Why Does Irish Immigration Service Make My Thai Wife Feel so Unwelcome?

Paulgar

Each year it gets harder for my Thai wife to get a visa for Ireland. We both live in Thailand with our son. Here is something I wrote about it.
http://bit.ly/58Z2aB

I wonder what others think. Is this the same for the wives of other Irish people living abroad? Is this specific to Thailand? Is this fair?

Mr Yellow

Hey paul,

Dont know too much on the Irish partner visa details but ive heard that they are clamping down in ways here in Ireland.

Stereotyping is obviously an issue im sure, you have have to deal with having a thai partner?? - Im not sure if this ties in with you having so much hassle tho

I lived in thailand for a 6 months, & as you've written visas are handed out upon entry, but we must remember also how difficult it is for us as farangs to stay on long term in thailand. I think the era of ireland handing out passports is gone, but holiday visas is another thing altogether.

Try citizens information website - might have some info for you.

Kop chun mah kop
Mr Y

P.s. Ireland is still a very racist nation also unfortunately. Its when you live abroad for long periods & return it becomes apparent

Paulgar

Thanks Mr Yellow, I could understand this a bit better if it was a first visit, but it isn't. She has been many times already.

I have stayed in Thailand for eight years and the first four years was on holiday visas. I have been using work visas but I can also easily get a one year non o visa on the basis of being married to a Thai.

I just think that this is extremely unfair. I know that I have chosen to live in Thailand, but my son should have the right to visit Ireland and he can't go without his mum. There should not be so many obstacles in my opinion. Sorry if I sound annoyed, but I am.

Paulgar

Sorry double post

Mr Yellow

Maybe wait & see what happens teh next time you apply for holiday visa with your wife. if you get a lot of bureaucratic bull again, demand (in a nice way so not to f*ck up all future visa req's) why they now need so much additional information whereas you never had issues over previous years.

As i mentioned already, email citizens information - they are normally very good to deal with, they might be able to provide some info or inform you of certain changes to spouse visas etc..

Another thing - friends have told me that they get individual passports for their kids, as opposed to having the kid named on one of parents passports, as it can act as a restriction - parent without kids on his / her passport cannot travel alone with them

Hopefully it works out for the better

Paulgar

Mr Yellow wrote: »

Maybe wait & see what happens teh next time you apply for holiday visa with your wife. if you get a lot of bureaucratic bull again, demand (in a nice way so not to f*ck up all future visa req's) why they now need so much additional information whereas you never had issues over previous years.

As i mentioned already, email citizens information - they are normally very good to deal with, they might be able to provide some info or inform you of certain changes to spouse visas etc..

Another thing - friends have told me that they get individual passports for their kids, as opposed to having the kid named on one of parents passports, as it can act as a restriction - parent without kids on his / her passport cannot travel alone with them

Hopefully it works out for the better

Thanks Mr Yellow, my son has an Irish and Thai passport.
I will wait to see what happens.

TomBeckett

Hello Paul.
I feel your pain!! My girlfriend is Thai and the ammount of hassle that i got when she was getting her visa was just unbelieveable:mad: It took 3 months of constant getting bank statments,copys of passports,letters from here and there and the waiting jesus christ it was something else but eventually she got it in the end and it was for just a months holliday... I tought that once she got a visa once that it would not be as big a problem to get one again so long as she did not overstay her visa or do anything wrong.. But from what your saying you have do do this S**T everytime:mad::mad: If thats the case im out of here.. Thailand here i come!!:D

Paulgar

Hi Tom, it doesn't seem to make much difference getting a visa previously. It always seems to be getting tougher if anything.

TomBeckett

hello again Paul..
Jesus thats very disheartning!! one would just wonder why when everything is been done by the book.. but then again its ireland and the mind boggles.. also the civel servents here just do not want to do anything!! its like just hopping your head off a wall... I am sceriously thinking of heading out to Thailand its very depressing here at the moment this time last week i was on a beach in Rayong im just wondering why i came back Im thinking of running a bar or resturaunt perhaps in Samui or Phangan.. but i heard that getting a long stay visa is not as easy as it was.. is this true?? any help you can give would be great!!
Regards.
Tom.

Paulgar

Hi Tom, things are tough for people trying to get a long-term visa. For years people stayed here year after year on holiday visas; some of these had businesses. It is a lot harder these days, but if you approach it right you can do things legally. I would advise that you don't walk blindly into anything.

The Thai Visa forum has a lot of nob-heads on board, but quite a few of them know what they are talking about. It is a good place to go for advice.

I know that this isn't going to be much comfort to you, but even sunny climates get boring after a few years. I sort of miss January in Ireland - sounds exotic.

The common wisdom is that if you want to become a millionaire in Thailand it is best to arrive with at least 2 million. :-)

TomBeckett

Hi Paul
Yes i have been looking at the Thaivisa site there is alot of information there
im thinking the legal way is the better way to go.. as for becoming a millonaire if it happens it happens:D My other half is looking at renting a resturaunt/bar in Rayong there the rent is cheap so if i can make enough to be comfortable and happy thats me happy:) jesus anything to get out of here with its depressing atmosphere and the horrible horrible weather!!

