Visitors visa to the UK for Thai ? [Archive] - Sawatdee Gay Thailand the oldest and most popular gay forum on Thailand and South East Asia

October 4th, 2011, 15:30

Hi,

On reading the other post re obtaining a US travel visa another member commented that it was even more difficult to obtain a UK travel visa, can anyone confirm the latest position re this perhaps as I'm currently debating inviting a Thai friend to come and visit for a while and I know that he is of the opinion that he can apply for a holiday visa for up to 3 months without too much difficulty ( as I believe either he or several of his friends have done before - albeit to travel to other countries in Europe) so before I go down the road of getting my friends hopes up or start sending money to enable him to apply for a visa etc ( as that would undoubtedly be the next conversation :-) any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

October 4th, 2011, 15:46

As with most visa applications if your friend can prove he has sufficient funds in his bank account, normally a job which shows or proves good reason to return to Thailand (sometimes permission from his employer for time spent off work) and also has a sponser and place to stay in the UK then it is quite straight forward. As has been mentioned before he must tell the truth, if they think otherwise then the visa will not be granted.

October 4th, 2011, 16:08

hmmmm so should have job, some money, a letter from his employer etc - yes, that should be "interesting" considering the guy involved has had I think three jobs in the last two months lol, has (I'm sure) next to bugger all in his bank account ( if he even has one) works on Silom Road ( but "promises" he's not and never has been a MB ( and of course I believe him !!! :-) and I've no doubt if on arrival if he liked it here he would happily "stay" hmmmm ....so I'll maybe not get out the bunting and flags out or arrange a welcome party "just" yet then perhaps lol - and before anyone says "are you mad" - I dod know the guy, we have a laugh, I'm stuck here for work reasons it looks like for a bit and I thinking "why the hell not" as I'm bloody bored of working so hard and being stuck on my own of late ( ok you can start the slaughtering match anytime now guys ! lol :-)

Actually ( and in all seriousness) re the word "sponsor" can anyone tell me is there any legal significance to that i.e. I had heard a story of a (german) guy who had sponsored a guy to come over, with the guy disappearing into the ether shortly after arriving and eventually several months later being found a deported and the German guy getting hit for all the associated legal and deportation costs etc as he was the "sponsor" - or is there no legal "liability" and the word simple means you're inviting them and are prepared to offer them somewhere to stay etc ? Any ideas ?

Thanks

October 4th, 2011, 17:21

Believe me I'm not taking the water, but from reading your post above NIrish I don't think he has a chance in hell, and you have to be winding us up.... :laughing3:

October 4th, 2011, 17:37

ha ha actually I wasn't winding you up :-) but I dod realise it's probably a non runner, I was actually basing my question ( almost knowing the answer before I asked it) but based on his assertion ( and details I know to be fact) of a few friends of his who "did" get their visa ( albeit to elsewhere in Europe and not the UK I should add) for a 3 month period, leaving him to think he's in with a shot, but like you I think not somehow, mind you, stranger things have been known to happen at sea I guess ! lol

October 4th, 2011, 17:52

You might be right stranger things have happened, and some European countries certainly have easier rules to get around than others. You or he can only but try, I just wouldn't invest money in it unless you are prepared to lose it.

October 4th, 2011, 18:08

Tryig to get a visa to US or Europ is a nobel thing to do and yes I understand that you love him and he loves his ATM and wants to live with his ATM abroad (just joking) so that he can have more guaranteed share in the profits and your possessions as well as going to that bigger and better land, but it doesn't usually work. I decided to take 2 of my boys to China, Hong Kong and Macau for the preperation to try for USA. Sure the thoughts of stamps in teir passports, sounded like a good idea. Hired a professional visa company and this was his recomendation. Well in the above countries they liked the hotels, they liked the bars and that's where is dramatically ended. They hated the colder weather, and what (?) it was only a few degrees colder, they thought the food was repulsive and we argued all the time over the food. Ibn one hotel, Shangri la Hong Kong, they even had a chef who came from their home village in Issan!! They still didnt like it. Everyone tried to please them. We went to Thai restaurants in every country and nothing was the same. I even noticed some differences. All they kept screaming about was that they wanted to go back to Thailand.
Before you take them out of their natural surroundings, you really need to think it through otherwise you may need buy them a ticket right back.

