BREAKING NEWS British Embassy Bangkok to Stop Certification of Income Letters

[ubonjoe]

15 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

But is Phuket also requiring full import of government pensions or can people prove otherwise? I realize it's just Phuket but that might be a clue as to where this might be headed nationally which nobody knows YET. 

They only want proof of how you a bringing your income into the country but are saying it has to be from a government pension.

Phuket has been known as a rogue office for years so just ignore anything they say.

[soalbundy]

15 minutes ago, Spidey said:

I think that ubonjoe is right. It's just Phuket IO being Phuket IO. As we both report in Jontien, I think we can put this issue on ignore.

but it shows the power of IO's, they can do what they want with no come back

[Spidey]

Just now, soalbundy said:

but it shows the power of IO's, they can do what they want with no come back

Yep, I appreciate being able to report at Jontien/Chonburi. Always very reasonable, they don't sweat the petty things.

[steve73]

Maybe Phuket has a well established group of "agents" that can get around the problem.

Many people in my province (where there are no such facilities) have to "live" in another province for just that purpose... makes the whole thing a total farce.

[Benbkk26]

For UK Citizens.

 

Has anyone applied for a Non-O back in UK? I just checked the Hull Thai consulate and there is no information about having X-amount in a Thai bank account. In fact the application process looks very easy, email your marriage, child's birth certificate and passport to them, they send it off to the London Embassy and then they invite you into the Hull office to get the VISA, 2-3 days apparently. 

 

Has anyone done it there before?

[Tanoshi]

4 minutes ago, Benbkk26 said:

For UK Citizens.

 

Has anyone applied for a Non-O back in UK? I just checked the Hull Thai consulate and there is no information about having X-amount in a Thai bank account. In fact the application process looks very easy, email your marriage, child's birth certificate and passport to them, they send it off to the London Embassy and then they invite you into the Hull office to get the VISA, 2-3 days apparently. 

 

Has anyone done it there before?

If married to a Thai you can obtain the Non Imm O ME Visa by post from the London Embassy

Valid 1 year. Each entry valid 90 days.

 

Why would you want to apply and travel back to the UK, when you can get the same Visa locally at Savannakhet, with no financial proof.

[Benbkk26]

2 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

If married to a Thai you can obtain the Non Imm O ME Visa by post from the London Embassy

Valid 1 year. Each entry valid 90 days.

 

Why would you want to apply and travel back to the UK, when you can get the same Visa locally at Savannakhet, with no financial proof.

I'm going back to Hull for Xmas, my home town and as I said I see no financial obligation on their website hence why I asked the question.

 

Could you give me the Savannakhet details on how to get the visa there?

[cleopatra2]

2 minutes ago, Benbkk26 said:

I'm going back to Hull for Xmas, my home town and as I said I see no financial obligation on their website hence why I asked the question.

 

Could you give me the Savannakhet details on how to get the visa there?

Do they not request bank statement for previous 3 months

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

They only want proof of how you a bringing your income into the country but are saying it has to be from a government pension.

Phuket has been known as a rogue office for years so just ignore anything they say.

Thanks. I think at this point it's a matter of reading tea leaves to try to figure out what the ultimate national policy will be on income applications without letter. 

[Benbkk26]

3 minutes ago, cleopatra2 said:

Do they not request bank statement for previous 3 months

Yes but does not say to meet a financial target.  

[dick dasterdly]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Phuket immigration has stated they will only accept proof of income coming from a government pension.

Unless applying at Phuket just ignore that rubbish requirement. They have no authority to set that requirement.

I hope we can all agree that this is a ridiculous, unjustifed and unilateral decision from Phuket Immigration.

 

As you say, it is a "rubbish requirement" and  "They have no authority to set that requirement" - but they have done so .....

 

I live on Phuket and am worried about this - but hoping that my agent will finally be worth the money paid to deal with my entirely legal, income based retirement visa next Feb.!

 

As Phuket have come up with a new and unjustifiable requirement - it's hardly suprising that those in other areas are also worried as to the possibility of 'their' Immigration Depts. deciding to come up with their own rules.

