Advice needed - UK visitor visa for VN girlfriend

I think the problem is they want to make sure she doesn't run off and get lost in the UK. If she has a job to come back to the risk is lowered. I'm not sure there is any way you can get around this. I suppose you could try buying your way out of it but then again, that might land you in jail for bribery.

I don't think there is anyway around it either, I'm afraid. My Vietnamese girlfriend has applied for a visa to visit me in Ireland and the process is very complex. All sorts of documentation required, from me as well as her, I think they try to make it very difficult to discourage people from applying. She applied in October and we are still supplying documents with no guarantee that her application will be successful. I have to leave Vietnam at the end of March and was hoping to bring her home with me.

Redmundial wrote:

Hey guys

So I want to take my girlfriend of 2 years to the UK to visit my family in June. Just for 10 days. One of the requirements is she needs a letter from her longterm employer stating she has the time off and will return to that job.

The only problem is her employer would never give her the time off, so the only way she could have enough time to go is if she quits, which of course would make the visa impossible...its a catch 22 and Im not sure how to get around it.

Has anyone any similar experiences and if so how did you go about sorting this.

I seem to recall someone (THIGV?) pointing out that in general, these types of visas become more difficult to obtain if the applicant reveals they are going abroad to visit a boyfriend, the idea being that she would be considered more likely to get married abroad and want to stay, instead of returning home to Vietnam.

Not that I'm advocating perjury on a government form...

Thanks for the replies fellas...Im living here in Saigon so we would be going together, but my family would provide a letter saying she'll be staying with them...we thought maybe if she had a job offer starting when she returned that might be an alternative...I'm sure many Vn nationals have this issue, they can only travle if they quit a job as employers are reluctant to give them much time for holidays...would an immigration company be able to get around this I wonder?

Regarding my situation, I have supplied a letter saying my girlfriend will stay with me, which I thought would have helped. However, looked at from an immigration officers point of view, there's nothing to stop my girlfriend leaving me and becoming an illegal alien, I would have no power to stop her, I imagine this is their fear. Sorry I can suggest nothing positive.

Redmundial wrote:

Thanks for the replies fellas...Im living here in Saigon so we would be going together, but my family would provide a letter saying she'll be staying with them...we thought maybe if she had a job offer starting when she returned that might be an alternative...I'm sure many Vn nationals have this issue, they can only travle if they quit a job as employers are reluctant to give them much time for holidays...would an immigration company be able to get around this I wonder?

I have heard (I don't know this as fact) that sometimes a visa is more easily obtained if:

1. The Vietnamese citizen buys a tour through an established tour company, which can of course be much more expensive than simply traveling with you.

and

2. As previously noted, no suggestion of personal connections to the foreign country are made.

Maybe your consultant (agency) will help you to buy the latter of any company, why you don't try on that. It's easy. If your gf work for that company longer then why its impossible to get 10 days day off?

Say your gf can convince the company to let her have the time off,  but if she has never travelled to any country outside of SEA, it would be almost impossible for her to receive a UK visa. 

Vietnamese nationals who want to travel to Europe lay down their groundwork years in advance, starting off with Australia for multiple trips before joining a European tour (pilgrimage tour the easiest to achieve visa). 

My nephew and his wife have more than enough money to support themselves and their daughter for the rest of their lives just on the interest from the bank.  In addition, she has a never-ending income-generated business, they have 3 solid properties, and he has a very good government pension (almost half of my husband's pension from the States).  They have no reason to violate any visa agreement when their financial and social standing are head and shoulders above most people in the country.  Still, their first visa application was rejected.  That's because they hadn't been to anywhere outside of SEA, there's no history of their travel habit in the eyes of the big players.

Then they received a 10-year visa for Canada after their daughter finished the first of 4 years in uni there.  Then they made multiple trips to Australia.  Then a Germany Schengen visa with two German physicians (one in Saigon, one in Bayreuth) vouched for them.  US visa will be their next step this year.  Then UK in a couple years (as individual tourists).  We promise to be their unofficial guide when they receive a UK visa.

My nephew and his wife are the best applicants out of the hundreds of people who have shared their stories with me.  OTOH, my other niece has seen about 1/4 of Europe on gossamer wings (she didn't own properties, hadn't any guarantee income, and big fat bank account, only people in Europe who were willing to pay all her expenses).  That was before the Schengen visa became harder to acquire though.