October 4th, 2011, 19:17

Thanks for the sound advice Just me :-) but just to be clear ( and I do know you were half joking :-)) a) I most certainly do not love him, b) I absolutely have no wish for him to stay here c) I do fo course know that I'm an ATM ( even though he assures me that's not the case lol) and d) I've nothing more emotionally invested in my plan other than a bit of a laugh and some nice sex (hopefully) for a couple of weeks based on if I can't get to Thailand I may as well bring a bit of Thailand here - but on a serious note, yes thank you, they are valid points you raised and ones that even though I'm being a bit flipant about the whole thing I DO realise could be an issue as like you I've had short term "fish out of water" experiences with a few other guys in the past elsewhere and it really can be more trouble than it's worth and when taking all of the above into consideration and the whole visa hassle issue it may well just be easier to get my own flight booked again and never mind the bringing him here thing but thanks for the sound advice.

Beachlover

October 4th, 2011, 21:05

LOL NIrish Guy... Way to think out aloud.

I decided to take 2 of my boys to... they liked the hotels, they liked the bars and that's where is dramatically ended. They hated the colder weather, and what (?) it was only a few degrees colder, they thought the food was repulsive and we argued all the time over the food. Ibn one hotel, Shangri la Hong Kong, they even had a chef who came from their home village in Issan!! They still didnt like it. Everyone tried to please them. We went to Thai restaurants in every country and nothing was the same. I even noticed some differences. All they kept screaming about was that they wanted to go back to Thailand.
Before you take them out of their natural surroundings, you really need to think it through otherwise you may need buy them a ticket right back.
Totally agree about checking if the guy will enjoy and handle seeing new places first...

All the Thai guys I've met at home love seeing new places (no surprise, since they moved to Australia on their own) and a few of the Thai guys I've met in Bangkok have also done lots of overseas travel or studied overseas and loved it....

... But I've also read all these horror stories about Thais who don't travel here so I guess it's something to be aware of. Some Thais from simpler backgrounds probably aren't as broad minded and won't handle changes in their environment well.

October 4th, 2011, 22:22

The attitude of UK immigration towards Thai nationals has been an outrage for several years now.

However good your paperwork is, if they are young and single the assumption is made that they are prostitutes - refused - end of story..

Even English guys who have got properly married in Thailand get the third degree when they try to get visas to take their new wives home with them..

It wouldn't be so bad, but for the double standards - money boys from places like Brazil seem able to enter the UK on the flimsiest of pretexts - but if you're Thai - tough..

Not all of europe is so hung up about this - Sweden is very relaxed about girlfriend visas - but I'm not sure how easy they are about boys..

The last leg is the tricky bit of course, but there are ways..

A possible legitimate route is to talk to your nearest Thai restaurant, and see if they can help - your BF might need to create a CV that presents him as an experienced Thai chef..

October 4th, 2011, 23:14

NIrish, what Beachlover fails to mention is that most Thai boys will jump for the chance to go anywhere. Their expectations and dreams of a better life soon come crashing down with the when faced with the reality of the weather and food. So you can't base your beliefs on what they say while they are here but what you will see when they get there. How about taking them on a small trip to another place in Asia and see what happens first before you invest in a passport and go through all the difficulties of a long trip.

October 5th, 2011, 00:13

Yep, Just me, fair point and a good idea and one that I would absolutely take on board if I was over there to take him somewhere first as a "test run", however unfortunately as I AM stuck here in the UK for a while (hence my original idea of bringing Mohammed to the mountain as opposed to the other way round so to speak) I'd thought that for the price of the airfare then that was a quick and easy option all round ( plus I would genuinely like to see the guy again we we always have a good laugh together) and if yuou are right ( which I have no doubt you are !) that after two or three weeks of fun and a couple of days or weeks of him freezing his ass off here in the not so sunny UK and wanting to return home then that may well sort out the other problem of making sure that they DO go home in a resonable timescale with no drama ! lol - but the more I read both re VISA's ( which I didn't fully appreciate would be such a problem for a simple holiday / visitors visa) AND when you factor in your valid comments and observations about the hassles involved ensuring the guys happiness ( all whilst I'm trying to fit some work in as well in I guess) then I think perhaps I'll be big enough to take some advice when well given and perhaps re-think the venture.....but if I DO go ahead I'll be sure to let you know the outcome - good OR bad lol - and if anyone else has anything to add or any advice to offer either for or against I'm open to listening !

