Gov.uk Petition - Reinstate Pension / Income Letter

[BB1958]

Just signed - 142 when I added my name

[lamyai3]

On 10/10/2018 at 4:13 PM, elviajero said:

Petition signed, but I think you will struggle to get the requisite 10K signatures.

Yes, I wonder if 10k emails might not be more effective - a petition is far easier to sweep aside than a ddos attack of complaints. 

[lamyai3]

13 minutes ago, richiejom said:

Not if they use Gmail, they could just filter by keyword 'Pension Letter' and send it all to spam folder ????

In any event, thanks for setting it in motion, 10000 signatures or not. The British Embassy has claimed to be speaking on behalf of all embassies and as of now not a single other embassy has come forward to corroborate what they're saying, leaving them in the unflattering position of looking like immigration's patsy. The more noise and negative publicity on this the better, and that would include the several threads on here. 

[akampa]

A bit of topic ,does anyone know why if you live in Thailand  we do not get the full amount of pension as one would get if you live in the UK?

Just started receiving my first pension payment.

Edited October 20, 2018 by akampa

[soalbundy]

4 minutes ago, akampa said:

A bit of topic ,does anyone know why if you live in Thailand  do not get the full amount of pension as one would get if you live in the UK?

Just started receiving my first pension payment.

you do but there are no increases for inflation that you would get if you lived in the UK and no 'additions', like help with heating costs etc.

[mikebell]

On 10/10/2018 at 4:13 PM, elviajero said:

as expat numbers rise.

Not much chance of that!  Vietnam/Malaysia/Cambodia all seem more welcoming than Thailand.

[ubonjoe]

4 hours ago, akampa said:

A bit of topic ,does anyone know why if you live in Thailand  we do not get the full amount of pension as one would get if you live in the UK?

Just started receiving my first pension payment.

Have a look at this long ongoing topic for info.

 

[john smith]

I too have been brushed off by the Embassy when asking for their assurance that Immigration will not demand a proof of income letter.

The points that I raised were tap danced around. Their anodyne reply simply pointed to money arriving in my account and a bank letter showing funds transferred and the same funds showing in my bank book.

My question were the Embassy aware that some Immigration offices quoting their own interpretation of the rules did insist on Embassy letters was studiously ignored.

I would suggest that we phone or visit the Immigration offices in our respective areas and ask if they require a proof of income letter for all nationalities and will continue to do so.

I have also asked French and American friends to contact their Embassies to see if letters will continue to be provided. Are we alone ?

To be frank the way Embassy has handled this matter would possibly show a lack of  competence at a high level.

Should we be the only Embassy acting in this way then possibly letters to the Shadow Foreign Secretary might be a way foreward.

I suggest the Shadow Minister as raising the matter in Parliament is possibly best done using the opposition.  I fear the Government would Bury the question if given the chance.

Possibly also a letter or well crafted emails to The Sun, Express and Mail these being the most widely read newspapers and whilst they are pro Government they do enjoy a little mischief . Were this rout to be chosen vague rambling or off point letters could be a disaster. A jointly composed letter focus only on the Embassy proof of income would I think be best  sent both to the Shadow secretary and the papers.

We should remain aware that the future careers of some Embassy staff could be damaged by this matter and we should also be aware that these same people will undoubtedly be following these posts.

[evadgib]

For the record YES I have and I'm way short of state pension age.

Edited October 21, 2018 by evadgib

[billd766]

On 10/18/2018 at 6:14 PM, soalbundy said:

Kudo's to you but how do we get 10,000 signatures ?

 

Put it on your Facebook page and ask you family and friends to sign up.

 

I did and I was the first on my page, 14 other friends and family signed up.

 

My ex wife didn't so if I do have to leave Thailand I will become homeless outside her front door to give her a guilt trip.

[Golden Triangle]

Signed, now 168 

[soalbundy]

12 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

Signed, now 168 

For heavens sake people lets get past a 1,000 at least.

[soalbundy]

1 minute ago, richiejom said:

I notice the more it is posted in these threads the more signatures it gets...thats because it is more visible to people directly affected that way...for example if I post again now here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/230120   it will probably get another 2 signatures

keep posting then !

[Jip99]

Although I think such petitions are futile, I am happy to sign in support of those who think it may make a difference.

[john smith]

I too have contacted the Embassy asking if cash in my account and or income from the UK arriving monthly will suffice lacking a letter from the Embassy. The Embassy has slithered around the question and repeated this act when I again requested a difinitive yes or no.

The apparent lack of competence shown by whomsoever negotiated this arrangement is staggering.

I am writing to the Welsh  and Scottish Parliaments as their citizens are too caught in this debacle and to the Shadow Foreign Secretary in London.

The Embassy has taken a path that no other Embassy is treading and logic indicates that the reason for its actions are not seen as valid by its fellow Ambassadors. 

[elviajero]

4 hours ago, john smith said:

I too have contacted the Embassy asking if cash in my account and or income from the UK arriving monthly will suffice lacking a letter from the Embassy. The Embassy has slithered around the question and repeated this act when I again requested a difinitive yes or no.

The apparent lack of competence shown by whomsoever negotiated this arrangement is staggering.

