A possible solution to the current immigration requirements.

[JLCrab]

28 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

So-  how much is enough?

I don't know but -- based on your experience -- the minimums should be a lot more than they are now.

[Mister Fixit]

On 2/6/2019 at 1:06 PM, MrPatrickThai said:

The expat is at fault for not planning his life properly. 

And also for not being a clairvoyant who can predict what might happen  in 5. 10, 20 or more years ahead ...

 

Er, had you not realised yet that a plan is only that - a plan?  No-one can tell if a plan will come to fruition or not, despite someone's best efforts.  Did you know these changed visa extension requirements would happen 5 years ago?  No, you didn't,  so please don't be yet another Mr Sanctimonious-Perfect TV member ...

 

I planned to be a millionaire aged 20 but hey, guess what?  Something changed that no-one could have predicted and it didn't happen.  Of course, being perfect, it must have happened for you (not).  

 

[JLCrab]

6 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said:

No-one can tell if a plan will come to fruition or not, despite someone's best efforts.

Sure -- that's why there is GoFundMe.

[Mister Fixit]

On 2/6/2019 at 1:24 PM, wgdanson said:

But please Khaeng, do not post anything about the retirement VISA actually being an EXTENSION. It's been done over and over and over again, before you joined.

But but BUT, there is no such thing as a retirement VISA.  However there is such a thing as a visa of the appropriate type being extended on the grounds of retirement, an important distinction which you seem to have missed in your haste to try to show how knowledgeable you are.

 

When you retire, you need to visit Immi to inform them and on payment of the appropriate fee, they will then extend your original visa on the grounds of retirement if you fulfil the appropriate criteria as laid down in Thai law.  

 

So for example, I have a Non-Imm visa B which has been extended on the grounds of retirement for the last 8 years.  Geddit yet?

[wgdanson]

4 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said:

But but BUT, there is no such thing as a retirement VISA.  However there is such a thing as a visa of the appropriate type being extended on the grounds of retirement, an important distinction which you seem to have missed in your haste to try to show how knowledgeable you are.

 

When you retire, you need to visit Immi to inform them and on payment of the appropriate fee, they will then extend your original visa on the grounds of retirement if you fulfil the appropriate criteria as laid down in Thai law.  

 

So for example, I have a Non-Imm visa B which has been extended on the grounds of retirement for the last 8 years.  Geddit yet?

Is that not what I said in my reply you quoted?

[Mister Fixit]

16 hours ago, rott said:

So why do you insist on calling it a visa when it is only an extension. Ok for you to say the wrong thing but not Ok for others to say the correct thing??

Quite.  There is no such thing as a 'retirement visa', only an extension of a pre-existing visa based on retirement.  Not at all the same thing.  

[Thaidream]

46 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

I don't know but -- based on your experience -- the minimums should be a lot more than they are now.

I would agree- but for those of us who have now been here awhile- any changes need to be grandfathered and not applicable.  When you reach age 70- you can' normally  go back to work and make enough money to make the difference which I was able to do when I was  Age 50.  Also, those now retired with  pension cannot get their pensions raised except by a few percent a year...

 

[Mister Fixit]

15 hours ago, moe666 said:

Grandfather in all the folks who cannot make the proper amount of money to stay here and let them continue to scam the system. I follow the rules have the necessary money to abide by the new rules which really are not that hard to follow. Send money to a Thai bank monthly what is so <deleted> hard about that, O forgot we need to cut the scofflaws some slack so they can continue to cheat. If you cannot afford to stay here now you could not afford it before

 

Oh B@gger me, here we have yet another one ...  ???? ????

[VocalNeal]

^ What another American?

[JLCrab]

5 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

I would agree- but for those of us who have now been here awhile- any changes need to be grandfathered and not applicable.

Right. I guess that will be item 3) on the latest Police Order Procedures

[Mister Fixit]

1 hour ago, Thaidream said:

After she succumbed- I went back to work in the USA and worked 12 hours every day-for a long time and made enough to return to Thailand permanently.

 

So-  how much is enough?  I doubt most people have the means to plan out every thing that could come along and be a iife changer.

Good on you Thaidream.  I hope you are over that situation now.

