BREAKING NEWS Foreigners now need to keep 800k in Thai bank for three months AFTER retirement extension is granted

[rott]

57 minutes ago, elviajero said:

 

 

In your opinion it's not a visa. In the opinion of the rest of the world it is.

 

 

If it was a visa the stamp in the passport would say it was a visa.

 

Surprisingly it does not.

[Scott]

Inflammatory post reported and removed along with replies.  

 

[rott]

8 minutes ago, Khaeng Mak said:

I just video conferenced with a Thai visa agent in Pattaya. The contact was provided to me by another expat. When I questioned what is going to happened over the next few months she said she has no idea and that immigration have no idea as well...

Thank you KM for confirming .what many of us suspected. The next few months should provide much interest to those of us on here.

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, Khaeng Mak said:

I just video conferenced with a Thai visa agent in Pattaya. The contact was provided to me by another expat. When I questioned what is going to happened over the next few months she said she has no idea and that immigration have no idea as well...

How much was the video conference?

 

Will she apply the cost to your visa application?

[FritsSikkink]

On ‎2‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 1:11 PM, xylophone said:

 

Good post Spidey and IMO the two paras above relate to the crux of the matter.

 

Corruption makes Thailand go round (as opposed to the song, Money makes the world go round) and those who benefit from it here do not want it stopped.....I believe it really is that simple.

 

AND if the income to the IOs can be increased whilst seeming to get rid of the "farang rubbish" element here then he is killing two birds with one stone........what a hero!!! Yeah right.

They don't want economical refugees, like they do in your home country, what is wrong about that? 

[Tanoshi]

3 hours ago, elviajero said:

Can you explain how my wife managed to enter the UK without a visa; having applied for a visa using an online application to apply for a visa? What should she call the 'sticker' in her passport that isn't called a visa or permit? Or the card she's been issued telling her how long she can stay?

She could have been granted FLR or ILR and it could be a residency card.

 

4 hours ago, elviajero said:

Saying; "you don't have a retirement visa, you have an extension of stay" is arguably as confusing and wrong to the enquirer. They do have a visa otherwise they wouldn't have a permit to stay to extend!

They had a Visa, it isn't valid any longer if they have an extension.

 

4 hours ago, elviajero said:

My point is always that it doesn't matter what the enquirer calls it. Given what it is/does the colloquial term fits, and the advice is the same once we've ascertained what the enquiry is.

Colloquialism doesn't answer a specific question when the term Retirement Visa is used.

Did you obtain this 'Visa' from an Immigration office.

Then it certainly isn't a Visa, it's a permit.

 

Did you obtain this 'Visa' from a Thai Embassy/Consulate.

Is it a Non Imm O SE Visa.

Is it a Non Imm O ME Visa.

Is it a Non Imm O-A Visa.

The above Visas may be issued on the basis of, or purpose of retirement, but they could equally be issued for other reasons, which is why the term 'Retirement Visa' is so misleading.

The 'O' stand for 'other' reasons not defined in the list of activities allowing entry under 1-14 of section 34 of the Immigration act. 

If a 'Retirement Visa' was offered as such I would expect it to be defined as an activity under the IA and have a separate category pertaining to it's reason of issuance on the Visa.

 

Call me pedant if you wish, but if you want to give a precise answer it's important to know exactly what they have in their passport, being colloquial can lead to an incorrect answer.

 

 

 

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, rott said:

If it was a visa the stamp in the passport would say it was a visa.

 

Surprisingly it does not.

Its not a visa, it’s a permit. 

 

Why doesnt it have permit printed on it in it even though it’s a permit?

 

 

[Tanoshi]

5 minutes ago, elviajero said:

Why doesnt it have permit printed on it in it even though it’s a permit?

Permit is an acronym of permitted.

'Permitted of or by permit'

[elviajero]

47 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

55 minutes ago, elviajero said:

Why doesnt it have permit printed on it in it even though it’s a permit?

Permit is an acronym of permitted.

'Permitted of or by permit'

That doesn’t answer the question.

 

Apparently visa or permit needs to be included on the stamp or sticker to make it a visa or permit.

Edited February 20, 2019 by elviajero

[lkv]

.

Edited February 20, 2019 by lkv

[sqwakvfr]

I just withdrew 10,000 Baht and it converted to $330 USD.  The Baht is getting stronger each day.  It looks the USD will hit close to 30 Baht and even the Euro trending down to 35 to the Baht.  

