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007 RED
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Posts posted by 007 RED
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5 hours ago, Spidey said:
British expats didn't falsify income claims. They provided documentary evidence to the embassy regarding their income and no, it wasn't easy to forge those documents. The British Embassy letter clearly stated to TI what documents they had seen and based their income verification on. No lies, no deception involved. You have had this explained, in detail, to you before.
Change the record.
Spidey… Sorry but you don’t seem to be living in the real world. Of course, it is possible to forge almost anything these days. As I said to you once before, you should have taken a walk down the Khaosan Road before they sanitised it.
As you are aware the BE allowed applicants to email their application form to them for a letter confirming income together with copies of their supporting documents. If the supporting documents were in JPEG or PDF formats, how would the BE be able to tell if they had been altered or not. Just take a look at my P60 below and tell us if this is real or fake.
Also, The BE in their letter to Immigration never stated that they had verified that the figures provided by the applicant were true. The words that the BE used were :–
“MR BOND has also stated that he receives monthly pensions totalling GBP 3100.71 and has shown us a P60 Tax Return from the Civil Service Pension Fund stating that he receives a pension of GBP 37208.53 per annum”.
So please, please stop protesting that people never submitted false information to their embassies in order to obtain a letter confirming income. It happened and much more than most people realise, and this may well be the reason why Immigration insisted that four of the embassies verify their citizen’s income before providing a letter.
FYI..... The answer to todays question above is that the P60 is fake and it took just 3 minutes to produce.
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24 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:
Did you make the transaction using your mobile?
NBK is a mobile banking app.
https://www.nbk.com/kuwait/private/ways-to-bank/mobile-banking.html
It is definitely nothing to do with a mobile app or Kuwait bank.
I only make my online banking transactions through my PC. I log into my HSBC (UK) account via a secure encrypted connection and then transfer the required GBP funds to BBK Bank London through BACS. I understand that BKK Bank London then transfers the GBP funds to my FCD account held in their BKK HQ.
As I said previously I will ask what the code NBK on the statement stands for the next time I go to the bank.
Just to complicate the matter further, my FCD passbook shows completely different codes for both deposit and withdrawals. Deposits are shown as I/R and withdrawals are shown as IOP. At the back of the book there is a legend for some codes. The Deposit code I/R is not shown, the withdrawal code IOP indicates Amount Transferred Between Accounts.
If it is confusing for us, what chance will the average IO have at deciphering all these codes.
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24 minutes ago, skatewash said:
NBK = No (pass)BooK
Meaning the transaction was accomplished without showing a passbook, i.e., not done at a bank counter
17 minutes ago, MikeN said:Did you withdraw online ? I think you will find NBK W/D is the Bangkok Bank code for “non book withdrawal” to match the non book deposit.
Oops....my typing is too slow, already answered.
NBK might, just might, indicate that the bank book was not used when the deposit was made as I made the transfer from HSBC (UK) to Bangkok Bank London office online - Bangkok Bank London office then transfers the funds automatically to my FDC at Bangkok Bank HQ in BKK.
But NBK definitely does not indicate that no bank book was used when I made a withdrawal. I go to Bangkok Bank on the Silom Road in BKK and are required to present my bank book and passport to affect a withdrawal.
As I said in my earlier post I will ask when I next go to the bank.
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17 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:
Your deposits are coded as NBK. Did you ask them the meaning of the coding.
NBK is a credit card!
Although I obtained the statement just over a week ago for the insurance company, I never really paid any attention to the specific details until today after reading your OP. I have absolutely no idea what the deposit coding NBK stands for and, as there is no glossary provided, I doubt very much if an IO would have the faintest clue what it means either.
It certainly isn't a credit card payment ????.... I will ask the next time I have to go into BKK Bank.
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2 hours ago, Tanoshi said:
Very easily identified on a statement from the banks HQ.
I’m not so sure.
