Gov.uk Petition - Reinstate Pension / Income Letter

[soalbundy]

On 10/24/2018 at 11:12 PM, elviajero said:

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’.

Why should TI change their system to accommodate the 'correctness' of the BE ? as it stood the mutual compromise worked well, 'Ti accepts that the embassy pretends they can legally verify the income by certifying they have seen the documents and are in all likelihood OK' everybody could live with that, no need to go round shouting ''NO WE CANT'' TI have their own legal people, they know that already, no need to call an escort a prostitute.

[evadgib]

1 hour ago, soalbundy said:

Why should TI change their system to accommodate the 'correctness' of the BE ? as it stood the mutual compromise worked well, 'Ti accepts that the embassy pretends they can legally verify the income by certifying they have seen the documents and are in all likelihood OK' everybody could live with that, no need to go round shouting ''NO WE CANT'' TI have their own legal people, they know that already, no need to call an escort a prostitute.

When is the penny ever going to drop?

 

[john smith]

Well,that gives rise to a situation that is a little bizarre. One could have 65,000 arriving monthly in the bank. The total in the bank could be let us say  for the sake of argument 799,000 come visa renewal day.The 65,000 arriving promptly every month would not be allowed as pension without proof which can not  now be provided and so no visa renewal ?

I asked Sara Pleth the same question more directly. She avoided providing a direct answer ( twice)

On the second occasion she provided a link to Immigration.505 bad gateway responded my computer.

 

 

[elviajero]

4 hours ago, soalbundy said:

Why should TI change their system to accommodate the 'correctness' of the BE ? as it stood the mutual compromise worked well, 'Ti accepts that the embassy pretends they can legally verify the income by certifying they have seen the documents and are in all likelihood OK' everybody could live with that, no need to go round shouting ''NO WE CANT'' TI have their own legal people, they know that already, no need to call an escort a prostitute.

There was no compromise before, TI just accepted a letter from BE confirming they’re see evidence of the income being declared. Now TI want that letter to confirm the embassy have actually checked the source of the income is genuine.

 

It is TI that have moved the goalposts, not the BE.

[soalbundy]

2 minutes ago, elviajero said:

There was no compromise before, TI just accepted a letter from BE confirming they’re see evidence of the income being declared. Now TI want that letter to confirm the embassy have actually checked the source of the income is genuine.

 

It is TI that have moved the goalposts, not the BE.

There is a BE link to all this, why has BE been targeted, why haven't other embassies (exception US) felt compelled to stop issuing the letters, the embassy I use has confirmed orally and by Email to my questions regarding this matter that they are aware of the BE decision but will continue to offer this service.

[Surasak]

An easy way for the Consular services to verify income, would be to provide a computer terminal to allow access to the Gov.uk site.

From this, your government gateway. can be accessed with all your personal tax details available, which PROVES your income. If printed on site, what more proof would they require?

Unfortunately this would involve a visit to Bangkok each year for all who require the income letter.

Or perhaps another way could be found to enable postal service for the same details.

Just a thought

[soalbundy]

1 minute ago, Surasak said:

An easy way for the Consular services to verify income, would be to provide a computer terminal to allow access to the Gov.uk site.

From this, your government gateway. can be accessed with all your personal tax details available, which PROVES your income. If printed on site, what more proof would they require?

Unfortunately this would involve a visit to Bangkok each year for all who require the income letter.

Or perhaps another way could be found to enable postal service for the same details.

Just a thought

They don't WANT to issue the pesky letter neither does the US, verification issues was a good excuse to stop.

[The Fat Controller]

@Surasak

 

Income details are only available for the previous tax year.

There is no way the BE could check current income and that is the issue.

I could easily log on to my pension provider or bank and show them what I get, but nobody at the BE is going to want to be watching someone do that just so they can issue a letter.

Let's face facts, getting any documents from the BE is no longer possible.

Full stop.

