A marriage visa and funds running short

[Tanoshi]

10 minutes ago, John V said:

The wording is: ‘NON-IMM’ visa, valid from 30 Jan 2018 to 29 Apr 2019, so that’s three months.

That's 15 months!

I assume you meant valid until April 2018.

You then applied for a 1 year extension of permission to stay at Immigration based on marriage.

Your current permission to stay stamp should expire on 28th April?

[onera1961]

There’s no chance my Thai wife would sell the house – security and all that. I don’t blame her. She spent her earlier years living hand to mouth in Bangkok bringing up two children on her own, so she sees the house as security in her old age which I can understand. The plan was to pay the mortgage off and then continue working in China until 65 and use that money to put towards the low pension to top it up every month. Unfortunately, the company I worked for lost its government contract and I was made redundant coming back to Thailand at the age of 63 and finding it almost impossible to get another job.

I’ve never heard of a Non Imm O ME visa. Where do I get this from?

Forget about all this confusion. Go to Savanakhet and get a Non-O multiple entry visa based on marriage. You don't have to show any financial requirement. Continue doing so still your finances are stabilized. Now focus on documents required at Savanakhet instead of exploring different visa options. Make sure you get a multiple entry visa.

Sent from my JKM-LX2 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[simon43]

7 hours ago, AGareth2 said:

sounds like 150+ hours per month!

I just added it up on my lesson calendar ==> about 30 hours a week = 120 hours per month.  (I could do more or I could do less - it's my choice). Those lessons are spread out throughput the day (again my choice).  I teach 50-student classes in the morning, have a break, teach another large class, have a few hours break again, then teach one-to-one private students for 2 hours each evening.

 

I do miss in-class teaching, but simply can't 'justify' working for such a paltry salary, (and most schools won't even consider an old guy as a primary teacher, even though I've been teaching these grades for years).

 

Most of my online lessons are 40 minutes long, with lesson materials provided. (I prepare lesson material for some lessons that I teach, such as Thai and French languages).

 

I'm basically a lazy person ????  Teaching English, Science etc to young kids is fun and easy ==> no heavy Maths or Physics and no difficult questions LoL!

[John V]

3 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

That's 15 months!

I assume you meant valid until April 2018.

You then applied for a 1 year extension of permission to stay at Immigration based on marriage.

Your current permission to stay stamp should expire on 28th April?

Sorry, yes April 2018 and expires May 1st.

[Isaan Alan]

12 hours ago, Justin Side said:

At the moment you can still get a Multi Entry Non O Visa from the consul in Savanakhet Laos without having to show money in the bank.

"at the moment"? Any hints that this will change?

Only Savavvakhet? 

[lopburi3]

28 minutes ago, Isaan Alan said:

"at the moment"? Any hints that this will change?

Only Savavvakhet? 

Both Savannakhet and HCMC in the immediate area currently provide without financials.

[roo860]

36 posts, I hope the OP has finally grasped the situation, go to Savanabloodykhet!

 

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

 

 

 

 

[Danthai]

I have read about Savannakhet with no financial proof for ME non O, but thought I read that you have to show money if you go to HCMC. What are current requirements for MEV based on marriage. Can now fly from Chiangmai to HCMC?

 

[Danthai]

Curious if you would share. What programs or set up on your computer allows you to teach online like that. And how did you come across the people to teach? Sounds fascinating. Any need for accounting teaching in English? 

[baansgr]

6 hours ago, simon43 said:

I just added it up on my lesson calendar ==> about 30 hours a week = 120 hours per month.  (I could do more or I could do less - it's my choice). Those lessons are spread out throughput the day (again my choice).  I teach 50-student classes in the morning, have a break, teach another large class, have a few hours break again, then teach one-to-one private students for 2 hours each evening.

 

I do miss in-class teaching, but simply can't 'justify' working for such a paltry salary, (and most schools won't even consider an old guy as a primary teacher, even though I've been teaching these grades for years).

 

Most of my online lessons are 40 minutes long, with lesson materials provided. (I prepare lesson material for some lessons that I teach, such as Thai and French languages).

 

I'm basically a lazy person ????  Teaching English, Science etc to young kids is fun and easy ==> no heavy Maths or Physics and no difficult questions LoL!

I know you have a lot of experience, how does that work...online teaching to a class of 50.....just seems strange, I alwasy thought online was a 1 on 1 basis.

[John V]

Online teaching: Don’t be fooled, it’s not the suggested goldmine it’s made out to be and I personally know people involved in it. It’s a scheme of private tutoring to individuals or small groups in their spare time, normally at w/ends or holidays and done by skype. There is no classroom full of students or software technology involved. The concept arose from the webinar. The providers are individuals or companies who have access to schools and potential adult clients, such as individual homeroom teachers themselves, or increasingly recruitment companies who are sniffing a profit.