 

Reminds me of when I was in the UK and had three children under 6 years old and was doing three part time jobs as well as a full time (quite well paid) job.  You do what you have to do for your family - get your head down and plod on through the sh*t storm that just happened to you. 

Edited February 7, 2019 by Mister Fixit

[Mister Fixit]

28 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

Sure -- that's why there is GoFundMe.

I don't beg from anyone.  I sort things for myself.  

 

You might find it OK to scrounge from others when you break a fingernail and want to call an ambulance, but I prefer to find a plaster and stick it on by myself.

 

Edited February 7, 2019 by Mister Fixit

[Mister Fixit]

12 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

Is that not what I said in my reply you quoted?

No, it isn't.  

[Mister Fixit]

7 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

^ What another American?

Nope, another 'smuggly', regardless of nationality.

[JLCrab]

13 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said:

34 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

Sure -- that's why there is GoFundMe.

I don't beg from anyone.  I sort things for myself.  

 

You might find it OK to scrounge from others when you break a fingernail and want to call an ambulance, but I prefer to find a plaster and stick it on by myself.

Whatever but not everybody apparently feels the same way. Per Wikipedia:

 

GoFundMe has stated that they are the "leader in online medical fundraising". One in three campaigns is intended to raise funds for medical costs, with about 250,000 campaigns for a total of $650 million in contributions each year.

 

 

[Mavideol]

1 minute ago, JLCrab said:

Whatever but not everybody apparently feels the same way. Per Wikipedia:

 

GoFundMe has stated that they are the "leader in online medical fundraising". One in three campaigns is intended to raise funds for medical costs, with about 250,000 campaigns for a total of $650 million in contributions each year.

 

 

am I glad didn't use them, it would be 250,001 campaigns, hate to be part of statistics

[spidermike007]

Just returned from immigration recently, after renewing my marriage visa. The upside to this visa, is that only 400,000 is needed as a deposit, and it does not have to stay in the bank, once your visa is granted. The downsides are:

 

The hurdles you need to jump over, in order to get a marriage visa are stupid, ridiculous, unnecessary, draconian, wasteful, and silly. I understand the need for them to verify that you are a legitimate couple. Upon the first application. But, the dumb requirements should not relate to renewals. You should not be required to show fresh images of the house each time, copies of the marriage papers, the house documents, either come with a local Thai witness, or bring a signed affidavit from a local Thai each time, provide new maps to the house, and dozens of other requirements.

 

I just do not even know what to say about the process. I felt like a street dog by the time I left. After hours of paperwork, copy after copy after copy, each page having to be signed, and then being grilling by the surly officer, I literally felt like a street dog. The level of disrespect that immigration shows married couples here, and foreigners in general, is totally uncalled for, beyond the pale, and inane. The copy woman, the guy sorting our papers, they were all nice. But, the officers? Such sourpusses. The woman who was helping us was so difficult to work with, when she finally rejected us over the tiniest thing she did not like, after nearly an hour of reviewing every document with a microscope, so to speak, and said no, I responded by saying yes. YES, you are going to do this. Yes, you are going to do this right now. YES, you are going to stop saying NO to me right now. This ends now. She looked at me and did not know what to say. I asked for the manager. The top brass came over, and we had it sorted in 30 minutes. Took nearly 3 hours. And as usual, it will be a month, until I have final approval. Is it worth it? NO. It is my last marriage visa. I will go back to a retirement visa next year, or leave the country, before I subject myself to that abuse one more time.

 

There is absolutely no need, that I can think of, to do this each and every year. It is nonsensical for everyone involved, to keep repeating the same steps over, and over, and over. It is humiliating, it is demeaning, it is disrespectful, it is petty, it is churlish. It is so wasteful. It is so unnecessary. It accomplishes nothing. It causes inconvenience to both foreigners and Thais. Immigration here really has it wrong. They could be doing so much better. 

 

I totally blame Prayuth, and the biggest joke. Immigration has gotten worse under their tutelage and their arrogance, and their insufferable xenophobia knows no bounds. This whole thing leaves a bitter, sour, nasty, foul taste in one's mouth, and the stench can be smelled for kilometers. It also leaves a rather bad feeling toward our hosts. They could be doing so much better. In my opinion alot of us bring alot to the table here. Thailand is moving backwards on so many levels, I do not even know where to begin. 

