New Thai Immigration Commissioner From October 1, 2011

[rhino533]

Marriage extension

Why can't I use my wife’s monthly income when applying for my Non Imm O yearly extension? I used to be able to use my wife’s monthly income a few years ago and then the law changed. Why did it change? Will you ever consider allowing it again? It doesn't make much sense to keep 400,000B in the bank for 2 or 3 months when my family can use that money for other things/business/make more money with it.

[BuckarooBanzai]

Permanent Residence

I pity the OP having to read through all these posts of frustration. And I empathize with all of the frustration and sometimes pain of the posters.

But the most important thing I could request is:

A farang married to a Thai in excess of 10 years, having income, having one or more homes, and not having left the Kingdom for a moment in 10 years should be labeled as benign and be given resident status. Help us, we are not espionage plants from superpowers trying to take over anyone. We do not expect voting rights and simply want to live our lives in peace. Why do you distrust us so much.

[Rockhopper]

I read on another Web site that educational visa's are not given to people over 50. Is this still true?

//Edit: visa question. Not suitable for meeting with Immigration Commissioner.

Edited September 22, 2011 by Maestro

[timelander]

Thai citizenship

I am 39 years old and I'm living in Thailand around two years already after got married with Thai wife. I'd like to know:[

1. Should I get a Thai citizen some day?

2. If it is possible, How long time I have to live here to apply for it?

Thanks!!!

[Siamfan]

Permanent Residence

Please clarify the status of the unfinished permanent residence applications since 2006 !!!!!!! This story is really unbelievable! We all get visa extensions stamps ( decision for pemanent residence pending...) for free every 6 months but no residence permits WHY ?

[vhartling]

When applying for a 60 day visa is it or is it not a requirement to show proof that one will be leaving the country within 60 days? We have been asked for this kind of proof even though there is the ability to extend the 60 day visa to 90 days.

Thanks for all your efforts on our behalf.

//Edit: visa question. Not suitable for meeting with Immigration Commissioner.

Edited September 22, 2011 by Maestro

[philhal2]

Retirement extension

As do many others I ask the same questions ,

1 . When will a retirement visa actually mean I can retire here ?

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

2.Why is it necessary to have 90 day reporting for retirement people ?

Permanent Residence

3 When will Thailand extend the same living opportunities to me as my home country Australia does to Thais and all people throughout the world who apply through the proper channels for permanent residency etc ?

4 When will I be allowed to earn interest on my bank account ?

//Edit: banking question. Not suitable for meeting with Immigration Commissioner.

5. When will Foreigners get a fair deal from the police and the government on their treatment by some of the more radical Thais who think we are fair game for fraud , cheating , financial shakedowns , physical attacks , murders etc ??

//Edit: political question. Not suitable for meeting with Immigration Commissioner.

6 when will foreigners be given proper legal and social rights when they stay in Thailand ?

//Edit: political question. Not suitable for meeting with Immigration Commissioner.

Edited September 22, 2011 by Maestro

[garrfeild]

Corruption

Will he be ready to stop the corruption at some immigration offices, Phuket comes to mind as one of the worst. They charge for everything, even 200Baht to file the 90 day report, and deciding which visa I was intitled to even though it was not the visa I was requesting but was entitled to. I have never been charged for making a 90 day report here in Nan

Uniform interpretation of rules

Also Wouldn't it be nice if all immigration offices actually told those of us that live or are making a life for ourselves here, what exaclty are the rules and regulations we are supposed to follow for immigration perposes.

[eje]

Presumably Annual extension for under 50s not qualifying under existing rules

Based in Phuket, I have to go up to to Ranong every 90 days for another 90 day stamp.

If you want to check my whereabouts every 90 days, why don't you just get me to report to Phuket Immigration every 90 days, pay your 1900 baht fee, and keep this money in the country?

As you are the expert, I hope you will amend my questions to accommodate your interview.

Thank you for your efforts.

[Kripe]

Uniform interpretation of rules

When entering Thailand on the 1st of September holding a "o" visa that expire on the 7th - why are you only allowed to stay until the 7th, when you are from a country that under the visa exception program can enter Thailand without a visa for 30days?

Br

Jens Kristian Petersen

[Kripe]

Marriage extension

Why do you have to stay in Thailand 30days to obtain a one year extension of your "o" visa?

Background:

I was issued a 90days "o" visa and had to resubmit all required documents to the local immigration bureau - in this case Chiang Mai - after 2 months.

I was denied extension, just because I was unable to say in Thailand for >30 days.

