BREAKING NEWS British Embassy statement on income letters: Officials knew about problems in May and say that US nationals will also be affected

[Media1]

The regime is dictating terms to weak lazy embassies that are willing to listen lol. Powerful countries to lazy to support there citizens abroad lol. I find it strange how the UK embassy misfits are now speaking for the USA. They should stick to mad May and brexit

[ukrules]

1 minute ago, Issanjohn said:

Why wouldn’t they that’s Thai Immigrations requirement for extensions is that Proof of Income Affidavit.  That’s not what changed it is the British Embassy making the change apparently in December.  

 

The British Embassy are making this change because Thai immigration told them the documents will no longer be accepted unless they verify everything, something which they're not prepared to do.

 

This action by the embassy is in response to a change initiated by Thai immigration.

 

One of the replies in this thread mentioned how the German embassy deals with this, they do appear to do a full verification unlike the Biritsh and US Embassies.

[marcusarelus]

15 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

Isn’t that the cruz of this?

 

The decision was made by the British Embassy following a meeting with immigration in May in which they confirmed that they expect the embassy to verify all sources of income of British Nationals requesting an income letter.

 

So, you know as well as I do do, that is not what you get in the affidavit when you raise your right hand.

 

Thats why I don’t see why they would apply a different standard for the Brits versus everyone else.

 

So back to my statement before, either the Brits are just exaggerating the situation, or it’s coming for all

I think you are missing the point.  The Thais want accuracy and that comes with backup provided by the applicant.  The Brits don't want to write a litter that goes with the backup provided by the applicant.  All the Brits would have to do is put the legal onus on the applicant but are unwilling to take the time to write the letter (In my opinion).  So even if the Brit is legal he will not be able to use the monthly income method. 

Edited October 10, 2018 by marcusarelus

[Media1]

On 9/13/2018 at 9:27 PM, MekkOne said:

Indeed you know, as your xxxxxx is well known on the Bangla.... BTW she owns me 10 baht change of the 30 that she asking for BJs.

 

6 hours ago, smedly said:

too expensive on transfer fees

Use Transferwise

[jesimps]

6 minutes ago, dontoearth said:

   With all due respect the British were the first to cave-in.  Unfortunate because most citizens of most countries believe the embassies are there to uphold their laws properly not cooperate with any tin horn outfit.  I guess that is just wishful thinking.

Our embassy should have said "We'll continue issuing the letters in the same format, whether you accept them or not is up to you". Seems like a cop out from us Brits to me. Why we'd want to pass up such a lucrative source of income is hard to fathom.

[Media1]

6 hours ago, kannot said:

Dont you just love the mindset though????

Absolute baloney. Try other banks 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

There other thing to note here, amid all this talk about the notion of people making monthly transfers to their Thai bank accounts of 40K or 65K, is that nowhere as yet has Thai Immigration said they'll accept Thai bank book transfer entries in lieu of Embassy income letters.

 

Immigration could accept those kinds of transfers and the paperwork provided by the Thai banks. But up until now, the one and only thing they demanded first for documenting monthly income was Embassy income letters showing income coming from outside Thailand. Immigration has never particularly cared about the other paperwork, except in isolated cases or where they were demanding backup info.

 

Perhaps the British Embassy is right in their suggestion that Thai Immigration will accept Thai bank documents showing incoming transfers as proof of monthly income. But if they do, that would be an entirely different approval method from anything they've done before with monthly income.

 

Not to mention, that doing so on Immigration's part would effectively change the rules at least for Brits. In the past, there was NO requiremement that monthly income amounts had to be shown coming into Thailand. Just that the income was earned outside Thailand. But if the British Embassy is right about that change with Immigration, that will be a big shift toward now having to prove income coming INTO Thailand.

