update on my "under consideration" period

[kannot]

Call it what u will marriage extension HUA  HIN, I went about 2  weeks  ago and handed in all the required  paperwork, all ok, today  phone  call to say can I go back to the bank and get an updated statement  as its been requested I  guess from BKK.

Apparently I have "too  much money"  in my account..well that was one reason  given today.

I brought  in a few  million in October and previous to that this  account only had  just over 400k in to keep em happy.

Who  knows what they think?

Maybe this is to see if Ive withdrawn it between my visit  two weeks  ago and now?

[BritManToo]

Next time get another account in which to keep the excess.

[NCC1701A]

18 minutes ago, kannot said:

Who  knows what they think? 

was this at the new location? how was it?

[lust]

I wish I had your problem.

[ThomasThBKK]

Quote

Too much money

means, they want u to do retirement visa instead as they are lazy af and dont want to deal with your marriage visa application.

 

Gets often reported here...

[Briggsy]

1 hour ago, kannot said:

Who  knows what they think?

Maybe this is to see if Ive withdrawn it between my visit  two weeks  ago and now?

They have their suspicions about you!

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, kannot said:

Maybe this is to see if Ive withdrawn it between my visit  two weeks  ago and now?

They often do this with marriage-based extensions now.  They have, effectively, increased the stipulated 2-mo seasoning to "until we get done, eventually" via the "under consideration" period.

 

As someone said above, they may want to pressure you to switch to retirement.  Some have had that happen without their knowledge or consent - only realizing it when they got their passport back.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

They often do this with marriage-based extensions now.  They have, effectively, increased the stipulated 2-mo seasoning to "until we get done, eventually" via the "under consideration" period.

 

As someone said above, they may want to pressure you to switch to retirement.  Some have had that happen without their knowledge or consent - only realizing it when they got their passport back.

 

I would assume one way to avoid that happenstance is to show up at Immigration with only the 400,000 baht or that plus a bit extra in your bank account, and not show up with a bankbook showing enough for a retirement extension -- even if one has it, but doesn't want to play by the new (have to keep your money on deposit) retirement extension rules.

 

[55Jay]

2 hours ago, kannot said:

Maybe this is to see if Ive withdrawn it between my visit  two weeks  ago and now?

Plausible given recent events.  I've always shown well in excess of 400k for my marriage extensions, no questions or issues; although my last one predates the recent changes. 

[connda]

Having "too much money" is a euphemism for "we want you to apply for a retirement extension."  But I'm pretty sure that come next year there is going to be a backlash from foreigners who are married to Thai women yet have retirement extensions because, up to March 1st 2019, doing so was significantly less hassle.  Those days are gone as immigration implements the ridiculous monetary restrictions on the 800k THB in a Thai bank option.  Myself, and I'm pretty sure a whole lot of other married guys, will be going back to a marriage extension in 2020.  Note to self at the end of 2019: "Withdrawal everything but 400k THB out of account for immigration extensions."

[jacko45k]

53 minutes ago, connda said:

"Withdrawal everything but 400k THB out of account for immigration extensions."

I can see why you suggest that, but a 'no going back' approach. If you can afford it, another FD with 800k sitting pretty might be useful just in case!

[PerkinsCuthbert]

Often, when Thais with poor understanding of English say "too much" of something, it is a literal translation from the Thai, and it does not have the same meaning in English; they merely mean "lots of".

So I wouldn't worry that they will deny you a visa for being overly rich, but perhaps you are more likely to be preyed upon now they know you have lots of money!

 

 

Edited March 9, 2019 by PerkinsCuthbert

[jacko45k]

Just now, PerkinsCuthbert said:

So I wouldn't worry that they will deny you a visa for being overly rich!

If too much is sufficient for a retirement extension people have in the past been pushed in that direction from one based on marriage. The new restrictions on accessing that money now give people an 'out'.

[gamini]

18 hours ago, 55Jay said:

Plausible given recent events.  I've always shown well in excess of 400k for my marriage extensions, no questions or issues; although my last one predates the recent changes. 

 

[gamini]

Most of my friends married to Thais, go for the retirement Visa simply because it's far less of a hassle. But with the new regulations. I'm sure every single one of them, including myself, will now get a marriage Visa instead. None of us will want to keep 800 K in the bank for six months and then 400 K for the rest of the year.