What's my suggestion?  I'm sorry there is none.  But if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't dream of a trip in which you're holding her hand in the cramped comfort of a jet plane travelling across the sky and over the seas to the UK this June.

Maybe June 2022 if you start working systematically at it now.

The problem is in the past, these people have abused the visas, and not returned home. Now it haunts the ones that are legit. Best wishes, good luck.

I stumbled across this post whilst going to ask a few basic questions of applying for  my girlfriend of only 9 months to the UK for a visitor Visa .
A little worried at the comments ...! However , I’ve come across 2 men whom successfully applied with seemingly very very little queries from Uk Visa . The surprising one was an Irish (North) guy with Thai girl who worked as a masseur , actually a go go dancer , no proof of income , job or very little else in the reason to leave area or disappear . The sponsor was his Father in all elements , money , accommodation , the guy didn’t have even a legit job – success first time and no questions . Saw the pictures of a frozen Thai (alive!) in Ireland!  so  I wonder what magic buttons are ? Or have some applicants missed some basic convincing or perhaps gone over the top ? I only asking here , thanks and good luck with application at any rate , Glenn.
Ps; any quick links to the ‘rough guide of Visa application ‘ here !??

glen67 wrote:

I stumbled across this post whilst going to ask a few basic questions of applying for  my girlfriend of only 9 months to the UK for a visitor Visa .
A little worried at the comments ...! However , I’ve come across 2 men whom successfully applied with seemingly very very little queries from Uk Visa . The surprising one was an Irish (North) guy with Thai girl who worked as a masseur , actually a go go dancer , no proof of income , job or very little else in the reason to leave area or disappear . The sponsor was his Father in all elements , money , accommodation , the guy didn’t have even a legit job – success first time and no questions . Saw the pictures of a frozen Thai (alive!) in Ireland!  so  I wonder what magic buttons are ? Or have some applicants missed some basic convincing or perhaps gone over the top ? I only asking here , thanks and good luck with application at any rate , Glenn.
Ps; any quick links to the ‘rough guide of Visa application ‘ here !??

Maybe its the luck of the draw.

Your example was a Thai lady, maybe Thais dont run off as much as VN nationals. Check news services about Viets taking off once reaching their destination.

Yes, never thought of that , not sure of the statistics ! Bit of a worry now as i live Uk and don't want to be apart for months as my work is seasonal , well we'll see , good luck in your application!

Funnily enough i'll be going mainly to Northern Ireland, maybe that's not the most popular place for people to visit and do a runner so they take that into consideration...if someone did want to then go to live in the UK mainland illegally they would need to show id either on boats or planes...so maybe a glimmer of hope there...mixed stories Im hearing, so maybe its a case of mixed luck too...will sniff around a bit more and hopefully get a bit more solid info...maybe contacting the UK consulate here could help...anyone done this for something similar?

Contem talk wrote:

Maybe your consultant (agency) will help you to buy the latter of any company, why you don't try on that. It's easy. If your gf work for that company longer then why its impossible to get 10 days day off?

Like many VN (education) companies they are just a*** and even though they give a number of holidays its almost impossible to take them as they come up with excuse after excuse as to why it's bad timing...just b*** really tbh

Thai gals don't run off as much???????????
You're joking right????????????????
I know a Thai gal personally who has got a visa to the UK many times.
It was easy, and she works massage, ( legit), but owns a house , takes care of a brothers son.and a friend has no problem getting his gal back too, she has a good job in Bangkok.
It is FAR easier for UK citizens to get a visa, nearly impossible for other countries unless you are married.
Canada??? Hahaha good luck.
They raid massage places in the big cities all the time, they are loaded with Asian gals. Very very difficult now.

Canman62 wrote:

Thai gals don't run off as much???????????
You're joking right????????????????
I know a Thai gal personally who has got a visa to the UK many times.
It was easy, and she works massage, ( legit), but owns a house , takes care of a brothers son.and a friend has no problem getting his gal back too, she has a good job in Bangkok.
It is FAR easier for UK citizens to get a visa, nearly impossible for other countries unless you are married.
Canada??? Hahaha good luck.
They raid massage places in the big cities all the time, they are loaded with Asian gals. Very very difficult now.