A couple of weeks ago I was asked by my UK insurance company to provide proof of my Thai address and bank details so that they could transfer the proceeds of my life insurance policy which has matured (anti money laundering requirements etc.). They indicated that my Thai bank statement would be acceptable provided it showed my account details and my address.
I have a foreign currency deposit account with Bangkok Bank HQ, so on a recent visit I asked for a statement covering the past six months which they had no problem providing for 100THB.
I have attached below a redacted part copy of the statement which I received.
and
As you will see:
1...... Under the deposit column, for August, there is no indication as to where the 2k GBP has come from, e.g. overseas transfer or local cash deposit.
2..... You will also see that in August there were two withdrawals of 1K GBP on each occasion. In the case of the withdrawals it again does not show that the money was converted to THB or taken in GBP (cash).
My concern is if I was to use the ‘income method’, is the IO going to jump to the conclusion that I’m ‘carrouseling the funds’, e.g. make a cash deposit 2K GBP at the beginning of the month and then do a couple of 1k GBP cash withdrawals during the month only to re-deposit that cash at the beginning of the next month.
Fortunately if I was to use the 'income method' I’m able to show my HSBC bank statements showing the same funds being transferred from the UK to Bangkok Bank, and also my Bangkok Bank THB savings book showing the funds being deposited on the same dates. But will the IO take the time and trouble to cross check – possibly not.
FYI…. My pensions are paid into my UK HSBC account. Then, as and when required, I do an online GBP transfer from HSBC to Bangkok Bank’s London office, who in turn transfer the GBP funds to my foreign currency deposit account at Bangkok Bank’s HQ.
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Had to go to Nakhon Pathom immigration office today and I spotted these brand new BMWs parked under the covered area reserved for staff vehicles.
As you can see they have consecutive police number plates and from the side it became obvious that they were immigration vehicles - the immigration badge just behind the front wheel arch.
But what really caught my eye was what was mounted on the roof behind the emergency light bar.
I asked one of the IOs about the vehicles and what was mounted on top of them. He smiled, but declined to make any comment.
As I left I took a another look and it is definitely a CCTV camera which has appears to have pan/tilt/zoom facility plus built-in infrared lights for night time vision. It wasn’t possible to see inside the vehicle because of the very dark tinted windows, so I was unable to see what the camera might be connected to.
So, anyone like to guess what these are for?
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21 hours ago, janclaes47 said:
Why are you so hesitant to post a link to the "quality product" you purchases at 6400 Baht?
Wait I'll do it for you.
https://www.worldtech.asia/product/worldtech-cctv-set-m-wifi-kit-2-megapixel/
Oh wait, that is a complete different price, doesn't even has a hard drive of any size included, looks like the biggest pile of crap, and surprisingly is not available.
Did you test your figures about recording 21 days with 8 Full HD cameras on a 1Tb drive. A full HD stream needs 1.5Gb for an hour, which means your 8 cameras would need 6Tb for 21 days.
https://www.seagate.com/as/en/tech-insights/how-much-video-surveillance-storage-is-enough-master-ti/
Tell us, did you buy it longer than 1 week ago, or did you even buy it at all?
Thanks for your post yesterday. I’m not sure why the vitriolic attack was necessary. Maybe you got out of bed on the wrong side, or perhaps had a bad hair day, or is it that time of the month for you?
If you think for one moment I’m going to justify the observations that I made in my posts regarding the CCTV system that I purchased and installed (as shown below), think again, but don’t loose any sleep on my behalf.
I hope that you have a better day today.
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18 hours ago, steven100 said:
Hi Red, I'm going to buy this week but i'm not that cctv savy so excuse me for my lack of knowledge. You seem pretty happy with your system ... what item number / brand code is it.
I have looked at a few but haven't fully decided as yet.
Thaks.
steven100
I think that you will find most of the 'low price' systems are based upon the Sony 'bullet' camera and these are made in China and sold under a whole variety of names.
What you need to look for is a kit that contains 1080 HD WiFi cameras for best picture resolution. Most of the CCTV kits come with either 4 or 6 cameras and you may be able to choose between 1 or 2 TB hard disc drive for recording.