I travel in and out of Thailand every 3 week, and come from a visa exception country, so basically I do NOT need a visa to stay in Thailand.

I wanted to make my stay a bit more "on the record" and decided to obtain a "o" visa.

However I have to stay >30 days I will not be able to extend my "o" visa as I travel out of Thailand every 3 weeks.

Beside the above mentioned 30days requirement, I fulfill all requirements to obtain a one year "o" visa.

Best Regards

Jens Kristian Petersen

[Digger]

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

To aid a competitive angle with other local Asean countries, why are all people treated the same with the Immigration Department?

For example, a CEO of for example, Toyota in Thailand has to go every 90 days and fill out a 90 report card. Is this the image the country really wants to be portraying to business leaders who can influence massive investment in a region which is increasingly chasing every investment dollar?

Perhaps follow the approach as used in Singapore and grant 2 year extension of stay with no further reporting requirements unless something changes, such as home address. Although in Singapore, even that is not needed - they know where to find the CEO of Toyota if they need to - he works at their Thailand Head Office.

Perhaps grade companies and positions as they do in Singapore based upon monthly salary - 6 grades of employees - the top 3 grades (highest paid, professionals) receive much easier conditions (given their employers trust them with multi million dollar contracts and so on). Manual type workers have stricter conditions to ensure jobs not being taken from locals.

I worked in Singapore for 3 years and never once visited either a immigration office or work permit office. I am seriously considering moving back as the cost advantages of Thailand are now being reduced and the ease of administration is much much easier. My visa and work permit were approved even before I moved to the country. The small matter of income tax at average of 12% versus 37% is also coming into the equation but Thailand needs to think - why are so few regional headquarters based in Bangkok? Business leaders have better things to do than go and sit in an office for 5 hours while their admin clerk runs around for a yearly extension of stay and a 3 minute smile with the immigration guy. PR requirements in for example in Singapore are simple - I know countless business professionals who have it - its much more cumbersome in Thailand and thus leads to people feeling they are not part of the country and there ability to stay is at the behest of a immigration clerk. As I understand it there is not even a right of appeal.

Business does not like uncertainty and Thailand's Immigration department is considered as a business inhibitor by many business people I know.

[mike123ca]

Marriage extension

I would like an explanation as to why the rules of extension of stay for marriage are different

for men and women.

Foreign men are required to put 400,000 baht in a Thai bank account.

Then why are foreign women not obliged the same financial burden?

Shouldn't the the law be applied equally to to those who want to stay in Thailand long-term

by marriage with a Thai national.

[Maestro]

In this special topic, please do not reply to other members' posts. Many such replies and posts that contained no specific question have been deleted.

[captspectre]

Retirement extension

would like to see something done about yearly renewal of "retirement" visa's such as, if you have been in Thailand over ten years on a retirement visa, issue a five or ten year visa.

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

and the 90 day reporting, do away with it. Please.

[bdenner]

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

I very much doubt the 90 day reporting system will be modified BUT:

Being as though Thailand is in the 21st century, can we have an ON-LINE facility for this exercise?

[MJCM]

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

I also would like to see Online 90 Day Reporting, but ONLY if it can be done over secure lines (so HTTPS)

[johnd1]

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

...should be canceled after a period of 3 to 5 years staying permanently in Thailand

and so the renewal of the one year visa

[Maeklong]

Corruption

I have been living in Thailand for 20 years and have had permanent residence since 2004, the year the fee increased 4-fold.

Before I had permanent residence, I was working in BOI supported industries as an expert for more than 9 years and the BOI one-stop shop for Immigration and Labor was quick and efficient.

I'm a senior executive in a Public Co. with sales revenue of more than 3,000 million baht/year, but before my coming in to revise all the products 14 years ago, it was a 600 million baht/year company.

I now pay more than 400,000 baht a year in income tax here.

So why do I still get requests to "buy us lunch if you want fast service" from the ladies at counter E2 in Changwattana whenever I go to make changes to my residence permit?

I notice they don't have a yellow "pay only the fee" sign on their partition.

It would be nice if the new Immigration head would have a talk with them.

Edited September 23, 2011 by Maestro

[David006]

Why are Thai Consulates/Embassies so autonomous re visa application requirements

//Edit: visa question. Not suitable for meeting with Immigration Commissioner.

[waterskier]

Dependent extension

Why does a spouse who previously was granted a dependents visa - based on being married to a person obtaining a One year extension based on retirement have to apply for her own extension based on retirement (with additional financial seeding 800,000 / total 1.6 M for a couple) when she turns 50?

