others to obtain visa's.

420, I think you're somewhat over simplifying the visa process - I think there's more to getting a visa then simply filling out paperwork & filling in forms. That might apply for the vast majority of situations where the gf meets all the criteria.

Let's say I visit Patts tomorrow, find the hottest bar girl I can & decide I want to take her home with me in 6 months time. When I'm in Thailand I'll take a heap of photos of the two of us together. Then set up skype accounts and call her mobile regularly & email her over the next 6 months when I'm home. Perhaps agree to send her a token amount of money each month into her bank account. During this 6 months she continues to work in her gogo. She has no assets, no land, no regular job, etc. Now despite being able to prove that I've known the girl for 6 months, and being able to fill out the visa paperwork - what do you think are the chances are of getting the visa?

Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not pro visa agents. I think they are very overpriced for the service they offer. I think 10,000 baht would be more than fair for their service. But there are too many stories online about being rejected visa's based on 'not having a genuine reason to return to Thailand'. Personally I can't see a foreign embassy falling over themselves to approve a visa application for a bar girl.

Of course you are going to end up having to do most of the paperwork yourself. That's the way it should be as no-one knows the relationship with your gf better than you do. Leave it to an agent to liaise with your gf only & take the groundwork away from you & who knows what vital information they could miss out.

But if a visa agent is willing to work on a 'no win, no fee' basis, and if they are knowledgable visa agents who know how to best prepare a visa application for tricky situations, then effectively you are paying to reduce the risk of being rejected for the application. There is also the fact there is the risk your gf will say something detrimental in her application that could risk future applications unless she is guided by someone.

hi m8

well i think it's deliberately over complicated and intentionally intimidating, at the end of the day it's a gamble but as i said the embassies need a very good reason to refuse a visa, the agents have no sway over this, if they tell you they do they are lying, so essentially all an agent is doing is handing over the forms on your behalf with information you've provided, that is all they do and for that they will charge you £5-600

you would still have difficulty obtaining a visa for a sex worker/gogo dancer through a visa agent, the best advice a visa agent would offer is it could help if your gf gets a job in 7/11 or listed herself as unemployed, now honestly for that sort of advice would you pay £5-600, i've jut shared that for free haha, the industry works on the fact that the farang is usually desperate and anxious to be with his loved one, the agents then circulate stories of how difficult it is to obtain a visa and how if there's a refusal then the girl will have difficulty applying again, once again the agents have no sway over the decision and they need a good reason to deny the visa, short term relationships with less contact but other criteria met then look for the holiday visa after that the marriage visa is the next step, the agents are getting money for old rope

Edited by 420, 25 January 2012 - 02:02 PM.

[Rambone]

I used an agent to get my tgf to the US in 2010. I heard it was a bear to get a thai to the states, especially since 9/11. I was confident I could get the paperwork on my side without any problems, but not to sure about my gf, with her 'high school' (age 14) education. The only realistic visa seemed to be fiance. It was indeed scary to be sending so much money to a stanger (the attorney) in Thailand who could just as easily set me loose, not returning emails and disappearing with my money, with nothing I could do about it (the fact that he used a yahoo email account didn't exactly relieve my anxiety). My attorney was Brian Wright as I believe he specializes and only does US visas and I read boardies with good recommendations on him. He did his job, made sure her paperwork was in order, got the right medical exams, no 'inappropriate' emails and photos were included and all submitted forms gave her the 'most favorable' background, and ran her thru tests to make sure she was ready for her interview at the embassy. I think I hired him summer of 2009, visited him while I was vacationing in Thailand in Nov. 2009, sent the paperwork off to Uncle Sam in Dec 2009, she had her interview at the embassy late February. They sent her back for more proof, basically more photos, emails, and my 2010 taxes (and this was two months before they were even due, I had not even started them yet). In mid-March she went back and was approved. I went to Thailand in April 2010, had our 'unofficial' ceremony/party in her hometown in Issan-land (5-6 hours east of Bangkok), and flew her back to Chicago (as far away as you can get - 12 times zones) later that month.

We used almost every bit of the 3-month visa time to decide if we would go thru with it. We did, basically at the last minute, and got married in July 2010. It has turned out very well for us, she has been almost the perfect wife for me. She eventually got a job at a cook at Thai restaurant - working 50+ hours a week minimum wage, but far more than she could have gotten in Thailand. A strong work ethic like many immigrants to the US and takes free English classes at a local college. She is ok at my not being 'rich', most my cash going to my ex-wife and kids (although I'm sure her family is disappointed). My family just loves her, after being very suspicious of her at first (they only found out about her after I called from the airport before I left in April: "By the way I'm getting married down there in a few days and I'll have my new wife with me when you pick us at the bus stop in three weeks").

I consider myself lucky as I have heard horror stories before on these boards. This was something that as very nerve wracking on several fronts!

Edited by Rambone, 30 January 2012 - 05:06 AM.

[stockb]

Rambone, its nice to hear a good story, wish you luck and hope it continues!!!!

[udontony]

Rambone.

Had a very similar experiance to yours with my Thai wife. We had a holiday visa first and then came back to Thailand together to get married here to be able for her to return to England with me. She worked several years there and earned enough money for us to retire to Thailand over a year ago. As I was working full time I didn`t have the time to sort the visa`s out myself and used a visa agent ( Darren at Keyvisa ) which worked very well for us. My wife left school at 12 as almost all children did at that time but was very capable of doing everything necessary to get the visas but only with the guidance of the agent. The money spent on the visa agent getting the visas for us was much less than if I had stayed here to get them myself although I am sure I could have done if I had had the time.

If you have the time and want to get things done yourself, good luck to anyone, but with limited time the agent was brilliant for us and I now have been to get help from him for my Thai visa`s to stay here.

[tiraktirak]

dont use visa company mate, i am no expert i am not saying this but i just sent my phone records, emails, skype records and things like this to my gf in thailand. Also bank statements etc and house records, she done visa first time to come to australia no worries....like i said i am not expert but apparently not many girls actually want to leave thailand. They say something to make sure visa is refused and string alone their bfs etc..not saying all girls are like this but my visa was easy to make for her

[nattheboy]

I didn't use an agent when I wanted to get a visa for my girl to Australia. I did alot of research from sites like http://www.touristvisablueprint.com.au
Everything worked out, she got a 3 month visa, but unfortunately she hated Sydney cause it was cold. At least it will be a shorter process nest time now that I have dont it already, will try again in the summer