[Olmate]

14 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

I just withdrew 10,000 Baht and it converted to $330 USD.  The Baht is getting stronger each day.  It looks the USD will hit close to 30 Baht and even the Euro trending down to 35 to the Baht.  

Try 460AUD, one week age pension ????

[Spidey]

20 hours ago, 007 RED said:

Spidey, you are correct in saying that it was the Foreign Office that was responsible for the BE decision to withdraw the income letter, but unfortunately once again your are wrong when you insist that it was the auditors.

 

In your post #2648 you specifically stated that the BE decision was as a result of a Foreign Office audit Announced by a BE consul on Pattaya Radio. Posted on TV.   I recorded that interview and have listened to her comments many times and nowhere during that interview did she mention that the Foreign Office auditors were involved in the BE's decision to withdraw the income letter.

 

The information which I gave in my post #2650 is based on factual information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and very clearly shows that it was the Legal Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office who recommended that the BE cease issuing the income letter.

 

3:20

[raccos21]

Hi, guys, did you think is worth it to spends that kind of money in the country that they don't want you to be here. I rather stay in my own country or other countries with the hassle-free visa problem. Soon or later they will change the rules again because there aren't any standard rules and regulations here what I see it getting harder and harder to apply visa.Different immigration office has some kinda made up their own rules as they like. They really don't give damn about what passport, you carry  All I know is they will rip off you.

[roo860]

I think what you are saying has been mentioned a few times already.

Hi, guys, did you think is worth it to spends that kind of money in the country that they don't want you to be here. I rather stay in my own country or other countries with the hassle-free visa problem. Soon or later they will change the rules again because there aren't any standard rules and regulations here what I see it getting harder and harder to apply visa.Different immigration office has some kinda made up their own rules as they like. They really don't give damn about what passport, you carry  All I know is they will rip off you.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Joe Mcseismic]

1 hour ago, Spidey said:

 

3:20

So, nothing to do with laziness. Thai immigration wanted them to verify income (3:30) which is what I claimed all along.

[Spidey]

Just now, Joe Mcseismic said:

So, nothing to do with laziness. Thai immigration wanted them to verify income (3:30) which is what I claimed all along.

You only hear what you want to hear.

[Joe Mcseismic]

Just now, Spidey said:

You only hear what you want to hear.

No, I heard it starting at about 3:29. Why don't you listen to it?

Yes, I heard about the phasing out also due to there being another method, but, seems the main reason is they couldn't comply with an TI request.

[Spidey]

7 minutes ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

No, I heard it starting at about 3:29. Why don't you listen to it?

Yes, I heard about the phasing out also due to there being another method, but, seems the main reason is they couldn't comply with an TI request.

But every other embassy using the same method of verification could? Naïve, to say the least.

 

However, what's done is done, it won't be undone, I blame the BE, you don't. Irrelevant really. Try to get back on topic. 

[Ahab]

This is really not all that big of a change in the regulations. Before you had to have the money in the bank for three months before your application, now you have to have the money in the bank for three months after the application/extension. I would think that most people using this method prior to the change did not spend the cash immediately after getting the extension and then feverishly saved up for nine months to have the 800,000 baht in the bank in time to apply for the next extension.

 

This will effect the people that are scamming the system, by using agents and other dodgy means. If I were to use the money in the bank method for a retirement extension I  would put the money in the bank and leave it there 365 days a year (366 on leap years). I use the income method, and for my upcoming extension later this year I will show more than 65,000 baht coming in each and every month of the previous year with a bank letter.

[Joe Mcseismic]

12 minutes ago, Spidey said:

But every other embassy using the same method of verification could? Naïve, to say the least.

 

However, what's done is done, it won't be undone, I blame the BE, you don't. Irrelevant really. Try to get back on topic. 

Must hurt being hoisted with your own petard 

[Spidey]

6 minutes ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

Must hurt being hoisted with your own petard 

Is that what this is all about, scoring points on an expat forum? Sad. Get a life.

[luckyluke]

I am convinced Immigration like a Letter of Income.

 

Last month it took less than 5 minutes to the officer in Jomtien to approve my 1 year extension based on retirement.

 

I submitted :

 

-L.o.I. issued in January 2019 by the Austrian Consulate in Pattaya certifying that my pension in Belgium is higher than 65000 ThB.

-Copy of my rent contract.

-Copy of the pages of my passport.

 

No questions were asked.

