Retirement visa overhaul in the wind, gangs run out of town : Tim Newton Today - August 2

[Neeranam]

7 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

Maybe if I had more confidence that the IO on the day would strictly adhere to the printed requirements/rules I'd do it myself but until then I'll continue to pay my agent 6,100b on top of the 1,900b immigration fee to complete all my paperwork, check my banking documents are in order (they caught amalgamated entries that I missed one year & took me to the bank to get the statements I needed) & make sure that any photographs, maps to condo etc... meet the requirements. 

 

Others choose to spend the < 17b it costs per day on other things... Too each his own... 

If I was retired, I think I could find time for half a day's work in immigration and photocopy shop. In fact, I think I would enjoy it to meet some other foreigners. 

 

If all said 'no' to these agents, immigration wouldn't keep making things harder for the honest ones. 

 

Actually 6,000 baht to check your papers is way over the top, and I really can't see what they do to earn that! 

 

 

Edited August 2, 2023 by Neeranam

[redwood1]

10 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Let's hope they do away with visa agents and lock up those who use them and make it difficult for the honest retirees. 

My how posters on here just love to cheer on visa tightening of anyone lower in the visa food chain....It all started with the monthly visa runs....The cheering on here was nuts.......I warned everyone then some day it will be your visa in danger....And here we are at the top of the visa food chain....

[proton]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Perhaps but then aren't the expats sometimes locked into using that agent for future matters? Doesn't that complicate address reporting?

I would say so, perhaps those paying bribes would like to tell us how that works. 

[proton]

4 minutes ago, redwood1 said:

My how posters on here just love to cheer on visa tightening of anyone lower in the visa food chain....It all started with the monthly visa runs....The cheering on here was nuts.......I warned everyone then some day it will be your visa in danger....And here we are at the top of the visa food chain....

No such thing as a visa food chain, you are either paying bribes because you cannot or dont want to meet the requirements, or you are doing things legally.

Edited August 2, 2023 by proton

[Olmate]

1 minute ago, proton said:

I would say so, perhaps those paying bribes would like to tell us how that works. 

Your telling the story, so lets hear your theory.! 

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, proton said:

I would say so, perhaps those paying bribes would like to tell us how that works. 

I guess that's like watching sausage being made.

[Neeranam]

5 minutes ago, proton said:

No such thing as a visa food chain, you are either paying bribes because you cannot or dont want to meet the requirements, or you are doing things legally.

I agree

[proton]

3 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Your telling the story, so lets hear your theory.! 

They would have to have a fake address in the province you don't live in to process the extension, then you change it every year by lying on a new TM30?

[Neeranam]

7 minutes ago, proton said:

I would say so, perhaps those paying bribes would like to tell us how that works. 

They say they are paying the agent to put money in the bank to satisfy immigration etc. Basically, they are just buying a fake visa from an immigration policeman to turn a blind eye. The money they claim is being 'borrowed' only staying in the bank for a couple of days. 

[Mike Teavee]

22 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

If I was retired, I think I could find time for half a day's work in immigration and photocopy shop. In fact, I think I would enjoy it to meet some other foreigners. 

 

If all said 'no' to these agents, immigration wouldn't keep making things harder for the honest ones. 

I hate queuing to the point where I’m happy to spend money to avoid it (e.g. Fast Track at airports) so maybe need a decent appointment booking system to go with clear/consistently applied requirements.

And I would still probably pay somebody to do it for me if the price was right. 
 

I’m sure most guys would get an agent to do it for them if it were free/cost a couple of hundred Baht… Just as I’m sure very few guys would use one it if it costs 100,000b. 
 

You do remind me of my 2 friends who have a go at me for paying an agent to do it, it’s ok for them they work here & their companies do it all for them.
 

I just sit back & smile and think wait until you have to go to the madness that is CW and get sent away because you’ve used a form that changed this week as almost happened to me on my 1st Extension, fortunately the IO got a form for me to sign, not sure they would have if I wasn’t there with my Agent. 

Always find it funny when people tell me I’m wasting my money when they spend > 10x as much on cigarettes (that’s my 2 mates btw not people on this thread ???? )
 

 

 

Edited August 2, 2023 by Mike Teavee

[MikeN]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Perhaps but then aren't the expats sometimes locked into using that agent for future matters? Doesn't that complicate address reporting?

The agents would love you to be locked in to using them as a reliable income source, which of course filters down to corrupt IOs (allegedly) so they would like it too. There are no real checks on the online 90 day reporting, you can use any address from a computer or phone located anywhere.

 

[Olmate]

2 minutes ago, proton said:

They would have to have a fake address in the province you don't live in to process the extension, then you change it every year by lying on a new TM30?

How does it lock you to the agent as you suggest? 

[proton]

1 minute ago, Olmate said:

How does it lock you to the agent as you suggest? 

where did I suggest that?

[Neeranam]

7 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

I hate queuing to the point where I’m happy to spend money to avoid it (e.g. Fast Track at airports) so maybe need a decent appointment booking system to go with clear/consistently applied requirements.

And I would still probably pay somebody to do it for me if the price was right. 
 

I’m sure most guys would get an agent to do it for them if it were free/cost a couple of hundred Baht… Just as I’m sure very few guys would use one it if it costs 100,000b. 
 

You do remind me of my 2 friends who have a go at me for paying an agent to do it, it’s ok for them they work here & their companies do it all for them.
 

I just sit back & smile and think wait until you have to go to the madness that is CW and get sent away because you’ve used a form that changed this week as almost happened to me on my 1st Extension, fortunately the IO got a form for me to sign, not sure they would have if I wasn’t there with my Agent. 

