Disturbing request while getting tourist visa

[JackThompson]

17 hours ago, KiChakayan said:

18 hours ago, kannot said:

"have you thought about a retirement visa instead" Thats the way to ask me correctly, as  opposed to "next year you do retirement yes"

Which in the English spoken by your average Thai IO means exactly the same thing. Seems you haven't been around enough to understand that even though English has become the International Language the people you deal with may have various levels of command of it...

You are correct that English communication may be problematic.  But there have been several reported cases of people applying for a marriage-based extension, then receiving a retirement-based one (because their income was sufficient for this), then told they must go out of the country to cancel that extension, and start all over if they want to fix the issue.  This is an ongoing problem, and creates an impossible situation if the person intends to apply for a work-visa at some point.

[JackThompson]

 

 

 

15 hours ago, Shaunduhpostman said:

And like others have noted, they can just as easily deny you entry if you have a visa as they can with the visa exempt stamp.

The odds of denial with a Tourist Visa are much lower than entering Visa Exempt, in part because of a ministerial order limiting Visa-Exempt usage, which does not apply to Tourist Visas.

 

16 hours ago, manchega said:

The us just like the uk at the moment, make it incredibly hard for thai citizents to get visa etc.

I suspect this is someone getting uncle sam and his orange buddy fart boy back.

Difficulty entering the USA for tourism, when arriving from lower-wage nations, has not appreciably changed in the last several US administrations (Bush, Obama, Trump - different parties, no difference).  Also, for several administrations, those who enter illegally, can take a citizen's job for a poverty-wage, and throw their lives and families in the gutter with impunity / low odds of any legal consequence to employer or illegal-alien.

 

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in future vote to do away with racist protectionist policies and you and your family will get treated with respect.

Protecting citizens of a nation from low-wage competition has nothing to do with Race, and everything to do with the proper function of a government - to protect and enhance the quality of life of it's Citizens (not foreign-nationals).  Pro cheap foreign-labor policies benefit the 0.01% wealthiest people - spreading working-poverty.  The goal should be to preserve high-wages where they exist, and eradicate low-wages systematically, elsewhere (wage-based tariffs would help for this).

 

When Thailand stops higher-wage nations' foreigners from entering, they lower the standard of living of their own citizens.  But, when they open up loopholes for lower-wage persons to enter from nearby countries (which they have), this lowers the standard of living of Thai citizens, while increasing the wealth of those at the very top.

 

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also because you are us citizen i agree with the muppet in penang that not only should you do it from us but eat my shorts orange fat boy lvoer

I have to laugh when I see ad-hominem attacks on Trump's appearance - including the color of his skin - from the same sort of people who would rage and huff at anyone criticizing others based on such things.  The fact they cannot self-reflect on this, and simultaneously support immigration policies pushed by the Elite rich - which harm the poorest citizens and destroy the existence of the only middle-classes in the world - is mind-boggling.  

If you want to bash Trump, go after something tangible and true - such as his hiring cheap foreign labor at his resorts and winery instead of paying decent wages to unemployed Americans - or not keeping his promise to allow millions of working class citizens to have their stolen careers back from the illegal aliens currently occupying them - or allowing professional class citizens with student loans to get their careers back from non-citizens using (H1-B) work-visas. 

If you care about the poor and working-class, as I do, there is plenty to hit him with.  "Race" isn't one of those things, since those hurt most by easy-entry to the USA are disproportionately non-white citizens.

Edited June 5, 2018 by JackThompson

[impulse]

5 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

If you want to bash Trump, go after something tangible and true - such as his hiring cheap foreign labor at his resorts and winery instead of paying decent wages to unemployed Americans - or not keeping his promise to allow millions of working class citizens to have their stolen careers back from the illegal aliens currently occupying them - or allowing professional class citizens with student loans to get their careers back from non-citizens using (H1-B) work-visas. 

If you care about the poor and working-class, as I do, there is plenty to hit him with.  "Race" isn't one of those things, since those hurt most by easy-entry to the USA are disproportionately non-white citizens.

 

There you go interjecting reason...

 

[JackThompson]

On 6/4/2018 at 4:56 AM, Get Real said:

Also too many using tousit visas for basically living and making a living in Thailand. Unfortunately you and every other tourist that follows the rules, will eventually have to suffer for what other people do.

Yes, millions of them, from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos - but there are special loopholes to allow them in repeatedly (no land-border limit).

 

Certainly you don't mean a few English teachers, whose schools (often govt schools) refuse to provide the proper paperwork, are really the cause of this?

 

On 6/4/2018 at 7:49 AM, MiWV said:

This entire site is born of the desire to game the visa system to stay as long as possible in a foreign country because it's a cheap place to live. There is nothing mind boggling about the reasoning for the rules. 

No, the site is to help people correctly follow written Thai immigration law, and to avoid situations where officials are known to ignore and/or abuse the laws they swore to uphold. 

 

On 6/4/2018 at 8:16 AM, sananeamk0715 said:

So why people don't try Savannakhet? There is no red stamp and not strict at all. Just have to show 20,000 Baht in bank account that's all.

Savannakhet now also request proof of accommodation in Thailand plus proof of departure transportation (train, bus, or air).  They might waive these in individual cases, but many have been refused for not having them.