I am writing to the Welsh  and Scottish Parliaments as their citizens are too caught in this debacle and to the Shadow Foreign Secretary in London.

The Embassy has taken a path that no other Embassy is treading and logic indicates that the reason for its actions are not seen as valid by its fellow Ambassadors. 

You are wasting your time. The problem has been caused by Thai immigration. You need to lobby them.

[blackhorse]

The problem here is many are out of touch with the western mindset.

What do they really think of us?

Pedos
Sexual predators

This is why the petition won't win over westerners ESPECIALLY females

Both my ex wives are convinced that hookers are sex slaves and get beaten by pimps. Nothing I say convinces them otherwise

[billd766]

2 hours ago, elviajero said:

You are wasting your time. The problem has been caused by Thai immigration. You need to lobby them.

I disagree with you.

 

If it were the Thai Immigration problem, ALL embassies would be affected but at this point it only seems to be the UK embassy.

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

I disagree with you.

 

If it were the Thai Immigration problem, ALL embassies would be affected but at this point it only seems to be the UK embassy.

So if the British embassy continue to produce letters that don’t confirm they’ve validated the income source, are immigration going to accept ithem?

 

Other embassies could well follow if the problem, caused by immigration, isn’t sorted.

[blackhorse]

So if the British embassy continue to produce letters that don’t confirm they’ve validated the income source, are immigration going to accept ithem?
 
Other embassies could well follow if the problem, caused by immigration, isn’t sorted.

There own staff showed a shocking lack of knowledge on immigration procedures in a recent interview and if they are that stupid I guarantee they misinterpreted what thai immigration actually want from them and pulled the pin by mistake!

[elviajero]

39 minutes ago, blackhorse said:

There own staff showed a shocking lack of knowledge on immigration procedures in a recent interview and if they are that stupid I guarantee they misinterpreted what thai immigration actually want from them and pulled the pin by mistake!

Really? The only criteria published by immigration states that “evidence of income” is required; nothing about embassy cerification, and nothing that would discount proof of income regularly being deposited into a Thai bank account. The latter being the most sensible method.

 

I’m not defending the British Embassy. They are useless, but people are misunderstanding the situation and blaming the wrong people.

[blackhorse]

Really? The only criteria published by immigration states that “evidence of income” is required; nothing about embassy cerification, and nothing that would discount proof of income regularly being deposited into a Thai bank account. The latter being the most sensible method.
 
I’m not defending the British Embassy. They are useless, but people are misunderstanding the situation and blaming the wrong people.

Really? My last extension nearly got rejected because I failed to put 65 k "per month "

It just said 65k but serious enough to get approval by her supervisor.

No chance of approval without the income letter

[ubonjoe]

21 minutes ago, elviajero said:

Really? The only criteria published by immigration states that “evidence of income” is required; nothing about embassy cerification, and nothing that would discount proof of income regularly being deposited into a Thai bank account. The latter being the most sensible method.

It does not state it in the police orders going back at least for 12 years. But the proof from an embassy has been a standard requirement for the proof of income for about twenty years or more as far as I know..

I think it is written in a old ministerial order going back to when they started doing extensions requiring proof of income.

[elviajero]

27 minutes ago, blackhorse said:

Really? My last extension nearly got rejected because I failed to put 65 k "per month "

It just said 65k but serious enough to get approval by her supervisor.

No chance of approval without the income letter

I know they currently only accept embassy certification. You’re missing the point.

 

You accused the embassy staff of showing a lack of knowledge. My point was that the published ‘rules’, as they stand, do not stop immigration using other methods as proof of income should they decide to do so; therefore, what the embassy are saying is correct or possible based on those published ‘rules’.

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, elviajero said:

You accused the embassy staff of showing a lack of knowledge. My point was that the published ‘rules’, as they stand, do not stop immigration using other methods as proof of income should they decide to do so; therefore, what the embassy are saying is correct or possible based on those published ‘rules’.

It is my view that the British Embassy should have consulted with someone who was familiar with the rules actually followed by Thai immigration, rather than (very likely) just relying on reading the immigration website. I think few Western embassies would make this kind of major decision without a full understanding of the consequences.

 

For what it is worth, I agree that complaining to the UK authorities is unlikely to achieve a positive outcome. People often talk of the unwillingness of Thai officials to lose face, but my own observation is that this is even more true of the pompous asses that head up the UK's overseas diplomatic and consular operations.

Edited October 24, 2018 by BritTim

[frodo77]

Signed. Now up to 300.

[john smith]

Not sure if this is the correct place to post but where is there confirmation that the combination of bank balance and income is still acceptable to renew a non marriage visa ?

[CharlieH]

3 minutes ago, john smith said:

Not sure if this is the correct place to post but where is there confirmation that the combination of bank balance and income is still acceptable to renew a non marriage visa ?

There have been NO changes to immigration requirements.What was required is still required. Its only the Embassy that has made the change.

[john smith]

Thank you. You have postponed my heart attack. I would appreciate a link to the appropriate site. I went around in circles

[dick dasterdly]

7 minutes ago, john smith said:

Thank you. You have postponed my heart attack. I would appreciate a link to the appropriate site. I went around in circles

I think you misunderstand?

 

The combination method won't work in the future (unless something changes), as it requires an embassy letter re. income.