Always find it funny when people tell me I’m wasting my money when they spend > 10x as much on cigarettes (that’s my 2 mates btw not people on this thread ???? )
 

 

 

Fair enough. Do you still have to go to immigration, but not queue? 

[ChaiyaTH]

One german: let's kill and chop up someone for 3M baht cash
Thai police: we need to get rid of motor gangs, retirement visa's are for sure the reason!
Real retirees on a budget: ok, now i'm possibly <deleted> while i did nothing wrong
Criminals are like: ehh ok, then we just setup a business or other structure, or pay more money. 
 

Edited August 2, 2023 by ChaiyaTH

[thesetat2013]

Thais on social security haha.. they make about 600 baht monthly.. They can not even afford to live in Thailand without some other income. At the very least if they did manage to afford to get to the USA. They could most likely find work to sustain them. They would not need to waste time every 90 days reporting in immigration nor would they need to do any of the other stupid things required to live here.

 

It seems to be that any crime I have been reading in the news lately is being attributed to foreigners retired here. Which I find hard to believe as most foreigners retired here do so without being gangsters. 

[Olmate]

7 minutes ago, proton said:

where did I suggest that?

Few posts back??? Thats what happens when you rant! 

[proton]

6 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Few posts back??? Thats what happens when you rant! 

Quote it then, or admit you were wrong to say so

Edited August 2, 2023 by proton

[Mike Teavee]

11 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Fair enough. Do you still have to go to immigration, but not queue? 

Yes at CW but the Agent makes an appointment & prior to the appointment system they knew exactly when to turn up to get seen more or less straightaway, in & out each year in 30-40 mins including getting the bank letter.
 

Don't need to attend at Jomtien.

 

[Olmate]

3 minutes ago, proton said:

Quote it then, or admit you were wrong to say so

 

36 minutes ago, proton said:

I would say so, perhaps those paying bribes would like to tell us how that works. 

 

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Perhaps but then aren't the expats sometimes locked into using that agent for future matters? Doesn't that complicate address reporting?

 

[Neeranam]

2 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

Yes at CW but the Agent makes an appointment & prior to the appointment system they knew exactly when to turn up to get seen more or less straightaway, in & out each year in 30-40 mins including getting the bank letter.
 

Don't need to attend at Jomtien.

 

The agent doesn't get the bank letter! 

 

If no need to attend in Jomtien, surely that is illegal. 

 

[proton]

4 minutes ago, Olmate said:

  1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Perhaps but then aren't the expats sometimes locked into using that agent for future matters? Doesn't that complicate address reporting?

 

 

My name is not jingthing though is it!, so you are wrong

Edited August 2, 2023 by proton

[itsari]

1 hour ago, Mike Teavee said:

Presumably if they up the deposit to 1.2Million, they’ll up the 65K to 100K pm

 

Thats a significant income to have to have each month, especially as it needs to be Nett of all taxes & any expenses in your home country (approx. £31,500 pa before tax or £2,308b pm after tax).

Sheer speculation on your part.

Use your energy in something worth while .

[Olmate]

5 minutes ago, proton said:

My name is not jingthing though is it!, so you are wrong

 

44 minutes ago, proton said:

I would say so, perhaps those paying bribes would like to tell us how that works. 

You would say so! 

[it is what it is]

5 hours ago, grain said:

For a couple of years now I've been expecting the retirement ext requirements to change. My guess is the 800K will see a 50% jump to 1,2M, perhaps even doubled to 1,6M. Police clearances from our home countries could also become a condition for extensions, plus compulsory health insurance. Anyway, these are just my guesses. If such changes did come in hopefully we'll get grandfathered on the existing regulations. If not it'll be adios Thailand for many of us.

rubbish

[proton]

3 minutes ago, Olmate said:

 

You would say so! 

You still failed to show I said paying bribes ties you to an agent

[Mike Teavee]

3 minutes ago, itsari said:

Sheer speculation on your part.

Use your energy in something worth while .

Hey it’s all speculation & I hope we’re all wasting our time discussing something that amounts to nothing. 
 

But if the money in the bank requirement does go up, then I think it’s a Probability that the monthly income requirement will go up as the 2 things have always been more or less in step with each other. 

[itsari]

1 minute ago, Mike Teavee said:

Hey it’s all speculation & I hope we’re all wasting our time discussing something that amounts to nothing. 
 

But if the money in the bank requirement does go up, then I think it’s a Probability that the monthly income requirement will go up as the 2 things have always been more or less in step with each other. 

Thailand is  still recovering from COVID , nothing will change for a year or two.

[Mike Teavee]

21 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

The agent doesn't get the bank letter! 

 

If no need to attend in Jomtien, surely that is illegal. 

 

They can’t, the Banks would never allow it but they do accompany you to help you get it (& helped me get additional statements one year when I had amalgamated entries in my bank book). 
 

There is no need to attend immigration at Jomtien, you can sign a form authorising the agent to do the extension on your behalf. 
 

CW insists you attend except in Medical situations where you can’t attend & again sign a form authorising somebody to do it on your behalf 

Edited August 2, 2023 by Mike Teavee

[jaywalker2]

The only effect of the previous "reforms" was a steep decline in the number of retirement visa holders and a surge in the number of agents.  If I remember correctly,, Thailand is only issuing about 40,000 retirement extensions a year. Double the fiscal requirement without any corresponding incentives and most of the remaining foreigners will abandon ship. All that will be left are the elite visa holders and the Chinese.