@Lynnette ******

Well mine were on the orders of the chief vet of Bahrain. In 1984, there was no such thing as pet relocation companies, and back then dogs were placed into 6 months quarantine upon arrival.

I'm not sure this is terribly misleading. Obviously there is a context to this photo with so many dogs on a plane. But this is basically how they would travel. I had to dope mine up when flown from the middle east to the UK, on vet orders. It's pretty cruel for people to take their pets like this on holiday. Extremely stressful for the animal.

@Wayne *********

The vast majority of applicants are successful statistically. Maybe the ones refused are putting down their occupation as bargirl. There is a lady who has been asking my wife for a job. She was a bargirl, has an English boyfriend who lives in England. He doesn't want her working in a bar so the skinflint sends her 4000 baht a month to live on. I've seen her begging on the street as a result, but is overjoyed when he comes over to play pool with his mates. My suggestion is marry your fiance in Thailand. It will remove any doubt from the mind of an IO.

@Randy *****

No sisters, both brothers dead. She has a cousin who was beaten by her husband and ran away.

@Martyn **********

Or they have been unlucky and not given you the full reason for refusal, and not being honest with themselves. I know an agency run by a Brit with offices in the UK and Thailand who told me to lie on the application.

Not sure why you said that.

@Martyn **********

Dependants, including elderly parents, are cited as good reasons. But my wife's parents are dead, her daughter is grown up. And she has no property. She has a barely viable business (low season, the shop takes in 150-300 Baht a day). Got a visa.

@Robert ***********

My experience is limited, but I would suggest a "fat labelled file" is not necessarily a guarantee, but supplying documents with concise and correct information is correct. Maybe because I was already married to her made it easier; not like the poor sod in the template letter who went on and on about how he was a director of his own company, with all this turnover, and the exact dates he went to Issan to help uncles, cousins build their houses etc and how much he had spend on their medical care. I took the view that I'm married, and HMG's nosiness stops there, beyond I am paying for all the costs of the trip, and can provide accomodation.

@Nan *********

At the time of visa application, you don't have to have a flight booking. In fact they recommend against booking travel ahead of a decision. So having a return flight booked at the time of application does not help.

@Wayne *********

As they are minors, I suppose that would happen even if she wasn't Thai.