Another requirement of the settlement visa, or for anyone wishing to stay in the for UK longer than six months, is that they must have a test certificate showing that they are clear of infectious tuberculosis. The TB test certs can only be issued by the IOM (International Organisation of Migration) in Bangkok.
Today Janny called the IOM and has booked her appointment for 11th July.
I will write another post about exactly whats involved and how she gets on, after she has had her test.
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Thursday, 23 June 2011
English Language Requirements For UK Settlement Visa
On 29th November 2010 it became a requirement of the settlement visa to satisfy a level of English to at least A1 level.
This has been the cause of much frustration for myself and many others over the past few months. Until around March this year there was a list of approved test providers available on the UKBA website, and also a list of test providers located within Thailand on the VFS Thailand website. At the end of March '11, one month before I was due to fly to Thailand, I booked an English test for Janny to take whilst I was there with her through one of the test providers on the VFS list. Within a day of booking that test I received an email stating that the test provider had been removed from the list and they were cancelling all appointments. I then looked to the UKBA for an explanation and the only information being given stated that a review of the test providers was being conducted and would be published at some point in April. For a period there was no further info being published by the UKBA or any advice on offer for the interim period. This effectively stopped me from being able to make any other arrangements for booking a new test and also stopped me from making any travel plans to Bangkok where most of the test providers are located.
With only vague information coming out of the UKBA (as ever), I started contacting some of the test providers on the existing list to ask whether they could confirm if they were to be included on the new list. I received a few replies but the most confident was from a company called Vantage-Siam. They advised that as an agent for Cambridge they were very confident of being included on the list. One requirement of the new approved providers was to have test center's in a minimum number of countries and to provide a certain amount of tests each year, which Cambridge do. I decide to take a small risk and book a test through Vantage rather than waiting around for the new list to be published. This meant that we could book flights to Bangkok and hotels etc. Cost of the test was 5600baht
The test which Janny took through Vantage was the Cambridge BULATS. The test is actually a business language test but only a low level is actually required to meet the A1 standard. The test consisted of two parts. An online computer based test CBT and also a speaking test. The Computer test is what they call "adaptive", meaning that each question is decided by how the previous one was answered. If several questions are answered incorrectly the level drops, or goes up a level if answered correctly. This then gives an overall score to determine the applicants level. For the speaking test Janny was asked to talk about where she was from and what her job involved. She was then asked to elaborate more and was asked things like what she liked about her job etc.
We waited around a week to receive the test certificates, which we arranged to have posted back to Phuket. Janny's score for the two test was A1 & B1 so more than suffiecient to satisfy the visa requirements. Janny was so proud of herself, as was I. She had worried for weeks about having to do an English test and was so relieved to finally have it in the bag.
There has since been a new approved list of test providers published by the UKBA and also some guidance for the interim period. Basically anyone that has a existing test certificate from a test providers on the old list, will still be accepted for applications made before 17th July 2011. All applications made after 18th July (like Janny's will be) must provide test certificates issued by a provider on the new list.
Links:-
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/partners-other-family/guidance-for-applicants.pdf
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/new-approved-english-tests.pdf
http://www.vfs-uk-th.com/images/A1_Testing.pdf
This has been the cause of much frustration for myself and many others over the past few months. Until around March this year there was a list of approved test providers available on the UKBA website, and also a list of test providers located within Thailand on the VFS Thailand website. At the end of March '11, one month before I was due to fly to Thailand, I booked an English test for Janny to take whilst I was there with her through one of the test providers on the VFS list. Within a day of booking that test I received an email stating that the test provider had been removed from the list and they were cancelling all appointments. I then looked to the UKBA for an explanation and the only information being given stated that a review of the test providers was being conducted and would be published at some point in April. For a period there was no further info being published by the UKBA or any advice on offer for the interim period. This effectively stopped me from being able to make any other arrangements for booking a new test and also stopped me from making any travel plans to Bangkok where most of the test providers are located.
