Retirement Visa Changes & Rate of Exchange leaves many expats in a quandary

[StevieAus]

1 hour ago, stropper said:

you have got to be fffffff kidding !

 

Thanks you have saved me the job couldn’t have put it better.

Thought he was going to announce that the Australian government was going to make it easier for people who had worked all their lives and paid taxes but want to live overseas to get the aged pension.

Ha Ha Ha Ha

[sexyman]

For 12,500 the agent gets the retirement extension, and also does the 90 day reporting all included in the 12,500.  For me the best solution, as I don't need to break my investments abroad where I'm earning much more than the agency fee. And no need to get involved with keeping 800k in Thai banks and all the other BS

[jacko45k]

4 hours ago, Daveyh said:

Any advice any member can give would be most helpful. I intend staying in the area even if my retirement visa takes a year before I reapply. Thank you for your help it's much appreciated.

The agent option, if available in your area, will cover you.

[fredob43]

1 hour ago, CharlieH said:

If you havnt been for awhile, or only made brief visits to the UK you are in for a hell of shock if you go back for any lengthy period of time. I suggest the place anyone once knew and called home has been consigned to history. Its a different place now and an expensive, damp miserable place to be in retirement.

Think very hard before making that backward move. Its the reason I burnt that bridge, not a nice realisation, uncomfortable and sad too, but it is reality there now.

Sad to say, but I totally agree with you. Have just been back to the UK only for 18 days thank the lord but it was hell.

Cold, damp, pricy I had to pay 3.95p for a large Latte at one place. Won't even go down the price of eating out road.

 

No bugger smiles + they all seem miserable. What Joy it was to arrive back at BKK with the thought of No cancel tax and 9 pound + for a packet of fags still ringing in my ears. The latter soon gone thank you Buddha. 

[ExpatNP]

14 minutes ago, sexyman said:

For 12,500 the agent gets the retirement extension, and also does the 90 day reporting all included in the 12,500.  For me the best solution, as I don't need to break my investments abroad where I'm earning much more than the agency fee. And no need to get involved with keeping 800k in Thai banks and all the other BS

This assumes you already have a single entry Non-O then?

 

I've seen ads for 19,500 and even 25,000.  All for the same services?

 

 

[Jumbo1968]

3 minutes ago, ExpatNP said:

This assumes you already have a single entry Non-O then?

 

I've seen ads for 19,500 and even 25,000.  All for the same services?

 

 

The Agent can convert your Tourist Visa providing you have 15 days left on it to a Non O then an Extension of Stay at the same time giving you 15 months.

Agents prices vary,, you have to be careful, one Agent was making his own Visa stamps.

 

[Pilotman]

41 minutes ago, The Cobra said:

Can someone please explain how this is illegal ?

 

• The agents are clearly visible and advertise what they do.
• The Visa is issued by the required authority, and by a an immigration officer who has the authority to issue such a visa.
• The Senior Officer has the discretionary power to issue such a visa without ANY financial proof if he deems appropriate

So, given the above, how the heck is it illegal ???

 

Manipulating the regs, yes, taking advantage of a situation, yes, illegal ? cant see it.

 

The only possible recourse would be against the issuing officer, not the recipient, and that aint gonna happen, he may get moved to open seat, but another would soon takeover, its too big a money generator to ever get stopped. imho.

Good luck with that.  I sleep more soundly in my bed knowing that there has been no 'manipulation' of the law to provide my extension. Do it if you want, but know that there is a risk and one day it will materialise for someone. 

[Pilotman]

1 hour ago, The Cobra said:

Can someone please explain how this is illegal ?

 

• The agents are clearly visible and advertise what they do.
• The Visa is issued by the required authority, and by a an immigration officer who has the authority to issue such a visa.
• The Senior Officer has the discretionary power to issue such a visa without ANY financial proof if he deems appropriate

So, given the above, how the heck is it illegal ???

 

Manipulating the regs, yes, taking advantage of a situation, yes, illegal ? cant see it.

 

The only possible recourse would be against the issuing officer, not the recipient, and that aint gonna happen, he may get moved to open seat, but another would soon takeover, its too big a money generator to ever get stopped. imho.

because the Officers involved are taking a backhander, simple really. Just because it's prevalent, doesn't make it okay.  