 

[Shouldhaveknownbetter]

Just now, dontoearth said:

The maximum monthly Social Security benefit payment for a person retiring in 2018 at full retirement age is $2,788. However, the maximum allowable benefit amount is only payable to those who had the maximum taxable earnings for at least 35 working years.  from the ss website

BTW, full retirement age is 70 and a half in the US.   I would assume you had to make 250K  a year or so to get that kind of money.  I did very well in life over 100 k in  earnings the last 17 years and took the 62 years buyout and ended up with 1100 a month.  I had done my own investing and didn't really need the SS income.  I would have waited until full retirement age but since I had left work I would not get any more money.

I can not argue with you but I am getting a little over 2400 I got paid pretty well in my job but not close to 250 K a year.  Perhaps I was lucky and started my Payments before new laws came into play.

[Issanjohn]

38 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

John, now it's you who are repeating false info online.

 

Contrary to what you're saying here now for the 2nd time, the British Embassy has in fact said they are STOPPING issuing income letters for Thai Immigration, not just requiring the applicant to provide proof as you say above.

 

 

Maybe they'll change their mind as a result of all the resulting hubbub. But right now, the Brits are STOPPING, period.

 

I actually just read that on here as well after my last reply to you so I get what you’re saying and that’s gotta be really scary for Brits however they are still doing it until December which is the good news and according to the email that this website posted which supposedly came from the British Embassy it does say that they are going to start making their citizens prove their income requirement although you’re right this announcement says “we are unable to verify your income” so the email from the British Embassy contradicts that statement.  So yeah I don’t know it really seems stupid to me because actually yes they can verify people’s income if they actually do their jobs and ask for the verification.  How dumb is that seriously I’m glad that I don’t have to deal with this crap.  

 

The email they sent I guess maybe clarifies it although they put out false information about the United State Embassy doing the same thing as well which I know is in correct after I called them today and asked.  I was even lucky enough to talk to a State Department employee that I even actually know in person from my old job before I retired.  So I don’t know what to believe from the British Embassy now.  

Edited October 10, 2018 by Issanjohn

[Letseng]

6 hours ago, smedly said:

open a sterling account with Bangkok Bank and transfer in sterling from the UK, the sterling account can be used for 12 month extension

And what is the min. balance for a £ account? Asking out of interest.

[Trouble]

6 hours ago, PAWNEESE said:

The problem is Thailand Immigration only accepting embassy income letter at the moment. There is no info the immigration will accept anything else.  Well the embassy is suggesting they will accept bank statements but that is not what immigration is telling enquirers.  I conceed its early days and it will be resolved for those effected .. but B.Embassy should coordinate / seriously pester Imigration to confirm bank method acceptable NOT throw this at us and say we washing our hands of it. Over to you we dont care.

 

Bank income method being not confirmed is the problem .. and immigration telling people embassy not correct in saying it.  But me wait to see good idea !!!!

I doubt that all embassies in Thailand provide income letters so obviously people from many countries have had to do it by the book.  Immigration seems to say they accept proof in bank statements. The embassy letters seem to have always been in lieu of a bank statement and were provided as a courtesy. They are now saying that since they can't verify, they cannot continue to provide the service. Wonder how many people have been claiming income they didn't have by using the embassy letter.  Everybody complains because they have been provided an easy way to conduct this business and now they will have to do it differently.  It's the same everywhere, give people an inch and they will take a mile.  

[jesimps]

9 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

I think you are missing the point.  The Thais want accuracy and that comes with backup provided by the applicant.  The Brits don't want to write a litter that goes with the backup provided by the applicant.  All the Brits would have to do is put the legal onus on the applicant but are unwilling to take the time to write the letter.  So even if the Brit is legal he will not be able to use the monthly income method. 

The Brit applicant already has to provide documentary proof which IMO is a darn site more reliable than a sworn statement. But you're right in pointing out that the embassy are too bone idle/uncaring/unwilling to do this. 

