Posters like Robsamui seem not to understand that it's not a matter of not being able to live on my pension. It's a matter of not being able to give them PROOF that they will ACCEPT. When they tell you that you must have a document that no longer exists for TWO MONTHS after the announcement was made, who is the stupid one??? I do just fine on my pension. I have tons of documentation. That's not what they want. They really want to blackmail us all into paying up or LEAVING.   The REALLY infuriating comment was "what are you doing here?"   Anyone who thinks my pension should only entitle me to penury in my home country is  beneath contempt.

4 minutes ago, KhunFred said:

I could not agree more. I can't count the times I have been advised by expats to go back home and live in abject poverty, with the only upside being Medicare. I want to live before I die.  All I hear is "their country, their rules", which never applies to those with enough dosh to bribe a policeman or a judge.

Don't let it get you down- there are several people who post that are rude; lack any moral compass; are bigoted and simply cannot form any type of real relationship.  Then there are those who consider us all drug addicts; alcoholics and mongers. 

This is the Christmas season where 'normal' human beings attempt to treat others by using the Golden Rule but not on this site or in this forum.  

Hang in there Fred- something good will come forth in the New Year.

45 minutes ago, glegolo said:

And that comes from the guy that thought that the whole world besides Burkina Faso have stopped the income letter.

 

glegolo

You don't READ very well, do you?  I followed the comment on Burkina Faso with a note in parentheses that said "lame attempt at humor".  I am, in fact, well aware of EVERY embassy that no longer issues those letters because I READ the information on ThaiVIsa.  You are as literal-minded and humourless as some of the people who lived in my home state of Alabama.  Now you can rejoinder by calling me a "hillbilly". That's a big favourite with insult-mongers.

The OP Fred has started topics like this before.

Goes on and on about himself, then when he gets some advise he attacks, gets negative and defensive.

Just seems like a pot stirer and big waste of time....

Edited December 25, 20187 yr by bkk6060

Im not sure of your age, but from your posts I'm gathering your a retired teacher from the US.  What if you worked as a teacher for 1 or 2 years (work visa), save all your money from teaching including saving part of your pension till you have the 800k or if you get married the 400k.  Its a gamble these visa bucket shops.

3 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

The OP Fred has started topics like this before.

Then, when he gets some advise he attacks, gets negative and defensive.

Just seems like a pot stirer and big waste of time....

"Negative and defensive", when called "stupid"?   I can't imagine your response to such insults. The suggestion that the visa services are somehow "illegal" is just fraudulent. They are openly advertised and they split their outrageous fees with Immigration. I am not "stirring the pot".  I am trying to make sense out of a nearly impossible situation.

1 minute ago, bkk6060 said:

The OP Fred has started topics like this before.

Then, when he gets some advise he attacks, gets negative and defensive.

Big waste of time....

When someone questions whether you should be here and insinuates that they need to go home or  paint everyone as a degenerate who spends their funds on drugs; alcohol or mongering- I would say that person has a right to be irritated.

 

How about a New  Year's resolution for everyone- Stop the snide remarks; treat each other with respect; politely disagree if you must and if possible answer a person's question without being judgmental.  

1 minute ago, Thaidream said:

When someone questions whether you should be here and insinuates that they need to go home or  paint everyone as a degenerate who spends their funds on drugs; alcohol or mongering- I would say that person has a right to be irritated.

 

How about a New  Year's resolution for everyone- Stop the snide remarks; treat each other with respect; politely disagree if you must and if possible answer a person's question without being judgmental.  

For the record, my "mongering" is done with a 46 year old restaurant supervisor, whom I intend to marry if I can. I have a taste for beer, but will never be found drunk. I use no drugs except the blood pressure meds my doctor prescribed, and an occasional Xanax to help me sleep. I get more than enough accusations from the USA crowd who snidely insinuate that I am here to molest children or am addicted to ladyboys. After surviving cancer and brain surgery and finally being forced to retire from my university job, I wanted to retire in an INTERESTING and stimulating environment. Instead, Asia's "retirement paradise" has morphed into a sucking wound that wants only the idle rich, rather than those who only make about eight to ten times the average salary. Even with America's prejudice against immigrants, I think most of them would welcome aliens who made ten times the local salary.

8 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

When someone questions whether you should be here and insinuates that they need to go home or  paint everyone as a degenerate who spends their funds on drugs; alcohol or mongering- I would say that person has a right to be irritated.

 

How about a New  Year's resolution for everyone- Stop the snide remarks; treat each other with respect; politely disagree if you must and if possible answer a person's question without being judgmental.  

Good idea...just add to that list, stop starting numerous threads, that seem to indicate an attention seeking issue. 

14 minutes ago, BigT73 said:

Im not sure of your age, but from your posts I'm gathering your a retired teacher from the US.  What if you worked as a teacher for 1 or 2 years (work visa), save all your money from teaching including saving part of your pension till you have the 800k or if you get married the 400k.  Its a gamble these visa bucket shops.