[KiChakayan]

1 hour ago, JackThompson said:

You are correct that English communication may be problematic.  But there have been several reported cases of people applying for a marriage-based extension, then receiving a retirement-based one (because their income was sufficient for this), then told they must go out of the country to cancel that extension, and start all over if they want to fix the issue.  This is an ongoing problem, and creates an impossible situation if the person intends to apply for a work-visa at some point.

In one instance I have been asked myself, kindly, if I didn't want to switch to the retirement based extension. Easy to answer as far as I am concerned: "I stay in Thailand because I have a family here". "ok I understand " with a nice smile was the answer. The cases you've mentioned might have been caused by a communication problem upfront. But I wouldn't leave the country to fix it, just wait until the next year. And enjoy the house visit.

The reason why I stick to the marriage extension is that the overhead isn't such a big thing and that we don't know what will happen to the retirement rules(money, health insurance, etc.). If I had to leave for any reason I could drum up a "loving dad separated from his family" fuss with my embassy and some media. Whereas no one would give damn about a dirty old, tax dodging, "sexpat" being sent back home. 

Edited June 5, 2018 by KiChakayan

[Get Real]

6 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Yes, millions of them, from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos - but there are special loopholes to allow them in repeatedly (no land-border limit).

 

Certainly you don't mean a few English teachers, whose schools (often govt schools) refuse to provide the proper paperwork, are really the cause of this?

Maybe not the cause up to the full glass of shit, but a part of it.
However, As a person taking a work as a teacher in Thailand, it´s up to you to see to that you get all and the required paperwork. Otherwise you are mostly working illegally in Thailand.
Why would somebody with a clear mind wnat a job at a place where they do not provide the paperwork needed. You just can´t break the law to be able to pay and support your stya in Thailand, just because they do and want you to do too.

[vinegarbase]

On 6/4/2018 at 1:13 PM, mugaly said:

Could it all somehow be linked to your previous issue with the work permit?  Is that why you are so upset?

 

Yes, you caught me. I am so happy that the Thai consulate in Penang told me when I was applying for a simple tourist visa that my family and I were going to need thousands of dollars in plane tickets to return to the USA and then spend thousands more to go to China where I have business meeting in a couple months when instead I could take a simple couple hour direct flight out of Bangkok there at the end of my stay. Sarcasm aside, I am upset with Thai immigration in general, both situations, they are just getting too crazy nowadays with their "discretional powers" especially to people that are doing everything right and following the law. 

 

Correct me if I am wrong,

Thai citizen getting a US tourist visa = 10 year, 6 month stay

US citizen getting a Thai tourist visa = 3 month, 2 month stay

 

What is wrong with this picture?

[lkv]

1 hour ago, vinegarbase said:

Correct me if I am wrong,

Thai citizen getting a US tourist visa = 10 year, 6 month stay

US citizen getting a Thai tourist visa = 3 month, 2 month stay

 

What is wrong with this picture?

Apples and oranges.

 

Yes the duration of stay is shorter in Thailand, but people stay for years doing visa runs. Try to enter the US as a foreigner a second time immediately after a 6 month stay (doing a border run), and see what happens.

 

Then again, we have better purchasing power and we provide an influx of money into the Thai economy. Etc. etc.

 

Then again, don't forget about the current administration, how they got into power, and what their plans are for Thailand for the next 20 years, and the stunts they pulled (single internet gateway, foreigner form asking for Facebook etc). Quite anti foreigner one would think. Not very surprising also for these types of "administrations".

 

Too many variables, it is what it is. Really bad comparisson with the US Immigration system. Maybe a comparisson to North Korea would be more adequate (joking).

 

We just carry on as it is until we had enough of it ?

Edited June 5, 2018 by lkv

[JackThompson]

On 6/5/2018 at 7:02 PM, Get Real said:

As a person taking a work as a teacher in Thailand, it´s up to you to see to that you get all and the required paperwork. Otherwise you are mostly working illegally in Thailand.

I agree - I have advised others not to do it - playing with fire.  They tell me (some on this forum) that it is standard policy to insist teachers teach illegally for months before maybe getting paperwork and insisted that demanding the legal route would guarantee no job.

 

As a supporting anecdote, I was asked by some locals if I would teach here (I live in the boonies).  I said I would consider it part-time, but would need a work-permit before anything else.  I never heard another word about it.  I'm OK with the result.

[LongTimeLurker]

On 6/5/2018 at 10:00 AM, JackThompson said:

By law, you can enter without an outgoing ticket if you have a Tourist Visa, if you enter where Immigration is following the law (may not be the case at the lawless Bangkok airports, where some have been reported to have been forced to buy unnecessary tickets).  But, you may be required by a consulate to show an outgoing ticket to get the visa in the first place - every consulate makes up its own rules.

This is the crux of the problem, Immigration Bureau make up "guidlines" that don't follow the Immigration Act, and then the Consulates make up their own interpretations of the guidlines.

 

And it extends to the local IOs when you want to make extensions with some requiring TM30 reports and others not; bank statements wanted as well as bank letters; sometimes proof of address, sometimes not; etc. None of it is stated in their list of required documents and then they get shirty that you don't have the right documents when you bring the exact documents they told you they want!