Edited October 10, 2018 by jesimps

[dontoearth]

1 minute ago, Shouldhaveknownbetter said:

I can not argue with you but I am getting a little over 2400 I got paid pretty well in my job but not close to 250 K a year.  Perhaps I was lucky and started my Payments before new laws came into play.

   Indeed my brother who made less money WHO IS OLDER is going to get more than i do.  They seem to be reducing benefits and increasing requirements every few years.

[Media1]

6 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

You can barely open a bank account now without a work permit. 

 

Took my mate to the Bangkok Bank in the Emporium, explained that he needs a bank account for his retirement visa to pay the 800k into (he's minted so no issues) and was told no, need to have work permit. I argued that he was retired and is not working LOL. Was told cannot open bank account without work permit. 

 

He did it in Pattaya instead. 

They play games with foreigners to suit themselves. They make up rules to suit themselves. They have no rule book. Just which way the wind blows. 

Luckily I have 2 bank accounts already opened

[Postmaster]

I like Denim's comments. They make a lot of sense. It is clear the Thai authorities don't want us retirees here anymore.  We are being asked to jump through hoops every step of the way. Now we have to report our address every time we arrive. An old rule but being applied more stringently even though we have not moved for 10 years !  What Denim says is true.  Look further afield.  You've had the gumption to leave your motherland so don't just think Thailand is the only destination.  There are many other more inviting countries. Even our closest new neighbour Cambodia is more foreigner-friendly I've heard though not as advanced. Panama, Argentina and others I understand are welcoming. I know some who are trapped with marriage and older fat thai women and have increased their stake in property but I want to unload mine now as fast I can and never buy again here. It will get worse. Denim is right.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

20 minutes ago, NaamGin said:

 

I received an email from my visa agent a few months ago informing me that any of their US customers using the Income Affidavit method for visa renewal must also include supporting documents that match the Income affidavit amount moving forward. This was in CM, so it may be a specific requirement just for this immigration office. 

 

That's been an ongoing issue at CM Immigration for some time now. With visa agents saying that, though it's not clear that Immigration themselves are actually enforcing that across the board.

 

But either way, it's really a different issue than the U.S./U.K. income affidavits/letters issue at hand here.

 

[Jingthing]

There other thing to note here, amid all this talk about the notion of people making monthly transfers to their Thai bank accounts of 40K or 65K, is that nowhere as yet has Thai Immigration said they'll accept Thai bank book transfer entries in lieu of Embassy income letters.
 
Immigration could accept those kinds of transfers and the paperwork provided by the Thai banks. But up until now, the one and only thing they demanded first for documenting monthly income was Embassy income letters showing income coming from outside Thailand. Immigration has never particularly cared about the other paperwork, except in isolated cases or where they were demanding backup info.
 
Perhaps the British Embassy is right in their suggestion that Thai Immigration will accept Thai bank documents showing incoming transfers as proof of monthly income. But if they do, that would be an entirely different approval method from anything they've done before with monthly income.
 
Not to mention, that doing so on Immigration's part would effectively change the rules at least for Brits. In the past, there was NO requiremement that monthly income amounts had to be shown coming into Thailand. Just that the income was earned outside Thailand. But if the British Embassy is right about that change with Immigration, that will be a big shift toward now having to prove income coming INTO Thailand.
 

Yes but it's clear to me that the British embassy doesn't make Thai immigration policy and the chances that their premature irresponsible suggestion about doing monthly imports reflects a change in immigration policy seems very remote. Thailand requires the income or the bank account. Not a set amount of import. Let's not jump the gun here.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Issanjohn]

11 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

John, I still think you're wrong and misinterpretting the British Embassy info.

 

They're not going to be issuing future income letters, period. The proof they're talking about in the sidebar is the proof that they're telling Brits to submit to directly to Thai Immigration -- not to the British Embassy.

 

Everyone else here clearly understands what the British Embassy has said as STOPPING, period.

Read my last reply I understand what you mean but see my last reply.  Their email posted on this website contradicts that statement.  