I am 68 and I have worked enough. I was not ready to retire when I was 65 but the job situation was so stressful that it was a relief when I was pushed into retiring one year early. Teaching English is probably a bad idea in my case. Those who do it for a living have advised me of this. It seems the only way out is to leave. I have two friends in the Philippines that have offered temporary accommodation until I can find a place. I don't want to live there, but I may have only that choice or LAOS. My girlfriend says she will never move from Thailand for ANY reason. Good advice if I were desperate but I have not reached that point yet. I could probably get a work permit to teach if I married but I think I would be shortening my life and making hers worse. Thank you for the sane advice. It is in short supply, lately. 

What visa are you looking for ? i cant be arsed reading all the flack , PM me if you wish.

58 minutes ago, KhunFred said:

You don't READ very well, do you?  I followed the comment on Burkina Faso with a note in parentheses that said "lame attempt at humor".  I am, in fact, well aware of EVERY embassy that no longer issues those letters because I READ the information on ThaiVIsa.  You are as literal-minded and humourless as some of the people who lived in my home state of Alabama.  Now you can rejoinder by calling me a "hillbilly". That's a big favourite with insult-mongers.

I have no wish to drag this out, and call you anything. I am sure you are a nice guy... But felt the need to educate you about the income letter though...

merry christmas

 

glegolo

8 minutes ago, Tweedle dee said:

What visa are you looking for ? i cant be arsed reading all the flack , PM me if you wish.

I will only need an Extension of Stay based on retirement. I got my Non-Immigrant O visa in 2015.

2 hours ago, KhunFred said:

Thus far, I've been told I was "stupid", asked "what are you doing here on a mere 82 thousand baht a month ?"

May be I'm stupid. If I have 82K baht a month income I won't worry at all. What's wrong giving only 2K as tax money (to the agent) for the privilege of living in Thailand and by living on a budget, you could save up 800K baht in two to three years. And then you don't have to pay your tax to the agent. 

1 hour ago, BigT73 said:

  It's a gamble these visa bucket shops.

How is it a gamble when they ALL tell you that you pay nothing if you don't get a visa?  The only "gamble" seems to be if they will manage to shoot themselves in the foot by giving up the income which they made possible for themselves by cutting deals with visa agencies. Statements by Immigration seem to have no reasoning behind them on many occasions. I can only assume that the officer who made that statement was not getting a cut or not ENOUGH of a cut.

Edited December 25, 20187 yr by KhunFred

3 hours ago, tropo said:

As I see you're not averse to humour, I can expect her to marry you EVEN if you may have to leave the country. Absentee foreign husbands are quite the thing and in many cases, the preferable type lol.

They are preferable if you are marrying a prostitute or an unreliable women. My Fiancee seems to be neither. She will NOT leave Thailand because her family lives here, that is that.

2 hours ago, KhunFred said:

I could not agree more. I can't count the times I have been advised by expats to go back home and live in abject poverty, with the only upside being Medicare. I want to live before I die.  All I hear is "their country, their rules", which never applies to those with enough dosh to bribe a policeman or a judge.

Ahhh, but the bribery IS one of "their rules" - they just don't write it down.  I learned this the hard way, trying to do things honestly.

 

And when called on it, their top-boss pretends IOs are being "fooled by agents" into thinking applicants had the 800K Baht - without explanation as to why the seasoning was never checked for all the agent-submitted applications, but is for everyone else.

 

As to where to find the cheapest extension, others reported one on Soi Bukow was offering 13K Baht in previous threads.  I'm not sure if it was the one with "Cambodia" in the name, or another one in the same area - but the prices seem to have dropped in the past year, after going up just after the last change in govt.  As well, that quote supposedly included the typical arrangement of the financials (not clear from the company you referenced at the top of the thread).

 

But do keep in mind, if you can show 65K baht in foreign-xferrs every month to a Thai bank account, that might work, based on what the American Consul has said.  We just have to see the details of that police-order.

 

2 hours ago, KhunFred said:

Even with America's prejudice against immigrants, I think most of them would welcome aliens who made ten times the local salary.

As an American, I think we could only wish our immigrants arrived with their own income streams, to spend into our economy.  It's not prejudice, with most Americans, as regards immigration policy.  The "global-wage" types, who support the endless flow of dirt-cheap labor which is wrecking our middle-class, are the ones trying to convince everyone that the objection to our having our futures destroyed is really because we are "just bigots."

 

Meanwhile, immigration in this country is aiming to keep their people poorer, by keeping out the majority of potential self-funded foreigners who want to spend "free-money" into the country which creates jobs.  Go figure.

