KhaoYai

I think he can if he's married to a Thai citizen.

Good luck to anyone needing to call their UK bank these days - cheap rates or not. I've had need to call my bank twice in the last 3 or 4 months and each time I've been in a queue for over 40 minutes. As with most UK companies the recordings usually start with "We are experiencing high call volumes at the moment". I suspect that its not high call volumes, more like low staff volumes. They've all been cutting staff like crazy over the past few years. Customers needing assistance are seen as an nuisances. Oddly, sales calls are answered pretty quickly ????. I usually press whichever button is linked to sales - it usually works, its quite often the same person that answers all types of calls - they just priorities sales calls.

My account was probably the same as thousands of others. I didn't have a credit card but I did have a savings account. I understand why you might think there was something wrong - so did I but I assure you there wasn't. My account was probably very similar to those of millions of their customers. I had an account with another bank and switched all my DD's etc. to them so it didn't really cause me a problem. The most annoying thing was the lack of explanation and refusal to discuss the matter - even with their own staff. The staff at my local branch looked over my account and could see nothing that would cause concern. As I say - Google it.

I'm not sure if these cable guys are fully sane for doing what they do - working on live wires. A couple of years ago (in the UK) the underground supply to my home failed on a joint in the road outside. The cable jointing team arrived, dug a trench and started to repair the joint. Whilst watching them I saw the cables spark and asked them why they were carrying out the repair whilst the cable was live - I was told it was normal pratcice. The 2 young lads showed me a video of themselves working on a high voltage undergound cable with sparks going everywhere - even from themselves to ground, I asked them how often they get a shock - every day they replied. Bonkers!!!

No, I was living and working in the UK. I had often used their flex account when it was still working so I could use Thai ATM's without charge (during visits) but that had long since ceased. As I say, if you Google it you will find they've done exactly the same to hundreds of people.

My account was in full use. My salary was paid in every month and I kept a healthy balance as I regularly acted as a sponsor in visa applications/needed to show funds for my own visa applications. At the same time my daughter had a Natwest account that she hardly used - and still has.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/feb/03/natwest-closed-my-account-with-no-explanation

Clearly they did but there was no reason for any suspicion. If they'd been prepared to discuss it with me, I could perhaps have identified their mistake. Google it, you will find they've done the same to hundreds of people - all with no explanation. I at least got a month's notice - unlike some of these people: https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/money/saving-and-banking/natwest-robbed-me-account-closures-dog-one-of-britains-biggest-banks-uk-2-1064776

I'm not sure that had anything to do with you having a Thai address. About 5 years ago I received a letter from Natwest simply stating that they were closing my account with a month's notice - no explanation or reason. The letter also said the decision was final and they would not discuss it with me. I had always conducted my account properly, never gone overdrawn and always had enough money in the account to cover direct debits etc. There was absolutely no reason for the closure. I went into my local branch who were as surprised as I was and called head office for an explanation - they were treated in the same way as I was. A Google search revealed that unexplained account closures by Natwest are quite common with lots of reports of the same thing happening. I contacted the banking ombudsman but was advised they were powerless to demand a reason from Natwest.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions but it seems I was wrong about the problem only occuring when on Asean Now. Today I had several tabs open (but not Asean Now) which is not something I normally do. Two of them had a lot of graphic content and the laptop froze again after about 30 minutes use. I've also noticed that its quite a lot older than I thought it was - its just not worth the time or money trying to locate the fault. Updating it and adding more memory with no guarantee its fixed is most likely a waste of money. I'm going to replace it and leave this one in Thailand to replace the one that was stolen last year. I have a Thai friend who's an IT teacher, I may ask him to look at it and he may well have some memory kicking around.

Inheritance tax as its known in the UK is only payable when the deceased's estate is valued at over£325,000. I'm sure other countries will have also have thresholds.