The attached link will take you to the Aliexpress web pages for WiFi CCTV kits. Most offer free shipping to Thailand which depending upon method may take a few days to a few weeks.
Hope this helps with your search.
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OP.... If I recall correctly the BE appointment system diary only shows the next 2 months appointment availability. So for today 21/01/19 the diary will only show appointments that are available up to the 21/3/19 and as you have found most of these have already been taken. It seems that a lot of people still want the Embassies services.
You should find that if you try again (normally at the beginning of the week) they will open up that equivalent week 2 months ahead.
Best of luck
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8 hours ago, BritTim said:
For a denied entry, the airline has the responsibility under international agreements to return you to your last departure point. The airline terms and conditions often, in principle, entitle the airline to try to recover the cost from you, but whether this is enforceable without a signed indemnity form is questionable. That would depend on the jurisdiction where they were attempting recovery. If you already have a paid return flight from that airline, they will usually grab it, and it is difficult to do anything about it. Anyway, very few travellers know the international regulations and their rights in respect of denied entry (which, by the way, are completely different from deportation).
In the case of the OP, he posted that he had received a ‘blue stamp’ in his passport which he thinks states “lack of income unable to support himself”. Therefore, possibly refused under Section 12(2) of the Immigration Act. This being the case, the airline would not be financially responsible for returning him.
Under the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rules (Chapter 5 of Annex 9) the airline is only responsible for funding the repatriation flight of an inadmissible person if it can be shown that the airline did not carry out due diligence in accepting the passenger for transport. For example:
1) Accepting the person for travel after having received a ‘Do Not Board’ warning code via the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS).
2) The person’s travel documents (passport, visa) have expired or are obviously counterfeit, forged, altered or the person is presenting someone else’s travel document(s).
In such cases the airline is also responsible for the care and welfare of the passenger whilst awaiting transportation and they may be liable to a substantial fine imposed by the country rejecting entry of the passenger.
In the case where the airline is responsible for repatriation of a passenger deemed to be inadmissible, the airline shall return the passenger promptly to the point where they commenced the use of the airline’s aircraft. The airline shall not return the person to a country that has already refused entry to that person.
In the case where the airline is responsible for repatriation of a passenger deemed to be inadmissible, the airline may recover their transportation and ancillary costs from the passenger.
The airline is not responsible for any costs or fines relating to the return of a person who has been deemed inadmissible when the problem is beyond the reasonable expertise of the airline or beyond the control of the airline operator, for example: Insufficient funds, or considered to be working without permission.
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32 minutes ago, janclaes47 said:
US$ you mean ?
No way you get all that for 6400 Baht
No, it was Thai Baht not US$ And yes all that for 6,400THB (I checked the receipt) Mrs MoneyBaht is a very hard negotiator.
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35 minutes ago, Rimmer said:
You are not advertising you are helping other people on here, if you do not want to tell the name of the system your glowing report is of little help to other people.
My apology… your quite correct… I was just responding to sarcastic comment which is of no help to anyone.
The system is produced by Worldtech and similar to that which the OP mentioned in his original post, but the HD 1080 version.
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6 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:
and the name of this system is?
Sorry… I don’t get paid to advertise ????
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Last year I purchased a WiFi camera system to replace our aging hardwire system. At the time of purchase I was considering a system with SD card in the camera but the techie in the shop advised against this type of system as the SD cards can be susceptible to failure caused by damp from the humidity.
The system comprised 8 cameras (a bit OTT for what I need) plus a router with built in hard drive. Cost 6,400THB from Pantip (Bangkok) with 1 year warranty. FYI – A 4 camera system was priced around 4,500THB.
The cameras are HD (1080) fully waterproofed and fitted with inferred which switches on automatically during low light levels and provides great images (albeit B&W) at night. They are fixed cameras, meaning that they do not have tilt/pan/zoom (PTZ) facilities. The cameras are viewed on my TV and can be monitored individually, 4, 6 or all 8 camera combinations as required.