 

[john smith]

I just returned from huahin immigration. I was informed that for a non marriage retirement visa renewal only B800,000  in the bank will be accepted if there is no embassy letter confirming income. The officer stated this quite clearly and repeated it when asked again

[elviajero]

1 minute ago, john smith said:

I just returned from huahin immigration. I was informed that for a non marriage retirement visa renewal only B800,000  in the bank will be accepted if there is no embassy letter confirming income. The officer stated this quite clearly and repeated it when asked again

You have to be wary of what individual officers tell you at the moment. Based in the current rules they couldn’t give any other answer. 

 

I am sure no official orders have been issued to offices yet regarding this situation. Until they are instructed differently it will be business as usual; no embassy letter = no extension.

[Jack100]

The  interviewer and interviewee are  to immigration solutions what Alf Garnet was to the English language !

[john smith]

The Americans seem to have done a better job.

» Non-Immigrant Category “O-A”.pdf

[john smith]

faq_income_affidavit.pdf

[farangbaba]

Signed and 335 and rising. 

[johnsjourney]

Signed even though I'm not a retiree yet, or even planning to have a regular income when I am, so will do the 800k.  UK really needs to be attentive to it's expats who will be happy to compensate for the service.  We're a growing constituency imo.

[Geode]

I am an American, not British, but as it is probably now known by most everyone the other embassies followed suit and will no longer be supplying these letters. The American embassy said that it was being done because the Thai government knows that the letters do not really verify anything so would no longer be accepting them next year. The US embassy wrote on their website that as of October 26th that Thai immigration would be accepting financial statements directly from from those applying for the "extension of stay" but I found this is incorrect when I went in for renewal last week. They still required the letter from the embassy. But two agents on two different days told me that next year the only option that will be accepted is having the 800,000 baht on deposit.

[jacko45k]

6 hours ago, Geode said:

but as it is probably now known by most everyone the other embassies followed suit

I have only heard that first The British Embassy, then the USA, followed by Australia and Denmark. Do you know of others?

[garyk]

Personally I find it kinda of odd other embassy's have not followed suit?

This has special interest group lobbying all over it!

 

[soalbundy]

1 hour ago, garyk said:

Personally I find it kinda of odd other embassy's have not followed suit?

This has special interest group lobbying all over it!

 

??????? who would be lobbying who and for what ?

[soalbundy]

On 11/11/2018 at 3:05 PM, farangbaba said:

Signed and 335 and rising. 

unfortunately one must say, 'if ever there was a lost cause...'

[garyk]

Since only four nations have stopped the income letter. I am curious how many other embassy's give them? And, what is the difference between them, and the four that have stopped?

[Robins]

On 11/6/2018 at 5:31 PM, john smith said:

I just returned from huahin immigration. I was informed that for a non marriage retirement visa renewal only B800,000  in the bank will be accepted if there is no embassy letter confirming income. The officer stated this quite clearly and repeated it when asked again

Unless there are on-going discussions or considerations, Immigration would be doing those affected a favor by clearly announcing this now officially and for all offices.  That would at least give those affected more time to dispose of possessions that cannot be shipped elsewhere and make other plans.   This silence is doing no one any favor.

The flip side is one if going to feel very foolish if he or she sells their car, motorcycle and other possessions in Thailand, then learns there is a way for them to stay there. 

One has to wonder how many suicides are going to result from this, 10 year plus Thailand residents with no where to go.  

President Trump is getting justifiably slammed for deporting illegal alien Mexicans who came to America as children and are essentially American though with illegal immigration status.  This is far worse, changing the rules for people who settled here legally.  Not telling them as early as possible is only going to make it worse.

[Jack100]

Well not quite the same Robin , you could look at it ( as I do )  from the point of view that  the rule was always  on the books but there was always an easy way around it , now it's time to  stump up .

 

However it's true that it  was not handled very well , more time should have been given followed by   confused signals from the " authorities '  .