With only vague information coming out of the UKBA (as ever), I started contacting some of the test providers on the existing list to ask whether they could confirm if they were to be included on the new list. I received a few replies but the most confident was from a company called Vantage-Siam. They advised that as an agent for Cambridge they were very confident of being included on the list. One requirement of the new approved providers was to have test center's in a minimum number of countries and to provide a certain amount of tests each year, which Cambridge do. I decide to take a small risk and book a test through Vantage rather than waiting around for the new list to be published. This meant that we could book flights to Bangkok and hotels etc. Cost of the test was 5600baht
The test which Janny took through Vantage was the Cambridge BULATS. The test is actually a business language test but only a low level is actually required to meet the A1 standard. The test consisted of two parts. An online computer based test CBT and also a speaking test. The Computer test is what they call "adaptive", meaning that each question is decided by how the previous one was answered. If several questions are answered incorrectly the level drops, or goes up a level if answered correctly. This then gives an overall score to determine the applicants level. For the speaking test Janny was asked to talk about where she was from and what her job involved. She was then asked to elaborate more and was asked things like what she liked about her job etc.
We waited around a week to receive the test certificates, which we arranged to have posted back to Phuket. Janny's score for the two test was A1 & B1 so more than suffiecient to satisfy the visa requirements. Janny was so proud of herself, as was I. She had worried for weeks about having to do an English test and was so relieved to finally have it in the bag.
There has since been a new approved list of test providers published by the UKBA and also some guidance for the interim period. Basically anyone that has a existing test certificate from a test providers on the old list, will still be accepted for applications made before 17th July 2011. All applications made after 18th July (like Janny's will be) must provide test certificates issued by a provider on the new list.
Links:-
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/partners-other-family/guidance-for-applicants.pdf
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/new-approved-english-tests.pdf
http://www.vfs-uk-th.com/images/A1_Testing.pdf
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Marriage In Thailand
There are two sides to a marriage in Thailand. The legal amphur (registry office) marriage and usually a buddhist ceremony or "village" wedding for show. For the purpose of the visa application info I will concentrate only on the legal marriage requirements for now. Janny and I will be having a small village ceremony on my next trip in September and I'll post about that when the time comes.
The process for a UK national to marry a thai within Thailand really is quite simple and in theory can be done over a couple of days. There were some delays with our marriage which I'll explain but the process basically involves the following stages:-
1) Affirmation of Freedom to Marry - needs to be stamped by the UK Embassy in Bangkok
2) Translation of the stamped Affirmation - have the affirmation translated into Thai
3) Affirmation authenticated by the MFA - the translated affirmation then needs to be certified at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs
4) Amphur wedding - Produce the certified affirmation & other documents at any local amphur office where a marriage certificate will be issued.
As mentioned above, there were some issues which delayed the process for us but we still managed to have everything completed within four working days. Our experience went like this:-
Before leaving the UK, I prepared my affirmation from a template which can be found on the UK Embassy website. It's just a case of retyping the affirmation in the same format and adding your own personal details and printing it off. I also included a photocopy of my passport page. We took an early morning flight up to Bangkok from Phuket midweek on a Wednesday. After checking into our hotel we headed straight to the UK Embassy on Wireless Rd at 10.00am. Due to the security checks and a small queue at the entrance it took a little while to enter the embassy grounds so I would suggest going as early as possible. The affirmations are taken at the consular section which is located to the right as you enter the embassy. I took a number in the waiting area and waited to be called. When my number was called I signed the affirmation and handed it in with the photocopy of my passport and paid the 2860baht fee. I was told to return after 14.00 the same day to collect the stamped affirmation.
After collecting my stamped affirmation that afternoon I took a walk around and found a decent looking translation office not too far from the embassy. I paid 450baht to have my affirmation translated and was told it would take an hour to complete. The guy in the translation office tried to sell me their wedding package to do the entire process for us but there really is no need to pay for something thats easily done yourself. I returned an hour later to collect the affirmation (which must also be stamped and dated by the translator). By this time it was around 16.00 so within the first day I had my affirmation stamped and translated.
It was a this point that I found out that the MFA were closed on the following day because of a public holiday and so we lost a full day and were not able to have the affirmation certified. I would advise checking for public holidays before travelling, especially if you have limited time in Bangkok.
