The infamous and elusive "Guarantee" letter ??

I posted the below on another forum but thought I would add it here in case anyone here had any experience to share ( and as there are no replies on the other forum yet)

So, someone had commented about several things they had been asked for by The British Embassy when trying to get a holiday visa for their Thai (boy)friend and one of the items was the elusive ...... "A letter from me to Guarantee his stay"

So, I've often heard this guarantee letter being talked about and from the little I know about it I understand it basically to be a letter saying that you are and will be and accept responsibility for all and any repatriation costs should your Thai (boy)friend choose to dump you and take off to live somewhere else in your Country overstaying his visa until such times as he's either caught by immigration and / or decides to return to Thailand in his own good time, or perhaps you and he simply decide that he's going to remain with you illegally and you in effect hide him in the UK he never returns to Thailand - again until he's caught no doubt.

So a) am I right about the overall guarantee part of the letter IS a basic guarantee from you as outlined above or is there more to it than that with perhaps you also being liable for him for things like legal and health cover (i.e. paying for NHS treatment if so required or what if he gets arrested for fighting and ends up in the legal system - is that at your expense too etc ?)

Then b) I've also heard all sorts of horror stories about just how much the amount of money may actually be that is required to be guaranteed or what it could possibly / usually end up at, but does anyone have any knowledge of that ACTUAL figure should your BF decide to take off and leave you in the crap with you having to pick up the pieces after he decides to take off and go work the bars in your home city selling his ass to make his fortune !?

And I guess lastly c) if your boyfriend DID decide to land you in the crap by taking off on you and is picked up and deported (or returns to the airport 5 months later as an overstayer just perhaps) IS the guarantee clause ACTUALLY physically enforced and DO you REALLY get an invoice from UK Immigration for ┬гXX??? amount of money or does this just not happen in real life and you just hear no more about it?

I ask these questions as once or twice I have thought of bringing a Thai friend over and so signing such a letter would be required ( I'm told, is THAT actually true too ?? ) but the whole grey area surrounding this ( in terms of my own knowledge more than anything probably) and what sounds to be a totally open ended nightmare of a letter (that has never seen actually been seen or signed by anyone I know here in the UK anyway?) AND added to that all the various (bar) stories I've been told late at night in smokey bars in Bkk of farang having to fork out ┬г40,000 and ┬г50,000 after almost unlimited bills have been sent to them on their boy taking off to earn some money whilst in their Country was enough to scare the pants of me and I very quickly re thought the whole plan, but all of these stories always seem to involve a " friend of a friend" and not the person I'm speaking to so which the breadth of experience here can anyone on the board shed some "actual" factual advice and experience about that whole end of things and or even better perhaps share some personal experience of same perhaps ( either good or bad) about basically IS there a physical letter, is it enforced and for approximately how much should the worst happen ???

And before anyone urges i exercise huge caution before even thinking about bringing a bar boy here etc don't worry it wasn't a bar boy I was relating this too at the time ( or so he told me anyway) - but hey it's Bangkok, who knows eh ! :-)

Similar Threads:

• Army General "Dissolve Parliament", PAD Stop"
• Our "Smiles" ""WAS""...feature

[cdnmatt]

Can't say about a tourist VISA to the UK, but I do know about PR status to Canada, and I'm guessing about the same rules apply. It's simply a guarantee that you promise to be responsible for him during his stay, and that the government will not spend a single solitary penny of taxpayer's money on him. If he ends up in the welfare system, you're paying. If he ends up with a 3 year prison sentence, you're paying that $30k/year or whatever to house him there. If he gets picked up by the cops for being homeless, you're paying, etc.

The reasoning behind him taking off on you and getting into trouble will be irrelevant to the government. In their eyes, you brought him over, so he's your responsibility. You can expect to be liable for any money he costs the taxpayers + interest. That's why it's open-ended with no limit in terms of $$$. If he turns out to be a serial killer and goes on a killing spree, then that's going to be a costly investigation and trial. :-)

As long as you know him decently, wouldn't worry about it much though. It's more of a "worst case scenario" type of deal.

[Brad the Impala]

N Irish, I think that you're getting a bit hysterical over this. All I provided as a letter of guarantee was simply an undertaking that I would be responsible for his costs during his stay and that he would be living with me.

No one could expect that guarantee to cover the kind of excesses that you are describing. It's not like putting up bail money!

