FruitPudding

Thank you so much for your insight. I am still a bit confused about this 50k for working cos previously I made extensions for work and I was only earning 35k; immigration weren't interested in my salary. Is this a different type of visa extension?

Wouldn't Malaysia be easier, don't they do free visa on arrival?

Great things are opening up. Seems like Cambodia is the easiest still?

Is Phom Phen still the easiest? Laos still tour only? I think Malaysia is opening, right?

Sorry, I don't understand this now. So, what's the 50k for? Sorry, if I have missed something. I am a parent of a Thai. Currently, on an extension based on that. So, if my understanding is correct, I could extend that using my 40k income (which I have had legally for over a year)? I was just looking to switch to a work extension cos it is easier than taking my family over to immigration n all that. I just got confused when they started asking for my finances cos I have done work extensions in the past and finance doesn't come into it. Thanks for your help.

Oh, I always thought it was 40k a month if you are working in Thailand I often saw that figure on here.

The 400,000 lump sum, I don't have anymore, so I would need to use my salary. I would just prefer to be on a work visa (it's just my preference) as it is far less hassle than lugging my young family and complaining GF to immigration; always a stressful time. I thought it would be straight forward to switch.

The extension I am on now: I used 400,000 that I had sitting in the bank at the time last year. Now, for financial proof, I can show over 40k monthly income which I have earned with a work permit for over a year now.

Exactly, I thought I was asking them to change me to that kind of extension. Even though my salary does meet the requirements to remain on the family extension, I'd just rather be on a regular work extension cos it makes everything simpler and less stressful (without involving my family) by just doing it through the school.

I don't get this logic though. Suppose I got a job that paid less than 40k a month; I wouldn't satisfy the requirements for the family extension, but wouldn't they still allow me to do an extension based on work?

I have a strange problem on this topic. I actually tried to do this today in Bangkok. I tried to do an extension based on work (previous extensions were based on child, done at an immigration office in another province). The officer said that in addition to all my work documents (which are correct), they also need me to bring my child's ID card & birth certificate and also my bank statements for a whole year (actually 15 months cos they want to see the financials I used to do my extension based on child at the other province). So weird, right? I went to change my extension to work and they are holding me on the financial requirement for a family extension which shouldn't even come in to it for a work extension. I can't get my head around it. Any ideas why this would be? I mean, I have over 40k coming in from my work, so it shouldn't be a problem -- hopefully.

So, the poll allows multiple choices and its anonymous. I have just included typical beer prices that I have experienced recently in downtown Bangkok and other tourist areas in Thailand. I know it can be cheaper up in Isaan and maybe elsewhere and I also didn't include shop prices obviously. I also get that it's highly subjective. In most UK cities beer is cheap, in my opinion. Even good beers that are imported and let's not forget that income is much higher in general....and the owner has to pay decent salaries to their staff and higher taxes as well (and then there's rent, not to mention utility bills are expensive in many Western countries). In Thailand, I think it's just the rent that's high; the staff salaries are very low and I think taxes are low here too (also utility bills are cheap here right?) I tend to think beer is expensive here, especially for local grog. I could be sitting drinking fine Belgian beer in a British town in a pub with the heating on in the dead of winter being served by a barman getting paid fair income (and I assume the owner still turns a profit).......for the same price as sitting drinking Thai beer in an open air bar in Thailand being served by unprofessional barkeep. I mean, in some bars here the draft is like flat rotten eggs; you have no choice but to drink bottles. I was in a little bar down Sukhumvit the other night and I must have seen at least 100k pass through the till in just a few hours. I get that rent is probably high, but staff is cheap, utilities are a little, and taxes aren't that much here. I mean the mark up on a small bottle has to be like x4 the price they buy it at in many places (especially after 8pm...don't get me started on that policy). Anyway, what's a fair price for a beer? lol