"Easy Ride" for pensioners in Thailand now over, says Pattaya Radio

[Caine]

4 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Utter pile of rot. Yesterday I bumped into a visa agency guy I have known for years. He told me last week things looked tough. Yesterday, everything was back to normal. Has anyone here ever known a crackdown on anything to last more than a week?

I am sure there will be fun and games, and probably payments to deal with the proof of finances issue, but nothing of substance is likely to change.

Dream on.

[Jingthing]

Just now, wgdanson said:

Have they not said 65k per month (average) into a Thai Bank account with proof, bank statement or book saying FTT, or the usual 800k for 3 months.

NO! Thai immigration most certainly has NOT said they will accept income based applications from anyone without an income letter. The British embassy does not make immigration policy. 

[wwest5829]

Well, we will see how this shakes out. I’m good until next July having always used the income qualification. The Consulate in Chiang Mai has confirmed no change in the issuance of their letters currently.

[notamember]

1 minute ago, bkk6060 said:

You are clueless how the system works.

The agents put the money into an account for maybe a few minutes.

Then, make copies of the documentation and transfer the money out.

It is a scam for sure.  But, has been going on for several years here. 

Really , clueless? ya think?

[Psimbo]

I'm curious as to why people on here are blaming Thai Immigration for a British Embassy decision? It' just another indication of the decline of service 'provided' by the Embassy.

 

The agent thing was always going to come a cropper one day and people using it were aware of that- they will be bitten in the erse and it serves them right for trying to scam the system.

 

So long as sufficient funds are in a Thai bank what's the issue?

 

If you don't have sufficient funds why be here- I'm not going to bale you out when you start a crowd fund

 

Personally I ring-fence the 800k. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

So, the fact that the British Embassy will not issue these letters and you say Thai Immigration has always required and that there is no announced change from Immigration, where does that,leave the Brits using this method in the past?

 

Switching to a different visa...

 

Switching to the bank deposits method for extensions.

 

Waiting to see what Thai Immigration does/says when Brits start showing up with extension applications with various monthly income paperwork but no Embassy letter.

 

Packing up and finding a new home.

 

[wgdanson]

3 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

Well, we will see how this shakes out. I’m good until next July having always used the income qualification. The Consulate in Chiang Mai has confirmed no change in the issuance of their letters currently.

But the Consulate in Bangkok HAS, a bloody big one here on Thai Visa.

[Spidey]

3 minutes ago, notamember said:

Try again, i missed your point

You certainly did. Tommy said several agents have been turned away not all. As his report was about conditions changing for people applying for visa extensions, I think that it's safe to assume that they were turned away because they were seeding accounts, which is probably the most illegal thing that visa agents do. Also the most profitable. Profit for agent = profit for immigration for turning a blind eye to this illegal activity.

 

If you hadn't noticed, immigration accepting bribes is the big issue at the moment.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 minute ago, Psimbo said:

So long as sufficient funds are in a Thai bank what's the issue?

 

Because some people may prefer to keep their 800K in a home country bank account where it's safer and probably earns more interest.

 

Or, others are asset rich but free cash poor

 

and many other variations on the same themes.

 

[HAKAPALITA]

So why do the honest TV members even comment.?. If that stuffs in the paper no street legal person bothers reads it, only the guilty 

[Jingthing]

8 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

So, the fact that the British Embassy will not issue these letters and you say Thai Immigration has always required and that there is no announced change from Immigration, where does that,leave the Brits using this method in the past?

Either up an infamous brown colored creek or using the 800K baht bank method.

 

 

[Oziex1]

Big Joke can make all the noise he likes but one thing he won't do is ruin other people's business.

 

Percentages of all the ill gotten flow upwards.

[notamember]

bored now, going out for a beer

its always amusing to see people speculate and call it fact about something they can only speculation about.....

but its not amusing for long

[Jingthing]

5 minutes ago, Psimbo said:

I'm curious as to why people on here are blaming Thai Immigration for a British Embassy decision? It' just another indication of the decline of service 'provided' by the Embassy.