Thanks

October 5th, 2011, 02:58

The basic position is that if you apply in Thailand (as you are supposed to do, BEFORE travelling) to bring a Thai boy to the UK as a Visitor, then he better have a long-standing, "respectable" job, with plenty of money in his Bank Account which has been there over a very lengthy period.

And the same applies to YOU as his"sponsor". You will be asked to produce your personal Bank Statements going back at least 6 months (as will he) and they will expect to see plenty in it.

The usual mundane requirements of a return ticket, evidence of knowing him over a considerable period etc - go without saying.

EVEN WITH all of the above (which will be well nigh impossible if you are talking about a bar boy) you have about a 10% chance of being successful. As I said previously and another poster confirmed, many str8 guys legally MARRIED to Thai girls cannot get them in. I think the problem there is that they married in Thailand and it is viewed as a "marriage of convenience" with a view to obtaining UK residence.

As Justme has rightly said - a possible route in is through employment, via a restaurant or other work where a Thai national would be required.
I know one UK guy who got his BF in because he "owned" the bar in Thailand and his boy was nominally a director of the Thai company which "owned" the bar. That works.
Trying to get him in as a Student on a Student Vistor Visa is a fucking joke.
The whole idea of that is that the boy comes to the UK to find an English Language course to study and if he does, he can then apply for a Student Visa (with you sponsoring his studies) and if not, he goes home.
One slight problem - unless he can already speak pretty good English (and has official certification from School or College to confirm it!) he won't get the SVV to find an English Language Course!! A bit like saying if you're not already a Doctor you can't study medicine!!

I have heard that Germany lets Thai boys in with very little hassle and it would be interesting to have this confirmed (or otherwise) by a German national.
If this is the case and IF one could undergo a same-sex "marriage" in Germany ( I don't even know if they have that in Germany), or indeed any EU country then I reckon there might be a case for admittance to the UK under the ECHR - but that is all guesswork.
Same if you can marry your boy off to an EU female - but that's a bit drastic as he might like it!!.

The Scottish Government intends to introduce "gay marriage" in the lifetime of the current Parliament. This is interesting because there is a right of entry to the UK to be married (there's a specific marriage visa for that and proof of a long-standing relationship would be required obviously). I believe there are no such plans in England, Wales, and certainly not NI. But if one could get the boy in on a same-sex marriage visa and get married in Scotland (as opposed to the current "Civil Partnership" which confers no right of residence) then the marriage would have to be accepted throughout the UK. This may in the future be a way in.

Now I do not claim to be an expert - all of the above is only what I have learned and interpreted and I'm not a lawyer either - so don't shoot me down in flames.

:occasion9:

Jellybean

October 5th, 2011, 14:46

Hi NIrish Guy

At some future date I may be interested in getting a UK visa for a friend of mine. So I had a look at the UK Border Agency website and, after only a short while, I nearly lost the will to live! Oh my God! I didnтАЩt realise it was so complicated just to go to the UK for a short holiday. Honestly, if I were you, IтАЩd bite the bullet and see if you could find a cheap last minute flight and get yourself over here as quick as you like. I think itтАЩll work out cheaper and definitely less of a hassle in the long run!

October 5th, 2011, 15:37

Hi Jellybean, funnily enough I've just spent the last half hour doing EXACTLY the same thing and coming to exactly the same conclusion !!! Absolutely ridiculous the paperwork they expect someone ( or both parties to produce simply to come on a 2 or 3 week holiday - and I'd look over it if it was to come to somewhere nice.....but the Uk !! where recession is rife, bankruptcies abound and the general mood of the nation is close to suicidal at the best of times ! My god at the rate things are going to the dogs here they should be IMPORTING hot Thai guys never mind barring them just to give us last remaining few actual tax payers ( as opposed to dole scroungers ) a reason to stay !! lol

October 5th, 2011, 17:01

Perhaps if he dressed in a Burka he'd get in without a visa, be given benefits, his very own flat in London and be allowed to live happily ever after....

