bkkcanuck8

First shot of Pfizer (Khon Kaen 2 weeks ago), second shot next Sunday. If given the chance I will get boosters or Moderna next year.

The requirements for longer stays would have to rise... they request 800,000 baht in the bank to prove you don't need to work.... that requirement would have to rise for longer visas... what I think they could easily implement is an annual extension that is simply - show me the money in the account (and show me the balance did not suddenly disappear after the last renewal; maybe half that at the midway point??).... but to be quite honest the process has always been fast and easy for me anyway.

There was, I was in overstay at that point and everyone was warned to fix their overstay before the new regulations came into force... (and the it was extremely widely publicized to where I cannot find anyone that did not hear about it)... another amnesty would defeat the purpose of tightening the enforcement and only make people think that this will become a regular affair. If they have been here 10 years, they must have not got their visas in order last time.... that is no fault of the Thai immigration police.

True, there intent may be to live out their lives, but many here have also been saying they are an immigrant because 'they feel' like it and your feelings and your intent has no weight under Thai law that I know of... you are temporary and have to meet the requirements on an annual basis to get another temporary extension to a temporary visa. At any time the requirements may change and you have no option but to leave the country because you were always temporary. A Non-Immigrant, regardless of what you intend, is not much different than a tourist visa (with an annual length rather than a 3 month length), both temporary, both you have to prove to a certain extent that you can live here without working because it is effectively the same.

I said nothing about criminal activity, in fact most immigration infractions such as overstaying your visa - ARE NOT CRIMES (something that many on here constantly forget). What you and many fail to understand is that you have no rights to reside here and if immigration deems that you are not being honest about your intent, they can refuse to approve/extend visas or even refuse you entry. If you were caught at a legal rally in Bangkok protesting the government, they would have no problem deporting you... you did not violate the law, you did not violate the freedoms granted by the constitution.... but since you have no right to reside here... you can be deported.

You are applying for a non-immigrant visa... and you have intent of immigration... wrong visa (so it should be voided). If you enter on a tourist visa, and they find your intent is to work... they will void that visa (even if you have not worked illegally yet). BTW, Thai laws are written in Thai not English...

They should deport you then since you are not applying for your current visa with the correct intent. Now that the humour is out of way, English is not the law, and the law defines what your status is here... not the English dictionary...

If you overstay, you are classed as an illegal ALIEN. They also assume you are illegally trying to stay here permanently.

Until the US selects a president that understands that they may be voted in as a republican or democratic president, they are president of all Americans not just one a subset of supporters from one party (core belief of that person)... Donald Trump was not that man. Reagan I believe understood, and I believe Bill Clinton understood (even If I did not really like him). This century, the US has had a set of presidents that even in the best of times -- has been driving the US faster and faster to bankruptcy. Now even the fabric of the US is so destroyed, that you have the people divided believing in completely different realities (rather than the same reality but different viewpoints on policies)... The US empire is quickly coming to an end. I doubt the US will even survive as a single country to reach the average lifespan of an empire (around 500 years).

Until you are granted permanent residency status you are temporary. Depending on the immigration system and the immigration interpretation of what you can do on a visa, but none of those interpretations do not change the classification of the visa you have or what you are under the law. For example, I worked in the US for a few years (before becoming VP of the UK office), I was working on a TN1 (NAFTA - temporary visa). If I wanted to get a green card to the US, I would have to start the process and only one visa (also temporary) allowed for transition... but it did not mean it was permanent. I would have had to change my visa from TN1 to H1B which allows for dual purpose (I told the company I would stay on a TN1). Dual purpose meant I could have intentions to apply and start the process to become an immigrant, while staying on a temporary visa... but I would still be a temporary employee (any other visa if you did that - you basically told the immigration office you were staying on a visa that was intended only for temporary and your intentions were permanent -- and they would deport you. In fact the company had many ex-students working on H1B at the company while in the process of getting permanent residency.... Shortly after the dot-com bust happened and the company downsized to less than half it's employees.... anyone that had an H1B but became unemployment had 10 days to leave the country since H1B is a work visa... and the process of applying for permanent residency was voided. Those that had permanent residency had the legal right to stay since they were recognized by the immigration system as immigrants.

The thing is that there is no permanency to you living here. You might be lucky enough to die here, but on any given renewal of your temporary non-immigrant visa -- Thailand could refuse you an extension... you have no legal right to stay here longer than the length of the visa. If you want the legal right to permanently live here... you have to apply and be approved for 'permanent reisdent' status.

Correct, it is nothing more than an equivalent to a tourist visa for one year based on the lack of need to work since they are retired. Immigrant is someone with Permanent Resident status. No matter how long you are on temporary visa (Non-Immigrant, Tourist, temporary work permit), you gain no more status than someone entering on the equivalent visa today... you have to prove that you CURRENTLY meet the requirements to get another visa of the same type. If you no longer meet those requirements - you have to find another requirement you meet or you have to go back home (i.e. temporary).

BS. My first 'long term' visa was an educational visa taking Thai language lessons before they cracked down on the visa. At that time, it was easy to extend (but then the first extension was after less than a full year (forget if it was 3 or 6 months). They cracked down on the educational visa and then many of those moved to using visa-waivers repeatedly until those were cracked down on, then they moved onto tourist visas... Any pensioner who is receiving a regular pension payment from a western country to Thailand, should be able to live a much better life locally than they would be back home and if they have not gone crazy spending every night out at a gogo/beer bar, living on all western food at restaurants, living in a western oriented condo in 'downtown' Bangkok... should be receiving more money than they spend and within a short time should have no problem qualifying based on a bank balance here. Personally, I prefer having a buffer in a Thai bank for emergencies anyway. I find it much much easier to qualify for extensions based on retirement... walk in, fill in a few forms, they look at the bank statement (sometimes with a surprise look at the size of the float).... stamped and out the door for another year. Educational visa's on the other hand they view with great suspicion and are more likely to be refused extension at anytime.

No, I do not... they would park it through a process of laundering... likely in Singapore ... along with many here and elsewhere. A lot of money in Singpore is not looked at that closely and it is a more secure place to park it.

No, it is not like that... it is like the customers that have been with the bank for 20 years doing all their business... but generate less income than new customers that they attract with generous incentives... yet still worth more in one year than those customers that are complaining about being treated as if they are less important... I just think their expectations are wildly out of proportion with reality through.