Its obvious you have no clue about vietnamese doing runners in various countries. Do a search and you may get an idea. Just recently 140 did a runner in Sth Korea  300 were removed from Australia. I could go on and on, hence why Vietnamese are scrutenised so much.

Overstay visas

Now links done through Expat are being placed under review.

Colin, it's obvious you didn't read my reply, you say Thais don't do runners like the Viets, yes they do!, nowhere in my reply was I speaking of Vietnamese, yes I know they do runners. Yes I have a clue!
Next time you make such a reply, think a little, totally uncalled for!
Grumpy old man?

Hi all ,

This maybe a bit of interest to some of you on here , albeit , it's a year or so out of date but it does put VN in the lower of the worst 'runners' ? I assume my link will be vetted and hope this allowed ..

https://cis.org/Report/Analyzing-New-Vi … tay-Report

Hi again,

It's a fare comment perhaps the consulate but i feel given the other government 'help ' at all levels it maybe a disappointment , but worth a try maybe?

Well, i hope your theory of N' Ireland is correct as I'm in North West Scotland , near Isle of Skye and although touristy there aren't many opportunities for 'runners' , however it is only 4 hours away from large cities .

If i come across any useful info I'll fire it over , i know years ago there was a a large amount of advice on a Thai forum ,and the lengths and preparation some guys went to was admirable and a little worrying as some failed after taking some serious prep ...

Canman62 wrote:

Colin, it's obvious you didn't read my reply, you say Thais don't do runners like the Viets, yes they do!, nowhere in my reply was I speaking of Vietnamese, yes I know they do runners. Yes I have a clue!
Next time you make such a reply, think a little, totally uncalled for!
Grumpy old man?

Ok, give us some links related to Thais do runners, and not just a single example. My answer is based on the fact that countries are wanting to ban Vietnamese from obtaining visas. Your replies are baseless without any facts. Smartarse canuck.

Overstaying visas

A little out of date but maybe a little more of a world view ?

https://cis.org/Report/Analyzing-New-Vi … tay-Report


Personally , i feel the Western countries are strict with all of the poorer Asian countries VN and Thailand  included , i mean the stereotype crap i hear all the time about even travelling to either is beyond belief !

Forget it!!
I applied twice for my vn gf,once before we were married and again after we were married.
I provided all the documentation as required.
She owns a house in hcmc and has 2 kids and she works
U.K. Immigration refused her visa on the basis she does not earn enough!!
Same process second time round,this time with marriage papers plus we had bought an apartment here in hcmc.
Same reason,she doesn't earn enough money!!
F*** UK immigration!!
That's why I have now left the UK forever

glen67 wrote:

Personally , i feel the Western countries are strict with all of the poorer Asian countries VN and Thailand  included , i mean the stereotype crap i hear all the time about even travelling to either is beyond belief !

Stereotyping Asians from poorer countries?

It's definitely sad if your woman ("girl") has been unfairly stereotyped.

Unfortunately, poverty in the face of abundance accentuates dissatisfaction, which leads to desperation.

Desperate people do desperate things, such as violating immigration laws.

The situations is regrettably a problem for you and her, however, much of the profiling seems justified due to average past performances by others from the same countries.

I do hope you manage to make it work for you and her.

Returning to the OP myself, rather than comment I have a question about UK immigration law. 

In the US there is a thing called a Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status.  This allows a citizen to marry and sponsor someone already present in the country for permanent immigration, whether the current status is legal or illegal (described here as a "runner.")  As an illustration, this is apparently how Mrs. Trump became a legal immigrant.  She entered the US on a work visa as a model and subsequently married Mr. Trump.  Whether she had a brief period of illegal status is an argument that I will not get into here.  I also know personally a Vietnamese girl (now a 40 year-old) who came to the US on three separate business visas and went underground on her third.  She subsequently met someone, married and has a family.  Although she was a "runner," her legalization was through the change of status process.  The existence of this provision is another reason that it is, not absolutely, but nearly impossible for foreign wives of US citizens to obtain tourist or student visas.

Does UK immigration have a similar provision?  Is there a legal route to permanent immigrant status through marriage to a UK subject while in the country?  If so, it would explain a lot of the difficulty.

Thanks very much for your advice , appreciated !

Ciambella said all that needs to be said.

