New retirement extension rules forces expat, 90, to leave Thailand

[Russell17au]

15 minutes ago, Spidey said:

We know that he made a statutory declaration to the US Embassy every year saying that he had an income of 65k baht. Now that the stat. dec. is no longer available, he's being forced to leave. If he had had a monthly income exceeding 65k baht he would have been able to transfer it to Thailand every month. As he's unable to do that we can only assume that he hasn't got an income exceeding 65k baht. Ergo. He's lying through his false teeth.

There is no need to attack people and call them liars unless you can prove that what you are claiming is true. You do not know the man and you do not know his circumstances. You make many claims on here about how great you are but you could also be called a liar because you have not produced any proof of what you say. Like I said earlier there are many expats that have made the choice not to transfer their money into a Thai bank account but prefer to whinge and complain and then leave Thailand, it does not make all of them liars either.

[dcnx]

1 hour ago, SheungWan said:

You should know by now the level of sheer bloody-mindedness of some expats in Thailand. Would willingly shoot themselves in the foot rather than touch their savings.

They would also rather shoot themselves in the foot than admit they made a huge mistake living here. I rather enjoy the mental gymnastics they do to justify their decision to retire in a country that looks at them no better than they do dogs.

 

I still don’t think it’s set in yet for many of you what’s coming. I’m enjoying the rude posters condemning those who can’t meet the new requirements. Their going to be in for a huge surprise unless they are wealthy with money to burn. 

 

One of the worst things about living in Thailand is surprisingly not the Thais, but the bitter and hateful expat community. It’s no wonder there are so many condo jumpers and suicides here. 

[wreckingcountry]

65 k income no longer the criteria : FACT


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[Aussieroaming]

Good luck Don

[HAKAPALITA]

Iv asked the expats i know does this give you a Prob?. NO 100%..Some have Bikes , some BMWs. If their Embassy wot issue bit of paper , they dont realy seem bothered.is this just abot Border Bouncers, im miffed.?.????[emoji481]


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[stanleycoin]

1 hour ago, dcnx said:

It has always been MONEY #1 and it always will be. The people who have problems here either forget this or think that it somehow doesn’t apply to them because they’ve spent a long time here, married, employed, retired, or whatever it is they are doing.

 

This is Rule #1. Ignore it at your own peril.

Can't argue with that.

 

But I would like to think Thailand would move forward.

But again,   i'm proved wrong,  by the short sighted fools in charge.

blaming the falangs for there problems,  using misdirection tactics. 

( Get out out cheap Charlie low life Falangs ), what a laugh they are. 

Thailand  kills 25,000 on the roads every year, That's not impotent to the fools. in charge. and that's the tip of the iceberg of problems  here. 

 

But some old guy, who has spent his life savings on Thai citizens, paying for children that are not his to go to school, paying for extend families bills and there drop kick behaviour.

buying cars, bikes, houses, all that,  and now his public enemy number one.

 

This is Thailand's authorities showing it's true ugly face.

So yes, Buyer beware.  and i'm sure people will be in the future as this place is not so special anymore. and it's not Singapore, like the fools in charge,  keep trying to sell the place as.

Amazing Thailand,  a very big Not.

I would say Amazing own goal Thailand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HAKAPALITA]

I do. 

So do those who have done extended Tours in Military Services I refer to folk won worked the Track at a Car Factory, everyday folk.


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[john west]

On 2/6/2019 at 9:23 AM, Kasset Tak said:

Well, as usual with all these changes much of it comes back to all the people abusing the system! I have friends that complains that they can't get their visa extensions as they don't have the savings, don't have enough income and now they can't get agents to forge/fake bank accounts for them... it's thanks to this kind of people and all these Indians with just "paper" marriages that these new rules have come in place (at least according to my Thai drinking buddy who is immigration office).
It's the same as it was with people on ED extensions, people used to get a year extension but because too many abused the system, even those who were legit students got affected by the changes. And again now we have the blacklisting for overstaying your visa... in the past it wasn't a big deal so some people were abusing that too (we have all read the stories of people leaving with 20 year overstay...) and that made them put the blacklisting in effect.

So, don't blame the government for changing the system, blame all the people who have been abusing the system and by doing that forced the government to change the system!

Kasset Tak
1000 per cent spot on and not just here but thanks to those who have continually abused the system are many who have absolutely no comittment in Thailand ie looking after ones own Family which is increasingly getting more difficult  what with a Frozen State Pension and a very poor exchange rate.
Unfortunately, we are all  smeared or tarnished with the same brush and yes still many people no doubt will get around it and crikey 24 years of overstay and all they get is a maximum fine and deported.
Yes the same in the UK where people claim all benefits and do not contribute one penny ( but don't get me started on that)
A 90 year old person and perhaps in good health but it is going to be difficult for him indeed.
Unfortunately, everyone think we are all loaded and yes in many cases doing what one can for Family and suppose the best way to go is suddenly but we all know this does not normally happen.
Unless this 90 year old has Family back home how on earth will he survive?
Thanks to all those scumbags who have had no monies but got away with it for years and years and yes in 10 years have always kept the 800k in the bank and I know some people do draw on it and suppose yet another confirmation letter from the bank every 90 days.
Thanks the scum

