4 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Virtually all visas have become more difficult over the years as the system has been more and more abused, so you can thank the abusers rather than castigating the embassies who are trying to reduce the abuse.

 

That could characterise almost anybody, (in my personal experience it did) as it’s the IOs judgment that can only be challenged by trying to involve a supervisor or as a faint possibility trying to get a lawyer, for which the words snowball, chance and hell are probably accurate.

It seems remarkably similar to me, the difference being the fig leaf’s placement has changed from 7 to 2. The refusals are as arbitrarily seeming to the outside view point as they ever were.and the IOs are still as able as they ever were to deny entry to anyone the want to, just the excuse has changed.

 

You should know that not all changes of policy are given an official ministerial announcement, so it’s perfectly possible that there have been changes that have been implemented without an announcement.

You have made a very important point.

 

The reason why the visa system has become more ‘difficult’ over the years is due to the previous abuse of what was an overly generous system.

 

Let’s face it, how many countries allow you to stay there for months upon months at a time without requiring evidence that you had the means to support yourself.

 

That was abused by many who used visa runs and tourist visas as loopholes to work illegally in the kingdom, and sometimes to engage in much more nefarious activities.

 

But still, the kingdom has very generous visa requirements, particularly for those folk from the western world. Now, think about the paperwork and requirements for Thai people going to somewhere like the UK, who really gets the raw deal?

46 minutes ago, gascooker said:

particularly for those folk from the western world.

It should be particularly from wealthy countries, e.g. Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Bahrain, Brunei, Kuwait, UAE, etc. are not Western world. 

9 hours ago, Onerak said:

It should be particularly from wealthy countries, e.g. Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Bahrain, Brunei, Kuwait, UAE, etc. are not Western world. 

You are right, but I am assuming the majority of the demographic on this board originated from the western world.