After losing a full day on the Thursday, at 8.00am on Friday morning we took a taxi to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lak Si. The MFA was already busy when we arrived and headed up to the legalization dept on the 3rd floor. As you enter the MFA building go up the escalator and then up another set of stairs. At the info desk they asked me what I needed and was given a form to fill in. I completed the form, another copy of passport is required at this point too, and they asked if I needed the affirmation back that day, which I did. We were then given a number and told to go to the supervisors office. The supervisor had a quick glance at the form and scribbled something in thai and told us to return to the waitng room where we were given another number. After waiting an hour and a half my number was called and I handed in the affirmation and paid the 800baht same day service fee (standard 400baht I think). I was told it would be ready at 12.00pm and so we went back into town as Janny had her English test scheduled for 11.00am (English test to be covered in another post). By the time we returned to the MFA it was around 12.45 and I went to the collection counter. Problem number two, there was an issue with the translation of my surname and the MFA would not accept it. The told me they needed a new translation and directed me to the bookshop within the MFA building whom offer a translation service. I had to hurry down and wait another hour to have a new translation done (another 400baht) and then hand it in again. Following another long wait I was finally given my certified affirmation, but by now it was after 15.00pm and the amphur offices close at 16.00, no time to do the amphur wedding. We already had flights booked back to Phuket for the Friday evening and so we couldn't complete the amphur wedding in Bangkok.
Back in Phuket we had no choice but to wait for the local amphur to open on Monday following the weekend. We arrived mid afternoon (our own fault due to a few too many the night before) and the amphur was very busy, mainly with locals renewing ID cards. We waited two hours only to be told that they did not have enough time to issue the paperwork and to return the following day. We returned at 9.00am the following morning and again had a long wait before we were seen. We handed over the certified affirmation, my passport, Jannys ID card and tabien baan (blue house book) along with copies of everything. The staff asked me how old I was and where I came from and we signed a few forms. We paid 40baht and were given two copies of the marriage certificate and a paper required for Janny to changed her family name. And that was it......married!
So to sum up. Although there is a fair amount of running around between the embassy, translator, MFA and amphur, the process is quite straightforward. If I could have done anything differently I would have checked for public holidays in Bangkok before we made the journey and also allowed more time for errors like our translation issue. If not for the public holiday we could have done the entire process in three days, two at a push but allowing for three should cover everything.
Total cost was 4550thb including:-
UK Embassy affirmation fee: 2860thb
First translation: 450thb
MFA certification same day service: 800thb
Corrective translation: 400thb
Amphur fee for 2x marriage certificate: 40thb
Other costs to consider are: taxi fares when travelling to and from the MFA, cost of making copies and also some amphurs charge a fee for the staff to act as witnesses but we were never asked to pay a fee.
Useful Links & addresses:-
UK Embassy
14 Wireless Road
Lumpini, Pathumwan
Bangkok 10330
http://tipsthailand.com/marriage-in-thailand/
http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/
http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/living-in-thailand/how-register-marraige1/
http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/2011/affirmation-of-freedom
Make your own banner at MyBannerMaker.com!
The process for a UK national to marry a thai within Thailand really is quite simple and in theory can be done over a couple of days. There were some delays with our marriage which I'll explain but the process basically involves the following stages:-
1) Affirmation of Freedom to Marry - needs to be stamped by the UK Embassy in Bangkok
2) Translation of the stamped Affirmation - have the affirmation translated into Thai
3) Affirmation authenticated by the MFA - the translated affirmation then needs to be certified at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs
4) Amphur wedding - Produce the certified affirmation & other documents at any local amphur office where a marriage certificate will be issued.