 

[orchidfan]

On 2/6/2019 at 9:24 AM, Just1Voice said:

Everyone seems to be focusing on the 800k, and ignoring Rule #3, of having an income of 65k a month, OR  the 800k in the bank.  To me, if you can't show an income of 65k a month, you shouldn't be living here in the first place.  I know an American here in Chiang Mai who has been lying about his income for 10 years.  It's actually only about 35k a month.  Now he frantically trying to change his Retirement Visa to a Marriage Visa, which allows for a combined income of husband and wife.  He's a nice guy, and I wish him luck as, according to him, he has nothing to go back to in the States. 

I do NOT think there is any allowance for "combined income" to gain an Extension based on marriage.

Ubon joe may be able to clarify this? ?

[Russell17au]

4 minutes ago, orchidfan said:

I do NOT think there is any allowance for "combined income" to gain an Extension based on marriage.

Ubon joe may be able to clarify this? ?

Marriage extension DOES NOT have a combined wife / husband income and also DOES NOT have a combined income / money in bank system 

[Tomtomtom69]

On 2/6/2019 at 9:37 AM, JAG said:

I agree. This is perhaps what they mean by "good people in, bad people out". The trouble is that perhaps they are using a rather blunt instrument to determine who is "good or bad". 

 

Maybe I have a trusting face, (or more likely look like a simpleton!) but in the last couple of years at least three people have asked me how to "game the system" to get a visa. Including one young man, in the queue at Savannakhet, who asked me if I could suggest what to say to get a multi entry non O on the strength of having a Thai girlfriend! He rather hoped that I could speak for him (fat lot of good that would do!) on the grounds that we both came from the same neck of the woods in the UK! 

 

I do feel sorry for some of the older chaps who are living here harmlessly and quietly, enjoying the sun on their backs as it were, and now feel threatened. 

 

 

I can simplify it for you. Rich is good, poor is bad.

[ginjag]

16 minutes ago, Tomtomtom69 said:

I can simplify it for you. Rich is good, poor is bad.

What about the ones in between ??   500k in a bank here, 30k a month pension, the same as a high level school teacher, but we cannot stay as we not have sufficient.

[Jingthing]

4 minutes ago, ginjag said:

What about the ones in between ??   500k in a bank here, 30k a month pension, the same as a high level school teacher, but we cannot stay as we not have sufficient.

The combination method is still very available as it has been for years if you have an embassy letter. Now those without embassy letters are facing a much more confusing and problematical situation, especially if they can't show a record of international imports going back the full 12 months. The enforcement mechanics of such applications is complicated and immigration officers don't like complicated and that was even before the embassy letter kerfuffle. 

[Jai Dee]

Several argumentative posts that contributed nothing to this topic have been removed.

[Mister Fixit]

4 hours ago, Spidey said:

If he were British, he would receive all the assistance that he needed. Sheltered accommodation, regular visits from carers, state pension plus allowances, free healthcare, free TV licence, meals on wheels, regular trips to a day centre, even a Christmas bonus. The life of Riley.

Not if he doesn't pass the habitual residence test.  I think that's having been out of the country for 15 years plus.  

 

Also he'd likely not be eligible for free NHS treatment unless he was the victim of an accident (BICBW there). Last I heard, if you were a British/UK citizen and the victim of an acute life-threatening disease or in some sort of emergency event then you would be treated free as usual, whether or not you didn't pass the habitual residence criteria.  

 

 

[Mister Fixit]

3 hours ago, jonesthepost said:

You will grow old wait to you are in your 80's 

Some might say they'd be happy if he didn't make it that far ...  ????????

[Mister Fixit]

1 hour ago, stanleycoin said:

Amazing Thailand,  a very big Not.

I would say Amazing own goal Thailand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would also add 'shoot yourself in the foot at every opportunity' Thailand.  

 

They have a real knack for it at all levels of Thai society.  

[Vacuum]

On 2/6/2019 at 1:38 AM, webfact said:

Many have said that the new rules are designed to stop the practices of unscrupulous visa agents and the expats who pay them for their services. 

They forgot to mention the unscrupulous IO officers who happily line their pockets with money from the agents.

[DrTuner]

2 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Have to work though, retirees not eligible.

That was the hurdle that stopped myself from pursuing PR/citizenship. Working 3 years paying taxes in a Thai company (which you can't own unless it's BOI, another hassle) wasn't something I was willing to sacrifice, especially when I managed to retire before 40 and didn't want to come out of plush retirement to gain insanity from being forced to work with Thais. In PR there's also an investment category but .. meh. I came to the conclusion Thailand is temporary stay only, as ever so gently guided by their policies.

[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.

 

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. Thailand is moving backwards on so many levels, I do not even know where to begin. 

