Postmaster

I have been using an ED visa for the past 5 years, but I will graduate this year.

I have a high GPA, and am on the Dean's List.

I used to work part-time as a teacher.

I think it is silly, not to allow real students to work at all.

Forgive the ignorance. What is a HIGH GPA ?

What will be your next move. Will you be applying for another Ed Visa after your graduation. I assume you are under 50years and not entitled to apply for a retirement visa

You are totally right, doing all the visa runs and all the stress is worth only a little less then getting an ED visa with a reputable language school.

Walen School - try us and we will not let you down

Ps. with Walen it is possible to study totally for free.

How can you study for ' free' at a commercially run school? I want to learn to speak Thai better. Where is the school and how much does a continuing course of Thail language lessons actually cost?

I have wondered about OPs question, too. I can't make sense of it either.

The best I can come up with is that the authorities don't want to make things easy for foreigners.

As has been stated in several messages posted before yours, the visa is not for long term residents. It is for people who need to travel to Thailand frequently on business and it saves them from the need to get new visas each time.

Rather than blaming Thai authorities (a popular cathartic exercise here at TV) for making things difficult for foreigners, why not blame the foreigner for planning to essentially take up full-time residence without qualifying for it or without obtaining the sort of visa that would allow him to do so?

Everyone in the world does not have some innate right to take up residence in Thailand. Even those who don't really qualify quite often find ways to play the system anyway. To first say "I've found a way to circumvent the spirit of the law," and then whine/whinge because circumventing the law is inconvenient is, at best, petulant tantrum-throwing.

As someone said earlier it is to create jobs and let farangs know who is on top of the pecking order. My 2 satangs worth.

Keeping track of foreigners living in Thailand makes perfect sense unless of course you were worried about the pecking order in the first place. One way or another every country tries to monitor foreigners within their borders. Does it create jobs? Sure. Does it make paranoid foreigners who want to believe it is they who are superior feel challenged? Apparently it does. A win-win-win situation.

There has to be controls. Just try getting a Visa for your girlfreind to go to YOUR OUNTRY. If you follow the procedure here the Thais are very reasonable. At Chonburi Immigration Office in Soi 5 Jomtien Beach they are particularly helpful and efficient. I am sure it is a lot lot harder for farangs in the UK!

Please don't be too hard on the Airport. Remember the growth in traffic has been phenominal. What other orgainisation could cope with such a fast pace of growth?

Ain't go to Puket then. There're many places you can swim with more or less the same beauty. Samed, Samui, Chang and Pattaya.

At Pattaya I see the towers/stands, but have never seen a lifeguard on them. Only tourists taking photos.

My friend was saved in January by a lifeguard using a body board only on Surin beach when the currents were so strong he couldnt make it back to shore.

Quite coincidentally he is a Postmaster also ( from UK) There was no Lifeguard in sight but when it was realised he was in trouble, his partner ran to alert locals who

then summoned a lifeguard ' . Whether he was official Lifeguard or not I do not know.

I really sorry I missed Eric Clapton's performance. No matter what some commentators say he is a guitar legend. He has also had quite a lot of bad luck in his life.

I hope to have a chance of seeing the DVD.

This border turmoil seems pointless and stupid and childish. 2 major asean powers fighting like this. Is there oil there or something?

Well, these comments hardly help anyone with routine annual renewal of retirement visa enquiries. Now, I do not claim to have the answers but my annual retirement visa finishes on 31st january, 2011, and I will be presenting myself at the UK Honorary Consul office in Soi 5 Jomtien Beach, Pattaya next door to the Thai Immigration Office.

I will have with me, my passport, spare passport photo, my residency letter (from my Condo Office) a letter from Bangkok Bank (to prove I have an account with them) my Bangkok Bank Pass Book, my last three months bank statements ( from my UK Bank) to prove my income. I will also have my former occupational pension P60 Annual statement, to show my income from that source and finally my UK Pension letter which shows my award of State Old Age Pension, even though I don't feel old aged, showing how much monthly pension goes into my account.

I probably have more than is required and someone can tell me if this is so, however I believe this detail is alot better than has been stated so far on the subject . From the Postmaster