[oldlakey]

15 minutes ago, Issanjohn said:

I just wanted to express it so people can stop worrying because there’s so much hysteria about this issue.  

Yes John but if this is not sorted out it will have a detrimental effect on some Brits, you have no worries with being a citizen of the USA

[Issanjohn]

12 minutes ago, ukrules said:

 

The British Embassy are making this change because Thai immigration told them the documents will no longer be accepted unless they verify everything, something which they're not prepared to do.

 

This action by the embassy is in response to a change initiated by Thai immigration.

 

One of the replies in this thread mentioned how the German embassy deals with this, they do appear to do a full verification unlike the Biritsh and US Embassies.

Yeah okay okay and where did that rumor come from?  Yet another rumor.  If they said that then what’s their alternative for income verification a Thai bank account or something?  They gotta verify it somehow.  

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just now, Jingthing said:

Yes but it's clear to me that the British embassy doesn't make Thai immigration policy and the chances that their premature irresponsible suggestion about doing monthly imports reflects a change in immigration policy seems very remote.
 

 

That was the point of my post, Jing.

 

A lot of folks here talking about making plans for monthly transfers to Thai bank accounts, thinking that that's going to satisfy Thai Immigration in the absence of an Embassy income letter.

 

I don't know what the future holds on that point. But I do know right now, we've heard nothing from Thai Immigration saying that they'll be willing to accept those kinds of transfers in lieu of Embassy income letters.

 

[Russell17au]

There is 1 solution to this problem and no one has mentioned it yet. The British Embassy change to the same system Australia uses and you fill out a Statutory Declaration and have it witnessed and stamped by the British Embassy and that way it throws the onus onto you for the correct details and not the British Embassy

[Issanjohn]

4 minutes ago, oldlakey said:

Yes John but if this is not sorted out it will have a detrimental effect on some Brits, you have no worries with being a citizen of the USA

Now another person is saying that this was a result of Thai immigration not accepting them.  But the British Embassy is saying that it’s because they can’t verify it so which one is true is it the British Embassy or Thai immigrations fault???  You see what I mean about all the misinformation?  People need to verify what the actual facts are.  Now I’m going to check with immigration tomorrow as well and further verify what I’ve learned today.  

[dontoearth]

1 minute ago, Postmaster said:

I like Denim's comments. They make a lot of sense. It is clear the Thai authorities don't want us retirees here anymore.  We are being asked to jump through hoops every step of the way. Now we have to report our address every time we arrive. An old rule but being applied more stringently even though we have not moved for 10 years !  What Denim says is true.  Look further afield.  You've had the gumption to leave your motherland so don't just think Thailand is the only destination.  There are many other more inviting countries. Even our closest new neighbour Cambodia is more foreigner-friendly I've heard though not as advanced. Panama, Argentina and others I understand are welcoming. I know some who are trapped with marriage and older fat thai women and have increased their stake in property but I want to unload mine now as fast I can and never buy again here. It will get worse. Denim is right.

    If you are a US citizen Mexico is worth a look.  Plenty of nice safe reasonable resort towns and just for arriving at the airport you get a 6 month visitor pass.  No 90 day reports or location reports etc.  I went to MX last year in the early winter before I came to Thailand.  This year I am not sure I am going to visit thailand at all.  My retirement visa is just about to expire and I have already had a terrible reception at the big immigration place in bkk the last time I tried to renew it.  I ended up returning to Chicago and having the consulate do it.  I could use the extra money I wasted to enjoy nicer digs and food in MX. 

     We are not welcome.  The powers that be think an endless supply of wealthy tourist staying in 5 star hotels and eating at 5 star restaurants and taking limos to medical tourism (butt, boob and face lifts) and then buying some expensive jewelry and renting a villa by the ocean for a month before concluding their holiday is available to them.  Let them recruit these people then.  Those high spending high quality tourist will make the thai tourism industry really blossom.  