[marcusarelus]

3 hours ago, HAKAPALITA said:

Iv asked the expats i know does this give you a Prob?. NO 100%..Some have Bikes , some BMWs. If their Embassy wot issue bit of paper , they dont realy seem bothered.is this just abot Border Bouncers, im miffed.?.????
Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

I thought most of the posters were like Dr Turner who don't live here and are not retired here and just like to complain about Thailand?

[marcusarelus]

27 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.

 

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. Thailand is moving backwards on so many levels, I do not even know where to begin. 

I guess I'm behind the times but were there really any changes to the marriage visa?  It was 400,000 and it still is 400,000. 

[tlandtday]

30 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.

 

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. Thailand is moving backwards on so many levels, I do not even know where to begin. 

They are basically intimidating and humiliating people with their process.

[DrTuner]

31 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.

 

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. Thailand is moving backwards on so many levels, I do not even know where to begin. 

Was that Jomthien? What you got is the usual parole treatment. I got so fed up with it I went and bought the elite, I likely won't even be using all of the 5y but at least I don't have to go through the yearly reaming you got anymore.

[Russell17au]

27 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.

 

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. Thailand is moving backwards on so many levels, I do not even know where to begin. 

I renewed my marriage extension in December and only had to supply new photo's, copy of income letter, copy of marriage papers and a new map and the whole thing took me 30 minutes and was told to comeback on 2nd January to get my stamp, no problems at all. Went back on the 2nd January and the officer saw me walk in and called me straight to the desk and stamped my passport and it took a whole 4 minutes. I have just done my 1st 90 day report in the new office and there were some new faces there but it still only took 10 minutes and a very pleasant time. But I did notice a couple of upstart farangs trying to be smart and they lost out because they were sent away without anything in there passports

[spidermike007]

3 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

I guess I'm behind the times but were there really any changes to the marriage visa?  It was 400,000 and it still is 400,000. 

True. But it was assumed there might also be a change to the deposit requirements, as are being discussed with regard to the retirement visa. Such as having to leave a sum in for months after the visa is issued. Fortunately, not the case here. 

[tlandtday]

2 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

I renewed my marriage extension in December and only had to supply new photo's, copy of income letter, copy of marriage papers and a new map and the whole thing took me 30 minutes and was told to comeback on 2nd January to get my stamp, no problems at all. Went back on the 2nd January and the officer saw me walk in and called me straight to the desk and stamped my passport and it took a whole 4 minutes. I have just done my 1st 90 day report in the new office and there were some new faces there but it still only took 10 minutes and a very pleasant time. But I did notice a couple of upstart farangs trying to be smart and they lost out because they were sent away without anything in there passports

Glad to hear you had an easy process but as been pointed out it's a crap shoot and honest retirees don't need a crap shoot with their future.

[spidermike007]

2 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

I renewed my marriage extension in December and only had to supply new photo's, copy of income letter, copy of marriage papers and a new map and the whole thing took me 30 minutes and was told to comeback on 2nd January to get my stamp, no problems at all. Went back on the 2nd January and the officer saw me walk in and called me straight to the desk and stamped my passport and it took a whole 4 minutes. I have just done my 1st 90 day report in the new office and there were some new faces there but it still only took 10 minutes and a very pleasant time. But I did notice a couple of upstart farangs trying to be smart and they lost out because they were sent away without anything in there passports

You are a very lucky man. May we inquire as to which office it was? Sounds utterly delightful compared to  what alot of us are being subjected to. We probably submitted 50-60 pages of documents. It seems somewhat arbitrary. And I suspect what you experienced, is as good as it gets. This will be my last marriage visa. It was a stupid experience. Don't need it. Don't want it. Don't have time for such nonsense. I truly despise immigration here. However, we were utterly polite up until the time the woman said NO. Then I demanded the participation of the top dog, and she resolved it. But, it was not a pleasant experience. 

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

7 hours ago, SheungWan said:

No longer welcome and yet you are still here.

Yup because I bought the Thai Elite Visa and don't have the stress as those who want go the deposit route. I'd rather invest that money than deposit it in an uninsured account. I ve been coming since I was 19 years old. For me it is truly paradise. I didn't come here to start over or get tied down in a marriage. Some people need that I don't. It's simple, for those who have money their life will not be affected. 

[totally thaied up]

1 hour 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.

 

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. Thailand is moving backwards on so many levels, I do not even know where to begin. 

Which office did you use?

 

I have for the past three years in Chiang Mai (marriage extension) used an agent to do all my paperwork. The main reason why is the way the paperwork gets presented in such an order I am told makes it easier for the IO and the agent makes sure that we do not miss any paperwork at all. Normally they send me an email detailing any changes and for me to update my photos to them yearly. To date, I have not had a problem and my extension is done in 30-40 minutes but I am told it sometimes is not like this. So, I will keep using an agent and just hope I do not get grilled at all during any of my coming extensions. So sorry to read what you wrote as it should not be like that at all.