 

It’s still in its infancy as once was the large well know private ‘school’ that has glass walls so people could walk past and admire you. Likewise, Internet teaching is the virtual reality of having your own personal tutor. There’s a high turnover of teachers as they discover it’s work and not a money making scheme and the clients who after the initial boasting of a personal tutor find it’s also expensive because there’s a middleman involved.

 

I’m not disparaging the concept and this type of teaching might well be the future, but as in all teaching the person delivering it isn’t going to make lots of money from it. Presentation, looks and performance are prerequisites as in all face to face teaching and an old man sitting in his underwear earning lots of money is the hype. If it’s a bit of w/end work you’re after it has its advantages, but you’re not going to make the 100K Holy Grail benchmark figure.       

[lamyai3]

16 hours ago, simon43 said:

Most of my online lessons are 40 minutes long, with lesson materials provided. (I prepare lesson material for some lessons that I teach, such as Thai and French languages).

 

I'm basically a lazy person ????  Teaching English, Science etc to young kids is fun and easy ==> no heavy Maths or Physics and no difficult questions LoL!

You teach English, French, Thai and Science? What kind of experience or qualifications do you need for this, and to get 100k a month on Skype? 

[lopburi3]

10 hours ago, Danthai said:

I have read about Savannakhet with no financial proof for ME non O, but thought I read that you have to show money if you go to HCMC. What are current requirements for MEV based on marriage. Can now fly from Chiangmai to HCMC?

 

 

[SEtonal]

13 hours ago, Isaan Alan said:

"at the moment"? Any hints that this will change?

Only Savavvakhet? 

"Thaivisa earlier reported proposals that 10,000 baht fines might be levied if the minister agrees. 

There are also changes to business visas and extensions of stay based on people who have children or who are married to Thais.  

Exactly what these are - or indeed if they are anything new that has not already been reported - remains to be seen."

 

A poster who seems to know what he is talking about, said that these changes may be announced in the next month or two.

 

[SEtonal]

21 hours ago, steven100 said:

So this Non-O is only available for based on marriage ?  cannot get for based on retirement ??

 

Thanks.

Non-O visas can be based on retirement, marriage, or having a Thai child.  At this time (unknown upcoming changes have been reported), some Thai consulates do not require proof of financials if the Non- O visa is based on marriage or having a Thai child.   If a Non-O or extension is issued within Thailand at an Immigration Office, then proof of financials is required for marriage or having a Thai child. 

 

A Non-O based on retirement always requires proof of financials and some Thai consulates also require proof of retirement such as a pension letter or Embassy letter verifying that the applicant is retired.

[OJAS]

5 hours ago, John V said:

Online teaching: Don’t be fooled, it’s not the suggested goldmine it’s made out to be and I personally know people involved in it. It’s a scheme of private tutoring to individuals or small groups in their spare time, normally at w/ends or holidays and done by skype. There is no classroom full of students or software technology involved. The concept arose from the webinar. The providers are individuals or companies who have access to schools and potential adult clients, such as individual homeroom teachers themselves, or increasingly recruitment companies who are sniffing a profit.

 

It’s still in its infancy as once was the large well know private ‘school’ that has glass walls so people could walk past and admire you. Likewise, Internet teaching is the virtual reality of having your own personal tutor. There’s a high turnover of teachers as they discover it’s work and not a money making scheme and the clients who after the initial boasting of a personal tutor find it’s also expensive because there’s a middleman involved.

 

I’m not disparaging the concept and this type of teaching might well be the future, but as in all teaching the person delivering it isn’t going to make lots of money from it. Presentation, looks and performance are prerequisites as in all face to face teaching and an old man sitting in his underwear earning lots of money is the hype. If it’s a bit of w/end work you’re after it has its advantages, but you’re not going to make the 100K Holy Grail benchmark figure.       

Don’t forget that you’ll be able to apply at your local immigration office for a 60-day extension to visit your wife when your current permission to stay is nearing expiry, before you need to travel to Savannakhet or HCMC for a multi-entry non-O visa, as others have already advised.

 

Once you have obtained this new multi-entry non-O visa, it will then be possible likewise to apply for a 60-day extension to each permission of stay granted within its validity period, meaning that you will, in practice, only need to make border runs every 150 – rather than 90 – days.

 

However don’t you, for your part, be fooled into believing that the UK State Pension will prove the sole answer to your current financial issues in the longer term (unless, of course, you're willing to make repeat trips to Savannakhet or HCMC every 15 months or so). The present weekly rate of £125.95 equates to around £545 per calendar month, which in turn converts to around 22,350 THB on the basis of current exchange rates. This is, of course, well short of the 40,000 THB minimum monthly income requirement for annual marriage extensions of stay.

 

Even though the State Pension which you eventually receive will be based on the (hopefully higher) rate prevailing at the time you submit your claim to the DWP, you should also bear in mind that it will then be perpetually frozen for as long as you remain living in Thailand.
 

Edited April 5, 2019 by OJAS

[John V]

Nothing like a bit of optimism OJAS. ????

