armchairlawyer wrote: ↑Wed Jul 12, 2023 8:27 pm Some applicants have obviously got lucky, and rightly so because I have never heard of a Khmer overstaying or causing problems in the UK.
Unfortunately a lot of UK visa officers seem to take a dim view of age and ethnicity gap relationships ane use any excuse to deny the visa.

Apart from all the "will she overtay" concerns, you do have to show she has somewhere to stay in the UK. If it's with family, show Land Registry title (small cost) and utility bills in the relevant person's name and a letter of invitation from them with a copy of their passport main page. Show the sponsor's bank account going back six months, assuming there's money in it. I have known cases where applicant and sponsor both showed bank statements with $20k + for six months and the officer still said it was just a ruse. The only clincher for the overstay objection is some official documentation. For example, letterheaded statement from reputable large employer, or Cambodian government certification of a business carried out in Cambodia.

The way the better visa agencies in Thailand handle this is to submit the crucial documents that even the most reluctant officer cannot ignore (assuming s/he reads the application properly). That means of course that you improve your chances if you omit all the stuff that is not going to help if the officer is against you, eg ownership of land, loving family members longoing to see her etc. OK, not omit but keepi t briefi

cautious colin wrote: ↑Wed Jul 12, 2023 8:44 pm

armchairlawyer wrote: ↑Wed Jul 12, 2023 8:27 pm Some applicants have obviously got lucky, and rightly so because I have never heard of a Khmer overstaying or causing problems in the UK.
Unfortunately a lot of UK visa officers seem to take a dim view of age and ethnicity gap relationships ane use any excuse to deny the visa.

Apart from all the "will she overtay" concerns, you do have to show she has somewhere to stay in the UK. If it's with family, show Land Registry title (small cost) and utility bills in the relevant person's name and a letter of invitation from them with a copy of their passport main page. Show the sponsor's bank account going back six months, assuming there's money in it. I have known cases where applicant and sponsor both showed bank statements with $20k + for six months and the officer still said it was just a ruse. The only clincher for the overstay objection is some official documentation. For example, letterheaded statement from reputable large employer, or Cambodian government certification of a business carried out in Cambodia.

The way the better visa agencies in Thailand handle this is to submit the crucial documents that even the most reluctant officer cannot ignore (assuming s/he reads the application properly). That means of course that you improve your chances if you omit all the stuff that is not going to help if the officer is against you, eg ownership of land, loving family members longoing to see her etc. OK, not omit but keepi t briefi

I know I have said before but I think you are scaremongering again. It's really not that hard to get a visa for a partner. Imo you need 3/4 of the following

Money (Above 5, probably 10k in their account, backed by transactions not just put in)
Land (a small piece is enough)
Sponsorship ( show as much as you can, but 10k should be ok for a few months)
Invitation letter (no need for small talk, just that they are welcome to stay between X and y)

I have had 4 following the above, never an issue. Never needed a payslip from a big firm (self employed)

I cannot believe that people showed +20k for applicant and sponsor and still rejected. But if the case, just buy a small piece of land and you'll be fine

Edit: no idea if the age gap matters, we are of similar age