As mentioned above, there were some issues which delayed the process for us but we still managed to have everything completed within four working days. Our experience went like this:-
Before leaving the UK, I prepared my affirmation from a template which can be found on the UK Embassy website. It's just a case of retyping the affirmation in the same format and adding your own personal details and printing it off. I also included a photocopy of my passport page. We took an early morning flight up to Bangkok from Phuket midweek on a Wednesday. After checking into our hotel we headed straight to the UK Embassy on Wireless Rd at 10.00am. Due to the security checks and a small queue at the entrance it took a little while to enter the embassy grounds so I would suggest going as early as possible. The affirmations are taken at the consular section which is located to the right as you enter the embassy. I took a number in the waiting area and waited to be called. When my number was called I signed the affirmation and handed it in with the photocopy of my passport and paid the 2860baht fee. I was told to return after 14.00 the same day to collect the stamped affirmation.
After collecting my stamped affirmation that afternoon I took a walk around and found a decent looking translation office not too far from the embassy. I paid 450baht to have my affirmation translated and was told it would take an hour to complete. The guy in the translation office tried to sell me their wedding package to do the entire process for us but there really is no need to pay for something thats easily done yourself. I returned an hour later to collect the affirmation (which must also be stamped and dated by the translator). By this time it was around 16.00 so within the first day I had my affirmation stamped and translated.
It was a this point that I found out that the MFA were closed on the following day because of a public holiday and so we lost a full day and were not able to have the affirmation certified. I would advise checking for public holidays before travelling, especially if you have limited time in Bangkok.
After losing a full day on the Thursday, at 8.00am on Friday morning we took a taxi to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lak Si. The MFA was already busy when we arrived and headed up to the legalization dept on the 3rd floor. As you enter the MFA building go up the escalator and then up another set of stairs. At the info desk they asked me what I needed and was given a form to fill in. I completed the form, another copy of passport is required at this point too, and they asked if I needed the affirmation back that day, which I did. We were then given a number and told to go to the supervisors office. The supervisor had a quick glance at the form and scribbled something in thai and told us to return to the waitng room where we were given another number. After waiting an hour and a half my number was called and I handed in the affirmation and paid the 800baht same day service fee (standard 400baht I think). I was told it would be ready at 12.00pm and so we went back into town as Janny had her English test scheduled for 11.00am (English test to be covered in another post). By the time we returned to the MFA it was around 12.45 and I went to the collection counter. Problem number two, there was an issue with the translation of my surname and the MFA would not accept it. The told me they needed a new translation and directed me to the bookshop within the MFA building whom offer a translation service. I had to hurry down and wait another hour to have a new translation done (another 400baht) and then hand it in again. Following another long wait I was finally given my certified affirmation, but by now it was after 15.00pm and the amphur offices close at 16.00, no time to do the amphur wedding. We already had flights booked back to Phuket for the Friday evening and so we couldn't complete the amphur wedding in Bangkok.
Back in Phuket we had no choice but to wait for the local amphur to open on Monday following the weekend. We arrived mid afternoon (our own fault due to a few too many the night before) and the amphur was very busy, mainly with locals renewing ID cards. We waited two hours only to be told that they did not have enough time to issue the paperwork and to return the following day. We returned at 9.00am the following morning and again had a long wait before we were seen. We handed over the certified affirmation, my passport, Jannys ID card and tabien baan (blue house book) along with copies of everything. The staff asked me how old I was and where I came from and we signed a few forms. We paid 40baht and were given two copies of the marriage certificate and a paper required for Janny to changed her family name. And that was it......married!
So to sum up. Although there is a fair amount of running around between the embassy, translator, MFA and amphur, the process is quite straightforward. If I could have done anything differently I would have checked for public holidays in Bangkok before we made the journey and also allowed more time for errors like our translation issue. If not for the public holiday we could have done the entire process in three days, two at a push but allowing for three should cover everything.
Total cost was 4550thb including:-
UK Embassy affirmation fee: 2860thb
First translation: 450thb
MFA certification same day service: 800thb
Corrective translation: 400thb
Amphur fee for 2x marriage certificate: 40thb
Other costs to consider are: taxi fares when travelling to and from the MFA, cost of making copies and also some amphurs charge a fee for the staff to act as witnesses but we were never asked to pay a fee.