[taipan1949]

3 hours ago, sexyman said:

Get an agent to do it. 12,500 all done. They even do the 90 day reporting for you. Too easy. 

After 30+ years in Thailand I moved to the Philippines because of my Filippina wife's need to be around her family. I have given it a try here for almost three years and even have progressed to the "Probationary Resident" status including ID Card but I am an old man and need to be around my new Grandson and new one on his way in Krabi so after some chemo and radiology treatments in Canada for my newly found cancer I will return to Thailand with my wife. I am not sure if I should go back to the Tourist Visa bullshit or just go through an agency and go that way for a "retirement visa"? I am therefore very interested in everyone's input into the "new" immigration laws. I have a good pension of around 80,000 so I am looking for advice in regards to just showing them proof of my monthly pension income.

[connda]

3 hours ago, mrmicbkktxl said:

The agent does what exactly for 12500 Thb?

They game the system on behalf of their clients.

Immigration response by punishing those who play by the rules.

 

Edited July 6, 2019 by connda

[Pilotman]

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

You mean the expat lunacy for lack of planning, not keeping up with the rules, "poor me" lack of proper funds and constantly complaining.

I agree.

 

yep. These people come here with peanuts in their pockets, no real income and expect to live problem free. I call that fairly delusional. 

[JamJar]

2 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Yes, but often those that do have general issues, its their attitude toward things that needs changing, not the issue in most cases. If you approach something as hassle and difficult and inconvemient etc because you are in a foreign environment, then it will be, and will upset you etc. Accept it as they way it often is and roll with it and its not such a big deal.

 

A Positive mental attitude, not a whining moaning "this isnt right" or a paranoid stance convinced everyone is ripping you off or trying to manipulate you.

Its not the problem, its your attitude toward it that needs changing.

 

 

You could say the same about your perspective of the U.K.

 

Expensive, damp and miserable is not how it is for me. The weather is good, I have a hammock in my garden and the food here is of a good standard and relatively inexpensive.

 

Things change here, much as they do in Thailand.

I try to enjoy wherever I might be. It's my life after all. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JamJar]

1 hour ago, fredob43 said:

Sad to say, but I totally agree with you. Have just been back to the UK only for 18 days thank the lord but it was hell.

Cold, damp, pricy I had to pay 3.95p for a large Latte at one place. Won't even go down the price of eating out road.

 

No bugger smiles + they all seem miserable. What Joy it was to arrive back at BKK with the thought of No cancel tax and 9 pound + for a packet of fags still ringing in my ears. The latter soon gone thank you Buddha. 

 

Much cheaper than Thailand for good quality foodstuffs.

 

 

 

At the moment the weather is good. So preferable to Thailand.

When the daytime is short and the nights long, I might see you there.

[wilailuk]

1 hour ago, Pilotman said:

yep. These people come here with peanuts in their pockets, no real income and expect to live problem free. I call that fairly delusional. 

Agree.. and the problem is that they open one topic after another here, with the usual complaints..

 

I´ve been here since 1999 - on and off the first years, and I remember the old days where you could deliver your passport to an agent, and they would drive to the border and get a visa stamp. Very easy, didn´t have to leave the barstool! 

 

Since then I´ve used the 800K method, I have the money, I have a wife, no kids, no old parents, no lazy sisters or brothers, so it´s a very easy and nice life.

 

I don´t care about keeping 400K in the bank, better here in Thailand than in Europe, where the banking system is on the brink of yet another "2008/09 disaster". Asia will survive that, no doubt about it.. Oh, I forgot the 55 gold bars I´ve hidden somewhere! It´s a good life here, house and car paid cash, do debt, money in the bank, it´s called "be prepared", many poor ol´ buggers could learn something about being prepared in life..

 

 

 

 

Edited July 6, 2019 by wilailuk

[carken]

2 hours ago, sexyman said:

For 12,500 the agent gets the retirement extension, and also does the 90 day reporting all included in the 12,500.  For me the best solution, as I don't need to break my investments abroad where I'm earning much more than the agency fee. And no need to get involved with keeping 800k in Thai banks and all the other BS

Hey there sexyman, any chance you would share the name and how to contact this 12,500 baht agent?