 

Hopefully the woman from the Brit. Embassy who talked to Pattaya News on this subject, is already on a 'plane to explain the rules and regs. to Phuket Immigration ????!

Edited November 9, 2018 by dick dasterdly

[Tanoshi]

5 minutes ago, cleopatra2 said:

Do they not request bank statement for previous 3 months

No.

[dick dasterdly]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

They only want proof of how you a bringing your income into the country but are saying it has to be from a government pension.

Phuket has been known as a rogue office for years so just ignore anything they say.

Unless, of course, you live on Phuket.....

[cleopatra2]

3 minutes ago, Benbkk26 said:

Yes but does not say to meet a financial target.  

GBp 1400 p/month , from  Thai embassy in London

[JamesH]

10 minutes ago, Benbkk26 said:

I'm going back to Hull for Xmas, my home town and as I said I see no financial obligation on their website hence why I asked the question.

 

Could you give me the Savannakhet details on how to get the visa there?

Very good blog about obtaining Non Immigrant "O" based on marriage from Savannakhet

 

https://www.pattayaunlimited.com/pattaya-savannakhet-visa-run/

[cleopatra2]

3 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

No.

Apologies, referring to Hull consulate

[Benbkk26]

5 minutes ago, cleopatra2 said:

GBp 1400 p/month , from  Thai embassy in London

See this is the problem, some sources say this, some say no, some say for the non-o no proof of income until you apply for the year extension. Already from 6 answers to my question I have had 3 different answers. 

[fforest1]

27 minutes ago, JamesH said:

Very good blog about obtaining Non Immigrant "O" based on marriage from Savannakhet

 

https://www.pattayaunlimited.com/pattaya-savannakhet-visa-run/

Savannakhet worries me a lot....People are marrying and making plans for life based on one place in Laos that offers a easy marriage visa... These visas have to be renewed every year......Folks Thai Immigration could pull the plug on the easy visas in 5 minutes like they have done with many other visas....

Its some thing to keep in mind.....

Edited November 9, 2018 by fforest1

[Wanderlust]

5 minutes ago, Benbkk26 said:

See this is the problem, some sources say this, some say no, some say for the non-o no proof of income until you apply for the year extension. Already from 6 answers to my question I have had 3 different answers. 

I got a non-immigrant 'O' visa in October last year from the Thai Embassy in London. The only documents required were a copy of my wife's ID card, a copy of our marriage certificate, the completed application form and the fee in cash, plus of course my passport. No evidence of funds required. I think some may be getting confused with the OA visa which does require some evidence of funds. Perhaps if you are applying for an O on the basis of being over 50 they request it? However I always take along my latest bank statement, the original of our marriage certificate, copies and originals of our two daughters' birth certificates, and anything else I can just in case they request it. I have never been asked to show any funds over the years, and I am going back nearly 20 years.

[ubonjoe]

8 minutes ago, fforest1 said:

These visas have to be renewed every year......Folks Thai Immigration could pull the plug on the easy visas in 5 minutes like they have done with many other visas.

The embassies and consulates that issue visas are under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs not immigration. 

What visas have been done away with recently.

[PST]

More crap from Phuket IO after my last mail

 

Dear Sir

The problem is not the Thai immigration office, it is the British embassy.
The British Embassy has clearly stated that they can not verify your income.
The required amount of 400 000 Bht on a Thai bank account is the result of the decision of the UK Embassy.

The only other option is to work in Thailand and earn a monthly income of 40K

[soalbundy]

13 minutes ago, PST said:

More crap from Phuket IO after my last mail

 

Dear Sir

The problem is not the Thai immigration office, it is the British embassy.
The British Embassy has clearly stated that they can not verify your income.
The required amount of 400 000 Bht on a Thai bank account is the result of the decision of the UK Embassy.

The only other option is to work in Thailand and earn a monthly income of 40K

not transfer 40,000 a month from your foreign bank account though ?  crazy.

[rott]

On 10/8/2018 at 2:38 PM, Pilotman said:

I doubt that. I imagine that we are all going to have to deposit the 800K. Thanks to a useless Embassy 

You were saying?

