UK Government to Block Visas for Thai & Philippine Citizens

Have you ever considered taking your Thai girlfriend back to the UK? Maybe you have even been through the laborious process of trying to obtain a visa already, and have found that it is far from a formality.

In the past, the British Embassy in Thailand and the Philippines were featured on a BBC Radio 4 documentary which focused on the staff's bias against both Thai and Philippine nationals being granted visitor's visas for the UK, even when their visit is sponsored by a UK national.
In the past, my girlfriend, former receptionist at The Royal Cliff Resort Hotel in Pattaya and Staff Supervisor to The Sultan of Brunei, was refused a UK visitor's visa, and she told me the interviewer suggested to her that her visit to the UK would be for prostitution!
She phoned me in the UK, extremely upset at this suggestion, which is quite understandable - as her sponsor, the implication must have been that I was to "aid and abet" her, or that it was my intention to attempt to "live off immoral earnings" which apart from being a completely outrageous suggestions, I also found insulting in the extreme.

Luckily I was able to resolve the issue after contacting my MP who was Eric Forth (Leader of the House), he dealt with the insulting behavior of our embassy staff with speed, and only a week later Miss Ampai received a phone call asking her to collect her visa. She then visited me for a few weeks and then returned to work. This was not the only problem she encountered as when next applying for a visa, she was again refused. This time no reason being given by the British Consul in Brunei. I telephoned him and was able to sort the problem out in a matter of minutes.

These barriers to the granting of a visa were for a university educated, tri-lingual, high earner - imagine the problems if you want to invite a bar girl!

It seems that the embassy staff are not aware that they are our servants, paid for by our taxes and other charges UK citizens have to endure, and as such should be working to provide help and assistance with providing a sponsored visa application rather than finding any excuse to be awkward. To be fair, things at the Bangkok embassy have improved somewhat in recent years when the "infamous" Mrs.Claire Sakornpant was moved sideways, allegedly for being the driving force behind the reluctance to comply with the sponsors' wishes of visitor visas for their friends.

Economic Migrants

Any UK resident will be aware of the problem of economic migrants sometimes called "asylum seekers". Some 100,000 entered the UK last year, all without any invitation from UK taxpayers, however virtually nothing is done to remove them and now the government is reported to be deliberately not pursuing them as to do so means their numbers are officially recorded and Tony Blair's undertaking to reduce them by 50% before the end of 2003 will not be met.

Home Secretary Blunkett has now been reported to be ordering the following measures which are outrageous and racist.
It would appear that if an economic migrant arrives in the UK without invitation, passport, visa etc. he is not only allowed to stay but given financial support, housing, medical and dental care and even free legal aid to challenge any deportation BUT if one of us UK taxpayers wishes to invite a visitor here we are not to be allowed to.

It seems that the government have lost the plot here and instead of realizing that they our paid servants, and their purpose is to act on our behalf and in accordance with our wishes, they want to set themselves up as our moral guardians and act against our wishes, whilst at the same time flooding our country with lawless people who are nothing but a drain on resources, not invited, and not wanted by anyone, and will eventually destroy the way of life our parents, grandparents and ancestors have fought and died for.