Edited February 7, 2019 by spidermike007

[madmitch]

We know what the new rules are but unless I've missed something we have no idea how they will apply to existing retirement extension holders.

 

I'm sure most of us have been in Thailand long enough to know that rules and laws are introduced here without any thought as to how they will be applied, and the practicalities of such rules, hence there's usually a subsequent announcement or even a u-turn! And this appears yet another example of this.

 

Things will hopefully be clearer after 1st March. I fully expect, and hope, that those who renew their extensions prior to 1st March will be subject to the current regulations. If you renew after 1st March the new rules will apply and you probably won't be able to let you bank balance go below 800,000 baht for three months and you will have to keep a 400,000 baht balance.

 

I do feel for anyone that doesn't have adequate time or even resources to plan for this and hopefully, like the Immigration Department stated regarding the monthly sum method, leniency may be shown.

 

[ubonjoe]

Some baiting and bickering posts have been removed. Time to end it or formal warnings will be given.

[jacko45k]

27 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Just returned from immigration recently, after renewing my marriage visa.

It sounds like you met the lady who would much rather you went away and used an agent! Points for perseverance. 

After my last retirement Ext with 800k I chatted with a guy who had also just met her and I got a bit of his venting! Next year, maybe we swap roles!

[greeneking]

39 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Just returned from immigration recently, after renewing my marriage visa. The upside to this visa, is that only 400,000 is needed as a deposit, and it does not have to stay in the bank, once your visa is granted. The downsides are:

 

The hurdles you need to jump over, in order to get a marriage visa are stupid, ridiculous, unnecessary, draconian, wasteful, and silly. I understand the need for them to verify that you are a legitimate couple. Upon the first application. But, the dumb requirements should not relate to renewals. You should not be required to show fresh images of the house each time, copies of the marriage papers, the house documents, either come with a local Thai witness, or bring a signed affidavit from a local Thai each time, provide new maps to the house, and dozens of other requirements.

 

I just do not even know what to say about the process. I felt like a street dog by the time I left. After hours of paperwork, copy after copy after copy, each page having to be signed, and then being grilling by the surly officer, I literally felt like a street dog. The level of disrespect that immigration shows married couples here, and foreigners in general, is totally uncalled for, beyond the pale, and inane. The copy woman, the guy sorting our papers, they were all nice. But, the officers? Such sourpusses. The woman who was helping us was so difficult to work with, when she finally rejected us over the tiniest thing she did not like, after nearly an hour of reviewing every document with a microscope, so to speak, and said no, I responded by saying yes. YES, you are going to do this. Yes, you are going to do this right now. YES, you are going to stop saying NO to me right now. This ends now. She looked at me and did not know what to say. I asked for the manager. The top brass came over, and we had it sorted in 30 minutes. Took nearly 3 hours. And as usual, it will be a month, until I have final approval. Is it worth it? NO. It is my last marriage visa. I will go back to a retirement visa next year, or leave the country, before I subject myself to that abuse one more time.

 

There is absolutely no need, that I can think of, to do this each and every year. It is nonsensical for everyone involved, to keep repeating the same steps over, and over, and over. It is humiliating, it is demeaning, it is disrespectful, it is petty, it is churlish. It is so wasteful. It is so unnecessary. It accomplishes nothing. It causes inconvenience to both foreigners and Thais. Immigration here really has it wrong. They could be doing so much better. 

 

I totally blame Prayuth, and the biggest joke. Immigration has gotten worse under their tutelage and their arrogance, and their insufferable xenophobia knows no bounds. This whole thing leaves a bitter, sour, nasty, foul taste in one's mouth, and the stench can be smelled for kilometers. It also leaves a rather bad feeling toward our hosts. They could be doing so much better. In my opinion alot of us bring alot to the table here. Thailand is moving backwards on so many levels, I do not even know where to begin. 

This pointless yearly activity nearly causes arguments that  end the marriage each year!

