Hi YArden
I spent 1.5 years trying to get a visa for my Thai BF to get a visitor visa to Ireland...
It has been well documented elsewhere over teh years
But we eventually got it.
Last July we also successfully obtained his second VV, this time the application took only 9 days!
The most important things in this and all visa applications to Ireland are:
- a reason to go home at the end of the visa...
These should include:
-Good Job (non bar work)
-Letter from reputable school - if they are a student
-Family Ties in Thailand (eg. elderly parents but no wife or Kids - as they will hold this against them - perhaps they are going to Ireland to earn money to support them)
-Previous Travel History to other countries
-Non Brand-new passport
-Land and/or property in thailand
- No large deposits into their bank account - in last 6 months
-Matching itinerary for all proposed travel
Everything should be translated and stamped where appropriate
In addition you will also need to supply:
-Proof of having previously met you (photos etc)
-Invitation Letter from you
-Letter from you to Consulate
-Your Bank Details for last 6 months
-Application form and fees
Note that in the case of Ireland its the Sponsors bank accounts that they look for - not the applicants (this is the opposite of most countries)
Also note that the consulate in Bkk has not got the right to issue visas and must refer all applications on to the embassy in KL.
There is no interview involved in the process.
In my opinion, the UK visa is generally easier to obtain then an Irish visa as the Irish visa is very subjective. With a UK visa ur BF gets to talk to the person who is granting them the visa, and providing his story checks out and the paperwork is in order he will get the visa.
With an irish visa, u never get to see or even contact the visa officer directly, and even if the paperwork is 100% correct they often still refuse the visa as the final decision is down the the opinion of the visa officer(and the humour they are in!)
Unfortunately the 1st time applicants are usually referred to The Dept of Justice in Dublin which can take 8 weeks to processs, so make sure his flight itinerary is for at least 2 months ahead of the application date... if not it will be refused by the time they get around to reviewing the application.
In your case seeing as he already has 2 x UK VVs he might not get referred to Dublin.
If your BF is from Issan you might find that