aronp1

16 hours ago, Ronuk said:

Give me your experiences not 'Who you know' where do you live in Thailand and on how much? Most are not interested in sitting in a shoebox studio apartment playing on the Internet all day because they have no funds to lead a proper life.

Your post has done no more than confirm to me what a miserable life it would be living on a $1000 a month. The only possible reason I can think to live like that, would be not being able to afford to live in your country. How do these so called people you know afford visas, health care etc and still save $200 a month? I've been in Thailand 25 + years and I tell you now, $1000 a month to pay everything is a miserable life.

Try living in the US on that amount! Not even possible. 

Photography is such a wide subject. There are many types of photography. True anybody can push a bottom on a camera, but it's the creative eye and the knowledge of post editing that sets them apart. I think it really depends on what type of photography you're doing. What type of photography do you specialize in? Now I know you couldn't have a set in a shopping center and taking portraits, but you could start a business doing lets say, product photography. You could go the artist route and take picture and have them put into gallery prints. There's a difference between a photograph and a picture, and it take a photographic artist to take photo and make it into a picture. So no not anybody can be a photographer.

Unless it has changed since 2014, I changed my visa exempt to a 90-day non-o at immigration in Bangkok. No financial proof needed.

Financial proof has always been required if applying on the basis of retirement, marriage or being the parent of a Thai.

This from Bangkok immigration website. Requires IE or an extension to emulate it on other browser to find the info here: http://bangkok.immigration.go.th/en/base.php?page=service#

DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF THE APPLICATION FOR VISA OR VISA STATUS ALTERATION (NON-O): FOR A FAMILY MEMBER OF A THAI (APPLICABLE ONLY PARENTS, SPOUSE OR CHILD.

• The application must be submit at least 15 days before visa expiration and, in case of overstaying in Thailand, application could not be submitted.
• 1.1 Form TM.86 for the foreigner, who has Tourist and Transit Visa and applies for Visa Status Alteration and applies for non-immigrant visa; or

  1.2 Form TM.87 for the foreigner, who enters into Thailand without visa, but is allowed to stay in Thailand with a permit of stay for a period of 15 day, 30 days, 90 days and applies for non-immigrant visa.

• A copy of passport pages of the Applicant (for example, personal information page, last entries stamp, visa sticker and extension stamp (if any) and departure card (Form TM.6))
• Either one 4x6 cm photograph or one 2 inch size photograph
• 4.Application fee of Baht 2,000
• 5.1 In case of a Thai citizen, please show: A copy national ID card, a copy of house registration papers and a copy of employee’s or government officer’s ID card;

  5.2 In case of a foreigner with a permit to reside in Thailand or a person who has become a Thai naturalized citizen, please show: residency certificate, alien registration certificate, work permit, a copy of passport and house registration and a copy of documents showing Thai naturalization.

• 6.1 Evidence proving that the applicant is father, mother or children or birth certificate; or

  6.2 Letter from a government office, embassy or consulate, certifying that the applicant is a member of the referred family; guarantee letter from the Department of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Documents under 6.1 and 6.2 must be translated into Thai or English and certified by local or overseas Embassy or Consulate of the foreigner and by the Legalization Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand) (For more information, please call 0-2575-1056-9)

• In case of father is a foreigner: showing an official notarized document from a court of law certifying that child is biological offspring of the foreign father.
• The following evidence of income must be submitted.

  8.1 A guarantee letter from the local or overseas Embassy or Consulate, proving the monthly income of the Applicant not less than Baht 40,000* per month; or

  8.2 A guarantee letter in Thai language from the commercial bank in Thailand (Attention: Immigration Commissioner) and a copy of all entries of the applicant’s passbook showing that the applicant has a savings or fixed deposit account of not less than Baht 400,000*(Documents under 8.1and 8.2 must be issued and updated to be the same date of the Application and all documents must be in the Applicant’s name.)

Unless it has changed since 2014, I changed my visa exempt to a 90-day non-o at immigration in Bangkok. No financial proof needed.

So you have a job already for you when you arrive here? You will need all supporting documents from your employer

When applying for your non-b.

Why are you going all the way back to the US to get a visa?

Why do people always direct others to go outside country to do something that can be done at immigration? You can change TV,VE, etc to a non-o at immigration.

Yes you can change at immigration. Remember you will need to open a Thai bank account in your name then deposit the 400,000. Then in 2-2.5 months go to immigration and apply for your 1yr extension of stay.

At Home Pro by the wall ac's they do have a unit that is the same size and looks like one of those air coolers that use water, but this one has a compressor as a regular ac unit.

Your visa date and the date you need to do your 90 day report are two separate things.

These are done at two separate stations.

My sister in-law is married to an American and it took her 1yr to get her visa. So I won't expect anything to happen quickly.

Buddhists try to remain emotionally detached, so no, I doubt it.

Yes, even more so than the west.

No, but if I was, I would hardly be considered victim in that case.

You will be an employee of that company and just going through some training so a non-b would be the only choice.

US Citizenship is enough. No need Laos Citizenship!

From what I understand a foreigner having a sexual relationship with a Lao national...let alone having a child is very much frowned upon by the Laos Government.

Tread carefully with this one if your "associate" intends returning to Laos to formalise anything.

Do it all out country if that is possible.

Accounts which do not allow instant access to cash will not be accepted by immigration.

You must place the 400K in an accessible account.

You will need a bankbook + Bank letter to satisfy immigration.

What visa do you have now ?

I changed non-o to non-e at immigration.

If you want to change your extension of stay from based on working to marriage, you will need to change your visa from non-b to non-o. You will still be able to work.

It is not possible to change non immigrant visa classes. The only way to do that is to get a new visa. All that needs to done is to change the reason for the extension of stay.

If you want to change your extension of stay from based on working to marriage, you will need to change your visa from non-b to non-o. You will still be able to work.

As a UK citizen you do not need a visa to enter the US. Your wife does. You will need to prove you have enough funds to support both you and your wife for 6 months. You should get a notarized statement from your friend stating that he will be providing lodging for your complete stay in the US.

If your wife has a bank account in her name with a decent balance[ 200,000+] for more than 3 months... that will help as well.

Good luck and let us know the outcome...

Your wife can get a non-o

Shouldn't there be some big changes to immigration now that Thailand is part of ASEAN?

• Yes your wife should report you. It can be done by post.
• If she doesn't, and you have contact with immigration in the future, she may be fined. The fine is a maximum of 2,000 baht. Typically immigration charge 800 baht. There are no consequences. to either of you, beyond the fine.

I wonder if there might be a crackdown on the "criminals" failing to file TM30 reports in the future. These reports can just as validly be linked to preventing serious criminal activity as can blacklisting people for overstay. Any real effect is unnecessary as long as it can be presented as getting tough on crime.

I don't think immigration, in general, want 90 day reporting or TM30 reporting. It serves no real purpose. At least it doesn't unless the data is managed and used. But until/if the immigration act is changed I think we will see it enforced more and more purely because of the increasing numbers of expats living in private properties. I was told towards the back end of last year that they are working on making TM30 reporting available online to everyone.

Of course none of this reporting makes a jot of difference to "serious criminal activity' and IMO whenever the authorities link it to helping fight crime it's just more PR spin. TM30 reporting could be, in some cases, used to track down overstayers but we've never seen that in action, and unless they use the information I don't see the point to it. Real criminals will know the system and avoid hotels etc.