"O" visa/ retirement - Income method - No embassy letter

[DogNo1]

Er, 400,000.

[jacko45k]

3 hours ago, DogNo1 said:

I thought I was OK when I transferred 65,000 into Bangkok Bank in January and promptly spent 50,000 for my hotel bill. Now it looks as though I can't meet the income requirements since, although my extension expires on May 13, I plan to apply at the end of March.  My understanding of the new requirements is that 65,000 must be transferred to and remain in the bank for two months prior to the application (or is it the extension date) and three months afterwards.  I plan to return to Japan around April 18.  Perhaps if I apply in early April, I will satisfy the two-months prior requirement.  This shifting of the requirements makes me nervous.  I now wonder whether the date that the money is transferred will be important; so if I were to transfer money in on the 15th of February and March, but apply on April 10th, will the period of having money in the bank be considered to be less than two months?  Even if I were to transfer 800,000 in immediately I couldn't meet the three months prior requirement unless I were stay in Bangkok and apply after May 1st.  Any advice from Ubonjoe?

If appears you are mixing up the new money in the bank requirements recently announced and coming into effect in March, and the monthly income into a Thai bank qualifier which was announced in January. The 65,000 baht per month can be spent.

[Tanoshi]

33 minutes ago, WonderfulWeather said:

I went to Chiang Mai Immigration again today 04-02-2019 at 3 o'clock, and spoke to one of the officers there.

You will not get a a Non immigrant "o" visa or a retirement extention using the income method -  having only documents/ statements from a bank, he said.

You will need a letter from the embassy (if you can get one) or some kind of other proof.

 

The officer asked if i was American and having a pension. Apparently a pension letter from the home country is accepted.

The officer was wrong.

You should ask to see the commander and take a copy of the amended orders (Thai and English) which details how from Dec 21st 2018, those not in possession of an Embassy letter, can provide bank statements + letter from a Thai bank as proof of income.

 

An application has been accepted for a marriage extension at Roi Et, providing bank statement + letter and is currently pending.

[WonderfulWeather]

@Tanoshi I know the officer is wrong - But asking to see the commander with a police order in hand. That's rather confrontative.

Its like telling him he doesn't know his job ????

[Danthai]

By letter from bank are you referring to copies of bank book/report from BKK showing deposits and the usual letter indicating up to date bank balance?

[SEtonal]

24 minutes ago, WonderfulWeather said:

@Tanoshi I know the officer is wrong - But asking to see the commander with a police order in hand. That's rather confrontative.

Its like telling him he doesn't know his job ????

Tanoshi is talking about a marriage extension not retirement.   

[WonderfulWeather]

@SEtonal Yes, he is refering to a a marriage extension at Roi Et, providing bank statement + letter.

That is very positive news.

[WonderfulWeather]

@Danthai If its from Bangkok bank - I would ask them for a statement showing the last 12 month. Its Bath 200,- and takes 1 week + the usual letter indicating up to date bank balance, as you say.

 

It's actually also possible to get detailed data for every month - showing the name of the transfer bank abroad + the name of the sender and whatever information they choose to provide. For that you will need the actual dates the money went into your account. Its Bath 100,- and takes 1 week.

Edited February 4, 2019 by WonderfulWeather

[Tanoshi]

1 hour ago, WonderfulWeather said:

@Tanoshi I know the officer is wrong - But asking to see the commander with a police order in hand. That's rather confrontative.

Its like telling him he doesn't know his job ????

You don't have to be confrontational. Make the request again and if you get the same answer, appear puzzled, then pull out the order. Ask him politely to confer and confirm the amendment for acceptable forms of proof of income with his boss.

 

I went into my own IO a couple of weeks after the amendments were published and the IO's had never seen it.

They were puzzled as to how I had come across a copy before them.

It turned out the commanding office had read the amendment, but not yet informed the staff.

 

It's possible they are still expecting applicants to supply Embassy letters (valid 6 months) until June.

 

[Jingthing]

6 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

You don't have to be confrontational. Make the request again and if you get the same answer, appear puzzled, then pull out the order. Ask him politely to confer and confirm the amendment for acceptable forms of proof of income with his boss.

 

I went into my own IO a couple of weeks after the amendments were published and the IO's had never seen it.

They were puzzled as to how I had come across a copy before them.

It turned out the commanding office had read the amendment, but not yet informed the staff.

 

It's possible they are still expecting applicants to supply Embassy letters (valid 6 months) until June.

 

I totally agree they are still expecting the letters from last year. That's why it's possible or likely that any real clarity on a lot of this won't come our way for quite a long time. Craving certainty is understandable, but demanding it when it simply isn't available yet is an exercise in frustration. How people are supposed to make PLANS in this chaotic environment beats me. 

Edited February 4, 2019 by Jingthing

[Tanoshi]

1 hour ago, SEtonal said:

Tanoshi is talking about a marriage extension not retirement.   

Whether it's a retirement or marriage extension is irrelevant.

The only difference is the financial requirements, the proof of income procedure is the same.

[JackThompson]

13 hours ago, WonderfulWeather said:

I went to Chiang Mai Immigration again today 04-02-2019 at 3 o'clock, and spoke to one of the officers there.

You will not get a a Non immigrant "o" visa or a retirement extention using the income method -  having only documents/ statements from a bank, he said.

You will need a letter from the embassy (if you can get one) or some kind of other proof.

 

The officer asked if i was American and having a pension. Apparently a pension letter from the home country is accepted.

So, it appears CM is still asking for 2ndary proof of "where your money comes from," as they were reported to do with the embassy-letters.  This could be problematic for those who don't receive their incomes from relatively "easy to understand" pension docs.

 

13 hours ago, Rossco52 said:

So am I correct in assuming That if you go down the route of depositing the 65k every month into Thailand account from offshore acc and using it to live. I do not require the 800k in my acc at time of renewing extension ... and will only need to show the bank statement with the 12 deposits each extension

In theory, yes - But factor in the wild-cards - whether the IO will follow the rules, and whatever else the IO decides they want to see. The only solid info are recent-reports from your particular immigration office, as there is no consistency from one office to another, or even at the same office over time.

[JackThompson]

13 hours ago, DogNo1 said:

The new rule will, at the least, complicate things for those who use agents.

I don't see why.  The seasoning requirements on agent-applications are skipped now, and the new rules just add more seasoning requirements which can be similarly ignored (or faked) for agent-applications. 

[jwbrit]

If you use 12 monthly deposits into your bank account, but spend as you go, what must the bank balance be when you apply for a O visa renewal? 

 

[TheThai]

1 hour ago, jwbrit said:

If you use 12 monthly deposits into your bank account, but spend as you go, what must the bank balance be when you apply for a O visa renewal? 

 

There is NO balance requirement when using the 65K monthly income method for renewal.  The only requirement is showing at least 65k a month being transferred into a Thai bank from outside the country.   You can spend the entire amount each month.

[jacko45k]

On 11/11/2019 at 11:38 AM, jwbrit said:

If you use 12 monthly deposits into your bank account, but spend as you go, what must the bank balance be when you apply for a O visa renewal? 

 

Are you asking wrt a retirement extension renewal? 

If it is based on 12x 65,000 baht monthly deposits from overseas no balance is required.  

[jwbrit]

OK thank you. Yes that is what I was asking about, a retirement extension renewal.