Briggsy

On my last DTV entry, which was by air, I was not asked for proof of funds or an onward ticket. I would have been very surprised if I had been. By chance, I actually had both. I was, however, asked for the address I would be residing at. This seemed to be noted somewhere in the computer by the IO. It was simply a question. No proof of booking was required.

You seem to see these cases a lot in Thailand in which defendants convicted of very serious crimes receive repeated decisions allowing bail for years and years. They don't even need to be rich, either lower middle class or low level connections is enough. There is one big proviso and that is their victim has lower status than them. Here, the victim (I know he survived) was a lowly manual worker. It certainly appears to be denial of justice.

This guy was dealing in the UK. 60% of all burglaries in the UK are committed to obtain money for drugs which is then passed on to the dealers. It doesn't sound like 'fun' for the tenant or householder to discover they have been burgled. It doesn't sound like 'fun' to be so desperate for cash for drugs that you go out and steal creating misery for others and inevitably at some point landing yourself in prison. I could go on.

The devil is in the detail as ever. I remember when this scheme was rolled out. It provided an opportunity for kids from very ordinary backgrounds in rural areas with M.6 or Business Admin Diplomas to go on and get a (fairly ropey) degree. Obviously if they had passed the entrance exam to a prestigious government uni, then that was another route. The view amongst the students 25 years ago was that they would never have to pay it back due to the way the scheme was structured and the way it was sold to them and their families. It would be interesting to get a detailed picture of how the scheme has evolved, what the criteria are for repayment and where the money has ended up.

He is a university lecturer, well-known in his field, with published works. I would say he is a scholar. He has been incarcerated awaiting trial for words written by a Singaporean university incorrectly attributed to him. Perhaps you would like to - discover what you are talking about - review your comments

We don't know when and what instructions have been given to local IO's and we certainly don't know the reasoning behind tightening and loosening the way in which the law is applied at any particular border crossing. However, first hand reports are extremely useful to others. When entering Visa Exempt, there is always the possibility that accommodation bookings, proof of onward travel and proof of funds may be requested in line with the legislation. I don't think the gender of the IO is a key factor.

This was a classic Vietnamese scam back in the day. Years ago, you needed to specify your entry and exit point before entering Vietnam. With a visa but no entry stamp, you were then fined on exit. They targetted those with different exit and entry points as the foreigner was 100 kms from where the "mistake" occurred when they were fined.

Trump's bottled it now as ever, so the discussion is moot. That didn't last long. China won. China will just continue to offshore as before.

Thanks for your reply. I use Skype to phone an elderly parent in the UK who is unable to use either the internet or any form of mobile, just landlines. So, if I understand correctly, there will be a Skype Dial Pad inside Teams??? And this will allow me to phone a UK landline???? If so, how much will this cost? The same as before???? As you can see I am pretty confused. I will just have to play it by ear.

Correct. My monthly subscription was due on 8 April.

Thanks So, given your age and the term "freelance" I assume you did not provide a current contract of employment. You mentioned providing your "HMRC tax calculation". Is this an SA302 showing your self-employed earnings? Or is it rather simply a tax calculation showing your state pension, possible company pension, private pension (SIPP)/annuities and investment income? If the latter, then you have no remote working contract and no "professional" portfolio. This would mean that the London Embassy is being very lenient in their interpretation of a digital online worker. If I have understood you correctly and hopefully you can fill in the gaps by answering the above questions, then the London Embassy seems prepared to hand out DTV's in the workcation category to retirees with no paid work but simply investments. Quite a stretch! But up to them.

@billy100 Thank you for your report. You left out some key information. Which category did you apply under? Was it workcation or soft power?

Skype did not appear to take my $3.59 this month.

You need to go back to the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, the complete shuttering of China from the rest of the world to just get a taste of the level of deprivation that a) Chinese can and will endure and b) the CCP is willing to inflict on its own populace. The American media, the American population, Congress, The Senate, The Supreme Court, would be turfing out the Trump administration if they took the US to 5% of that for some nonsense theory. Heck, even his own cabinet would be getting him sectioned.

Have you been on 8kun again???

Thanks for your reply. It would have been an interesting experiment for me to have proffered the non-imm O at Suwannaphum to see what would have happened, bearing in mind I obtained the non-imm O first and then the DTV from the London Embassy. I suspect (but I have no confirmation at all) that it would have been accepted. I don't think the MFA systems, Immigration systems and most importantly their interface are smart enough to start cancelling visas. It is not even sure that any cancellation would be justified. My Thai evisa account happily stated I had two valid visas to utilise.

Vladmir Putin is enjoying the best show he has ever seen. Not in his wildest fantasies could he ever have imagined he would have such a compliant US asset-cum-president.

Non-Imm O visa issued by London have been evisas for a considerable time now. Thanks for your reply and for letting me know the source was AI.

What does this message from Skype mean? "Existing calling and Skype Number subscriptions will continue to automatically renew until 3 April 2025. After May 2025, those with active Skype Credits and subscriptions can continue to enjoy these paid features and use the Skype Dial Pad from the Skype web portal and within Teams Free. To transfer your Skype Number, contact your new network provider or learn more here."

You appear now to be stating that you can have two valid visas but not if at least one of them is multi-entry and has been used previously to enter the country. However, if both are single entry or one or both are multi-entry but have not been used to enter Thailand, then it is okay to have two valid visas. Have I got that right? And, may I ask where you came by this information?

It is not clear from the story whether the woman had the 20,000 Baht required to clear the overstay fine. If she didn't, she is going to be arrested and then go to IDC, which seems to be what is happening. If she did, then she is very unlucky and the law seems to have been applied punitively. These stories only seem to emanate from Phuket Airport. The only thing I can draw from this tale, since details are missing, is if you are on overstay and intend to fly out by paying your overstay fine at the airport, never leave through Phuket Airport.

500 Baht fine and the cops will just move on to the next. It is not really a deterrent.

Do you have a source for that? I applied for a non-imm O from London and received that. 2 weeks later, I changed my mind and applied for a DTV and received that. I had two valid visas. I chose to enter Thailand on the DTV but could have entered on the non-imm O. The Immigration officer said nothing about the unused non-imm O.

I don't know about applying through Los Angeles embassy but applying through the London embassy just required 500,000 Baht equivalent balance on a bank statement. No period was specified. It was effectively a snapshot on the day the statement was issued. (Of course statements do show transactions for a period, usually a month, if the embassy wants to go digging).

Is that the visa previously known as Thai Elite?