kensisaket

22 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

I don't feel the same way. Plus the OP has been a member since 2011 and has done a couple of posts indicating he has visited here before or is her now. Certainly not a newbie.

If what you say is true then he should not only know what it costs to live here; but, he should be well aware of  the income requirements.  Have to admit it's pretty ambitious at the age of 70 to move to a country where you don't speak the language.  

Not sure what everyone else's experience has been; but, from recent experiences of friends I would suggest never going to Thai immigration without your wife accompanying you.  Bring everything you've got with you.  As far as dealing with immigration you can never have too much documentation ie. her house book.  One word of caution. You need to prepare her; because, as we all know some of the immigration people can be less than helpful.  

21 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

 

This seems standard...

 

And you may also need a same-day account ownership letter from the bank (a brief letter which details your name, account number, current balance).

 

The questions remain...

 

1.) can this letter be dated a day or two earlier?

2.) is some sort of same day activity (dep/wd) required?

3.) do you need copies of the passbook with this same day activity?

 

There seems to be some variability, based on some of the reports I've read.

 

 

The Qualifying Foreign Transfer letter can be dated up to a few weeks prior, again based on recent trip reports, assuming it includes your most recent QFT.

 

 

 

I opened my Bkk Bank account over 5 years ago.  At that time they made me open 2 accounts; because, the U.S. gov't does not allow ATM cards on direct deposit foreign accounts.  Every month I go to the bank and transfer money between those accounts.  I'm sure there are people on here who will disagree with that; however, they had official bank forms just for that purpose. It makes sense in that it keeps that direct deposit account pretty much locked if you die.  Anyway, that shows account activity.  There was no immigration requirement for same day account activity, they just wanted to see the account balance.  Why I don't know; because, I had all the supporting documents for the required monthly income including my bank book.  "It's right there in the bank book" wasn't good enough, they wanted a signed letter from the bank.  As I am sure everyone on here can attest that there is no arguing with them; so, I just went to the bank and got a signed letter. I'm sure getting that letter a day or 2 earlier would have been ok; because, even Thai immigration is not going to dictate bank policy on how quickly they act on a customer's request.

On 9/8/2019 at 8:46 AM, john thom said:

Thanks to all- I have pension retirement so for the last 3 years I've been doing the 65k route, although this is the first year that u.s embassy won't give income letters, so I'll make copies of all bank info and see how it goes. If not - off to Laos for 1 year non -o multi entry till next year-

I did the income extension at the Sisaket office in June.  I thought I had all the necessary paperwork which included a 12 month (single page for each month) deposit statement which the local Bangkok Bank branch got from Bangkok.  That took less than a week.  When I gave that to the Immigration office they then wanted a signed statement from the local bank showing the present account balance.  That took about an hour.  Took that back to immigration then got my visa processed right away. 

15 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

That's a generalization, the topic is about immigration. No, I would not want a foreigner having access to my documentation, it's as simple as that. If an old white man fell on the street, I wouldn't hesitate helping him or letting myself being helped, but I still don't want him looking at my documentation, period. btw being married to a Thai and living in Thailand (by choice) has caused me to become pro Thai, so I'm already a minority on this forum..

Coming up on 50th anniversary; so, I probably qualify as a member of your minority.

2 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

What I do know is what my country's immigration reaction would be if someone suggested this to them. They use some freelance translation service sometimes but would never have a foreigner attached to their office, there's a myriad of security issues involved in this. In 10 plus extensions I never needed some else's service and I if I did, the last person I would go for help for this issue is some unknown foreigner. 

If the last person you would go to for help is an unknown foreigner, then you are a minority on this forum. That's pretty much all this is, people trying to get input from unknown foreigners.  

11 hours ago, Momofarang said:

Well OP, the "job" you describe is know here as "Agent", but sadly for you all available position have been filled. I any became available remember that the successful candidate(s) will be those who submit the best financial proposal.

Not sure where you got the idea that I was looking for a job; or, had any desire to be an agent.  Although it's an idea lost on a lot of society, there are people around who are willing to help others free of charge.  

6 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I think they will laugh you out of there

I don't disagree, I said it was a crazy idea.

Just curious if you ever look at the "Made In" label on any of those high quality products.

