onera1961

3 hours ago, TMNH said:

I know a couple Thai natives that I occasionally speak with and I get the sense that their "empathy" is non-existent. And there-in lies the issue:)

But it took three hundred years for the western countries to climb up the empathy scale after laying a solid  economic foundations based on colonizing and looting other cultures, murdering native population, and abducting people for chattel slavery. Give them time they to develop empathy. 

On 2/2/2019 at 12:20 AM, jackdd said:

Transfers through Bangkok Bank's New York branch will stop working soon, Transferwise might not show up as transfer from abroad, so it looks like the only reliable choice is to make a wire transfer.

You should look for a bank which doesn't charge you 40USD for the transfer.

Does somebody have access to US Bank (US Bancorp)? I remember reading an article a few years back that US bank was testing IACH format for personal accounts. Is it available with US Bank? I hate to open another checking account just to find it out. Already have more than a dozen banking accounts in the US.

53 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Marriage extensions always have to be approved by the Regional HQ, by a more senior IO.

But it is not mentioned in any police order. Why not the same for money also. Just wondering. 

On 2/5/2019 at 2:17 AM, Tanoshi said:

(6) In the case of marriage to a Thai woman, the alien husband must earn an average annual
income of no less than Baht 40,000 per month or must have no less than Baht 400,000 in a
bank account in Thailand for the past two months to cover expenses for one year.

This does not say anything about under consideration. Why there is a under consideration?

3 hours ago, baansgr said:

Beachside seaview condo 150sqm, gotta go 20 baht only.....is it worth even considering staying in this racist backward place anymore.

Where is this? There will be black Fridays and people are certainly going to die in the . I understand it is tongue in cheek. Bangkok and Pattya have a oversupply of condos. Good for renters.

1 hour ago, changside said:

If appearances are anything to go by it is far more money than many expats in Pattaya have. A lot of them look destitute. 

What really matter is invisible to the eyes. Do you expect them to be in a designer suit and chauffeur driven in smog filled stinking sois?

29 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

It's not so bad in Issan, though I suppose would not be appreciated by a "city person". 

I have lived in an Issan town, Sisaket (not a rural village). Even my GF who was born and brought up in issan does not want to live there permanently but every few month she has to drive to see her mom because she misses mom and aunts not issan.

1 minute ago, dick dasterdly said:

This is a pretty pointless thread as obviously, everyone is going to come up with ideas that suit their own circumstances....

Let them come up with ideas that suit there own circumstances. That is the only point of this thread. 

14 minutes ago, Rc2702 said:

transferwise was not anything 6 years ago and is only acting like an Intermediary account.

Transferwise is a fintech company with close to 500 million USD funding. Can they do it? Yes, but it requires vision, leadership, and risk taking. Not every company's cup of tea

2 hours ago, jonwilly said:

I believe from Thai Visa that this operation would cost me around B1.5 million in Thailand

Far cheaper in India and excellent care. 

3 minutes ago, AGareth2 said:

thought about teaching English?

It is boring and does not pay and people think I am poor ????. Looking for jobs in AIT

2 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

He's got nothing else to do

True, I need a job ????

5 minutes ago, Caldera said:

That point (1) is limited to wives from Isaan makes the whole list sound like a wind-up.

To help desperate farangs who have invested their life in a god forsaken place ????

1 minute ago, Peterw42 said:

OP, Thats a very specific set of circumstances, yours perhaps ?

Forgot to mention the disclaimer: None of these benefits me. I live only for 6-month in Thailand on an O-A visa (Oct-Mar). And then I fly to Las Vegas for three months and then go to Benidorm for another three months before returning to Thailand again. 

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

They are going nowhere.

It is simple people. For agents, they will treat every application as a new application. Problem solved. Does the rule that gives superior officer the privilege to waive prior-seasoning still exists? I did not see any police order striking down that privilege. So, technically no problem except that agents will be charging more have to  pass more money to IOs for the privilege of waiving the pre-season money. 

13 hours ago, Peter Knox said:

This leads me to my last question? How much does a proof of residency cost? I have heard horror stories of 10,500 baht. 

Got to one of those large Motorbike/Car licensing and registration shop. They can do it for 500/800 baht fee. You can also get one from your embassy, I hear. 

Why this is even a topic and hard to understand?

1. Income less than 40K, go with Non-O from a neighboring country without any financials.

2. Income 40K and up and no 400K savings or unwilling to put in a low rate Thai bank, go with a income method of 40K/month

3. Have 400K savings, put it in the bank and forget about it. 

People have different fantasies and they can always mix and match what they want.

On 2/3/2019 at 8:21 PM, jacko45k said:

No, you are asking an IO to believe what you tell him, when the evidence does not confirm it. (In my case a Thai bank book showing a domestic transfer in, and perhaps a Transferwise receipt saying the same that happens to be the same date). It is not beyond anyone's means to make non  Transferwise SWIFT transfers each month that do appear as international. For you not to do that would maybe look suspicious to him. 

Even an AI system can detect it. It is called a pattern. If all your transfers are not coded as FTT, then may be what you're saying is true. But like Bangkok bank, out of 52 transfer, only 2 are coded as non-FTT (my last year's transactions) and backed up by transferwise receipt, what is the problem? I will take my chance because I refuse to pay exorbitant SWIFT fees to banks and I refuse to be intimidated by Thailand's immigration laws. 

Amazing Thailand and foreigners are arguing over 65K in the bank or leaving 800K deposit throughout the year to inhale smog and smell stinky sois while overhanging power cables are threatening people's life like Damocles swords. And people still want to live here. I wonder why? May be they are addicted or infected with an unknown  virus.

14 hours ago, JLCrab said:

It is not trivial to change, amend, or replace.

Then how did they enact smart visa act that does not require 90-day reporting and no work permit?

On 2/6/2019 at 7:24 PM, chrisinth said:

If they stick to the term pension literally, I can envisage a lot of grief for many.

They have to just move to an area where the office does not consider income from pension only. That's is the price one must pay for living in a police state with a facade of democracy. May be things will improve when the new government comes next year.

19 hours ago, JLCrab said:

I can also decline Medicare Part B with no penalty on reinstatement by being in Thailand sponsored by an NGO which qualifies for a waiver so that pays for almost half my monthly insurance premiums.

Can you please elaborate on this NGO thingy and declining Medicare Part B and still be able to enroll without penalty. I know if you decline Part B, in the future if you want to enroll in it, you will have to pay a penalty. But would like to know how the NGO is paying 50% of your part B premium and the waiver they have that enables you not to have to pay penalty if you wish to enroll in the future.

24 minutes ago, HuskerDo said:

Even the US is having trouble dealing with all the folks crossing the border and receiving health benefits, food stamps, free education, etc. and they are the richest (if you exclude the huge debt they own) country in the world.

A myth. US even does not give any tax payers' money for asylum seekers. All benefits are charitable. And no they don't get food stamp unless they have children. Yes, the children get free education in schools and it helps the future economy when they are employed.