This year nearly rejected as one of our photos was a different size.  Last year some photocopies were not black enough.

They have all the information already.  A simple form confirming data is the same again, a signature and a 1900 B. payment.  Bye, see you next year.

Why not?

[Thaidream]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

totally blame Prayuth, and the biggest joke. Immigration has gotten worse under their tutelage and their arrogance, and their insufferable xenophobia knows no bounds. This whole thing leaves a bitter, sour, nasty, foul taste in one's mouth, and the stench can be smelled for kilometers. It also leaves a rather bad feeling toward our hosts. They could be doing so much better. In my opinion alot of us bring alot to the table here. Thailand is moving backwards on so many levels, I do not even know where to begin.

I totally agree with you- the xenophobia is at its highest level I have ever seen .

 

Can you advise what Immigration office this was?

[zoza]

7 hours ago, Tomtomtom69 said:

I've helped my Chinese business partners get re-entry permits and the like from different immigration offices all around the country and not once has a farang, a Burmese person or anyone else ever been "moved back" when this happened. We always had to wait quite a while while they processed their application. Sometimes up to 2.5 hours (like in Mae Sai once).

I sat and spoke to a few Farangs as this happened twice in one afternoon say over four hours it was on the ninth of January. I wish I had filmed it now. do you think for one minute I have made this up.

They waited all 2.5 minuets ok maybe 4 mins. it was the shame faced farangs that really got to me, because they were treated like S*ite.

you would be better saying your business partners waited in a separate room until it was their turn, and then they just walked past the people

who had numbered tickets in their hands, yeh could of been a VIP line.

but whatever it was it was special treatment, and do you think that comes free. 

 

Edited February 7, 2019 by zoza

[DrJack54]

Are you posters for real. This thread is one of best wind ups of all time. If ONE person can go back to op. It is add nonsense. Now many pages later the fish feed.

[skatewash]

On 2/6/2019 at 12:08 PM, fforest1 said:

Sense no embassy can 100% guarantee income no embassy letters should be accepted.....Sense ALL embassy letters are accepted except form 4 countries this means Thai immigration does not really give a rats-ass what any ones income is...

Embassy income letters from UK, US, Australian, and Danish embassies were always accepted by Thai Immigration, those embassies decided for their own reasons to stop offering this service to their citizens.  Thai Immigration came up with a workaround to allow citizens of these countries an alternative to the lump-sum method.

[fforest1]

45 minutes ago, skatewash said:

Embassy income letters from UK, US, Australian, and Danish embassies were always accepted by Thai Immigration, those embassies decided for their own reasons to stop offering this service to their citizens.  Thai Immigration came up with a workaround to allow citizens of these countries an alternative to the lump-sum method.

And all 4 embassies decided with in weeks of each to stop issuing the income letters after issuing them for decades..

 

Yea Right...

 

 

Edited February 7, 2019 by fforest1

[skatewash]

7 minutes ago, fforest1 said:

And all 4 embassies decided with in weeks of each to stop issuing the income letters after issuing them for decades..

 

Yea Right...

 

 

Yes, all four embassies decided to stop issuing the income letters.  Thai Immigration never stopped accepting them.  Thai Immigration continues to accept income letters from all embassies other than those that decided to stop issuing them.  In other words, there are no embassies from which Thai Immigration is not currently accepting income letters.

[rott]

On 2/6/2019 at 11:31 PM, moe666 said:

Grandfather in all the folks who cannot make the proper amount of money to stay here and let them continue to scam the system. I follow the rules have the necessary money to abide by the new rules which really are not that hard to follow. Send money to a Thai bank monthly what is so <deleted> hard about that, O forgot we need to cut the scofflaws some slack so they can continue to cheat. If you cannot afford to stay here now you could not afford it before

 

But obviously they can afford as they are still here and still putting money into the economy.

[jacko45k]

10 hours ago, zoza said:

I wish I had filmed it now.

There are signs telling you not to. I wonder how they would react to that?

[zoza]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

There are signs telling you not to. I wonder how they would react to that?

More important if I filmed it, who do you think would of been investigated, fined, Jailed, deported, I have my own opinion. and any one who has been

here a while knows the answer.