You can have a strategy and may well be successful but just remember that anyone who enters Thailand multiple times/does border runs or constantly obtains extensions is at risk of being denied entry without warning. Some seem to make multiple entries regularly whilst others don't have the same luck. I received a warning a few years ago and my entries were 8 weeks apart, spending only 2 weeks in the country per trip - I think the only reason I got a warning rather than being denied entry was because I was married to a Thai citizen. Despite Thailand apparently being desperate for tourists, we have already had reports of denied entries. Plan away but always have a Plan B. There are methods of doing what you are planning without the risk - not that I'm recommending it but Thailand Elite for example.

Explain please.

Yes, that's been established - I didn't read 'ex gf' in his OP.

Well then you don't seem to have done an awful lot wrong - hopefully Tony will be able to see why the application was refused. Usually a phone call is a good indication that subject to tying up a few loose ends, its down for acceptance - unless it reveals something that differs from what's been stated.

Not specifically on the address but on reasons to return in general: The applicant needs to convince the ECO that the reason for the visit is genuine and the applicant will return before their visa expires. In this case, the fact that you are a dual national could possibly be throwing a small spanner in the works - you're legally entitled to stay in the UK. There could be a suspicion that you are trying to get her in to the UK long term and trying to avoid the associated visa costs. It would therefore be a good idea to demonstrate that not only does your gf have a settled life in Thailand, you do too - although you seem to have covered that. Was your leave letter on headed paper? Did you include your boss's phone number? I'm not a big believer that land ownership is accepted as a good reason to return - many Thai's own land but live abroad. Sure it helps but one of the main things an ECO is looking for in reasons to return is employment or a strong explanation of why the applicant doesn't work. Your gf isn't working so she needs to say why and major on the other things. Detail visits to her family with photos if possible. Yes, you should show money in your account. You have stated that you will help pay for the visit. You are therefore a 'sponsor' and should have shown evidence of your funds. Your father is also a 'sponsor' as he is providing accomodation - you sent a letter from your father but did it give any details of the property? All I usually do is provide a statment that I am happy to accommodate X person, state the size of the property, how many bedrooms and provide a copy of the council tax bill. If your father is also contributing finacially, you need to provide evidence of those funds. You provide your gf with a monthly income. Show her bank statements detailing the incoming cash and ALSO show your bank statements detailing the transfers. Many years ago when I applied for a visit visa for my first Thai wife before we were actually married, I received a phone call from an ECO (yes, they used to do that). She wanted to know why my then girlfriend wasn't working. I told her that we were soon to be married, she'd worked in Bangkok for a long time - away from her son. We would be making a visa application for both my gf and her son to come to live in the UK once we were married so I'd asked my gf to stop work and take care of her son for a few months (I would pay her salary).As is often the case in Thailand, she hardly knew her own child. I was asked to provide bank statements detailing transfers to my gf which I did and the visa was granted. Try to look at this from the side of the ECO considering the application: Unemployed Thai Citizen wishing to visit the UK. Finance: Where are the funds coming from. What evidence is of these funds is there? Does the finance cover the costs of the entire trip? Are there any sponsors? Evidence of any sponsor's ability to fund? Evidence of applicant's relationship to sponsor? Accomodation: Where will they stay? Hotel Booking? Stay with friends or relatives? Evidence of relationship? Any relationship to the occupants of the intended residence? Reasons to Return: Evidence of settled and stable life in Thailand? Close family ties? Employment? Memberships? Dependants? Volunteering? Its not enough to make statements - any material matters require evidence. Without seeing your entire refusal e-mail - to me it looks 50/50 - the ECO looks to have missed a few points as have you - and you could have provided more evidence. I think though, that on the face of it, the decision is a bit harsh but that's where you are - move forward from there. A quick check on the internet will locate literally hundreds of young Thai women working across the UK as Escorts or at Massage Parlours. The vast majority of those girls enter the UK on visit visas - many are on overstay. So ECO's have to take account of that when considering an application from a Thai female on top of their usual checks. That explains why its sometimes a little harder to obtain a visit visa for a Thai girl - especially one who's not working. Welcome to the Lottery of UK Visa applications - I've seen people with very few reasons to return and questionable employment details get a visa without a problem and people who provide lots of good evidence be refused. The one thing most refusals have in common is that they can't demonstrate a settled life in Thailand. I have friends in Thailand that go abroad every year and rarely have visa problems.....why? They have regular jobs, can cover the cost of their holiday easily without sponsorship, houses, etc. etc. - a normal settled life. Anyway, I won't muddy the waters any further - Hopefully Tony will sort this out for you.