I am from the U.S.; but, just went through this in Sisaket.  When I requested the funds letter from BKK Bank they sent off to Bangkok for it.  Got it a couple of days later.  When I went to the immigration office they wanted copies of my source of funds (income/tax statements from the U.S.); additionally, they sent me back to the bank to get a letter showing account balance. After they reviewed the initial letter they decided I did not need the source of funds proof; but, I did have to get the account balance letter. FYI, the account had less than 400k in it. I'm sure every immigration office has their own interpretation of requirements; but, it was pretty straight forward in Sisaket.  

Get a debit card for your U.S. bank account.  Then go to BKK bank accounts desk (you need to go to a bank, not an auxiliary).  They have a debit card machine that you can use to transfer large amounts of money.  My U.S. credit union allows me to transfer $4000 USD per day with no fee on either end.  I remodeled my house last year and transferred over a million baht that way. It's an instantaneous transfer takes less than 2-3 minutes. I'm sure every U.S. bank has differing policies; but, it would be worth looking into.

I would say who better to ask for advice from than another insurance company.  If the family has any kind of an insured vehicle I would definitely consider approaching that company to explain the situation; and, get their take.  A good insurance broker can probably help as well.

2 minutes ago, zydeco said:

Got a link.  I can't find them. Which Forum?  

I'm not sure what the original question was; but, if you are talking about having direct deposit to Bangkok Bank all you need is your account number.  If you are from the U.S. you can go to the social security website and set up the account there using your account number and the Bangkok Bank ABA/Swift number. 

53 minutes ago, gaviny said:

True that but I think they are valuable to the Thai's economy by doing the jobs even the Thais are reluctant to do.

Sent from my Redmi Note 6 Pro using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Manual labor is not in the vocabulary of the majority of millennials.  

17 hours ago, NanLaew said:

What lost business? Here's how many of us were here in 2010. With all the economic crashes and recoveries, I seriously doubt there's been any notable surges of the well-heeled from anywhere 'way over there' except maybe more Burmese.

 

 

2 million of those are people here working minimum wage (or less) jobs. They are not bringing money into the country. 

7 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

No, what I mean is can you get an official document from social security verifying what your income is that you are receiving from them?

5 hours ago, certacito said:

 

It has nothing to do with bringing capital in and why is it a "scummy move" for Thai Immigration to say that the income needs verifying? Or are you saying that the US embassy are being scummy because you want them to perform a job/duty that they are totally incapable of doing?

Have to agree that they would be incapable of doing income verification; especially, seeing more than half of the embassy staff are locals. They would not have access to information needed to do the verification(s).

12 minutes ago, blackhorse said:

According to your man they already have as "it's coming soon" so why no announcement?

Today's report from the supervisor at bangkok immigration said there will be no changes to income letters

No immigration announcement, no USA website announcement

No offense but your story just doesn't add up

As soon as I get the notification I'll post it.  I hope you don't think these are rumors.  There are serious ramifications for a lot of people. 

10 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

By 'local rep' do you mean a Warden?

Yes

On 10/24/2018 at 2:28 PM, Thaidream said:

There is no information related to any change on the US Embassy Website- everything the same as it has always been.

 

If Thai Imm will accept an income stream- 65K per month- one can simply take  65K per month out of a Thai ATM from a US bank and deposit it in a Thai Bank and use the money to live on and then the next month put another 65K in and  do the same. Back up info is Pension letters and US Bank statements showing direct deposit.

 

We need more info on all this from Thai Imm.  As we all know each IO has their own interpretation of the 'rules'.

The local U.S. embassy rep for our region (he lives in Ubon) told me exactly what the OP is saying as far as the embassy not supplying the income verification letters.  He hasn't received/sent out formal notification yet; however, he did say it is coming....soon.

2 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

What arrogant nonsense. She may feel far more at home in Thailand rather than in the xenophobic UK.

 

Also, assuming her father does not have her best interests at heart and, by your reckoning, is actually a sex tourist says more about you than him.

Yup, sometimes the truth can seem to be arrogant nonsense. Additionally, xenophobia is a reality in today's world; and, it certainly is not limited to the U.K.  Finally, I have been married to the same Thai lady for just under 50 years; so, I don't have the insight you seem to have on sex tourism.  

I think you are being a little naive thinking your 14 year old "English" daughter is going to want to stay in Thailand. Passport issues aside, you should be making contingency plans for who she is going to stay with when she wants to go back "home"; and, you have a new Thai girlfriend.  

I was told by the immigration office in Sisaket to report there before leaving the country; and, they would take care of visa(s) required for re-entry.  I haven't done this yet; but, it is worth asking at your local office.