Dog Fan

Hi Paul,

I married a non-eu wife and had to do the following -
Go to the local Irish embassy
get the marriage documents translated, notarised, and get an apostile stamp on them.
Submit the docs to the embassy, and once the marriage was recognised under Irish law she was automatically entitled to a visa.
having said that...
For her first few years here she had to register every so often with the Guards immigration service - and she was quizzed occasionally at the airport checks.

I understand this is a different situation to yours as we both reside in Ireland and I hope I'm not duplicating the info above if you've already gone through this.

Sorry for the hassle you and your wife are getting.

Paulgar

Dog Fan wrote: »

Hi Paul,

I married a non-eu wife and had to do the following -
Go to the local Irish embassy
get the marriage documents translated, notarised, and get an apostile stamp on them.
Submit the docs to the embassy, and once the marriage was recognised under Irish law she was automatically entitled to a visa.
having said that...
For her first few years here she had to register every so often with the Guards immigration service - and she was quizzed occasionally at the airport checks.

I understand this is a different situation to yours as we both reside in Ireland and I hope I'm not duplicating the info above if you've already gone through this.

Sorry for the hassle you and your wife are getting.

Thanks Dogfan, I submit these same documents each time for the visa with translations, but this year they want more. I'll see what happens in a few weeks; hopefully they will approve the visa with the documents I've supplied.
Cheers Paul

Paulgar

TomBeckett wrote: »

Hi Paul
Yes i have been looking at the Thaivisa site there is alot of information there
im thinking the legal way is the better way to go.. as for becoming a millonaire if it happens it happens:D My other half is looking at renting a resturaunt/bar in Rayong there the rent is cheap so if i can make enough to be comfortable and happy thats me happy:) jesus anything to get out of here with its depressing atmosphere and the horrible horrible weather!!

You will likely hear a lot of negativity about your plans from other westerners over here. Just don't burn any bridges at home. Life is about taking chances - I think. So long as we are prepared for failure if it comes.

Maserati23

Hi Paul

Just about to apply for an Irish pasport for the wife. We are 8 years married here in Ireland but my Gaff, Mansion 8 beds is in UDON. I will retire there soon.

You would not get the hassle you are getting if you "were resident in Ireland".

They are clamping down vigorously on Non EU applicants.

I know the story my Cousin works on Burgh Quay.


Best of luck

Sabai.......

P.S. I am bloody renting here in Dublin. Nothing much going to happen here in the next 5 years ...Depressing:mad:

Paulgar

Well the good news is that my wife's visa came through; so we don't have to worry about this again for another year.

Maserati23

I hope it works out for you when you move here permanently. I sometimes forget what the attraction is, but I suppose there are worse places to live than Thailand. I am actually looking forward to my trip back to Ireland.

maninasia

I can understand your experience, my wife is Asian aswell. They should understand if you are a genuine marriage with previous visa record that the risk is almost non-existent. In fact, she is entitled to reside in Ireland as your wife (although they claim otherwise when asked directly).

There are a lot of people working in those offices that are really not too smart!

Another thing you need to understand about Ireland, they have two systems (seriously), the TDs can get things processed faster, so you could contact with your local TD if the hassle eventually became too tiresome.

jickeyswhop

Paulgar wrote: »

Well the good news is that my wife's visa came through; so we don't have to worry about this again for another year.

Maserati23

I hope it works out for you when you move here permanently. I sometimes forget what the attraction is, but I suppose there are worse places to live than Thailand. I am actually looking forward to my trip back to Ireland.

hi paul im in the proses myself of trying to get the other half home iv twins that will be 5 months old this month with her and am going to marrier her over ther when i get over ther i was wondering do you know what the story is with the online applacation do you fill that out first and then do the rest of the paper work at a consalute and did you have to get your marriage registered over ther

Paulgar

Hi jickeyswhop, maybe things have changed now though but here is the process we went through. I typed out an affadavit saying that I wasn't married already. I then had to bring this and documentation showing that I had and income to the Irish counsulate. They stamped the afffadvit. I then had to take this to a translator to have it translated and certified. This paper was then taken to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (near Don Muang Airport) and they provided their stamp. We were then free to marry. I am not sure if things have changed now. I've always found the staff at the Irish Consulte in BKK to be friendly and they answer my emails fairly promptly; I think the office has been closed for holidays recently though. I hope that helps.

ebbsy

Hi there

I too have a Thai spouse and lived in Thailand for a few years, doing the Visa run thing to Penang (from reading ThaiVisa that option has been cut off and everybody heads to Laos now). Thaivisa is still an excellent resource for many things.

Things are not so bad visa wise now here as they were in the mid 90's , I remember waiting in Harcourt st immigration from 7am and been seen at 5pm in the evening. Although there is less waiting now as there is less foreigners here.

We will probably retire in Thailand, as life is more easier there. I have been there 11 times and love it.

