Canadian Embassy to discontinue income affidavit notary service April 1st, 2025

[DrJack54]

11 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

.  An ncome lettter from my pension agency was accepted when I applied for an OA back in Jan 2024.   

Comparing apples and oranges.

 

The thread concerns fact that income letter will no longer be available from Canadian embassy in Thailand.

In future those folk will need to show monthly transfers. 65k+ for extensions.

Not Non O-A applications

[sqwakvfr]

5 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Comparing apples and oranges.

 

The thread concerns fact that income letter will no longer be available from Canadian embassy in Thailand.

In future those folk will need to show monthly transfers. 65k+ for extensions.

Not Non O-A applications

What is the difference? Both are about obtaiining long term visa's to stay in Thailand.  Granted dealing with Thai Immigration and a Thai Embassy are different but the end purpose is the same: to legally stay in the country for at least a year.  Could this be all about putting and keeing $ in Thai banks.  I wonder. Also, to extend an OA will  require international transfers into a Thai bank account or maintaining 800K in a Thai bank account  

[lordgrinz]

April 1st? So, April Fools Day?

[gamb00ler]

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

Your solution will not work.

It doesn't seem like you followed the conversation between @Patong2021 and myself.  Your comment doesn't make sense in the context of that conversation.

 

You're correct that my solution would not work for Thai Immigration.... but that is not what Patong and I were talking about.

[gamb00ler]

16 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

April 1st? So, April Fools Day?

I just hope that those Canadians only want to get out ahead of April Fools.

[BrandonJT]

4 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

What is the difference? Both are about obtaiining long term visa's to stay in Thailand.  Granted dealing with Thai Immigration and a Thai Embassy are different but the end purpose is the same: to legally stay in the country for at least a year.  Could this be all about putting and keeing $ in Thai banks.  I wonder. Also, to extend an OA will  require international transfers into a Thai bank account or maintaining 800K in a Thai bank account  

The difference is that you are talking about 2 completely different government organizations with completely different rules.

[flexomike]

7 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

What is the difference? Both are about obtaiining long term visa's to stay in Thailand.  Granted dealing with Thai Immigration and a Thai Embassy are different but the end purpose is the same: to legally stay in the country for at least a year.  Could this be all about putting and keeing $ in Thai banks.  I wonder. Also, to extend an OA will  require international transfers into a Thai bank account or maintaining 800K in a Thai bank account  

either or

[Confuscious]

On 2/18/2025 at 5:23 AM, 300sd said:

Interesting statement from the Cad Embassy: 

"Because the Embassy of Canada has no means of confirming a Canadian citizen’s income, a notarized affidavit from the Embassy of Canada has never met the requirement to prove a minimum income level for a non-immigrant long-term stay visa."

 

You mean showing Canadian Tax returns, to this embassy, are not proof of income? They should tell the truth. They just don't want to bother!

As far as I know, the embassy's affidavit was ONLY confirming the signature of the declarant.
At least, that was what the Belgian Embassy was doing.
Not the claim in itself.

[kwonitoy]

I used to get our company accountant to print a letter on company letterhead with my annual salary and signed by a CPA.

Worked for many years while I was working.

 

Not a hard system to get around

 

[DrJack54]

50 minutes ago, Confuscious said:

As far as I know, the embassy's affidavit was ONLY confirming the signature of the declarant.

That is exactly correct.

And then Thai authorities want the embassies to "verify" what was stated in the affidavit or statutory declaration. Which of course they cannot do.

The saying....."not worth the paper it's printed on" ....springs to mind..

[gamb00ler]

2 hours ago, Confuscious said:

As far as I know, the embassy's affidavit was ONLY confirming the signature of the declarant.

In my case they would not provide the letter unless I showed them letters from Service Canada showing my Canada Pension Plan benefit and my Old Age Supplement benefits.  The letter to Thai Immigration simply showed those same numbers and asked that Immigration consider me for my annual extension.

 

Of course, the Consulate took those letters at face value.  AFAIK they don't have any way to check if the letters were 100% legitimate. 

[The Old Bull]

While the senior members of western embassy's job might be to shmooze  with the local nobs playing golf and attending banquets this attitude seems to permeate to the junior employees making them believe they are above helping ordinary citizens.

[DrJack54]

23 minutes ago, gamb00ler said:

Of course, the Consulate took those letters at face value.  AFAIK they don't have any way to check if the letters were 100% legitimate. 

Apart from that note this cut/paste from AI (Oz embassy site states same).

Think you will find same applies to affidavits/statutory declarations made at Canadian embassies.

 

• "Consular officials at Australian embassies and consulates will not witness statutory declarations for use outside of Australia" 

[gamb00ler]

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

Apart from that note this cut/paste from AI (Oz embassy site states same).

Think you will find same applies to affidavits/statutory declarations made at Canadian embassies.

 

• "Consular officials at Australian embassies and consulates will not witness statutory declarations for use outside of Australia" 
•  

The Canadian consulate in CM lists the "letter of income" as a separate category from statutory declarations which do have the caveat that they're for use in Canada.

[ChicagoExpat]

23 hours ago, 300sd said:

Since when has the Canadian consulate needed to verify the income statement?

 

Their income letter to the Thai immigration says: in paraphrase, that "according to the clients affidavit and supporting documents, he/she receives x amount per month for visa renewal. They also confirm the passport (that had to be notarized if not in attendance) is valid. They also state that: "the Gov't of Canada accepts no responsibility or liability for the above named individual!"

So show me where they have to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that these papers from the client are accurate? If they are not accurate the letter has covered their liability. So like I said, they can't be bothered anymore and they think we are dumb enough to believe their excuse.