According to the manufacturer’s information the distance between camera and router/hard drive is claimed to be as much as 500 meters with clear line of sight. However, that will decrease with any obstructions (buildings trees etc). My router/hard drive is in my lounge (near the TV) and therefore is surrounded by brick walls. The furthest camera is about 100 meters away and I get excellent images from it.
The router/hard drive is fitted with a 1 TB drive and records all 8 cameras simultaneously, 24x7, for approximately 21 days before automatically recording over the 1st day. Video replay is easy to obtain and can be for any one, or all 8 cameras. It is also possible to fast forward the video up to x32 if required. The router/hard drive is connected to my TV through an HDMI cable. The camera router/hard drive is also connected to my internet router by cable and I can log into my cameras remotely on my phone/tablet/laptop/PC.
Installation was a dream compared with the previous hardwired system – no cables to install. As I already had 6 power points for the old system, I only needed to add a couple of extra sockets to be able to utilise all 8 cameras. The setup was very easy to follow from the instruction provided in the box.
We've had a couple of power outages since I installed the system but the system recovers automatically once power is restored.
I would, however, strongly recommend anyone with a WiFi system changing the router default user ID/password (admin/admin) to prevent anyone nearby ‘hacking’ your system.
I’ve been more than satisfied with the system.
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1 hour ago, Bert Jones said:
That's very interesting to know 007, thanks for posting. I would imagine the system software can also match dual passport holders, so not much point switching between the 2. For example, if you travel to Israel on one passport then to an Arab country on a different passport...the Arab immigration would know...or would it? are the databases linked by country?
As Ubonjoe said in post #32, individual countries immigration databases are not linked. So in your example, provided that you use one specific passport for entering an Arab Country and the other passport for entering Israel, then each country will not know that you have a second passport.
However, if you do have two passports and use one on your first visit for example to Thailand, then on a later visit you use the second, the Thai Immigration IT System will identify that you have two passports and they will be linked in the Thai Immigration Database so that the IO can see your entry/exit history.
FYI – The immigration software is also capable of identifying a person who holds dual nationality with passports issued by both countries if the person presents a different passports on each visits.
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7 hours ago, Toadie said:Just renew your passport. Passports are only linked in your home country not here. Renewing a passport in Thailand it's the visas that are linked not passports. New passport in home country = not linked to anything in other countries
Name, even full name is not a unique identifier. I know 4 of me in same company! Photo taken by them is just a bit of a backstop for them. Facial recognition? Uhmm how many people travelling daily? Globally?
New passport, TV in home country. On the very off chance you'll run into same IO and they remember you, different airport. Few photos of GF and msg on phone to show quickly.
Sorry, but you seem to have absolutely no understanding of how any Immigration IT system works, let alone the Thai.
FYI – When you hand your passport to the IO you will notice that they open it at the photo page and then place it onto something on their desk. That something is an scanner which reads the information at the bottom of the photo page between <<<< >>>>.
The layout of the photo page of your passport follows the format laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) which works under the auspices of the United Nations.
Please take a look at your passport and the information that is at the bottom of the photo page and try and work out what it contains. It’s not really that difficult to decipher.
As soon as the IO’s scanner has read the information between the <<<< >>>> it unlocks the encrypted data held on the so called ‘biometric chip’. The ‘biometric chip’ contains exactly the same (including your photo) that is shown on the photo page of your passport. It is the information from the ‘biometric chip’ that is then displayed on the IO’s screen so that they can compare your passport photo page with the info held on the chip to see if there has been any alterations made.
At the same time, the data between <<<< >>>> is compared with information held on the Immigration Database. Within a matter of seconds your entry/exit history becomes available to the IO.
If you have previously entered the Kingdom and subsequently changed your passport the Immigration IT System quickly realises that the passport number is not known to its Database. It then does a search based upon Country Code + Gender + Data of Birth + Family Name etc. Again, within a few seconds the photo that was taken when you last left the Kingdom appears on the IO’s screen. He IO then confirms there is a match and your old and new passports are linked, again allowing the IO to see your entry/exit history.