[Jumbo1968]

Just now, carken said:

Hey there sexyman, any chance you would share the name and how to contact this 12,500 baht agent?

Just walk along Soi Bukhao and call into too the many Visa shops and ask them what they charge.

No one is going to put an Agents name on here !

[dode57k]

4 hours ago, Pilotman said:

I'm a Brit and I only have to read the news from the UK to know that it is the very last place that I  ever want to live.  If you think Thailand has issues, you should see the mountain of them in that crumbling, dysfunctional country that I used to call home. I even hate visiting the pace for a short time. 

I am in the unfortunate position (financially) of having to work in the UK for a few more years and suffer the declining pound to Baht exchange rate. You're right..a nasty, high taxed, increasingly xenophobic, cold, wet, grey country. I'm so looking forward to my last ever flight out of here.

[Fairynuff]

5 hours ago, gamini said:

Its been nearly 20 years at 800k. Nothing has really changed. Regarding exchange rates, the same thing happened in Spain in the 50s. Tens of thousands of Brits retired there when it was one of the cheapest countries in the world. Now it is one of the most expensive. It happens everywhere.

If you want to retire to a country without problems you should invest a considerable sum of your assets in that country so you don't have to suffer from exchange rates. You can't rely on your pension to support you.

Most of my expat friends relish the high baht. Travelling abroad is very much cheaper for us. Also remember that a lot of us didn't come here because it was cheaper than our home countries. we retired here because we love the country and the Thai people. 

Gloating isn’t really helpful to the OP

[Fairynuff]

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

You mean the expat lunacy for lack of planning, not keeping up with the rules, "poor me" lack of proper funds and constantly complaining.

I agree.

 

How compassionate you are. Never assume your own circumstances can’t change...they can 

[Fairynuff]

1 hour ago, JamJar said:

 

You could say the same about your perspective of the U.K.

 

Expensive, damp and miserable is not how it is for me. The weather is good, I have a hammock in my garden and the food here is of a good standard and relatively inexpensive.

 

Things change here, much as they do in Thailand.

I try to enjoy wherever I might be. It's my life after all. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you factor in exchange rates and inflation many things are now cheaper in Europe. Som Tam might not be of course

[lamyai3]

5 hours ago, gamini said:

5 hours ago, coppywriter said:

OP if you have been here on a retirement extension for 20 years, why are you keeping 800,000 bht in the bank. Back then it was much less and was grandfathered, surely.

It actually changed 19 years ago. 

It changed in October 1998, someone would only still be grandfathered in on the old 200k if they'd be on continuous extensions since that time, and were at least 55 / 60 at the time. 

[marcusarelus]

2 hours ago, taipan1949 said:

After 30+ years in Thailand I moved to the Philippines because of my Filippina wife's need to be around her family. I have given it a try here for almost three years and even have progressed to the "Probationary Resident" status including ID Card but I am an old man and need to be around my new Grandson and new one on his way in Krabi so after some chemo and radiology treatments in Canada for my newly found cancer I will return to Thailand with my wife. I am not sure if I should go back to the Tourist Visa bullshit or just go through an agency and go that way for a "retirement visa"? I am therefore very interested in everyone's input into the "new" immigration laws. I have a good pension of around 80,000 so I am looking for advice in regards to just showing them proof of my monthly pension income.

Is your wife and family Thai or from the Philippines?  

[emptypockets]

1 minute ago, marcusarelus said:

Is your wife and family Thai or from the Philippines?  

With a 'Fillapina" wife and her family is in the Philippines I'd say its a fair bet she is from the Philippines.

[marcusarelus]

13 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

With a 'Fillapina" wife and her family is in the Philippines I'd say its a fair bet she is from the Philippines.

He writes, " I am an old man and need to be around my new Grandson and new one on his way in Krabi ...... I will return to Thailand with my wife." I didn't think Krabi was in the Philippines.  