 

The agent thing was always going to come a cropper one day and people using it were aware of that- they will be bitten in the erse and it serves them right for trying to scam the system.

 

So long as sufficient funds are in a Thai bank what's the issue?

 

If you don't have sufficient funds why be here- I'm not going to bale you out when you start a crowd fund

 

Personally I ring-fence the 800k. 

Having income is also having sufficient funds. 800K in the bank is only one of three possible methods. 

[maddox41]

I have a friend that was freaking out till he realised he brings in 70K of income from Germany for the last 2 yrs he's all ok. 

But this is a puff puff blow your house down momemt. 

It will be work as usual in a month or so. 

If not people will leave and go elsewhere like the phillipines I have friends there and say its much easy to work and obtain a visa if you don't get shot first 

But if this doesn't  change and many farang leave Thailand the thai government will complain no one is coming here anymore and will make changes again 

Big joke want be in there for long he's on the ladder of success he be in charge of another departmemt this time next Yr. 

[wvavin]

I shall see how long this would be enforced.

[Jingthing]

10 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

Well, we will see how this shakes out. I’m good until next July having always used the income qualification. The Consulate in Chiang Mai has confirmed no change in the issuance of their letters currently.

The key is currently. The embassy is still issuing them now as well. It's hard to imagine that the embassy would do one thing and the consulate another. 

[bbi1]

31 minutes ago, superal said:

I guess there could be a lot of new marriages about to happen with long term unmarried couples tying the knot so as to show 400k instead of double 800k .

 As for the other UK state pensioners not all is lost as a non o multi entry visa is easily obtained without any proof of income , just got  to do the 90 day border crossing .

Marrying someone because you can't afford to show AUD$32k in the bank but only AUD$16k lol ????????????

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, maddox41 said:

I have a friend that was freaking out till he realised he brings in 70K of income from Germany for the last 2 yrs he's all ok. 

But this is a puff puff blow your house down momemt. 

It will be work as usual in a month or so. 

If not people will leave and go elsewhere like the phillipines I have friends there and say its much easy to work and obtain a visa if you don't get shot first 

But if this doesn't  change and many farang leave Thailand the thai government will complain no one is coming here anymore and will make changes again 

Big joke want be in there for long he's on the ladder of success he be in charge of another departmemt this time next Yr. 

There is no change as yet for Germans. There is no requirement to import even one baht for those using income letters. The requirement is about "proving" income, not importing it. The British embassy has invented new rules that don't actually exist.

This British thing won't impact Germans at all unless they too stop issuing income letters. Thai immigration REQUIRES income letters for all income based applications even if you're importing a million baht a month. 

[KhunFred]

40 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

No, everyone does NOT have a tax return. Never had one since I retired 6 years ago, nothing from DWP, no letters of confirmation, nowt.

You may not have a tax return, but you most CERTAINLY have a . tax statement, Everyone who has ever worked has one.

[KOZMO]

So what is the problem??? If you are here on a legitimate visa and have your 800k, no problem.

 

Now if you are a backpacker, trying to live here on a tourist visa, time to get rid of these scum!!!

 

Anyone without a visa should be sent back to wherever they came from. Clean up the scum.

 

No more falangs begging on the street, too disgusting !!!

[notamember]

4 minutes ago, Spidey said:

You certainly did. Tommy said several agents have been turned away not all. As his report was about conditions changing for people applying for visa extensions, I think that it's safe to assume that they were turned away because they were seeding accounts, which is probably the most illegal thing that visa agents do. Also the most profitable. Profit for agent = profit for immigration for turning a blind eye to this illegal activity.

