7 hours ago, Huayrat said:

Yes myself and lots of other guys here are under 50 and not married so no easy fix for us..

Yes, you guys were incrementally thrown under the bus, with the Thai jobs you supported, starting years back.  Many who love Thailand still hang on with the Tourist-Visa shuffle and frequent passport-renewals, but it's not easy.  I've been there and done that until fairly recently (getting to know my now-wife).

On 11/22/2018 at 6:20 AM, colinneil said:

Some immigration officers are as you say kind-hearted, but many are not.

Take me for example, a paraplegic, wife went to do my extension 3 years ago with me in the pickup.

She went inside to do the paperwork, io came out to the pickup demanding i go inside and do it myself.

He opened the door and said get out please, so i passed him my catheter bag, which he quickly dropped, then said ok your wife can do.

your catheter bag is legendary on these forums

Don't expect much help from Thai immigration, they have very little, if any, compassion towards farangs.

This is going to be a very interesting topic, leaving the country for Visas may very well increase greatly over the next few months depending on how things pan out with the Embassy statements situation.

and like I said before , nothing will happen to make things any easier for us.

On 11/22/2018 at 7:40 AM, notamember said:

i took a lady who is normally wheelchair bound to immigration in Jomtien once and the immigration officer came out to the car to deal with her rather than her have to get out and get into the wheelchair for a few minutes paperwork. There are some kind hearted IO's despite many opinions to the contrary

I actually believe there are some kind hearted IOs, though mostly with the lowest rank, but the ones at the top who make up the rules, are the ones who sadly lack compassion.

I was in Savannaket yesterday, after my initial application I was told I could wait in the car, sister in law picked up my one year extension and we were merrily on our way. Some time ago when I was in hospital aphotograph of me in my hospital bed was required along with a letter from the surgeon.

Still here.

On 11/22/2018 at 7:50 AM, colinneil said:

Some immigration officers are as you say kind-hearted, but many are not.

Take me for example, a paraplegic, wife went to do my extension 3 years ago with me in the pickup.

She went inside to do the paperwork, io came out to the pickup demanding i go inside and do it myself.

He opened the door and said get out please, so i passed him my catheter bag, which he quickly dropped, then said ok your wife can do.

Nice one Colin, there is a streak of xenophobia that runs through some, but thankfully by no means all, of Thai society. Many of us are blessed with knowing mostly the good ones.

On 11/22/2018 at 8:50 AM, colinneil said:

Some immigration officers are as you say kind-hearted, but many are not.

Take me for example, a paraplegic, wife went to do my extension 3 years ago with me in the pickup.

She went inside to do the paperwork, io came out to the pickup demanding i go inside and do it myself.

He opened the door and said get out please, so i passed him my catheter bag, which he quickly dropped, then said ok your wife can do.

If I would have asked my missus to say in thai language, "Buddha's teaching on compassion is not well understood in Thailand, how sad".

On 11/23/2018 at 5:23 PM, Paul Laycock1 said:

I was in Savannaket yesterday, after my initial application I was told I could wait in the car, sister in law picked up my one year extension and we were merrily on our way. Some time ago when I was in hospital aphotograph of me in my hospital bed was required along with a letter from the surgeon.

Still here.

I also sat outside of this consulate in a Tuk Tuk while my Gf put my Application in and the Next Day to pick it up too..