Rob Browder

Immigration would prefer he used an agent. That is why they are adding "additional documents," not needed in the past, for his application. He apparently meets the financials, which he doesn't even need to meet, if using their agent-partners.

The requirements are different - no "seasoning" of the 400K is needed for child-based family extensions. As he is married, they will not let him file for a child-based extension. Foreigners are penalized with more-strict requirements for being married to the mother of one's children. They often add "undocumented requirements" to make it more difficult / refusing to accept the application without them, in my and other's experience.

Myself and others reporting here have not had that experience. I had all listed documents, copies, etc required every time, at every application - plus "undocumented" things they asked for, which they seemed annoyed I could provide, thanks to reading reports here / being forewarned. I never used an agent, never broke their laws, dressed nice, no tattoos, even. Thank God I'm 50 now and not working in Thailand any more, so never have to live though any of that, again.

The question is really whether there would be an investigation. If such occurred, and you were essentially "living off" of your "gift," I would assume the courts would rule against you.

They make marriage extensions a PITA, because it is a lot of work to process them. Basically, reaching age 50 (+ not working in Thailand) is when this annual nightmare can end - but only if you either meet the higher financials, or use their agent to skip the requirements.

If they are, then they are being stupid with their money, or don't make much - a problem not limited to those working online. When I see people talking about their "cost of living here" as multiples of mine, I know they have some sort of money-spend addiction - bar-girls, booze, fine-wine, "fancy big condo," or something. If they can afford it, it's fine - but, if not ... I saved most of my now-savings after I left the USA, to spite living dirt-poor to save every penny, when there. It's not like the good old days any more, before the mass-immigration got going, and flooded labor markets. In the USA, 3/4 of Americans with STEM degrees cannot get work in their fields. And, most of those who do, meet "diversity goals" for the company. I don't have the correct "attributes" to help them keep Blackrock et-al happy with their hires. I considered dressing in-drag, to get past HR, but no way I could keep up an act like that daily. Yeah, just forget my degrees/experience and get a "real job" as manager at a fast-food joint or something, since the big companies have/are mass-firing highly-qualified people like me, to hire less-qualified foreigners on "work visas," who will accept peanut-pay + work overtime for free - anything to avoid returning where they came from (where wages / living-conditions are even worse). I wish I had come here much sooner. So much better here. It is very sad that I wasted all those years working there for near-zero gain, instead of here. I deeply regret not knowing about this option sooner.

You do not need, and cannot get, a work-permit to work for non-Thai companies. With a DTV, working remotely for (a) foreign company(ies) is now no longer a "legal grey area," as it was in the past. If working for a Thai company, then one can and must get a work-permit to work legally here.

Stay home. Live "hand to mouth" there - competing with infinity people from the 3rd World on "visas" used to Replace You - instead of doing the same work freelance, while saving and investing by living in Thailand where it is much less expensive = Die poor.

Some jobs are strictly prohibited from work by foreigners in Thailand - cannot get a work-permit for them - including agriculture. Foreigners do these jobs here en-masse, but illegally. You could get a job working for a hotel / hostel cleaning rooms, etc. This is easier for those from neighboring countries using the "L-Visa" system - not sure how much more difficult if from Sri Lanka, but could be possible. The Thailand rich-elite keep these visas available to prevent having to pay decent wages to the millions of unemployed, poor Thais (similar to policies in the West).

Later, you mentioned you have the money in the bank, so could also apply for a Non-O 90-day visa through the e-Visa system before coming to Thailand, which would cut down on the hassles with immigration (for the same thing) AND relieve you of needing a "ticket out" within 60-days. Either way, after you get your first 1-year extension using "money in the bank," if you send the 65K Baht every month during the first year, you can use transfers for subsequent annual extensions.

It would depend on the labor-office. FYI: There are docs who will give you all the needed paperwork for a fee, with no "tests" - similar to the ones who sell drivers-license medical paperwork.

Please link to the "immigration rules" which specify how much time one can spend in Thailand as a tourist - how long to "stay out" before returning is allowed - etc. These rules should be specific, so there is no confusion - and enforcement likewise consistently applied to every entry. A link to the legal reason to deny-entry for "coming too much/often" would also be interesting (hint: denying entry for this reason is illegal under Thai immigration law). Why do you think that which is deemed "appropriate," and/or the paperwork / qualifications change, when an agent is used for an entry (land or air) or to obtain a permitted-stay extension in-country? Do you see how this creates a perverse incentive to deny-entry / make applications difficult for those who are obviously only here to spend money (creating Thai jobs), in order to take a "cut" of that money via an agent-payoff?

They are do look at time in-Thailand from prior-years. Whether they will target you after you were in Thailand for work (legally / with permit) is not a case I recall from recent reports - though one from years back was denied for this. If I had been here for more than 60-days in the prior or current year, and not entering with a Non-Imm visa or DTV, I would either pay them for "safe entry" - or, fly to a neighboring country and use a land-border. If flying long-haul, the consequences are even worse for a denied-entry in time/cost. There is simply no way to know if they will have reached their "Arbitrary-Denial Fear-Quota" when you arrive.

Abusing - LOL!!! But paying them via agents, then it's all OK to stay visa-exempt forever. Which side is being "abusive"?? There is no such thing as "genuine tourist," other than not working, and has money to spend. Coming more/often means the entrant has more money (is why they can afford to travel) = "a good reason to be in Thailand." If not working here, and spending one's own money, "tourist" is "appropriate." Where "discretion" means: "I don't see an agent-laundered payoff for you, and you aren't in the class of visitors protected by the big-hotel lobby." They deny-entry to those who are clearly moneyed and not here to work, in order to use FEAR of denial-of entry, to force people to pay them off via their agent-partners. What rule was being enforced? They don't "uphold" any rules - they mock the laws and visa/extension rules they are sworn to uphold - none of which state how long one can be in Thailand as a tourist. For context, ask business owners about the importance of paying "police fees." It's one thing to say, "Beware, traveler" - and I do this regularly. But something else to pretend those taking payoffs are "enforcing rules," which don't even exist.