Useful Links & addresses:-
UK Embassy
14 Wireless Road
Lumpini, Pathumwan
Bangkok 10330
http://tipsthailand.com/marriage-in-thailand/
http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/
http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/living-in-thailand/how-register-marraige1/
http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/2011/affirmation-of-freedom
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Monday, 20 June 2011
My Story So Far
Where to start? I guess I should begin with an overview of my history with Thailand, where I am now and how I reached this point.
My first trip to Thailand was in April 2008. Before that trip I had never considered a visit to Southeast Asia and it was a friend of mine that first suggested we take a "lads holiday". It was the same friend that thought of Thailand as a possible destination, somewhere he had visited with his ex-girlfriend.
At that time I was 27 years old, single, with money to burn and it had been years since my last holiday abroad. I must admit my view of Thailand before that trip fell into the same stereotypical view that most first-timers have. The image in my head was of ladyboys, gogo bars, buddhist temples and poor rice farmers. I had no idea or real interest in the complexities involved with Thai culture and relationships.
One thing for certain, that first trip changed my life and the view I had of Thailand forever. I met a girl, and remained in contact with her after returning to England. Within a year I had returned to Thailand for a further two trips to visit her. On those visits I was introduced to a side of Thailand away from the touristy beach locations and ex-pat bars. I visited her family in the northeast, Isaan and was able to experience the "real Thailand" that so many westerners never see.
That relationship lasted a little over a year. There were none of the thai girl horror stories you hear so much about with us. Long distance relationships are hard and some don't work out, nothing more to it than that, but I learned a lot in that year. I tried to settle back into some kind of normal life in the months following that relationship but I could never seem to shake off the hold that Thailand had over me.
Several months later in April 2010, I decided to take another trip with the intention of catching up with some friends which I had made on previous trips and also to see whether Thailand still held the same draw for me. I went with no intention of becoming involved with another girl.....but again it didn't quite work out like that.
So in April of 2010 I met Janny and with a little help from mother nature, we spent just short of one month together. That trip was originally supposed to be for a little over two weeks. However, it was at this time that the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland was causing chaos all over Europe. My scheduled flight home was cancelled and I spent an extra ten days in Thailand with Janny. I'm not sure whether I believe in fate, but if it wasn't for that volcano, I really don't think we would be where we are today.
I returned home and remained in contact, but after my experience with my ex-girlfriend I was a little reluctant to become involved in another long distance relationship. But the weeks went by and we grew closer and I returned six months later to visit Janny. On that trip we visited Isaan where we spent time in Janny's home town of Maha Sarakham and also Khon Kaen before heading down to the islands. We grew very close and it broke my heart to leave, but again I returned home and continued to talk with Janny via Skype everyday after work.
After another visit the pressure to pay for the trips was catching up with me and so we started looking at a way forward for us. I had already looked at ways for me to stay in Thailand which for me just seemed impossible and so we had to find another way to be together. The only option left open to us was for Janny to come and live with me in the UK and so we decided to marry and apply for a settlement visa. This was two months before I was due back for another trip in May 2011 but not enough time to put the settlement application together and finalise everything. I decided that we should finalise some of the legal requirements on that trip in May and so we were legally married on 10th May 2011. (I will make a seperate post detailing the legal aspect of marriage within Thailand as it's too much to cover in a few sentences). One of the other things Janny managed to complete was a test to satisfy the English language requirement for the visa. This requirement was brought into effect in November 2010 for anyone wishing to settle in the UK. Again I will make another post detailing the English test.
So I've been home a little over a month now and my wife Janny is still in Thailand. I have started compiling together the masses of evidence required and building our settlement file. The fact that we have done the legal marriage and English test will save us a lot of time and running around on my next visit to submit the application so that has taken some pressure off. There are still some things that Janny will need to do before I head back, such as the TB test and she is planning on heading to Bangkok next month to do that. I have my flight booked and will head back to Thailand in September to submit Janny's application.
That's a brief summary but pretty much brings us up to date. One thing I have found frustrating so far relating to the visa process, is the (lack of) information provided by the UK Border Agency (UKBA). I have constantly found myself having to look to internet forums for advice and guidance due to the vague nature of the information given by the UKBA. An example of this is the A1 English language test requirement which I'll cover in another post. This is the main reason behind starting this blog. I hope that my experience of actually going through each stage will help clarify some of the processes for anyone looking to do the same.
