hi,
im asking a question about my dad,,he is married to a thai wife 5 yrs ago but it broke down after only one yr,,,he cannot get hold of his former missus for a divorce and no one knows where she is.....

he now has another girlfriend for two yrs now and he wants her to come to uk on holiday visa,,,problem is he is not working but his sister has a lot of money and good job etc and she is willing to sponsor my dad s girlfriend,,his new girlfriend also has a few quid in bank .....is it possible and how,,,

thanksin advance

Firstly, if your father is thinking of any long term future for him and his girlfriend in the UK, i.e. settlement in the UK for her as his partner, then he must do one of two things.

Either:
live in Thailand with her in a relationship akin to marriage for at least two years so she can then apply as his unmarried partner,

or:
divorce his wife so that he is then free to marry and so his girlfriend can apply as either his wife (they marry in Thailand) or his fiance (they marry in the UK).

I know very little about divorce in either the UK or Thailand, but I think that in both countries as they have been separated for so long he may be able to obtain a divorce in her absence. I may be wrong. He must seek professional legal advice on this.

With regards to obtaining a visit visa for her, this should be a relatively straightforward procedure.

He will be his girlfriend's sponsor, as it is he she is coming to visit and he who is supporting her application.

He should write a sponsor's letter briefly describing the history of the relationship, how many times he has visited her in Thailand, the reason for the visit at this time and what their future plans are together.

He must not try to hide the existence of his wife, especially if he ever sponsored her for any type of UK visa as this will be on record. Better to deal with it initially then to wait for the ECO to ask, I believe. So I think that he should explain in his letter what happened to that relationship and why he has not yet divorced.

Whoever she will be staying with should describe the accommodation available and show that it is ok for her to stay there; if they own then proof of ownership such as a mortgage statement or copy of the deeds; if they rent then a letter from their landlord confirming that there is room for her and that they have no objection to her staying there.

As a third party is offering financial assistance then they should write a letter explaining why they are doing so and include evidence of their ability to do so; e.g. the last 6 months pay slips and bank statements.

If his girlfriend is meeting some of the cost herself then she should provide similar.

The following may be helpful:-

Guidance - Visitors (INF 2)

Guidance - Sponsors (INF 3)

For where and how to apply, fees, what evidence to supply etc. see UK Visa Application Centre in Bangkok.

You might find the attached document useful, it gives the grounds for divorce under Thai law.

A couple wishing to divorce can pitch up at the Amphur with their marriage certificate sign some forms and their marriage is at end, this is also recognised in the UK. Obviously this is not appropriate in your fathers case, so he will need to go to court to get divorced, I would have thought that section 4 or 4/2 would be most appropriate, but he will need legal advice.

7by7's advice is sound, and there is no reason why your fathers girlfriend should not be granted a visa in the circumstances you explain, I know from personal experience that it can be done.

I wish him all the best.

thanks lads,,,i will pass this on

He really should get divorced asap and put that part of his life to bed so to speak.