There is nothing unique about the Thai Immigration IT System. Most countries throughout the world use the same immigration system software.
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On 1/5/2019 at 4:16 PM, JackGats said:
In fact I'm rather in favour of her being closely escorted because the wole thing scared the shit out of her and she has become overshy and helpless. She has a stopover in Addis I have a good mind to try and book assistance in Addis with Ethiopian, not that she gets lost in Addis and lands in jail there.
FYI - I have just checked BKK Departures and there are no flights to Addis Ababa today.... the next flight is in the early hours tomorrow = Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET609 scheduled to depart at 02:00.
As I said in my previous post.... you will not be able to see her as she will be escorted straight to the detention facility in the airport where she will wait until her flight is ready to board.
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30 minutes ago, JackGats said:
You're right she was to have been brought at the check in counter.
They didn't bring her though. Other deportees, all male, were there but not her. The officers could tell me nothing, as usual. Ticket wasted for nothing. Hopeless.
Sorry Jack… There is no way that you will be able to see your friend before she departs.
Normally deportees are transported from the main immigration detention centre in Bangkok the evening before they are due to depart by police van. The van will enter the airport via a side entrance and the deportees are then escorted straight to the airport detention facility (which is airside) where they will be held until shortly before their flight is ready to start boarding. Check-in is done by the Immigration Officers.
Once the aircraft is ready to accept passengers your friend will be escorted to the gate and allowed to board the aircraft before the other passengers. Her passport will be given to the purser who will return it to your friend once she arrives at her destination.
There is no way that they (Immigration) will take deportees to the normal departures check-in area because of the potential risk that an individual may either make a dash for freedom or create a disturbance.
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4 hours ago, OJAS said:Alternatively, do you know how we can lay our hands on a copy of the original Thai version of this particular Memorandum, which we might then be able to wave under their noses instead?
Please find attached below a PDF file containing a copy of the original Thai Text Memorandum. Sorry that its not a perfect image as I had to photograph it whilst in a restaurant with far than less ideal lighting conditions and then convert it from JPEG to PDF. It is readable and printable. Hope that helps.
FYI - When I was at Bangkok Bank HQ last week I spoke to the manageress of the overseas deposit/exchange section (2nd floor). From my conversation with her it was apparent that they (the Bank) were already aware of the new requirement for a letter to support monthly income renewals. She said that they were in discussions with TI and were preparing a template letter that will meet TI's requirements. I would hope that when they get the letter approved they will inform their branches of the requirements and template. Obviously my comments only relate to Bangkok Bank, what other banks will do is anyone's guess.
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32 minutes ago, skatewash said:It would have been nice if the OP had come with a preamble stating the following:
1) If you use the seasoned lump sum of money (400,000/800,000) in a Thai bank to apply for your extension of stay, then nothing has changed. You can do it as you have done it in the past.2) If you are in possession of an embassy income letter, then nothing has changed (assuming you will use that letter to apply for your extension of stay within six months of the letter being issued). You can apply for an extension of stay using the income method which requires an embassy income letter just as it has been done in the past.
3) If you wish to use the income method to get your extension of stay AND
you do not already have an embassy income letter or cannot get an embassy income letter, then there is a new way to apply for an extension of stay using transfers of money (40,000/65,000) from outside Thailand into a Thai bank on a monthly basis. This will be of particular interest to citizens of the UK, USA, Australia, and Denmark, as those countries have decided to stop producing embassy income letters. This will probably not be of interest to citizens of other countries who can still get an embassy income letter.
What follows applies to people in category 3, as people who are in category 1 or 2 are not affected...
the full text of the OP could have gone here.
