BrandonJT

It's actually a brilliant move by PT. They will continue stringing it out until just before the next election and then give the final payment to this largest group of people. They'll be able to buy 2 elections worth of votes with a single initiative.

You basically cannot expedite a K1 visa. There are only a very few specific reasons allowed to make an expedite request: Severe financial loss to a company or person, provided that the need for urgent action is not the result of the petitioner’s or applicant’s failure to timely file the benefit request or to timely respond to any requests for evidence; Emergencies or urgent humanitarian situations; Nonprofit organization (as designated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)) whose request is in furtherance of the cultural or social interests of the United States; Government interests, including cases identified by the government as urgent because they involve the public interest, public safety, national interest, or national security interests; and Clear USCIS error. Even if you think you have one those reasons, 99% of of expedite requests are denied. You basically have to apply and wait it out. I'm nearing the end of my process which is on month 14.

Wow, first time I've seen a travel blogger that actually knows what he's talking about, including the quirks and intricacies. He knows the actual reality, he must be in Facebook groups or on ASN!

You did not have a non-B visa. You had a work extension. You cannot cancel a visa. You should now be free to go to the immigration office and apply for a new extension based on being married to Thai, or if you just need a bridge, you could even try applying for the 60 day visiting Thai family extension.

The fact that they lost access to their bank branch. They did something that soured the relationship, so now they had to change. If they didn't, then they wouldn't have had to change. The only agents in Pattaya that had problems were the ones that were doing sketchy stuff (like opening dozens of bank accounts per day). Every other agent in other cities, and in Pattaya, never had any issues despite what the news said.

No. I think they should just accept your application online, and send you your new passport, without ever requiring anything in person.

Don't worry then. You should be fine on your own. Just hand over your passport, boarding pass, and smile

How long until that original article disappears?

You weren't warned or chastised for too much time in Thailand, you simply didn't follow that border's rules for a border bounce. It's very unlikely you would be denied entry without receiving a warning first. You should be fine to enter yourself. And if you are worried, just make sure you have the 3 proofs so they don't have any easy reason to deny entry. Proof of funds (20,000 baht or equivalent in another major currency) IN CASH ONLY Proof of onward travel (a ticket out of Thailand within the number of days you'll be stamped in for (60 days if entering visa exempt) Proof of lodging (at least a few days of hotel bookings to start your trip) (Advise not using a lease if you have one, as that does not make you look like a tourist)

Sounds more to me like they want you "locked in" to a visa based on them. Kind of like how employers don't like it when their employees work on a marriage visa/extension, because then their permission to stay isn't at the whim of the employer. The school doesn't want to let foreign students attend on any visa other than an ED visa sponsored by the school, that way if you think of looking elsewhere in a subsequent year, you'll have to worry about the visa and maybe it's just easier to keep him at that school. There is ABSOLUTELY NO ED VISA REQUIREMENT to attend any school in Thailand as far as the Thai government is concerned. That is a bold lie from the school, and they know it. Ask the BOI to write you a letter that says an LTR dependent is free to study at any institution and submit that to them and see if they continue with their BS. If they do, tell them you want them to support you converting to an ED visa inside of Thailand. That way they'll have to produce about 200 pages of paperwork for you. Then you can take that to immigration and get your child onto ED visa without leaving Thailand (assuming he qualifies for visa exempt entry).

Of course they will say it's all agents. They don't want the appearance they were singled out for bad behavior.

It's not transit. Everything is transit if you consider having a ticket out to mean you are just stopping by. 10 days is not a transit.

Officially, you must cancel it when your situation changes, which is what you signed when you applied for each extension. That means you must cancel it, even if it is ending, or you may be limited from getting another long-term visa or extension in Thailand again. If you don't plan on getting one of those, then no issue. Otherwise they could block you from getting one until you cancel it, and then fine you 500 baht per day, up to 20,000 baht maximum for failing to do so.

Actually, those countries can get 10 days now visa-free. https://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/zj/qz2021/202412/t20241217_11495647.htm#:~:text=The National Immigration Administration (NIA,no more than 240 hours. "Individuals from 54 eligible countries, including Russia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Canada, traveling from China to a third country (region), can enter visa-free through any of the 60 open ports in 24 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), and stay within the allowed areas for visa-free transit travelers for no more than 240 hours."

Should tell that to the US Embassy that requires you to mail in your old passport to the embassy in order to apply for a new passport. That leaves you without any passport at all for 3-6 weeks.

I've seen FAR MORE stories from people that went to immigration, got a lot of gruff about wanting a ton of documents, and even the immigration officer suggesting they just leave and return. I've only seen 1 or 2 successful extensions, both in Bangkok.

You need to make sure that you are using the correct terminology. There is no non-B, there is no non-O. Those are VISAS. We are not talking about visas, we are talking about changing from one extension type to another extension type. If you ask how to change to a non-O, they will tell you it's not possible because it is not. But if you ask about changing to a new extension based on a new reason, that might be possible.

A marriage visa isn't for a family vacation. It can take more than a year and it is issued with the intention of moving to the US and living there. Getting an appointment for a tourist visa interview can take months as well, but not nearly as long as a marriage visa.

Don't do it "whenever." What we're trying to say is, don't do it until the next time you have to go to immigration for something else. Do not make a special trip to immigration just to pay a fine. And if you go to pay the fine, then you're back to doing 90 day reports. Right now you are free from that until you pay your fine and do your next 90-day report. Milk it for as long as you can to make the most advantage of the 2000 baht fine.

No, it cannot be used. But you should bring it with you, as there are scattered reports of immigration offices asking to see "where the money came from" when applying for a retirement extension using monthly transfers. Don't volunteer it, but have it if asked.

Then you use your agent to get your stamps transferred.

I'm not sure I understand the 18 months thing. You don't need any specific amount of time on your passport to apply for a retirement extension. If your passport isn't valid for 1-year from the end of your previous extension, you will still receive your new extension but it will only be through the end of your passport validity.

Yes, but blanket statements that it's "fast and cheap" is not true. Every embassy is different. Some are fast, some are slow. Some are cheap, some are expensive. NZ really takes the cake in the expensive department though.

If your DTV visa is rejected, you can apply from the same embassy for retirement visa. You can use your Thai bank account with 800,000 baht in it for that visa application. Then when you go to Thailand and want to apply for an extension, the international transfer requirement will not be applicable.

Only one parent can piggyback off of one child. Not both parents.