Correct, they can't be bothered to take time away from real tasks to issue a letter saying "this all may be fake."  You should be mad at the Thais for requiring an expensive letter that EVERYONE KNOWS IS WORTHLESS.

[ChicagoExpat]

4 hours ago, The Old Bull said:

While the senior members of western embassy's job might be to shmooze  with the local nobs playing golf and attending banquets this attitude seems to permeate to the junior employees making them believe they are above helping ordinary citizens.

You have a cartoon view of what embassy workers/diplomats do.

[Yellowtail]

6 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

That is exactly correct.

And then Thai authorities want the embassies to "verify" what was stated in the affidavit or statutory declaration. Which of course they cannot do.

The saying....."not worth the paper it's printed on" ....springs to mind..

That is not entirely correct. The letter verifies that the signatory is who they claim to be, AND that the signatory has sworn an oath under penalty of law, that the statement is true. 

 

Lying an affidavit in the US is a prosecutable offence. 

 

 

[DrJack54]

15 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

That is not entirely correct. The letter verifies that the signatory is who they claim to be, AND that the signatory has sworn an oath under penalty of law, that the statement is true. 

 

Lying an affidavit in the US is a prosecutable offence. 

 

 

Thai authorities back in ~ 2018 asked embassies to VERIFY what was stated in the affidavit/statutory declarations. 

That cannot be done.

In any event all irrelevant.

Canadian embassy will join embassies that have stopped issuing what we refer to as "income letter" 

To use income method in future will need to show year of monthly transfers 

[Yumthai]

7 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

And then Thai authorities want the embassies to "verify" what was stated in the affidavit or statutory declaration. Which of course they cannot do.

What Thai authorities surely cannot do is to verify that an embassy has genuinely verified what has been declared.

Hence some embassies continue to issue this income affidavit to their nationals.

[DrJack54]

12 minutes ago, Yumthai said:

Hence some embassies continue to issue this income affidavit to their nationals.

Yep AKA Sham

[300sd]

3 hours ago, ChicagoExpat said:

Correct, they can't be bothered to take time away from real tasks to issue a letter saying "this all may be fake."  You should be mad at the Thais for requiring an expensive letter that EVERYONE KNOWS IS WORTHLESS.

Were you a gov't worker by any chance? Our opinions obviously differ. Helping a Canadian citizen in a foreign country is a "real task". It's called doing their job!

[Confuscious]

9 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

That is exactly correct.

And then Thai authorities want the embassies to "verify" what was stated in the affidavit or statutory declaration. Which of course they cannot do.

The saying....."not worth the paper it's printed on" ....springs to mind..

When the Belgian Embassy stop to issuing affidavits of income, I asked the Belgian Pension department for a signed and stamped pension overview.
Belgian pensioners receive every year, in the beginning of the year, an overview of their pension revenue for tax purposes (the relevant tax id numbers are marked on the letter). I asked the Belgian pension department if it was possible to send me the same letter, but signed and stamped.
A few days later I received the same letter, signed and stamped by the pension department by email.
Translated that letter (500 baht) and it was accepted.
Cheaper as the embassy.

[The Old Bull]

6 hours ago, ChicagoExpat said:

You have a cartoon view of what embassy workers/diplomats do.

My point is most citizens require very little from their embassy so seeing those small services gradually disappearing makes one wonder are they worthy of greater responsibilities if they shirk the small tasks.

[DrJack54]

28 minutes ago, The Old Bull said:

My point is most citizens require very little from their embassy so seeing those small services gradually disappearing makes one wonder are they worthy of greater responsibilities if they shirk the small tasks.

Clearly you have not read the thread in detail to understand the reasons why all this has occurred. 

 

[DrJack54]

10 hours ago, gamb00ler said:

The Canadian consulate in CM lists the "letter of income" as a separate category from statutory declarations which do have the caveat that they're for use in Canada.

Your point? 

In future Canadian embassy in Thailand will not be providing "income letter" 

[Yellowtail]

8 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Thai authorities back in ~ 2018 asked embassies to VERIFY what was stated in the affidavit/statutory declarations. 

That cannot be done.

In any event all irrelevant.

Canadian embassy will join embassies that have stopped issuing what we refer to as "income letter" 

To use income method in future will need to show year of monthly transfers 

Which has nothing to do with what I said. 

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Which has nothing to do with what I said. 

You stated along with other "stuff"

...."Lying an affidavit in the US is a prosecutable offence"

 

Who cares. The Canadian embassy will no longer provide "income letter" for immigration.

BTW: Nor does USA embassy in Thailand 

[Madgee]

A related issue:
I have a Canadian friend who will be affected by this as he uses the embassy affidavit route.  His retirement extension is at the beginning of February, but he cannot transfer 65k every month because of commitments in Canada until August so he cannot show 12 months of transfers, after that date, he can easily meet the requirements. What are his options?
He does not want the services of an agent!
What are the financial requirements based on the income method if he leaves Thailand and re-enters to start a fresh non-imm O at the end of the year?
 

Enter visa - exempt, extend and then 3-month non-imm O (show income proof from Canada)
Obtain a 12-month extension ( show 3 months of 65k transfers to Thai bank)

His Canadian pension letters state he has more than 65k after tax deductions and Canadian bank statements to back it up.

Thanks. 

[ChicagoExpat]

20 hours ago, 300sd said:

Were you a gov't worker by any chance? Our opinions obviously differ. Helping a Canadian citizen in a foreign country is a "real task". It's called doing their job!

It's not "their job" to provide possibly fraudulent affidavits.  It's not a "real task" to jump through whatever stupid hoops a foreign government sets up, nor is it their job to make it possible for you to live outside of Canada.  Yes, our opinions do differ.