      My regular hotel rental every winter and health club membership and touring about the country and shopping evidently is not valuable enough.

[UweK]

7 hours ago, SkyNets said:

So just get a print out from your Thai bank showing your pension payments. Whats the problem, unless you have been lying.....

The problem is that my international health insurance is cut monthly from my account at home.

After paying for my health insurance, the amount left to transfer to Thailand would be just below the 65,000.- THB requirement.

 

If so, I need to cancel my health insurance in order to live in Thailand!

Not a good solution either!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just now, Russell17au said:

There is 1 solution to this problem and no one has mentioned it yet. The British Embassy change to the same system Australia uses and you fill out a Statutory Declaration and have it witnessed and stamped by the British Embassy and that way it throws the onus onto you for the correct details and not the British Embassy

 

It's been mentioned a bunch of times, including by myself in a post just a page or two prior.

 

I think we'll find out the answer to that issue when we find out whether or not the U.S. Embassy is going to continue issuing their current income affidavits. If yes, as I've said several times before here, then the question becomes, why can't the British Embassy switch to doing the same.

 

[Issanjohn]

10 minutes ago, oldlakey said:

Yes John but if this is not sorted out it will have a detrimental effect on some Brits, you have no worries with being a citizen of the USA

And you’re right it could they’ll have to sort it out at some point.  This would scare the hell out of me if I were British because this crap they’re pulling affects people’s lives.  

[jesimps]

14 minutes ago, Trouble said:

I doubt that all embassies in Thailand provide income letters so obviously people from many countries have had to do it by the book.  Immigration seems to say they accept proof in bank statements. The embassy letters seem to have always been in lieu of a bank statement and were provided as a courtesy. They are now saying that since they can't verify, they cannot continue to provide the service. Wonder how many people have been claiming income they didn't have by using the embassy letter.  Everybody complains because they have been provided an easy way to conduct this business and now they will have to do it differently.  It's the same everywhere, give people an inch and they will take a mile.  

Complete and utter horlicks!

[Media1]

3 minutes ago, dontoearth said:

    If you are a US citizen Mexico is worth a look.  Plenty of nice safe reasonable resort towns and just for arriving at the airport you get a 6 month visitor pass.  No 90 day reports or location reports etc.  I went to MX last year in the early winter before I came to Thailand.  This year I am not sure I am going to visit thailand at all.  My retirement visa is just about to expire and I have already had a terrible reception at the big immigration place in bkk the last time I tried to renew it.  I ended up returning to Chicago and having the consulate do it.  I could use the extra money I wasted to enjoy nicer digs and food in MX. 

     We are not welcome.  The powers that be think an endless supply of wealthy tourist staying in 5 star hotels and eating at 5 star restaurants and taking limos to medical tourism (butt, boob and face lifts) and then buying some expensive jewelry and renting a villa by the ocean for a month before concluding their holiday is available to them.  Let them recruit these people then.  Those high spending high quality tourist will make the thai tourism industry really blossom.  

      My regular hotel rental every winter and health club membership and touring about the country and shopping evidently is not valuable enough.

Patients the regime will not last the elections 

Believe me l speak Thai and so many Thais want them gone. All that Isan promotion was a show. Staged paid up. Come elections they jump ship

[amdy2206]

I really don't know what the big problem is. The law states you have to have cash or an income. If you have the cash, what is the problem? If you need so much salary each month, regularly put it in your bank. If you don't have, you should live elsewhere as those are the regulations for living here. Like it or lump it - don't blame regulations as they have always been there. If you managed by loopholes, more fool you as one day - like now - your days are numbered. Dont blame the UK embassy for your shortcomings. Follow the rules, or leave. If you try to stay without the necessary qualifications you will not only cause problems to yourself, but also to the vast number of 'legal' residents. Stop being selfish and if you can't afford, leave and go where your lower income level accepts you.