Probably easier to think about it like this: You can not get a UK marriage license unless you got married in the UK. You can register your marriage abroad if you take the required documents to the local office that handles these kinds of things.

Thai marriage licenses are recognized by most governments. I don’t know the specifics, but once you register the marriage, you can start looking in to what is required to add her to your benefits. I think the UK is similar to the US (where I’m from) and there is a waiting period and a need to get some kind of tax id number or local equivalent. Should be pretty straightforward googling the terms “register marriage abroad + your local office”

Reapply. Include a letter (top sheet) about you and your circumstances and your ties to Thailand. Include the reason for your trip, and that your life is here, but you’d like for her to join you on your work trip so that she can meet family. Keep it short, and include your visa type and how long you have been here. Make sure she makes them read it (can’t stress enough, short and simple), and that everything you say is factual and verifiable. This did the trick on my wife’s second attempt. They asked her to come back with my passport, and she got a 10 year visa.

She was unemployed, had less than 10k USD in the bank, was a “girlfriend” of a U.S. citizen, and owned a 500k THB condo. Not exactly ticking all the boxes that everyone is talking about, but the interviewer felt that she would return to Thailand… good instinct, because we’ve been four times and always come back. Good luck.

This is not correct. The applicant needs to clearly demonstrate strong ties to Thailand and that they will return. It doesn’t matter if they have a husband or a boyfriend, if the interviewer has any concern that the applicant may stay in the US, that’s where you get the no. When my wife (then girlfriend) applied, she provided them my details and ties to Thailand in addition to her own. It can be tough to meet their idea of qualified, but it is not predetermined and being a wife or a girlfriend of an American citizen is probably equally concerning when they weigh your circumstances.

Side note… you probably shouldn’t name a gym and state that they are offering you fraudulently obtained visas on social media…

Based on your description, it sounds like you may have been offered a fraudulently obtained visa. Call around to other gyms that are not potentially putting you at risk. Even if you do train there, if they get caught with other fraudulently obtained visas for their “students”, you could get flushed out with the others.

The first week I moved here, my girlfriend (now wife) took me on a minivan to a different city and on local busses in Bangkok to get around. Then, I found out how much the bts and taxis and flights and private cars cost, and we stopped using minivans and busses.

I needed one each to buy a car and get a license. An original was required for both things. Both were kept.

My wife was able to get a visa when she was my girlfriend, and unemployed (early 2019). The issue isn’t that you need this amount of land or that amount of money. The issue is that she needs to convince the person reviewing her application that she has sufficient ties to Thailand and will return. In my wife’s application, she demonstrated that I lived here long term and that we lived together as part of her case. My situation added to her situation, and she got approved.

There is no specific formula… just make the best case you can that she has ties to Thailand and is not at risk of staying if she visits.

I would strongly advise you not ask about working remotely on a retirement visa at the immigration office. Your options are to work under the radar (illegally) or get an LTR if you qualify. Find a reputable visa agent that can walk you through this and distance yourself from anyone trying to sell you a special solution or that tells you they have a contact or connection. There are a lot of scams and schemes that seem like they are legit, but are fraudulent.