[White Tiger]

6 hours ago, Benbkk26 said:

I'm going back to Hull for Xmas, my home town and as I said I see no financial obligation on their website hence why I asked the question.

 

Could you give me the Savannakhet details on how to get the visa there?

When I last got a Non Imm O (marriage to a Thai) one year multi entry from the Thai Embassy London there was no financial evidence required - the same as Savannahakhet does not require financial evidence.  Before applying in London I emailed the Thai Embassy to check the point and they emailed me back to confirm no need for proof of financials for that visa. I think that was about 3 or 4 years ago. 

[wayned]

8 hours ago, PST said:

More crap from Phuket IO after my last mail

 

Dear Sir

The problem is not the Thai immigration office, it is the British embassy.
The British Embassy has clearly stated that they can not verify your income.
The required amount of 400 000 Bht on a Thai bank account is the result of the decision of the UK Embassy.

The only other option is to work in Thailand and earn a monthly income of 40K

IMHO, I suspect that this will be the way that Thai Immigration will address all future extensions once the letter is no longer available for both marriage and retirement.  It is written somewhere in the Thai regulations that either the bank deposit method or the Income letter  are the only two ways that the extension can be issued.  Until that regulation/order is changed the Immigration Officers must adhere to it.  At present it only affects the UK, USA, and AUS and until all embassies get together and arrange productive discussions with Thai Immigration Officials that know their "ass from a hole in the ground", it will go nowhere. Of course the Embassy Officials having the discussions must also know their"ass from a hole in the ground", and finding those people on both sides might be the most difficult task! I think that part of the USA's mission statement is "to aid US citizens overseas".  It sure doesn't look like they intend to do that with the rude, offensive, impolite and ill-mannered. FACT sheet that they have published on their website.

[Maestro]

17 hours ago, PST said:

me neither??

Neither do I.

[Maestro]

16 hours ago, soalbundy said:

but it shows the power of IO's, they can do what they want with no come back

It shows the abuse of authority of the Phuket immigration officials and they will continue this abuse as long as the people subjected to it meekly submit to it and do not report it to the immigration hotline 1178.

[soalbundy]

3 hours ago, Maestro said:

It shows the abuse of authority of the Phuket immigration officials and they will continue this abuse as long as the people subjected to it meekly submit to it and do not report it to the immigration hotline 1178.

I agree there but that can have unforeseen consequences, crows don't pick each others eyes out and sooner or later you land at the same desk with the same official who is having a bad hair day.

That IO's can be friendly is shown at Kap Choen. I got there very early one day and watched their daily parade, flag saluting etc, and listened to a speech the boss gave them about efficiency, politeness and them being there to help farang fulfill the requirements. One year while doing my extension an old scouser with his Thai wife was arguing with an official, even the big boss came down, he had missed the required monthly income by a small amount, they told him to deposit five thousand baht in his Thai account and all would be well,

''I'm not sticking 5,000 in an account fo nothing, that's stupid'' 

In the end of this backwards and forwards argument with his wife trying to convince him to do as the IO wanted the boss shrugged his shoulders and said ''Oh give him the stamp and be done with it''.

[PST]

In my final email to Phuket Immigration Volunteers, I asked why the British Embassy was continuing to issue letters up till the 12 of December, and why the letter was still able to be used at Immigration offices outside of Phuket. This was their reply.

 

Dear Sir
Please contact an officer directly and ask why the immigration offices  in other parts of Thailand accept the affidavit.
Please contact the British Embassy and ask  for the reasons.

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, PST said:

Dear Sir
Please contact an officer directly and ask why the immigration offices  in other parts of Thailand accept the affidavit.
Please contact the British Embassy and ask  for the reasons.

I think you should make the contact with immigration as suggested in this post.

6 hours ago, Maestro said:

It shows the abuse of authority of the Phuket immigration officials and they will continue this abuse as long as the people subjected to it meekly submit to it and do not report it to the immigration hotline 1178.

This is what clause 2.18 of Immigration Bureau Order 138/2557  documents for extension of stay states for an extension of stay based upon marriage or a parent of a Thai child. No mention that it has to be from a government pension.