It would have been really nice to handle it this way, instead of having the indefatigable Ubon Joe and others have to reiterate myriad times that it doesn't affect people who use the seasoned lump sum in the bank method or who have an embassy income letter. Indeed it doesn't affect people who can continue to get embassy income letters (that is, everyone except for UK, US, Australian, and Danish citizens). This would have avoided needless angst and worry. Indeed, it's not too late to edit the OP along these lines and reduce the amount of drama. Something to think about.I totally agree with your comments, it would have been far more helpful and created less ambiguity for some TV members who may have visual impairments.
I also think that the OP did not need to use sensational headlines and make false comments, for example:
“Here is an official English translation of the national police order confirming the documentation required by Thai immigration for foreigners applying for an extension of stay based on retirement, marriage or being a parent to a Thai child”.
The translation is not an official translation. If it were, it would bear the official government stamp. It is an unofficial translation provided by a third party.
They state that the document is a "National Police Order". It is not, it is a memorandum which is very different in terms of its legal status.
“The requirements, detailed in a national police order and signed by immigration chief Lt Gen Surachet Hakparn”…
It was not been signed by the Immigration Chief (Big Joke), it was signed by his Deputy.
Sorry to be so pedantic, but TV should keep to the facts.
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3 hours ago, OJAS said:
Just so that I am clear on the new documentary requirements without having to wade through this lengthy thread once again, these are:-
(1) Bank balance letter as per the seasoned 800k/400k method;
(2) Bank certificate confirming that each 40k/65k+ monthly transfer credited over the preceding 12 months originated from abroad;
(3) Passbook copies covering all transactions over the previous 12 months;
(4) In cases where the passbook has been overprinted over this period (thanks to faint updating machine ribbons), a separate bank statement listing all relevant transactions.
Correct, please? And, in the case of the monthly income method, will not Immigration accept docs obtained from your bank any time after the latest (12th) monthly transfer has been credited (your comment would appear to indicate that they might not)?
OJAS.... In the case of the 'Monthly Income Method':
(1) You will not be required to obtain a bank letter confirming your balance, that is only required if you use the 'Money In the Bank Method'.
(2) You will be required to obtain a letter from the bank confirming that there have been either 40K or 60K (depending upon your circumstances) monthly transfers to your account form an overseas source.
(3) TI can ask for sight of your bank book to validate that the transfers have taken place - they may ask for a copy.
(4) if there has been a problem with printing in your passbook, as often happens, it may be wise to obtain a statement of the transactions from the bank and get the bank to 'stamp' it.
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17 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:Red, in your prior summary of this in the prior thread, I don't believe there was any use of the term "average" in any of the monthly income summary details. And yet, that term appears in the ThaiVisa summary that's the start of this new thread.
So now with all this water under the bridge, might I ask, does your wife see the Thai version of the term "average" in any of the monthly income sections of the Thai language document, or that term is in fact not used there?
Sorry for the delay in coming back, but I'm not one of those who's life revolves 24x7 around TV. Life is far to short to spend so much time 'glued' to a computer screen.
Both my wife, and her friend, confirm that the word "average" does not appear in the Thai document. If they were to have used the word "average" they (TI) would have needed to clarify if it was an average of 12 deposits per year or an average of 65,000 Baht per month. This they have not done.
As with many Thai words they can they can sometimes have several different English meanings, as is the case that the original post which used the word "pension". The Thai words used in the document can in fact also mean pension, income, salary, wages, investments or revenue. Hence the reason why UJ has had to clarify several times to ally members fears that the new criteria only covers pension income.
It will be interesting to see the English translated version of the document which the OP and UJ promised should be available today. That said, it must be borne in mind that the TV translation is still only an unofficial translation and that TI will be working to the Thai text which they no doubt will interpret in their own sweet way.
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As a footnote.... The original post claimed that the document was signed by 'Big Joke'.... Sorry it was not... it was one of his minions ????
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FYI – In the previous post now closed - Update: New Thai immigration rules for income!
https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1076363-update-new-thai-immigration-rules-for-income/?page=25
I informed TV members that I had seen earlier last week a copy of the document that is currently being circulated to all Thai Immigration offices and provided details of its contents.