Anyway keep fighting the good fight.

jickeyswhop

jickeyswhop wrote: »

hi paul im in the proses myself of trying to get the other half home iv twins that will be 5 months old this month with her and am going to marrier her over ther when i get over ther i was wondering do you know what the story is with the online applacation do you fill that out first and then do the rest of the paper work at a consalute and did you have to get your marriage registered over ther

thanks paul i got on to afew irish consaluts in bangkok and phuket they were pretty helpful they gave me the heads up on what i needed to do

gilderbeast

My wife has just received her second long stay visa for Ireland. Sure, there are some documents that have be produced but I cant really see how its a major problem. If you plan your trips well in advance the waiting period isn't really a problem either. In my experience its much easier to get a visa for Ireland than the majority of other countries. However, spouses of Irish citizens who are also the mother of an Irish citizen should perhaps be given Irish passports much easier and quicker... Its a recognised human right of every child to be with their parents and family. Take the case of an Irish child who is still breastfeeding but whose mother is refused a visa!!!!

greenteaicedtea

My brother married a girl he met while living in Taiwan. Before they married, he moved back to Canada (where we grew up) and she applied to come to Canada from Taiwan. She visited periodically until she got permanent resident status, and told me once that Canadian Immigration asks a lot of questions, and didn't go into what the questions were.

I assumed they wanted to make sure that she was not being trafficked and wanted some assurance that she was not visiting people who would bring her to harm.

So I don't think it's just happening in Ireland.

faral

Mr Yellow wrote: »

Hey paul,
P.s. Ireland is still a very racist nation also unfortunately. Its when you live abroad for long periods & return it becomes apparent

mate ar u joking or what??irish people were among the most open and friendly to other nations vide eu enlargement and invasion of eastern europeans.ive never eve seein`such a nice,smiling and happy people as irish`.so dont tell that irish are racist because u dont even know what it is

Fysh

faral wrote: »

mate ar u joking or what??irish people were among the most open and friendly to other nations vide eu enlargement and invasion of eastern europeans.ive never eve seein`such a nice,smiling and happy people as irish`.so dont tell that irish are racist because u dont even know what it is

Hi faral,

Given that this thread is specifically about the experiences people have had with the Irish immigration service, it's not the right place to try and start a discussion about whether Ireland as a country is racist or not.

GalwayFarang

I have met the same thing you describe, constantly, with my Thai wife, in Ireland, as we attempt to negotiate the system that both the Garda National Immigration Bureau and the Irish Immigration & Naturalisation Service prescribes for us. I make sure that she never attends either agency without me as we have witnessed outright/blatant/unmitigated racism/xenophobism to others as we wait to be seen and during our personal dealings with both agencies but I have to say the GNIB are the by far the worst. It entirely depends on the mood of the Garda we meet on the day what kind of visa she will be given and for how long? I'm happy to say we did meet a genuinely nice Garda the last time we went but the time before that we met a complete arsehole who contradicted the directions we had been given by the guy we had met 1 year before him and told us when I protested that the decision was his and his alone and was final and that the previous guy must have got it wrong. My wife has applied for naturalisation and we are hopeful that she will have an Irish passport this summer sometime (€175 for a certificate of Naturalisation and €950 for the passport!) but we have two sons (my stepsons, her sons, Birth Father R.I.P.) here in Ireland who we brought over in '09 and I'm weary of the thought of the obligatory future contact with Galway GNIB. I laugh when I hear talk in this country about the special place the family is afforded in the constitution. Whose family?

Paulina_C

From my own experience, a student visa requires A LOT of documents and it takes forever to proceed. I missed my orientation last year because I did not get my student visa on time (3 months passed), and I had to postpone my flight. Then I asked my boyfriend to go to the Burgh Quay for me to see if my visa had been processed because the Irish Consulate in Bangkok told me that everything, in case of student visa, would be decided in Dublin. After he went to the visa office, I got a call from the consulate the next day that I got the visa. It was just so annoying

kogus777

Hi guys,

I curently live in Thailand with my Thai wife and we have a Son with another baby on the way. Im 40 and we are looking to move back to Ireland next year as i have been offered a job back there and we want to be nearer my family. I have dual UK/Irish citizenship due to my parents being Irish.

We are about to be married legally here in Thailand as we have been together as man and wife with rings only for the last 5 years (didnt seem important to us until now).

My wife is wealthy by Thai standards and owns quite a bit of land and property and she would prefer to keep her family name as opposed to having to get all her land/property titles changed over here (which can be a major pain). She can legally keep her own surname and still me my wife. Our Son has my surname and so will our new baby. Just want to know if anyone reckons her not having my family na,e will cause us trouble getting her a long stay visa for Ireland?

Also as we plan to move all at the same time and because i havent lived in Ireland for 14 years and have no tax recent records does anyone have any advice they can give me on this? I can and would get a letter from the company offering me the job to say that that is a definate. I can also prove funds for both me and my wife.

i have family in Ireland who would be willing to vouch for us. Basically if anyone can help me with info that would be most appreciated as i have 1 year to plan the move.

Hope I get a nice decision maker. Funny how so often thats what it all comes down to. Who opens your application on the day

good luck . Cheers