I married my gf as I knew that was the only way for her to get a Visa for the western world.
At least for the USA, I have been told that it is virtually impossible for single women to get a tourist visa to the USA from any country outside of the EU or Commonwealth. \
Good luck in any case.

Slight thread drift since this will be a US visa.  At the risk of another "I told you so" from my wife I'm going to gamble another 4,000,000VND for a tourist visa for her after TET.

The reason I'm trying again is at least this time it's a compelling argument.

The first time is was a couple month old "girlfriend" relationship and I lived in the US.  I was naive to think she could get one.

Now we are married, I live here fulltime, I have a house here, her daughter goes to school here, I have a business here.

I know I can't go to the interview but I can go along with her and she can say I'm outside and the interviewer can choose to step out and meet me if he wants to.  I am going to write a short letter and ask her to give it to the interviewer.  It will explain exactly why we will return together to Vietnam.  The one thing that may hurt or may actually help is that we are in the process of the CR1 immigration visa.  The way it might help is that I will explain that we ARE going to move to the US legally and in no way will I risk that by an overstay.  There is no reason for her to run as it would leave behind her daughter and I'm comfortably living and working here and I'm willing to wait for the process.

We will see.  I hope to be one of those cases that future Vietnamese cling to that says it is possible to get a tourist visa.

Does not work that way in the UK now and is much more difficult to obtain legal status. If a foreigner enters the UK on a visitor/business visa and wants to marry they must first leave the UK and marry outside the country. Then the UK national can apply for a ' Spouse Visa'  valid for 3 to 6 months. And that is not easy to obtain either. The UK national has to prove they have enough income or savings to support the partner, place to live etc etc and it can be quite a long drawn out process. Success is by no means guaranteed. Even an ordinary visitor visa can be fraught with problems. The Viet national must make an application that goes to Hanoi and eventually Bangkok for approval, expensive and takes time. Most applications are refused for the most ridiculous of reasons and any appeal is almost certain to fail  should the first application be rejected. As with all things in Viet , knowing the right agents with contacts helps enormously as does a decent lawyer but it can be very costly.

Hello everyone,

I had to close this topic earlier as there were too many off-topic posts. After removing them, i am re opening the thread.

Could we please share information that will benefit the initial poster ?

Thank you in advance,
Bhavna

Has she asked her employer for time off and a letter

We used a notarized letter  of guarantee in our application for my then viet gf to visit Canada. We got a 6 months visa and then married in Canada. 2007. Canada  has an in country spousal permanent resident application process also.
Some have suggested  i jumped the que, but alls fair in Love And War.
The main idea is satisfying immigration officails she will not be a burden to your country. Its all about  the Money

Vaneric wrote:

Has she asked her employer for time off and a letter

Redmundial wrote:

The only problem is her employer would never give her the time off, so the only way she could have enough time to go is if she quits, which of course would make the visa impossible...its a catch 22 and Im not sure how to get around it.

Answered and asked...

Yes i see.
At the time i was doing my gfs  Documents. She only had a part time family job. I wrote that in her application. 
I also wrote she was coming to meet my parents which were to old to travel to Vietnam.
We have been together happily for 12 years now.

I do realize it is very difficult now to get visas, even for viet family to visit Canada.
You need travel history. Land and assets in Vietnam. Lots of money and the ability to access cash from overseas for there stay

Access to money and a reason to  return to vietnam before visa expiry.
Is what are immigration officials  are mostly concerned with in decision making

Just to let you all know, my girlfriends visa application to visit me in Ireland was refused. The three reasons given were so open ended that it would be virtually impossible to satisfy them.
Sadly I can only conclude that ordinary Vietnamese citizens are not welcome in Ireland, I get the impression that a wealthy business person with strong financial commitments in Vietnam would not encounter any difficulty.

Couple of years back a friend move from VN to italy under te schengen agreement... she staye dun italy for 6 months befoee being able to move tk the UK..

Ill have to see if she have info how she manage it

Do you know what the reasons were ?

Can probsbly find evidence of the xenophobic pro Bexit camp pressuring the government to stem the tide pf migrants.

Seems a lot of people in the UK blame everything bad on mogrants.

Lets not forget the recent tragedy involving VN citizens, govts are weary after things like that happen.

colinoscapee wrote:

Lets not forget the recent tragedy involving VN citizens, govts are weary after things like that happen.

If it was easier for people to travel legitimately, things like that tragedy would not happen.