[John V]

The other day I met a fellow Brit, under 50 and he’d gone the border hopping and Ed-visa route, finally buying one of those five year elite visas for a quarter of a million. He’d practically bankrupted himself doing it and it’s due to expire next year. I asked him what he was going to do next year and he just shrugged. OK he’s still young, but imagine that happening in your 60s?

I’ve just wasted 15 months applying for positions that schools say they’re desperate to fill, yet I don’t even get the courtesy of a reply to and my patience is also wearing thin. Having thought about all this and talking it over with the other half, we’ve come to a decision. If I haven’t had a decent offer by the time the new semester starts in mid-May, my wife stays here, looks after the house and her little business and I go back to the UK, update my skills and work from there. Come back for holidays and retire here later on if I get a good job and that’s what many of the Europeans around the area we live in do now. It’s not that I lack skills in my own country, so I’ll go back there. Problem solved.    

[kimamey]

On 4/4/2019 at 6:25 AM, magicroundabout said:

I think the UK state pension age goes up in October 2020 to 66 so if you are just turning 64 you might still get it at 65.

Agree with the last poster there are older teachers getting jobs these days. 

Best of luck 

I suspect this has already been answered but I'm 65 in June and I will get my state pension in March 2020 so just before I'm 66. It seems not to work exactly on a yearly basis but is passed in gradually which is why I'll get mine before my 66th birthday. You can always check using the government website.  I think you might need to do it by post if you're not uk resident.  If you are then once you have an account is pretty easy.  It might be worth checking as it seems as if the exact date might be crucial in this case. 

 

I'm not sure what the rules are on working in this case so I'll assume the OP knows about this. 

 

As had already been said good luck.  I can appreciate that this is very stressful. 

[jacko45k]

6 minutes ago, kimamey said:

I think you might need to do it by post if you're not uk resident.

You can obtain a login ID that lets you review your current pension status. The only complexity for me is they send an access code to an old UK phone number, which fortunately sits in an old phone and I keep the SIM alive. 

Edited April 10, 2019 by jacko45k

[kimamey]

On 4/9/2019 at 9:03 AM, John V said:

The other day I met a fellow Brit, under 50 and he’d gone the border hopping and Ed-visa route, finally buying one of those five year elite visas for a quarter of a million. He’d practically bankrupted himself doing it and it’s due to expire next year. I asked him what he was going to do next year and he just shrugged. OK he’s still young, but imagine that happening in your 60s?

I’ve just wasted 15 months applying for positions that schools say they’re desperate to fill, yet I don’t even get the courtesy of a reply to and my patience is also wearing thin. Having thought about all this and talking it over with the other half, we’ve come to a decision. If I haven’t had a decent offer by the time the new semester starts in mid-May, my wife stays here, looks after the house and her little business and I go back to the UK, update my skills and work from there. Come back for holidays and retire here later on if I get a good job and that’s what many of the Europeans around the area we live in do now. It’s not that I lack skills in my own country, so I’ll go back there. Problem solved.    

I'm glad you seem to have come up with a solution.  Maybe not perfect but manageable. 

 

I work in the UK, usually for about 3 months at a time and then come back here to be with my wife. I stay for more than 6 months in the UK so I can still access NHS treatment. Also I have family I need to visit.  It's not perfect but we manage. 

[kimamey]

5 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

You can obtain a login ID that lets you review your current pension status. The only complexity for me is they send an access code to an old UK phone number, which fortunately sits in an old phone and I keep the SIM alive. 

Yes I do that although I'm usually in the UK when I do it. I wasn't sure if they have a way of knowing where you are.  Actually I think I've done it from here before. 

[jacko45k]

6 minutes ago, kimamey said:

Yes I do that although I'm usually in the UK when I do it. I wasn't sure if they have a way of knowing where you are.  Actually I think I've done it from here before. 

Just did it an hour ago to see where I was. I still need to keep paying the Class 3 stamps if I want the full pension, but it appears I can stop in April 2020. My pension is due in 2021. The stamps got to be expensive. 

Edited April 10, 2019 by jacko45k

[John V]

6 hours ago, kimamey said:

I'm glad you seem to have come up with a solution.  Maybe not perfect but manageable. 

 

I work in the UK, usually for about 3 months at a time and then come back here to be with my wife. I stay for more than 6 months in the UK so I can still access NHS treatment. Also I have family I need to visit.  It's not perfect but we manage. 

As I said, wifey and I had a long talk and realized it wasn’t a question of how to work around things for as long as possible, but money. I can’t even get a job at 30K Baht in Thailand with experience and a Master’s degree? OK, I’ll go back to the UK and quadruple that, taking 700K Baht savings with me. One day the Thais are going to not only wonder where all the teachers have gone, but the retirees that helped keep the local economy going. If you think about it, someone who has 400K spare to leave untouched and an income of 40K a month means you’ve literally priced the ordinary guy out of Thailand retirement and they’ll go elsewhere. Perhaps that’s the reasoning behind it? If so, it succeeded with me.