I didn't say you did. All I said was that I was not aware that it is possible to apply for a Non O within Thailand unless the application is made with the intention of obtaining a 12 month extension. Joe has confirmed that the intention should indeed be to go for an extension and if that isn't subsequently done, questions may be asked when any future application is made.

I should mention that I currently use Firefox.

Right, I thought she'd been before - so it is a first time application. Yes, you would need to send the entire refusal e-mail - as Tony says, the replies need to be read in context. Name on the lease as a witness doen't prove residence but the bank statement will help. If you could find any other things linking her to the address - they should help. Those details help establish that you are in a relationship and go towards the 'reasons to return'. Now I know this is a first time application, I can see why reasons to return are being stressed. You need to be very careful with a re-application following refusal. Strengthen evidence rather than introduce new or change something that's already been stated. Show close family ties in Thailand, major on the fact that you live together as a couple and are simply going on holiday together - that is not unreasonable - it would be unreasonable to expect you to visit family and leave your gf at home - if you see where I'm coming from. Tony's asked for you to send detais by PM if you're uncomfortable posting them - I would do that. In general, if you are going to send a supporting letter with the application and you want the ECO to actually read it - write it and edit it. Read it and edit it again. Paragraph it and keep only the salient points whilst keeping it simple. I have plenty of experiences of ECO's not reading things properly and we must all remember that they deal with dozens of applications per day. A supporting letter must be capable of holding their attention.

Therein lies the problem. For what I do, I don't need a powerful laptop or the latest model. I can replace this one for 5000-6000 baht in Thailand - I suspect that trying to get it fixed will cost more than that. I normally have 2 identical models - one in Thailand, the other in the UK - that way I avoid having to carry one. All I have to carry is my portable hard drive. If I can't fix this problem easily I might just buy another and leave this one in Thailand as my other one was stolen during a break-in. I still find it strange that to date, the problem has only ever happened when I've been on this site. I sometimes use the laptop to view Formula 1 through Sky Go when in the UK. Its never frozen during that use and my novice thinking is that such use would put much more strain on the processor than viewing a website.

Thanks Joe, I thought that must be the case.

Completely agree with Tony - it very well may be a poor decision but the entire refusal notice would be needed. It seems to me that the biggest concern is the old 'reasons to return' and in this case its a little odd to see it used. Once someone's put in a couple of visits and showed that they return on time, the 'reasons aren't usually given as much weight as they were previously. Some of your questions have already been answered but you would need to show the entire refusal notice for more help - obviously with personal details obscured. One thing to be careful with on a re-application following a refusal - don't make material changes unless there has actually been a change and in thaty case, explain it fully. For example, let's say your girlfriend actually had a casual part time job but you didn't mention it because you exepected the savings/sponsorship to cover the financial aspect. Don't suddenly say that she did in fact have a job. However, if she's started a job between application and refusal - that's fine to mention. In other words - don't try to make the pieces fit unless you actually have new pieces. If you're living together in Thailand, is your gf named on any lease? Does she have a driving licence at that address? Bank account........bal bla bla. You need to establish that you are a couple and if you do live together, proof of that. Your gf's reasons to return would therefore be strenghened as you would need to return to continue your employment as as your partner, it would be reasonable to expect her to return with you. Having said all that, its rare to see a refusal like this when someone's already put in a few successful visits.

Can I just clarify that. My understanding was that you can apply within country for a 90 day Non O (marriage or retirement) on the basis that you are going to apply for a 12 month extension. Whether you actually apply for the extension is obviously up to you but are you saying that anyone (married or over 50) can apply for a Non O to simply stay in the country for 90 days? You don't have to have the intention of applying for an extension?

That was what I was thinking - seems pretty pointless to come on when a problem has already been caused by overheating. However, the laptop doesn't seem at all hot.