My conversation with the two CW immigration officers regarding my 11 retirement extensions of stay which grew from my 2008 Non-OA visa was come my next retirement extension of stay late next year that since I had the underpinning Non-OA from Christmas past that I "would" require insurance in order to renew my retirement extension of stay.
They were basically saying it's your old OA which was used to get many more retirement extension of stays is the determining factor as to where insurance is needed or not to renew the extension of stay. Each officer began looking at my numerous retirement extension of stays in my passport.....going back looking for the type of visa they sprung from...when seeing it was a OA visa from 2008 I got the bad news.
CW....or at least the two officers (the bulk of the conversation with one officer) I talked to in the Long Stay section where you apply for extensions of stays....is going on the new rule applies to OAs issued from Christmas past, current, and future; not only those issued after 31 Oct 2019. Same as some/various other immigration offices are saying. I repeated the question at least 3 times...expressing disbelief that my old 2008 OA Visa was the determining factor....how it was long expired....how a retirement extension of stay must be different....etc....but each time the officer said the OA was used to get your first extension of stay and effectively numbers 2 thru 11 extension of stay.
The officer said right now my options to avoid insurance was to get a Non-O at an embassy outside Thailand or leave and come back on on Visa Exempt entry and start the process to change to a Non-O within Thailand.
I hope and pray HQ gives immigration offices around the country clarifying info on the new police order....like it only applies to OAs issued after 31 Oct 2019 if that is what was meant in the order. But until that happens (not saying it will), that is what CW told me last week in a 10-15 minutes conversation where I repeatedly ask questions, expressed disbelief, asked are you sure, etc. Time will tell.
I just stumbled across this post. First thanks for your persistence on asking the right questions and getting answers although like others I am afraid this is the answer no one wanted to hear. I do remember when my embassy (USA) stopped granting the income affadavits and I personally went to Jomtien Immigration to get answers. Like you, I talked to the staff first and then the senior desk officer, and was told repeatedly must have 800k in a Thai bank, no 65k per month, no combo method. One friend took his question to the chief of Jomtien Immigration, same answer. Of course, ultimately they were all wrong and dispensing bad information right to the very end. I can only hope that is the case here, not so much for me personally, but for my many friends that have been on O-A permission to stay for many years.
I’m a 100% disabled veteran myself 21 years retired Army I called them on Friday and it’s actually not all that hard after all. You just call OCONUS TRICARE NOT the Embassy. Make sure you are enrolled in FMP. If anyone has questions OCONUS TRICARE’s information is right here:
I hope you have this information I promise I will post a topic about it later from one of my more permanent TV accounts lol. Obviously you notice how this information keeps getting mysteriously removed LOL [emoji23]. I will post a topic later from a different TV account from one of my separate devices. I’m on a NON-O anyway so I could care less but I hope this helps other veterans.
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