As I pointed out, the document is not a Police Order, but rather a memorandum clarifying the situation with regards to Criteria for Consideration of Granting an Alien Extension of Stay in the Kingdom According to Clause 2 of Order No. 327/2557 of the Royal Thai Police dated 30 June 2014” with particular with reference to Sections 2.18 and 2.22 which relate to the granting of extensions of stay for foreigner being a family member of a Thai National or in the case of retirement respectively.
The explanations which I provided in my original post were as a result of translations provided by my wife and her friend (who is a senior officer in the Thai Immigration Bureau HQ). Although both are not professional translators their Thai – English is far better than mine. FWIW - Both my wife and her friend are Thai nationals and both hold MA’s obtained at good standing Universities in the UK.
In my original post I indicated that I would post a copy of the document and that is attached for those who would prefer to translate for themselves.
I hope this helps and will no doubt generate more responses.
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Foreigners now need to keep 800k in Thai bank for three months AFTER retirement extension is granted
in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
Posted · Edited by 007 RED
Sorry Spidey, but once again you are ‘barked up the wrong tree’ and just regurgitating rumour with no factual basis.
The Foreign Office Auditors were never involved in the decision that the BE (Bangkok) should withdraw their letter confirming income for British Nationals.
FYI
In early May last year (2018) there was a meeting between Thai Immigration and senior consular representatives from the BE. During that meeting TI expressed several concerns about the income letter which the Embassy were providing to British Nationals. TI asked the BE to confirm that they (the BE) verified the income which the applicant(s) were claiming. The BE response was that they did not and that they had no way of doing so. TI indicated that they assumed that the information contained within the letter was correct and accurate and that the application was supported by the Embassy.
Following that meeting, on the 21 May 2018, the Deputy Consul & Head of Operations sent an email to the legal department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. The email summary was as follows:
“We explained that the Embassy have no method of confirming/checking that applicants have the amount of income required to apply for this visa, however Thai Immigration confirmed that if we provide a supporting letter they will assume that this information is correct and accurate and that the application is supported by the Embassy.
Currently we ask customers to send us evidence of their bank accounts/pension statements etc. to correlate the information which they state, however as you are aware we cannot confirm income in support of the application. Often there are numerous pots of money which contribute to a “monthly income”. The letters we issue do have a disclaimer however the clear statement from the Thai immigration was that they assume that we have supported the persons application.
The letter from Thai bank accounts can be applied for FOC and is readily available on request.
We issue a large number of these letters, as do other Embassies, although interestingly they informed us that some Embassies do not issued this letter as they cannot corroborate the information provided. Any change to this process would affect a large number of the retired community here.
It would therefore seem appropriate for us to review the risk that we have in issuing this letter and what evidence we should expect to see in order to provide this letter and would welcome your thoughts/comments on this.
(REDACTED)Deputy Consul & Head of Operations, Consular Department, British Embassy | 14 Wireless Road, Lumpini | Pathumwan | Bangkok 10330”
On the 22 May 2018 the Notarial and Property Desk Officer, Documentary Policy Team, Consular Directorate, Foreign and Commonwealth Office responded as follows:
“Thanks for your email.
Our preference is for you to stop issuing these letters especially in light of the knowledge that the Thai authorities have confirmed that they assume that you have verified and are therefore confirming the income reflected in it. Whilst we may have suspected this in the past the Thai authorities have now confirmed this. We therefore, can’t ignore this fact.
We support the proposal to encourage BNs to open a Thai bank account. Whilst we appreciate from previous correspondence with you that BNs have evidence of their income and savings in different places, what would these customers have done if we had never issued this letter? They would have had to have found a way to meet the Thai authorities’ requirements as I assume, those customers do whose Embassies don’t issue a letter. The outcome of posts enquiries with the other Embassies will be helpful.
(REDACTED) Notarial and Property Desk Officer
Documentary Policy Team, Consular Directorate, Foreign and Commonwealth Office”
The above information was obtained from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office through one of a number of Freedom of Information requests. This is FACT.