Beachlover

October 5th, 2011, 22:01

I nearly lost the will to live! Oh my God! I didnтАЩt realise it was so complicated just to go to the UK for a short holiday...
Imagine being born in Thailand or some other poor Asian country with a Thai passport and having to go through that EVERY time you want to visit one of these countries like the UK, US or Japan... Sucks huh?

October 5th, 2011, 22:06

Beachlover

October 5th, 2011, 22:22

October 5th, 2011, 22:50

October 5th, 2011, 23:10

I know that's a joke... but come on... moneyboy prostitutes make up a tiny percentage of the gay population in Thailand.

I know heaps of Thais who've moved to Australia and other countries off their own bat or supported by their family.

or even off their own butt !!!! of course it was a joke .. as is our wonderful british immigration department .. as has been said before anyone who trys to come in legally isnt welcome yet sneak in thru the back door ... insert joke here... and you are wecome to all benifits .. as with most of the rest of the worlds goverments they are a wierd bunch of fookers .. give me cute thai boys rather than desperate eastern europeans anyday

October 6th, 2011, 01:04

Actually if the application for a visa is legit and the applicant meets the rules it's not really that complicated, and once the first visa has been granted then the others are even easier. Let's face it just because one has a hard-on for a guy why criticise the whole process which has been put in place to ward off problem visitors who incidentally still sneak under the radar, and then become illegal immigrants. It might also be worth remembering that there are probably thousands living and working illegally in Thailand, and they come from Western countries.

Combat, you occasionally talk sense - even allowing for the fact that you seem to live in a little cosy cocoon of your own - but your contribution on this topic is really just a load generalised crap!

The whole point is that "the rules" are ludicrous - see my reference to a Student Visitor Visa - a Thai is supposed to be allowed in to the UK on a SVV in order to find himself an accredited course to learn English EXCEPT you won't get the SVV unless you have certificates proving you can already speak English to an advanced level. WTF?

Now, as far as tourism is concerned - why ought somebody who wants to visit for a two week holiday have to jump through all these hoops and why should the person guaranteeing their visit be required to do likewise - it completely over the top, and (as you acknowledge yourself) it does anything BUT prevent illegal entry to the UK - so what's the bloody point?

Ask yourself why is it that much of Europe (including Germany) seems to manage to let Thais in for a short holiday without all the red-tape demanded by the UK and without their country turning into some kind of mini Siam!

To imply that visitors from Thailand contribute in any way significantly to the UK illegal immigration problem is just such a load of nonsense as to be hardly worth commenting on. Anybody with a brain cell knows that the vast majority of the illegal immigration problem in the UK originates from Pakistan, India, the West Indies, and those Eastern European states outwith the EU. Most of these people do not even THINK about obtaining a Visa, therefore these draconian rules on obtaining one have no effect on them whatsoever.

Of course there is no chance of any sense creeping into UK Immigration policy when you have a Party which panders to xenophobes, racists, and Daily Mail readers, running the show - aided and abetted by their Liberal poodles who would boil their Granny down for glue if it secured a Ministerial limousine!

:occasion9:

colmx

October 6th, 2011, 01:28

once the first visa has been granted then the others are even easier.
Don't know about that point... Certainly in my experience of getting multiple Visas for my BF to visit Ireland.

The entry requirements for Ireland are pretty much the same as for the UK (as we have a common travel zone)
However i have found the application process as laboursome and time consuming for the second and subsequent visa as the first

Granted my BFs first visa took years to get... but once we finally nailed the first one... the subsequent ones have seemed easier - but that is only because we know exactly what to submit each time... Without all the paperwork being complete the Irish consulate refuse to accept the application.