31 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

 

As an American, I think we could only wish our immigrants arrived with their own income streams, to spend into our economy.  It's not prejudice, with most Americans, as regards immigration policy.  The "global-wage" types, who support the endless flow of dirt-cheap labor which is wrecking our middle-class, are the ones trying to convince everyone that the objection to our having our futures destroyed is really because we are "just bigots."

 

Meanwhile, immigration in this country is aiming to keep their people poorer, by keeping out the majority of potential self-funded foreigners who want to spend "free-money" into the country which creates jobs.  Go figure.

I should have specified that I am an American, too. I am not some Yank-basher. My views on immigration are based on observation. Mexicans and other immigrants are not taking any jobs that I or any of my family or friends would want.  I would have to get very desperate to do some of the jobs that Mexicans do. LOL

Edited December 25, 20187 yr by KhunFred

7 hours ago, KhunFred said:

That comment did not compute. I apologise for being so obtuse, but.....

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=never mind the quality

 

"You get what you pay for my boy"

11 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=never mind the quality

 

"You get what you pay for my boy"

That Urban Dictionary link was GOLD. Thanks for that. I laughed out loud.

1 hour ago, KhunFred said:

I should have specified that I am an American, too. I am not some Yank-basher. My views on immigration are based on observation. Mexicans and other immigrants are not taking any jobs that I or any of my family or friends would want.  I would have to get very desperate to do some of the jobs that Mexicans do. LOL

I know - you said from Alabama.  I used to do a job that was given to someone from Mexico or Central America, when they were given all construction-trade jobs, which used to pay very good money, but dropped 60% when we were replaced.  I suspect those you know wouldn't want "those jobs," because they now pay dirt-wages.  They used to pay great wages and benefits. 

 

BTW - I lived with the same folks who took my construction-job in Latin America for years, while getting my IT company off the ground on a shoestring.  Nice folks - no hard feelings with them - just the policy-makers in the USA, who should be on-trial for treason.

 

Edited December 25, 20187 yr by JackThompson

Why didnt you get the income affidavit from the embassy while it was available? Or is your extension not due for renewal in the next 6 months?

17 hours ago, KhunFred said:

OK...."correct documents" in the past have been the "income letter" which is now mostly unavailable except from the Embassy of Burkina Faso. (lame attempt at humor)  Supposedly there is one other service advertising a price of 7000 baht, but I can get no information. I have sent an email and am waiting for a response. I was under the impression, that the police were "cracking down" on what is supposed to be a major source of their income. I am just trying to stay here legally without completely destroying my budget and paying my bills at the same time. I want to move away from Pattaya, to Nakhon Pathom, where my fiancee has shown me condos and apartments for less than what I pay here with more amenities and more space. I can't really expect her to marry me if I can't guarantee her that I won't have to leave the country. 

You cannot take the expression 'The Police' to refer to a single element so any statement made by one element may not be recognised by another.

19 hours ago, KhunFred said:

That comment did not compute. I apologise for being so obtuse, but.....

It comes from an old UK movie, before we all went PC crazy, about two tailors, one Catholic and one Jewish who were very good friends in the tailoring business.

I use the expression as a different way of saying 'you get what you pay for.'

????????

18 hours ago, worgeordie said:

if you don't have 800,000 THB

what are you doing here trying to scrape by,what if you have

an accident,fall ill,trying to do it in an illegal way is not going

to end well.things have changed now.

Such a sour curmudgeonly post!

 

Why people are here is is none of your business and neither is the way they choose to manage their finances (neither of which affect you in any way). The fact is that many ex-pats have been put on the back foot by the sudden decision(s) by 4 embassies to peremptorily change the process for income letters and / or affidavits.

 

Why not try to be a little more tolerant and empathetic and maybe a little less smug?

 

Happy New Year

 

Joe

 

 

Edited December 26, 20187 yr by Shoeless Joe

If anyone needs a retirement visa in Pattaya pm me and I will forward contact details of a very competent service. 12,900 all in.

1 hour ago, Shoeless Joe said:

Why people are here is is none of your business and neither is the way they choose to manage their finances (neither of which affect you in any way).

This is true, until the moment they choose to broadcast the information to all and sundry on a public forum. From that point onward they open themselves up to all sorts of comments and criticism, helpful or constructive or otherwise.

14 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=never mind the quality

 

"You get what you pay for my boy"

Missed your post before I answered on similar lines.

17 hours ago, KhunFred said:

The suggestion that the visa services are somehow "illegal" is just fraudulent. They are openly advertised and they split their outrageous fees with Immigration. 

 

guys sell weed on facebook here too - doesn't make it legal..

 

 

 

 

19 hours ago, KhunFred said:

They are preferable if you are marrying a prostitute or an unreliable women. My Fiancee seems to be neither. She will NOT leave Thailand because her family lives here, that is that.

The point is, for whatever reason, it is not uncommon. I wasn't suggesting that she leave - it was about you leaving.