There must be tens of thousands of retirees married to Thais who will change from retirement to marriage visas. I wonder if emigration realises this, because  there is going to be a lot of extra work for them and I wonder how they are going to cope.  And when you apply they will obviously try and persuade us to stay on retirement visas and so it's a good idea to have just over 400 K in your account when you apply.

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, gamini said:

I wonder if emigration realises this, because  there is going to be a lot of extra work for them and I wonder how they are going to cope

With the number of people suggesting they will bugger off to Vietnam it might just balance out. The problem is having to now deal with that lady....

[Jim7777]

I’m not sure what your nationality is but if it’s United States, British, Australian, or Denmark you should have obtained one last Income Affidavit in December before the Embassies stopped issuing them back in December through January, because they are still valid till June at the latest, they’re valid for six months after the date of completion.  I’ve heard that some immigration offices make their own rules but I don’t know anything about that because my local immigration office doesn’t do that.  I’m also on a marriage visa extension.

 

My local immigration office accepted my last income affidavit back in December and my under consideration period just ended earlier this week and I received my full one year extension stamp within 5 minutes earlier this week with no issues.  They didn’t ask for bank statements or anything my income affidavit was good enough.  I don’t like advertising my location but I live somewhere in the North East in Division 4.  

 

Ever since January I began preparing for my next extension that I’ll do in probably mid January 2020.  I go by the monthly income method because my pension is pretty big even by US cost of living standards.  So I just do my wire transfers every month on payday from my bank in the States to my Thai bank account and I have my pass book updated and my deposit statements printed as well once a month after I do my monthly wire transfers.  I actually like the new rules better for me it’s easier.  I’m 21 years retired military and a 100% disabled veteran so I do pretty well here and the medical care is pretty good as well.

 

Anyway if you are a citizen of one of the countries that stopped providing the income affidavits and if you didn't already get an income affidavit back in December obviously it’s too late now because they have already stopped issuing them.  

 

That might be why immigration is questioning you because technically you are still supposed to use the income affidavit we’re still technically in the transition period.  Although the transition period is soon coming to an end.  Plus if you are using the money saved in the bank option instead of the monthly income option I’ve read a lot of stories on here about how immigration questions the money saved in the bank option a lot more than the monthly income option.  But I could be wrong because I don’t know your entire situation either.  

[connda]

9 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I can see why you suggest that, but a 'no going back' approach. If you can afford it, another FD with 800k sitting pretty might be useful just in case!

By the end of the year I should have an account with 400k and one with 800k, so covered both ways.  Just wish those accounts made 4% interest like they did when I first moved here.

[connda]

9 hours ago, PerkinsCuthbert said:

Often, when Thais with poor understanding of English say "too much" of something, it is a literal translation from the Thai, and it does not have the same meaning in English; they merely mean "lots of".

So I wouldn't worry that they will deny you a visa for being overly rich, but perhaps you are more likely to be preyed upon now they know you have lots of money!

 

 

 

9 hours ago, jacko45k said:

If too much is sufficient for a retirement extension people have in the past been pushed in that direction from one based on marriage. The new restrictions on accessing that money now give people an 'out'.

There have been posts in the past by guys that applied for an extension based on marriage having 800k in the bank, and instead of stamping a 'marriage extension' in their passport, they stamp 'retirement extension' instead.  I would call that 'being pushed to a retirement extension.'

[connda]

9 hours ago, gamini said:

And when you apply they will obviously try and persuade us to stay on retirement visas and so it's a good idea to have just over 400 K in your account when you apply.

That why you need to draw the account down to under 800k THB.  If you don't qualify by having 800k in the bank, they simply can not force you to a retirement extension.  If they were smart and wanted to keep married guys on retirement extensions, then they'd need to grandfather married men who used the retirement extension so that the new rules don't apply to them - only the previous rules of seasoned funds 3 month prior to application for extension.  Maybe they'll get a clue after the influx of applications changing from retirement to marriage extensions next year. 

[jacko45k]

9 hours ago, connda said:

instead of stamping a 'marriage extension' in their passport, they stamp 'retirement extension' instead.  I would call that 'being pushed to a retirement extension.'

And if that continues a person has been pushed into some quite onerous regulations on what they can do with their own money (which is effectively nothing for 3 months!)