Visas for Schengen countries (most of mainland eurpoe) are much easier to obtain and can be obtained in a few days for Germany, Sweden and especially Swizerland (thats why there are so many Thais in Geneva and Zurich)

The bigest requirement for any visa is that the applicant must have a tangible reason to return home at the end of their visa... Most cases this requires title deeds to land or letter from proper university indicating they are students and had suitable holidays

Also there should be no lump sum lodgements in his (or your) bank accounts in the 6 months leading up to an application

Also note that the UK stamp passports of unsuccessful visa applicants - this black stamp can affect the persons ability to get other visas in the future...

October 6th, 2011, 02:36

.... there should be no lump sum lodgements in ... your..bank accounts in the 6 months leading up to an application

Colmx illustrates yet another baffling and ludicrous rule.

For business reasons I have lump sums going in and out of my Accounts all the time!
I'm sure there are millions in the UK in the same position.
No doubt the bean counters at immigration frown on this.

:rolling:

cameroncat

October 6th, 2011, 03:13

Justme.. interesting to hear about those boys complaining about the food. My ex's favorite thing about visiting the U.S. was the food! Of course, he was a Bangkok born and raised guy. Maybe they have a more "flexible" palate LOL

October 6th, 2011, 05:21

Combat, you occasionally talk sense - even allowing for the fact that you seem to live in a little cosy cocoon of your own - but your contribution on this topic is really just a load generalised crap!

Perhaps when you are referring to getting visas for a new boy or girl to visit I am talking crap as I have no experience in doing that. All the Thais who I have requested visas for the UK for have been professionals needing to go on company business. Each persons visa application is or was processed relatively easily and quickily for the first visit then fast tracked for every other visit. Yes I agree the system like most of them is flawed, but without it the UK and other countries would be in an even a worse state with illegals than it/they already are. For a start you would have nearly every lonely heart tourist who fell in love/lust with a boy or girl nipping down to the Embassy to get them a visa thinking that they were taking their new found 'love' (sic) back for everlasting love and sex only to find them legging it at the very first oppotunity.
By all accounts one of the reasons why the SVV has become much harder to obtain is because of the scam where by some underhand Language Schools in the UK would get back handers for helping so called language students get a visa. This was found to be one of the big loop holes helping those that had no intention of studying get into the country.
Scotty, other than your previous obsession with 'strange' phone calls at night when in your hotel room you seem to bitch about everything south of your border, maybe one day you will get your independence and be done with Westminsters immigration/visa rules, (not that they would be likely to change for Scotland) but until that time unlucky mate......Now where's my Daily Mail?

Beachlover

October 6th, 2011, 20:25

as far as tourism is concerned - why ought somebody who wants to visit for a two week holiday have to jump through all these hoops
I agree there needs to be some filtering as the incidence of people from developing economies overstaying to make some money and become a burden is probably high. But at the cost of what and could it be done smarter?

You know how Japan is currently hurting economically and needs tourists to visit them? I have a friend who changed his mind about Japan and will visit Korea instead because there's simply too many hoops to jump through for Japan... too much time and effort to get a holiday visa.

He makes a six-figure income and works for a large corporations but still has to do all this shite because of his passport nationality. He tends to stay in top hotels and would've been paying $400-$500/night there so there's probably a good $8k-$10k in tourism dollars Japan has lost on this one two-week holiday alone because of their STUPID holiday visa policies.

October 7th, 2011, 00:59

...
Scotty, other than your previous obsession with 'strange' phone calls at night when in your hotel room ...

Heartface, I'm touched that you have remembered that for a whole year!

So let me update you - as I eventually got to the bottom of it - and I'm sure you are dying to know since you take such an interest.

Being Pattaya, the place is full of elderly predatory homosexuals from around the world - this includes the hotels!

The mystery caller turned out to be the guy in the next room - he had spied my bf going in and out our room throughout the days and had apparently tried to engage him in conversation more than once - but to no avail.
Upon hearing us coming back from a night out, he took matters further and decided to call through and whisper sweet nothings/propositions (we think in Thai) down the phone to my bf.

Unfortunately for him my bf is not Thai and his knowledge of Thai extends to "Sawatdee" - so it was a case of "no luck" again, poor old cow.