Cheers
Steve
My first trip to Thailand was in April 2008. Before that trip I had never considered a visit to Southeast Asia and it was a friend of mine that first suggested we take a "lads holiday". It was the same friend that thought of Thailand as a possible destination, somewhere he had visited with his ex-girlfriend.
At that time I was 27 years old, single, with money to burn and it had been years since my last holiday abroad. I must admit my view of Thailand before that trip fell into the same stereotypical view that most first-timers have. The image in my head was of ladyboys, gogo bars, buddhist temples and poor rice farmers. I had no idea or real interest in the complexities involved with Thai culture and relationships.
One thing for certain, that first trip changed my life and the view I had of Thailand forever. I met a girl, and remained in contact with her after returning to England. Within a year I had returned to Thailand for a further two trips to visit her. On those visits I was introduced to a side of Thailand away from the touristy beach locations and ex-pat bars. I visited her family in the northeast, Isaan and was able to experience the "real Thailand" that so many westerners never see.
That relationship lasted a little over a year. There were none of the thai girl horror stories you hear so much about with us. Long distance relationships are hard and some don't work out, nothing more to it than that, but I learned a lot in that year. I tried to settle back into some kind of normal life in the months following that relationship but I could never seem to shake off the hold that Thailand had over me.
Several months later in April 2010, I decided to take another trip with the intention of catching up with some friends which I had made on previous trips and also to see whether Thailand still held the same draw for me. I went with no intention of becoming involved with another girl.....but again it didn't quite work out like that.
So in April of 2010 I met Janny and with a little help from mother nature, we spent just short of one month together. That trip was originally supposed to be for a little over two weeks. However, it was at this time that the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland was causing chaos all over Europe. My scheduled flight home was cancelled and I spent an extra ten days in Thailand with Janny. I'm not sure whether I believe in fate, but if it wasn't for that volcano, I really don't think we would be where we are today.
I returned home and remained in contact, but after my experience with my ex-girlfriend I was a little reluctant to become involved in another long distance relationship. But the weeks went by and we grew closer and I returned six months later to visit Janny. On that trip we visited Isaan where we spent time in Janny's home town of Maha Sarakham and also Khon Kaen before heading down to the islands. We grew very close and it broke my heart to leave, but again I returned home and continued to talk with Janny via Skype everyday after work.
After another visit the pressure to pay for the trips was catching up with me and so we started looking at a way forward for us. I had already looked at ways for me to stay in Thailand which for me just seemed impossible and so we had to find another way to be together. The only option left open to us was for Janny to come and live with me in the UK and so we decided to marry and apply for a settlement visa. This was two months before I was due back for another trip in May 2011 but not enough time to put the settlement application together and finalise everything. I decided that we should finalise some of the legal requirements on that trip in May and so we were legally married on 10th May 2011. (I will make a seperate post detailing the legal aspect of marriage within Thailand as it's too much to cover in a few sentences). One of the other things Janny managed to complete was a test to satisfy the English language requirement for the visa. This requirement was brought into effect in November 2010 for anyone wishing to settle in the UK. Again I will make another post detailing the English test.
So I've been home a little over a month now and my wife Janny is still in Thailand. I have started compiling together the masses of evidence required and building our settlement file. The fact that we have done the legal marriage and English test will save us a lot of time and running around on my next visit to submit the application so that has taken some pressure off. There are still some things that Janny will need to do before I head back, such as the TB test and she is planning on heading to Bangkok next month to do that. I have my flight booked and will head back to Thailand in September to submit Janny's application.
That's a brief summary but pretty much brings us up to date. One thing I have found frustrating so far relating to the visa process, is the (lack of) information provided by the UK Border Agency (UKBA). I have constantly found myself having to look to internet forums for advice and guidance due to the vague nature of the information given by the UKBA. An example of this is the A1 English language test requirement which I'll cover in another post. This is the main reason behind starting this blog. I hope that my experience of actually going through each stage will help clarify some of the processes for anyone looking to do the same.
Cheers
Steve
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