[Pilotman]

54 minutes ago, dode57k said:

I am in the unfortunate position (financially) of having to work in the UK for a few more years and suffer the declining pound to Baht exchange rate. You're right..a nasty, high taxed, increasingly xenophobic, cold, wet, grey country. I'm so looking forward to my last ever flight out of here.

It will get better I'm quite sure. There are frustrations here, no doubt about that, but at least for me and many others, far less than we find in the UK. 

[emptypockets]

11 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

He writes, " I am an old man and need to be around my new Grandson and new one on his way in Krabi ...... I will return to Thailand with my wife." I didn't think Krabi was in the Philippines.  

You are correct. Krabi is not in the Philippines. His grandson is in Krabi apparently. Maybe he and his wife have had kids in Thailand - I really don't know. But he refers to his wife as a Filippina and mentions her family is there, which is why he went there. As I said its fair bet she is from the Philippines - not a certainty but a fair bet.

He may have met her in Canada.

Not sure why any of this is relevant to the thread.

[Mitkof Island]

6 hours ago, dotpoom said:

A man after my own heart...that's what I did 19 yrs. ago and nothing has changed one iota for me since then.

..(I better add..except the exchange rate before somebody puts the boot in 555).

So much unneeded drama over NOTHING! You are no longer allowed in SOME cases to use your Embassy to use it as a loophole and or to lie about your income. You are now required to have 800,000 in a Thai bank for a longer period of time and if i understand correct not allowed to go under 400,000 baht afterwards about $15,000 dollars. Some YouTube Thai based channels are loving all this made up drama for subs. One loon claims only he alone will be allowed to stay and all his imaginary enemies (those raisin faced old foreigners (mongers) with hookers from Issan , those evil e-beggars,  his channel haters, and those bums that live in Thailand under his monthly budget of $3000 to $4,000 he has deemed bums will be forced to leave. Get a grip everyone 800,000 in a Thai bank account for retirement, 400,000 if you are married to a Thai. big deal! You think Thailand is hard ??? Try checking the requirements for other countries. If that does not suit you there is a plane leaving Thailand almost by the hour.

[marcusarelus]

19 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

You are correct. Krabi is not in the Philippines. His grandson is in Krabi apparently. Maybe he and his wife have had kids in Thailand - I really don't know. But he refers to his wife as a Filippina and mentions her family is there, which is why he went there. As I said its fair bet she is from the Philippines - not a certainty but a fair bet.

He may have met her in Canada.

Not sure why any of this is relevant to the thread.

He is asking about visa to stay in Thailand.  Makes a difference if his wife is Thai.  

[fredob43]

3 hours ago, JamJar said:

 

Much cheaper than Thailand for good quality foodstuffs.

 

 

 

At the moment the weather is good. So preferable to Thailand.

When the daytime is short and the nights long, I might see you there.

At least you made me titter. Good quality food stuffs??? I did obtain some Good extra virgin O/oil whilst there and it was a dam site more expensive that the 1.99p you paid. Packet of crisps? Grapes I pay less than that here. The rest sound like Greggs stuff. Best of luck with your weight.

 

Come on then how much did your last meal out cost. I got Fish and chips T/A one night 3 small cod and 2 chips. Cost was just under 25 pound.

A curry another night did get some change out of 60 pound with 1/2 a beer and a fizzy drink for 2 peeps, must say it was nice though.

 

Compare that to a meal I had with the wife and daughter the other lunch time. Yes it wasn't ALC just a normal Thai place. We had 2 large spicy pig and rice dishes 1 large noodle chicken soup, + 2 lots of ditto soup to Take away 2 fizzy drinks and a water, 130bt total. To save you working it out just over 3 pounds.

 

I will add that I do own a house in the UK I'm not living there so don't pay the utility bills. They come to 467 pounds a month 173 of that Council tax. How many meals/food can you get here for those prices. 

Enjoy your it's cheaper to live in the UK. Sorry but you can keep it.

Edited July 6, 2019 by fredob43

[emptypockets]

1 hour ago, marcusarelus said:

He is asking about visa to stay in Thailand.  Makes a difference if his wife is Thai.  

Jeez...he said his wife is a filippina!!