 

Easy.

 

It would be a complete piece of cake if everything was done on the spot, and no need to return the next day to collect the passport and picture taken.

[Olmate]

12 minutes ago, Ahab said:

This is really not all that big of a change in the regulations. Before you had to have the money in the bank for three months before your application, now you have to have the money in the bank for three months after the application/extension. I would think that most people using this method prior to the change did not spend the cash immediately after getting the extension and then feverishly saved up for nine months to have the 800,000 baht in the bank in time to apply for the next extension.

 

This will effect the people that are scamming the system, by using agents and other dodgy means. If I were to use the money in the bank method for a retirement extension I  would put the money in the bank and leave it there 365 days a year (366 on leap years). I use the income method, and for my upcoming extension later this year I will show more than 65,000 baht coming in each and every month of the previous year with a bank letter.

Huge change to income method actually, from gross at home to net into a Thai bank, plus bank method just donate 400 K to your bank for ever!     But hey your OK! Tell us how will you be sure 65k shows up in your bank every month as ITF and how will you go if you make one miscalculation. Bite your tongue and use an agent. Remember that’s the objective .

[sumrit]

51 minutes ago, Spidey said:

52 minutes ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

So, nothing to do with laziness. Thai immigration wanted them to verify income (3:30) which is what I claimed all along.

You only hear what you want to hear.

While you, of course, hear what's not there.????

[Percy P]

On 1/31/2019 at 7:46 PM, OKF said:

which visa are they talking about here exactly. I am on a Multiple Non-O and leave the country every 2-3 months for 2-3 months....does this apply for me as well?

no problem .you can go in and out of the country(Thailand) as many time as you like but  on each entry into the kingdom you are required to show you have 20,000 Baht in Thai money,

1. money in a Thai bank,money of others countrys money, travellers cheques.Each time you enter 90 days stay.
2. I keep 20,000 in Bkk Bank and I obtain a letter from tHe bank to verify
3. it with the words

Money can not be taken out at the account outside of Thailand 

[Ahab]

9 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Huge change to income method actually, from gross at home to net into a Thai bank, plus bank method just donate 400 K to your bank for ever!     But hey your OK! Tell us how will you be sure 65k shows up in your bank every month as ITF and how will you go if you make one miscalculation. Bite your tongue and use an agent. Remember that’s the objective .

I will transfer the money from my USA bank into my Thai bank account each and every month (like I have done for the last two years). One miscalculation and I don't have money to live on for that month, which actually provides a wonderful incentive to remember to transfer the money. Worst case I start the process over with a non-immigrant O visa (multiple entry) and end up having to leave the country every 90 days, which also happens to be another great incentive not to make a miscalculation and transfer the money each and every month.

 

This stuff does not take an advanced degree in science and math to pull off.

Edited February 21, 2019 by Ahab

[ravip]

On 2/4/2019 at 2:11 PM, dick dasterdly said:

 

It's certainly stupid to go to Immigration dressed this way.

 

On 2/4/2019 at 1:59 PM, notamember said:

agreed there were 3 there this morning in wifebeaters

its a uniform i think 

Well.. those characters wear whats normal for them. They sure would feel uncomfortable wearing anything that's foreign to them!

The Thai's are intelligent enough to recognize these foreigners who would be of no use to TH on the long run, hence the tightening of the rules.

I know some countries who ask a tourist visa applicant for their grandparents pedigree too!

Would dressing up a scarecrow in a tuxedo make it a gentleman?

Who is trying to fool whom?

 

[Yellowtail]

3 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

I just withdrew 10,000 Baht and it converted to $330 USD.  The Baht is getting stronger each day.  It looks the USD will hit close to 30 Baht and even the Euro trending down to 35 to the Baht.  

Where did you change it? Surprised you got exactly $330.

 

I guess all the guys that deposited 800K a few months ago are happy.

 

US$ got down to 28 a few years ago.

 

Buy Bitcoin and forget about all the exchange rate!

[Yellowtail]

2 hours ago, raccos21 said:

Hi, guys, did you think is worth it to spends that kind of money in the country that they don't want you to be here. I rather stay in my own country or other countries with the hassle-free visa problem. Soon or later they will change the rules again because there aren't any standard rules and regulations here what I see it getting harder and harder to apply visa.Different immigration office has some kinda made up their own rules as they like. They really don't give damn about what passport, you carry  All I know is they will rip off you.

 

Go with God