So there you have it.
I trust you can sleep more easily now, erase that incident which you have been carrying with you for over a year, and obsess on something I have said rather more recently

:party

October 8th, 2011, 08:44

Perhaps if he dressed in a Burka he'd get in without a visa, be given benefits, his very own flat in London and be allowed to live happily ever after....Are you stupid or something?

Beachlover

October 8th, 2011, 10:20

Perhaps if he dressed in a Burka he'd get in without a visa, be given benefits, his very own flat in London and be allowed to live happily ever after....Are you stupid or something?
Are YOU? You failed to realise he was being sarcastic. You're not known for posting the brightest things yourself

Beachlover

October 8th, 2011, 10:25

Being Pattaya, the place is full of elderly predatory homosexuals from around the world - this includes the hotels!...
You got me agreeing with you there. :rolling:

The mystery caller turned out to be the guy in the next room - he had spied my bf going in and out our room throughout the days and had apparently tried to engage him in conversation more than once
Wow! What a classy act! So this "respectable" visitor to Pattaya saw another guy's partner, automatically assumed he was a free and easy prostitute (regardless of whether he was) and decided to sneakily proposition him for paid sex! Just brilliant!

... And RichLB was saying Pattaya does not have creepy, sleazy low lifes in any "greater percentage" than can be found anywhere else.

Scotty, other than your previous obsession with 'strange' phone calls at night when in your hotel room ...
I eventually got to the bottom of it...
Not that I'm trying to poke holes in your story as it's entertaining and doesn't make a difference to me either way...

But how did you manage to find out all of this after the event?

October 8th, 2011, 14:22

But how did you manage to find out all of this after the event?

Either he owned the hotel or managed it, or he asked LMTU to investigate........ :occasion9:

October 8th, 2011, 15:24

But how did you manage to find out all of this after the event?

Either he owned the hotel or managed it, or he asked LMTU to investigate........ :occasion9:

My BF eventually came out with the explanation - just last month - that's how I know the guy in the next room had tried to engage him in conversation/propositions on a couple of occassions - and now I know that, it all makes sense!

But this is par for the course in Pattaya where these sex-crazed predators are present in abundance - more than once I have been in LCR and practically come to blows with guys who just sit and stare at your "companion".
Would you believe that one of these no-manners lowlifes actually came up to the TABLE once and tried to proposition the boy I was with (not BF) - who was not a Pattaya boy but whom I had brought with me from Phuket! He didn't know the boy, had never seen him before, could see he was with somebody - but did that stop him? That incident ended up with the guy checking out the next morning after I had words in his ear.

Now don't get me wrong, the vast majority of people I know or meet in Pattaya are decent guys, but it does also seem to attract a significant number of sex-addicted scum who have no self control and no idea how to behave in a decent manner.

:occasion9:

October 8th, 2011, 17:45

You got it there Scottish! Maybe we should open a new thread about it/them. Many, many just think they are so slick and that you're too stupid. Madame is notorious for that! Just ask any of my boyfreinds that have lived with me over the years when I lived at the A
because they told me so out of fear I was going to find out anyhoo.

Beachlover

October 11th, 2011, 00:26

Fair enough, Scottish.

this is par for the course in Pattaya where these sex-crazed predators are present in abundance... the vast majority of people I know or meet in Pattaya are decent guys, but it does also seem to attract a significant number of sex-addicted scum who have no self control and no idea how to behave in a decent manner.
I agree with all you say!

I have been in LCR and practically come to blows with guys who just sit and stare at your "companion".... Would you believe that one of these no-manners lowlifes actually came up to the TABLE once and tried to proposition the boy I was with (not BF) - who was not a Pattaya boy but whom I had brought with me from Phuket! He didn't know the boy, had never seen him before, could see he was with somebody - but did that stop him? That incident ended up with the guy checking out the next morning after I had words in his ear.
Yep... just disgusting people with little self-awareness. Having said that, you've got to wonder if it was a good idea to bring a boy you're going out with to a gay hotel in Pattaya when you know the kind of place it is and the kind of people that are around.

You got it there Scottish! Maybe we should open a new thread about it/them...
Good idea... why don't you start one?