Having submitted an application for a UK visa for she who must be obeyed, we entered the estimated three week waiting period for an answer. Two days ago, only nine days after submission, she received a call from the embassy and was subjected to a twenty minute interrogation which included such difficult questions as “where are you now?” and “how did you meet your husband”. At the end of the call, the interrogator told my wife she would get an answer in two weeks time. Sigh.
Then the same evening she received an automated email saying a decision had been made and that her passport would be returned. So quick! Did that mean she had blown the interview and they were not going to bother continuing the process; or had the answers “I am in the garden of my house” and “in Starbucks” been sufficient for those that guard the entrance to the green and pleasant land?
The answer came this morning in the form of a stamp in her passport allowing “180 days in the UK, if you can stand being there that long or can afford it” (some of that was implied). Cue much rejoicing; now we have to plan the trip and buy some air tickets.
Comments 🔗
2015-07-24| Parry saysIt’s raining here today, Spike. It’s been raining since last night. In fact there’s been no break in what has become an unremitting downpour. The forecast says it will continue to rain until 18:00 which means another 8 hours of rain.
2015-07-24| Spike saysIt’ll be different in September. It’ll be sleet instead of rain.
2015-07-24| Parry saysDress warm.
2015-07-24| Spike saysShe who must be obeyed is already getting into the spirit of things. “We will have to buy an umbrella in England; Thai umbrellas are not strong enough to stand up to the wind and rain.”
2015-07-24| Parry saysYou only need to pack his and hers full length sheepskin ponchos.
2015-07-24| Ray saysEverything you need at Poundland (for a quid)
2015-07-25| ChristianPFC saysYour wife applies for visa for UK first and after it’s granted you book the flights? When I apply for visa for Thailand in Germany, I have to submit flight details (enter and leave Thailand), i.e. book the flights first.
2015-07-25| Spike saysIf she wanted to go to Germany (which she doesn’t) she would have to apply for a Schengen visa which I believe does require you to prove you have booked flights in advance. This is not the case with the UK visa, in fact they specifically tell you not to buy tickets before the visa is granted, possibly because there is a high refusal rate.
2015-07-25| genuinej saysNo high refusal rate if you’re African, West Indian, Sub-continental, gay or disabled. If you’re two or more of the above you probably get to meet the Queen.
2015-07-25| genuinej saysGiven your proclivities, that’s hardly surprising!
2015-07-26| Spike saysWell done, a pot shot at colour, sexual orientation and disability all in one sentence; definitely in line for shitty bigot of the year with that one. It’s precisely attitudes such as this that I fear we will come across during our UK visit; given that my wife has brown skin and therefore has no business visiting the magnificent homeland of the white nation. Minus 1000 respect points.
2015-07-26| Spike saysIf you can put aside your homophobia for a moment, you might reflect that your own “proclivities” when visiting Thailand provide little in the way of a moral high ground.
2015-07-26| Parry saysUnlikely, Spike, but if you do it’s all down to Tingtong Maccadaengdaeng. When the beast visited the Blighty we experienced no such bigotry, it’s really not like that in the UK.
2015-07-26| Spike saysJust the occasional Daily Mail reader then. By the way, thoroughly enjoying your “photos of mud” series on Flickr at the moment.
2015-07-26| Parry saysI’m having a nightmare weekend. Oily dig has flooded, river wants back to its original course. Problems contained for now.