Nong Khai Immigration

[khastan]

Hi I have just returned from Nong Khai Immigration having spent the best part of two and half hours there. My reason for going was to get a marriage extension on a Non O visa based on income of 40.000 baht a month. Along with a income verification letter from the British Embassy I took all the required paperwork for same. I asked the female immigration officer for a marriage extension based on monthly income of 40000 baht a month. After she had scrutinized my paperwork, including the Embassy letter and using her calculator to confirm my income she said "why not get retirement easy,can have now no need to come back. She was just about to hand me back my paperwork to move me on to another immigration officer when she had second thoughts and opened my file of paperwork again and recalculated my income and told me "no have enough for retirement visa wait over in waiting area" I was called again by another immigration officer who after checking my paperwork and income said "you get retirement visa" she went through all the paperwork handing me back quite a lot and asked for 1900 baht and put a stamp in my passport which stated retirement and permitted to stay in 28th May 2012 I was then instructed to go back with all my paperwork to the original immigration officer, who after looking at my passport and paperwork told to me to wait. I was then beckoned forward by the only male officer who appeared to be in charge at the end after going through my paperwork and calculating my income told me " no have enough for retirement and put lines across the visa they had just stamped in my passport. He then proceeded to collate all the paperwork needed for a marriage extension which was what I asked for in the first place. I now have to go back as usual in a months time as I expected too. I would add that my wife was by my side throughout.

Edited May 4, 2011 by khastan

[Mario2008]

Income for based on retirement must be 65,000 a month OR 800,000 in the bank in Thailand OR a combination of money in the bank in Thailand and yearly income. if you cna manage that, it is indeed much esie.

Of course no work permit is issued with an exetnsion based on retirement.

[Lite Beer]

They will try and push you towards retirement as it saves them a lot of work.

[khastan]

Income for based on retirement must be 65,000 a month OR 800,000 in the bank in Thailand OR a combination of money in the bank in Thailand and yearly income. if you cna manage that, it is indeed much esie.

Of course no work permit is issued with an exetnsion based on retirement.

No I could not manage that and the Embassy Letter confirmed that. I did not ask for a retirement extension and that is why a took a mountain of paperwork but they were determined to give me a retirement visa and has I have said even took the money and stamped the passport with the stamp..

[khastan]

They will try and push you towards retirement as it saves them a lot of work.

Yes I agree it was lot quicker. However far from saving them time it cost them much more and also made them look incompetent.

Also how is it that a man and his Thai wife, wholly supported by the husband needs 40.000 baht a month income for a marriage extension, whilst a singe man on a retirement extension needs 65000 baht a month income. They must be of the opinion that two people can live a lot cheaper than one .

[lopburi3]

The person having a Thai spouse has a valid reason for living in Thailand so the bar is set lower - just as in most any other country.

[khastan]

The person having a Thai spouse has a valid reason for living in Thailand so the bar is set lower - just as in most any other country.

I see but why set the bar higher , surely the idea is to encourage people to stay in Thailand and spend money.

[CNXSTEVE]

The person having a Thai spouse has a valid reason for living in Thailand so the bar is set lower - just as in most any other country.

I see but why set the bar higher , surely the idea is to encourage people to stay in Thailand and spend money.

a dangerous assumption to make!

[mrjohnno]

The person having a Thai spouse has a valid reason for living in Thailand so the bar is set lower - just as in most any other country.

I see but why set the bar higher , surely the idea is to encourage people to stay in Thailand and spend money.

a dangerous assumption to make!

Very much so.

[khastan]

The person having a Thai spouse has a valid reason for living in Thailand so the bar is set lower - just as in most any other country.

I see but why set the bar higher , surely the idea is to encourage people to stay in Thailand and spend money.

a dangerous assumption to make!

Very much so.

I see, so judging from the replies it would seem that the level of service I received from them is considered normal. I think in future I will save myself the hassle and return again to the UK for a Non O visa and got a level of service second to none from Hull.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

The person having a Thai spouse has a valid reason for living in Thailand so the bar is set lower - just as in most any other country.

I see but why set the bar higher , surely the idea is to encourage people to stay in Thailand and spend money.

The BAR is set higher as it might be expected that a single guy would be spending a whole lot more time in such places than a married guy....

Mac

[Tod Daniels]

This is not an isolated report of various Immigrations Offices and Officers trying to 'shoe-horn' you into a extension of stay based on retirement versus an extension based on marriage to a Thai national (which was possibly the reason you showed up with your wife in tow AND the mountain of support documentation too). They've tried it on "acquaintances" I've accompanied to Changwattana too. ..

Because extensions of stay based on marriage do have the "come back in 30 days and get the year extension dealy", and because they're supposed to check to see that it's a valid marriage, they have to actually 'work' (some) to issue an extension of stay of this type.

Now an intelligent person might have questioned WHY (especially after using a calculator ) the first officer you dealt with DIDN'T notice you were about 25K baht a month short of meeting the financial requirements for a retirement extension. She just handed you off to someone else.

Still in the end it worked out, (or hopefully will in another month’s time!).