They used him as an "example" to scare-up "safe entry" services, which are advertised publicly (not a "rumor"), with many links and success-stories shared in this forum. To put this in context, see also the agent border-run vans, and the agent-assisted extensions which bypass "official requirements."

It is a felony to lie on a statutory-declaration to an officer at the US Embassy. These were for income, not "in the bank" money. And, yes, they will prosecute - but only if they are provided with evidence the declaration was false. Thai Immigration, apparently, never pursued such cases (assuming they ever found any). They did gin-up a ton of agent-business, though, when they raised the "issue" of the possibility some people "might be" lying on their declarations. It's their primary job to help US Citizens abroad, and to maintain communication with the local govt, on our behalf. This isn't about "some officer" - rather, nationwide policy on retirement-extensions. The "extra documents" requests at some offices are something else, and tend to be things like "landlord docs" and such - not related. I don't have any "foreign investments" which need "intel ops" using embassy-cover to protect them., Overthrowing govts, propping up mass-murdering regimes, etc, doesn't help us "peons" one bit. Our money is chicken-feed compared to what some transnational is paying to "get done" via their agency, using the embassy as cover to operate. But it WOULD easily pay for the needed service, so it isn't "hurting the US taxpayer," or something. Now I have to lock up 800K Baht, losing the ROI on that, thanks to the Embassy not providing an OPTIONAL service, which no one was forced to use. Ah, yes, Now we get to the attitude-issue beneath all this - that my/our Thai wife/s "must have been" a "call girl."

Yes, but for the blue-book for this area may need to use "Pattaya City Hall" on North (Nua) Pattaya Rd - vs the "Banglamung" office way up North on Sukhumvit. They would prefer you paid them off via an agent, is why they make trouble. But, you can avoid this. Your wife can get a new blue-book for her condo, where you live, if she has the chanote (title) plus her ID. I assume you are making monthly-transfers to qualify on the financials - and, for those, "credit advice" for each transfer may be needed, unless clearly identified in your bank-statement as being of foreign-origin. Your bank can provide those.

i.e: You pay for a visa, and get screwed anyway ... ... which is "for sale" via their agents - can stay forever on serial tourist-entries. Recognize you are dealing with a mafia, which has taken control of a government-agency, and pay them off "or else."

No delay needed. All the IOs wanted was their payoff via an agent (no direct-payment possible, to protect their racket), and they have let people return the next day after denial, at the same airport, "safe entry" w/o issue. As you are now in Malaysia, could also try entering by-land. If denied, you just turn around and cancel your Malaysian exit-stamp, then go for "Plan C." You were out for 2 weeks, after all, so clearly you were not "working illegally" or similar.

There is no prohibition on taking Muy Thai classes while on a Tourist entry. They are "serious" about graft. Immigration want money from their agent-system for "safe entry" - is all this denial of entry was "for" - to line their pockets with extorted money. If they "cared" about "mis-use" of tourist-entries (to do what, exactly - spend "too much" money into Thailand?) - for which there is no legal reason to deny-entry for "coming too much" in the law - they would not create a way to pay them off to bypass their made-up illegal rule. The DTV and 60-day visa-exempt has cut into the IO's tourist-entry racket, so they are cranking up pressure to pay them off for "safe entry."

Entering on Non-O VISA based on marriage, the only question is whether or not an agent can get your FIRST extension from a Non-O VISA based on "marriage to a Thai" for "reason of retirement" or not. They can definitely get it done early - do not have to wait until the last 30 or 45 days of the 90-days you will get upon entry.

That's a valid point. I would get a new passport in such circumstances - when there is anything "bad" in there, which might affect entry into another country. Per reports that Thai denial-of-entry are often not logged by Immigration (another thread), a new passport could also be useful for these cases.

How I see this: It would be self-defeating, for the purpose of creating "safe entry" revenue, to put things in the Immigration computer which could land an IO in hot-water for letting you in via "safe entry." The goal isn't "keeping you out" - only making you pay them via agent.

Yes, and that is the primary reason I throw-away the ROI I could be making from my 800K baht, by paying an agent for a fraction of the incurred-losses. That said, they would have to show in-court an expat's knowledge that their agent-money was "paying a bribe," vs merely "sponsoring" their extension. Also note, the Trump admin just "loosened" enforcement of this policy/law, because it was making "doing business" in places like Thailand, Africa, etc near-impossible, as their economic/govt systems are built upon corruption. Granted, such "leniency" will likely be reserved for billionaires, while the book could be thrown at us "peon" sucker-taxpayer citizens at any time - if only to keep some bureaucrat busy, who could otherwise be doing something useful for us (like providing sworn-affidavits of our income-statements).

Ah, yes - so much better if we have to get married to our Thai wives in Singapore or similar, then go through the rigamarole of "authenticating" that "foreign marriage." So, save $50, and spend 10x+ that, plus additional bureaucratic-hell, instead? That 25,000 x $50 = $1,250,000 in revenue. Not enough to pay for the staff to do it? Ok, make it $75. Folks like you don't have to use the service, if you don't want. I am sure many Americans would love to get the job working at the embassy doing that; fed-jobs have great $$ + benefits, after all.