This was communicated to us by Immigration in November 2010 when we applied for our 6th extension.

[David006]

Annual extensions in general

Perhaps arguably, the majority of long term non Thai residents contribute quite significantly to Thai local economies and well being of the populace, albeit at a macro level.

- Would you agree that current rules indicate there is a perception by the Thai Immigration Authorities that, somehow, non Thai residents present a potential burden on the resources,infrastructure and economy of Thailand ?

- Would it reasonable to assume that a positive revamp of the current long term immigration rules may encourage more "residents" with the consequent benefits to Thailand?

Edited September 23, 2011 by Maestro

[dman]

Marriage extension and Retirement extension

Concerning the 400,000 or 800,000 Baht deposit requirement for marriage or retirement extension. Why can't the money required be in a long or short term certificate of deposit as opposed to a standard passbook savings account ?

Thanks

[MichelBangkok]

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

Every 90 days a person has to register his/her address at Immigration if he/she is an ''alien'' residing in the kingdom. Over the years we have not seen a single thorough analysis published demonstrating that this regulation is helping the authorities in tracking criminals. This rule could have been implemented cleverly - like registering once in person and updating via the Immigration website; or registering once a year, given that all ''aliens'' need to renew/extend their visas on a regular basis.

The criminals know quite well how to circumvent this rule, while law-abiding ''aliens'' like myself - no matter how fluently one speaks the vernacular, and who have lived at the same address for years, with a valid visa and work permit, who pay more tax than many Thais, who employ locals and support a Thai family - still have to report to Immigration every 90 days ! This makes 5 visits per year as the 90 days rarely coincides with the visa extensions/renewals.

In most developed countries you would only have to do this if you were a registered sex offender, and only when you moved to a different location.

Think about all the potential savings, like less personnel at Immigration, less traffic, saving on transport costs and added productive time for both immigration personnel and ''aliens''. Please publish the studies that demonstrate that this policy is beneficial to the law enforcement agencies or get rid of it.

[kriswillems]

Permanent Residence

Most countries give the married partner of their nationals automatically permanent residence (and they get the right to work without work permit and the right to buy property).

Why can't we simply get permanent residence? Why are there so strict financial requirements for the marriage extension and why is the extension only valid for 1 year? And what do you advice to married couples with children, living in Thailand, that can't meet these financial requirements?

[Badbanker]

Annual extensions in general and Thai ID card

Why not charge an annual 6,000 baht fee for extension of stay, that would include a multiple reentry permit in one stamp and an annual foreign resident card?

[othersideofme]

1) Why asian Countries need to go back their home country to get Non B Visa? My all documents were correct and perfect but Immigration told me go back to your country and I lost 45,000 Baht to change Visa. Immigration should think about it.

//Edit: not clear what "asian Countries" is about.

2) Immigration Should also improve policy about to get Non O marriage Visa. ( 400K in Bank or 40K Per month salary)

//Edit: not clear what this is about.

1) Asian Countries likes Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh etc. ( to go back their home countries to get Non B visa)

//Edit: visa question. Not suitable for meeting with Immigration commissioner.

Marriage extension

2) My salary is 25K per month and I m living good in Bangkok. ( why I need to show 40K per month and 400k to get marriage Visa)

Edited September 24, 2011 by Maestro

[lopburi3]

1. Immigration only issues extensions of stay and at 25k per month you would not qualify for extension unless exempt (teacher or such). It would require income of 35k per month for Asian nationality.

2. That is the requirement for anyone from any country for Thai Wife extension of stay. A visa from a Consulate does not require that.

[Arkady]

It is fair enough to delete replies to other members' posts but I think it would be also be reasonable to point out that there is no point in putting questions about applying for Thai citizenship or about work permits to the Immigration Commissioner. The Immigration Bureau has nothing to do with these issues and questions on them should be directed to the ministries responsible, namely the Interior Ministry and the Labour Ministry.

Comment:

Re: Thai citizenship. The Royal Thai Police, of which the Immigration Police is a division, is under the Ministry of Interior. The Immigration Commissioner is probably consulted on policies about citizenship by naturalisation and thus can influence these polices.

Re: Work Permits. Questions about work permits are indeed off topic here and not suitable for the meeting with the Immigration Commissioner.

Edited September 24, 2011 by Maestro
Added comment

[Sjptain]

Thai ID card

Like the idea of getting a card with all the details on it if on a retirement / Marriage visa - if the card was chipped, it probably could speed up any type of reporting required, as it could be loaded into a card reader and details verified/updated as required. could shorten the queues and time spent at the immigration office.