Except for the effect on their families here and children they may be giving a better chance of education.  Not all are like the beery Pattaya brigade.  Most will be unable to take their wives back due to immigration rules many of the changes of which has made their decision to stay at a time they may have normally gone back a few years ago a necescity if they are to keep their families together.

These days a UK state pension doesn't meet the income requirements for the 2 main Thai extensions of stay expats would have. (If they're not working and on non-imm B):

Retirement: THB 800k in the bank or 65k a month
Marriage: THB 400k in the bank or 40k a month

UK State pension: GBP 164.35 per week/ approx GBP 712 per month = approx THB 30k a month

You can see why the UK embassy doesn't want to be bothered with this. Anything outside the UK state pension will be non-standard, so you and they have to ask what exactly are they proving anyway on non-standard stuff, that couldn't be done by a more relevant institution. Why should they have to pick up the burden of proof?

I concur, LTFs are as good as any place to park your money. There is no need to leave the 800k to grow, use it for living expenses, and transfer top up money into the account before next extension, it’s hardly rocket science.

There was an old alkie who used to drink in the Crossbar....he had lived and worked in Bangkok and indeed Asia for 20 years.....anyway one day he fell on his way home.

He refused to go to hospital for 3 days....until he was pale as a ghost one night sitting at the bar and the guys drove him there.

Turns out he had fractured his hip....he spent 2 nights in the Police hospital then discharged himself....he was found a few days later in his room dead.

If he'd had medical insurance or 800k in the bank to pay for his treatment he'd be alive today.

If he had gone back to the UK and suffered the same injury he'd be alive today.

Its for these reasons I support the 800k requirement.

Someone needs to enlighten me on this, whats the big hoo haa over these letters ?...as i see in addtion to the British going mental over this, the colonial cousins are also making similar comments over the possibility of the US embassy doing the same

Surely for ones retirement visa one has to should show proof of either 800K in the bank or bank statements / transfers totalling 65k/m coming in ?

Surely BE wasnt issuing letters to people on someones say so without proof of said money in ?...ie BE was helping people blag their visas ? 

Please correct my understanding of all this