 

If you hadn't noticed, immigration accepting bribes is the big issue at the moment.

more speculation about things you know nothing about

if immigration were concerned about anything,  its those agents who do not seed accounts

the only thing wrong with the application and difference to how regular applicants would do it then be that its not been in the bank for 2/3 months

that you think thats is more illegal than doing nothing more than paying a bribe for a stamp is not only wrong its totally illogical

if any of what you think it is safe to assume to be true, it would be those types of agents that simply bribe officials for a stamp without any financial evidence at all that would have a problem  

 

i notice a good deal more than you can imagine Spidey

[bkk6060]

3 minutes ago, notamember said:

bored now, going out for a beer

its always amusing to see people speculate and call it fact about something they can only speculation about.....

but its not amusing for long

OK.

You in Pattaya now maybe not go far a major rain storm right now. ????

[bbi1]

24 minutes ago, Spidey said:

You don't have access to the money. Agents in Pattaya charge i.r.o. 20k baht.

What the hell? Are you serious? People pay 20k to an agent to do some forms for them and jump the queue up at immigration for them??? ????????????

[Jingthing]

Just now, KOZMO said:

So what is the problem??? If you are here on a legitimate visa and have your 800k, no problem.

 

Now if you are a backpacker, trying to live here on a tourist visa, time to get rid of these scum!!!

 

Anyone without a visa should be sent back to wherever they came from. Clean up the scum.

 

No more falangs begging on the street, too disgusting !!!

Silly post. There are three options for retirement extensions. 

800K in bank 

Full income 65K monthly

Combination of the two totaling at least 800K

The "problem" is that income options may be blocked if embassies stop issuing income letters as the British have already announced they will do. 

[wgdanson]

1 minute ago, bbi1 said:

What the hell? Are you serious? People pay 20k to an agent to do some forms for them and jump the queue up at immigration for them??? ????????????

No, that is to 'lend' them the 800k for a few minutes in their bank, and to get it through immigration.

[Spidey]

1 minute ago, bbi1 said:

What the hell? Are you serious? People pay 20k to an agent to do some forms for them and jump the queue up at immigration for them??? ????????????

They seed a bank account to the tune of 800k baht. Also, it's highly illegal and I'm sure that a good percentage goes to their "friend" in Immigration.

[bbi1]

10 minutes ago, maddox41 said:

I have a friend that was freaking out till he realised he brings in 70K of income from Germany for the last 2 yrs he's all ok. 

But this is a puff puff blow your house down momemt. 

It will be work as usual in a month or so. 

If not people will leave and go elsewhere like the phillipines I have friends there and say its much easy to work and obtain a visa if you don't get shot first 

But if this doesn't  change and many farang leave Thailand the thai government will complain no one is coming here anymore and will make changes again 

Big joke want be in there for long he's on the ladder of success he be in charge of another departmemt this time next Yr. 

Don't worry, there's lots of Chinese coming here and lots of non-Chinese young dudes coming here. If some 50+ grey nomads (or lots of them) get tossed out for scamming the system with Agents depositing 800k in their accounts and immediately taking it out, it won't make a difference to Thailand's bottom line.

[dick dasterdly]

41 minutes ago, notamember said:

anyone can do 90 day reporting for anyone

no need to pay an agent unless you do not have any friends or do not want to be seen in immigration for some reason

What on earth are you wittering on about??

 

You'd ask a friend to do your 90 day reporting on your behalf?

 

I suspect what you mean is 'don't you have a wife/girlfriend that can do these things for you' ????.

 

As for the last comment.... better ignored, as it's even more ignorant.

[bwpage3]

4 hours ago, Jingthing said:

That's because there has indeed been no announcement from Thai immigration of changes. For now, everyone including Brits can use their income letters. Obviously when the British embassy stops issuing income letters, Brits won't be able to use income letters any longer if they need a new one but there is no reason to assume their existing letters won't be honored as old as six months as from all other embassies. As of now, Thai immigration REQUIRES income letters of ALL nationalities. 

 

I am making another assumption here. If the British embassy actually had OFFICIAL word from Thai immigration that income applications showing the bank deposits would be accepted from their nationals without an income letter, they would have explicitly said that in their very loud announcement of change. Because that's a very important detail. 

It's Thailand. Don't make assumptions as anything logical is thrown out the window.