Wisewinston

I am a UK citizen living in Belgium and my daughter is adopted from Thailand. We are still waiting for the final paperwork to be completed and so she is still Thai. If covid allows, we would like to go to the UK this summer to see my family and are applying for a tourist visa for her. The problem is that we have to provide 6 to 12 months of bank statements translated into English -this is going to cost me a fortune, particularly given the fact that covid encouraged us to pay for even tiny purchases by card and to avoid cash. I am employed, as is my husband and can demonstrate savings in a UK bank account (but I understand that the UK immigration authorities want to see healthy behaviour on a live bank account). I can ask my brother to be her sponsor and guarantor - but my question is whether I should be honest about why he is doing this on the application? It seems odd that he would be her sponsor and not me - but I don't want to pay 1000 euros in translation fees!

BritInParis

Final paperwork for her adoption or her registration as a British citizen? 6-12 months of bank statements is complete overkill. Where did read that?

Wisewinston

Final paperwork for adoption under the Belgian system. I was born abroad (to British parents) so am only British by descent - I can't pass my nationality on to her as she was born abroad and adopted under a foreign system. She will become Belgian, not British.
6-12 months bank statements is in the official guidance but word on forums suggests that failure to provide bank statements is often a reason for refusal - a letter from an employer stating salary is not sufficient.