@Peter *********

Wow. Yep the basis for fraudulence is doing nothing. My guess is people are more open to that rather than taking a positive fraudulent action.

But LIfe Certification only applies to state pensioners outside UK. At face value that seems very odd to me. There must be greater problems within UK through direct payment if only as a function of sheer volume. Expats are a tiny number of people. In fact it is because we are so numerically inconsequential (and spread across the globe) that our frozen pensions are never argued against. We are a miniscule lobby.

@Michael ******

Yes that is absolutely stated as the intent. Though I think there may have been more than a little political intent in setting up the new office in Wolverhamptom. Yes a town desperately needing jobs but, arguably, the political intent was Robert Jenrick. Whatever, it is what it is and causes me, Bangkok based, no issues sorting. It does sound a bit weird, and no other country does it, but if stuck using a Thai medical centre others have still reported as difficult. They just won't take the responsibility, become very fearful - and I have experienced that myself one time. Now, for the Life Certificate I either go in to a British doctor or a medical centre well-used to farangs. For the medical certificate for driving licence I go into the very Thai medical centre next door.

@Ken ******

Thank you Ken. I am sure it was the pressure from you and others who secured this change, an important change.

@Brian *******

I doubt that, despite all the awesoe rubric, they couldn't care less. It's all part of the civil service job creation scheme for Wolverhampton. Robert Jenrick "sponsors" a lot of what is going on there!

@Bob *********

555! It's the British Embassy. Enough said.

British Doctor such as Dr Donna at Medconsultant in Bangkok. Also Thai Doctors but not those in the Thai medical centres. I have also used WellMed in Bangkok when Donna unavailable. Thais are very wary in general but the young doctor in WellMed found it all very funny. "Now, how can you prove you're alive for me to sign? I know ..............." She jumped up and down and waved her arms around. "Now you do that". I'm afraid that really the fault lies with British bureaucracy - no cross-cultural understanding whatever including of paranoia in developing or near developing countries. I can think of several where I've no idea of the solution. In fact I live next door to a Thai medical centre here, and they had signed me off a few days before for medical for new driving licence but I wouldn't ask them re the Life Certification. Donna is English. WellMed and Medconsult, have a huge throughput of expats and, in the case of WellMed tourist too.

@Simon *******

And Immigration are looking closely at those too. Not without reason. On the other hand University courses still seem to get scant scrutiny. There's a message there. There's also a message there in the sense that might there not just be a link between border jumping and taking a "course" subsequently. Might Immigration not have worked that out? And the bigger question is why Thailand at all when we live in a region where visas are often super-simple?

@Gordon ******

Well, yes,but I think the lady would agree the buffalo's needs must always come first, meaning the buffalo outdoors.

@Ally ***********

There's also the case of trying to find someone to complete the contract, which seems perfectly regularised here. Passing them on a platter to the landlord would assuredly sweeten the pill.