I'm not sure that a simple question is "hysterical", I'm simply asking has anyone any experience of this - and from your "you only signed" etc Matts reply above actually does seem to contradict your belief of exact what you were signing up for - hence my question - as if I signed that I would responsible for his costs I think I would want to know did that just mean his living expenses or all the other "hysterical" stuff too :-)

And I should add my hysteria isn't self induced but has been carefully honed by many drunk farang in many bars telling me many horror stories of what happened to a friend of a friend, hence why asking for any possible clarity regarding all if that here perhaps, mind you it will be interesting to read the outcome here perhaps as if the general gist of what people claim is true then it's just possible that you have actually signed up for a little more than you envisaged at the time perhaps - either way I look forward to reading people's experiences ( including yours and thank you for that).

[cdnmatt]

For the most part, I don't think it's much to worry about, unless you don't know him well and he ends up being come lowlife criminal. Only thing that may concern me a bit is his health insurance. If he ends up in the emergency room with no insurance, you're going to be on the hook for the medical bill.

It's just the government requiring you to agree that no taxpayer money will be spent on your Thai BF. 99.5% of the time, I'm sure it's no big deal. Thai BF comes, has a good time, and heads home.

Yes I'm sure you (both) are probably right there - out of interest then as I'd mentioned if he should ( against your wishes) NOT to return home, where does one stand there then I wonder ?

( whilst its mainland Europe and not the UK) I know of an instance with a Thai bar friend of mine where he's over visiting his European BF and unbeknown to the boyfriend the Thai boy is "sex working" every day in the guys house by using gay Romeo and grindr and also unbeknown the the poor unsuspecting farang who's out at work all day and thinks his BF is out looking at museums or god knows what the Thai guy is debating taking off to Amsterdam to work there "for a while" was the way he put it to me, I should add that the Thai guy and I go way back and have always been very honest with each other about such things and I have also seen his Ad on GR so I've no doubt what he's saying is correct ( plus he's horny 24/7 so I don't doubt his love of his work either :-) - hence my questions as I recall talking to the farang BF in Soi Twilight one night and he told me that he would be screwed financially if such a thing where ever to happen and I would imagine the UK wouldn't be that much different.

But it's quite possible the infamous letter that people talk about is no more than a simple "he"ll stay with me and I'll clothe and feed him" type deal - (which does sound like a MUCH proposition) hence my (hysterical :-) post asking for people's experiences of same perhaps.

[cdnmatt]

In that case you mentioned, it's not really a big deal. Him hooking up with people, and fucking their brains out, or taking off to a different city / country to do the same isn't costing the taxpayer anything, so the government isn't going to care. Now if he overstays his VISA and the cops pick him up for being an illegal immigrant, than yeah, you're going to be on the hook for the money it cost taxpayers to process and deport him.

Basically, any money that's comes out of the government coffers due to him, is actually going to come out of your personal bank account. :-)

Yeah that's exactly what I assumed and would (depending on the person of course) would always niggle me in the back of my mind, one blazing row sime night over good knows what cultural misunderstanding ( or him wanting to go find "work" in the local gay scene and BANG, front door closes, he's gone ( after pinching your wallet) and liable for god knows what there after !? Which Brad I'm sure you'd agree IS a hell of a distance off "I'll clothe and feed him" - hence my original question to ascertain otters thoughts or views on that.

It appears that the US tourist visa regulations are much less daunting, once the individual has obtained the visa. US consular officers tend to ignore letters from a тАЬsponsorтАЭ since they are seen as self-serving. Even if the sponsor submits an official Affidavit of Support, it is unenforceable. US visa officers focus solely on the applicant's family and economic ties to his home country and the likelihood that he will (or will not) return home when his tourist visa expires.

Once the tourist enters the US, he, and he alone, is responsible for his actions (debts, medical expenses, legal costs, etc.). The US government has no recourse except to deport him if he overstays his visa. The sponsor is not liable for anything.

[ceejay]

There is no such thing as a guarantee letter. Your friend will be required to show documents proving that you have the funds and are willing to support him whilst in the UK, but it is not a guarantee. The relevant page on the UK Borders Agency website is for the General Visitors Visa:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas ... g/general/
If you click on the "What documents do you need" link you come to this page:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas ... documents/
and if you open the "More information" dropdown entitled " I am visiting someone in the UK. Can they give a guarantee for me?"
You get the following information:

The person who is 'sponsoring' your visit cannot give a guarantee that you will comply with the terms of your visa, or that you will leave the UK at the end of your visit.

They can help you with your application and provide you with the relevant supporting documents listed in our guidance, but you must provide these documents to us yourself.