Although I'm all too familiar to the deference given by rank-n-file Thais when dealing with anything to do with "officialdom" here; I'm just curious why didn't your Thai wife say anything to the first Immigrations Officer?

[khastan]

This is not an isolated report of various Immigrations Offices and Officers trying to 'shoe-horn' you into a extension of stay based on retirement versus an extension based on marriage to a Thai national (which was possibly the reason you showed up with your wife in tow AND the mountain of support documentation too). They've tried it on "acquaintances" I've accompanied to Changwattana too. ..

Because extensions of stay based on marriage do have the "come back in 30 days and get the year extension dealy", and because they're supposed to check to see that it's a valid marriage, they have to actually 'work' (some) to issue an extension of stay of this type.

Now an intelligent person might have questioned WHY (especially after using a calculator ) the first officer you dealt with DIDN'T notice you were about 25K baht a month short of meeting the financial requirements for a retirement extension. She just handed you off to someone else.

Still in the end it worked out, (or hopefully will in another month's time!).

Although I'm all too familiar to the deference given by rank-n-file Thais when dealing with anything to do with "officialdom" here; I'm just curious why didn't your Thai wife say anything to the first Immigrations Officer?

Hi tod daniels

Thank you for your constructive reply which falls exactly in line with my thoughts. I would be interested to know if any of the people you know that have been shoe-horned as you put into a retirement extension have actually paid and got the stamp in your passport , only to have it cancelled a few minutes later like I did?

Although my wife is a very loving caring person and looks after me very well she told me she was afraid to say anything because in her eyes, people in authority have power and she cannot say or question anything even if they are a wrong, an attitude that I detest.,despite me telling her that is not correct she is has good as anybody else. She told me after we had left the office that they work no good and English not good enough and that the first officer who originally calculated in error that I did have enough income for a retirement extension and then changed her mind shouted at the second officer why you give retirement extension I tell you no have enough money why you give, but my wife said the first officer had said nothing to the second and just handed my file over for processing to her. Another point, despite my passport having two pages left and not expiring until 2013 after they had stamped my passport by mistake and then cancelled it the officer in charge insisted several times I must get new passport from British Embassy Bangkok. Only when I pointed out the empty pages did he stop. I was also made by him at the end of it all to fill out a three page questionnaire on the quality of service I had received. How I wish I had the courage to put down what I truly thought!

[Tod Daniels]

Really, I can only remember one guy I accompanied accepted the "shoe-horning" . He took an extension based on retirement. He had sufficient funds too, so it flew thru without a hitch. His reasoning was, IF he divorced his wife, his extension would end , but as he's gonna be retired until he dies, it was a better way to go (for him at least!).

The rest didn't take all that well to being 'shoe-horned'. They all got their month "under consideration' stamp, then went back and got their year without incident.

Strange huh?

Yeah, that “they are a Thai official, so even if they’re wrong, they’re right and I can’t question them” mindset drives me up a wall too!

Thankfully, being American I don’t seem to suffer from that affliction. If I get an answer which I think is wrong I’ll politely ask in Thai to speak to another officer, one who is "standing on the next higher rung of the ladder” in Thai bureaucracy. This can often be disconcerting to the Thai you put on the spot by questioning them (as it just ain't done by a Thai national), but I’ve never had thingz go completely sideways by doing it.

Thankfully, I’ve dealt with Thai Immigrations at the old Suan Plu and now Changwattana, a coupla times a month for several years now.

[khastan]

Really, I can only remember one guy I accompanied accepted the "shoe-horning" . He took an extension based on retirement. He had sufficient funds too, so it flew thru without a hitch. His reasoning was, IF he divorced his wife, his extension would end , but as he's gonna be retired until he dies, it was a better way to go (for him at least!).

The rest didn't take all that well to being 'shoe-horned'. They all got their month "under consideration' stamp, then went back and got their year without incident.

Strange huh?

Yeah, that "they are a Thai official, so even if they're wrong, they're right and I can't question them" mindset drives me up a wall too!

Thankfully, being American I don't seem to suffer from that affliction. If I get an answer which I think is wrong I'll politely ask in Thai to speak to another officer, one who is "standing on the next higher rung of the ladder" in Thai bureaucracy. This can often be disconcerting to the Thai you put on the spot by questioning them (as it just ain't done by a Thai national), but I've never had thingz go completely sideways by doing it.

Thankfully, I've dealt with Thai Immigrations at the old Suan Plu and now Changwattana, a coupla times a month for several years now.

[khastan]

Yes agreed a retirement extension is much better and easier to obtain.

Yes very strange.

I too am of the same mindset as you and if I think I am in the right will say so and take no bull s--t from anyone no matter how far they are up in the pecking order. However when accompanied by my Thai wife I cannot say anything because according to her Thai person not do that and bad for you if you do even though you know you perfectly within your rights to do so.

While I type my wife has just received a phone call from immigration telling her she must bring two witnesses to office to confirm we live there together. I would add that we have lived for over three years within spitting distance of there office so it would be very easy for them to confirm this fact themselves