Non - Imm O Visa Extension Changes

[sezzo]

As promised in a previous thread about extension which I cant find just now, I have just returned from lodging my application for extension. What I thought was going to be an easy process turned into a morale sapping experience.

Firstly having to wait at Phibun Mangsahan immigration office for 2 hours just to get served really tested the patience. Not their fault as their seemed to be about 10 application pending from farang, filipinos and other asians all waiting their turn.

Then handed in the appropriate paperwork which I got from Bangkok last week. During the interview which took over an hour (nothing personal at all asked) I found out that the minimum transfer of funds into a thai bank account had risen from 40k baht per month to 45k baht. This amount is just above the amount that I receive from my super fund. I queried this and was told that at a conference last week they were informed that the minmum had risen.

Next thing I was informed that next time I apply I will have to go to a clinic in Ubon (50 ks away) and be tested to see if I can have children. I almost fell off my chair with this comment and when pressed further this action also came from the conference previously mentioned. Nothing to do with the fact that I have no intention to have kids as my wife already has 2 and thats enough for me to handle at this stage.

So at this stage I was feeling a bit hot under the collar but restrained my anger and kept things going. The trump card was finally played when I was informed that under the new rules I cant touch my thai bank account until the end of April. I said to the officer how do you expect me to buy food, diesel etc for my family. He said that if I just transfer the 400k into my bank I will expect no problems with getting the extension.

And on top of that he casually said to my wife "that he would like to have a coffee". Having said that she slipped him 200 baht. I stormed into the car and just stewed for the drive home. Not only did he ruin my day but he wanted a tip. Had he asked in english I would have gone to his tea room and made him one myself.

I am really considering going to the multi entry system and just go over the border every 3 months.

I have read in other posts that have mentioned there could be changes in the wind. Hopefully I am wrong and have just imagined what has happened to me today.

[shotover]

My sympathy for the egregious bad and corrupt service you received at the Phibun Immigration office. It appears that Thai Immigration improvements in customer service and efficiencies currently being implemented at Bangkok and Pattaya have not yet reached the remote offices, and that they are still operating in their entrenched corrupt ways.

Phibun is a neat small Issan town. Are the rapids still a popular weekend gathering place?

[Khutan]

That sounds like a bad experience. There is a number you can call to report that. I have dealt with a few immigration offices, being Surin, Suan Phlu and The one stop shop, and I have never seen or heard anything like that. I also am on a Non-O visa, so all the threads about Non-O, I am interested in.

Sorry to hear you have had a bad experience.

[sezzo]

That sounds like a bad experience. There is a number you can call to report that. I have dealt with a few immigration offices, being Surin, Suan Phlu and The one stop shop, and I have never seen or heard anything like that. I also am on a Non-O visa, so all the threads about Non-O, I am interested in.

Sorry to hear you have had a bad experience.

I was sitting there yesterday morning and saw 2 things that now seem relevant. One was a new sign that gave an email address for the head honcho of the immigration dept saying that if you are not happy with the treatment received, to email him. Might go that way.

The other thing was a big polystyrene sign in the office that says "The security of the kingdom and public SATISFACTION is our main priority"

Funny now that these two things have stuck in my mind.

[Pattayatony]

Now you know why there are so many Ex-Pats are leaving the Kingdom and moving on.

Edited March 7, 2006 by Pattayatony

[sriracha john]

During the interview which took over an hour (nothing personal at all asked) I found out that the minimum transfer of funds into a thai bank account had risen from 40k baht per month to 45k baht.

Next thing I was informed that next time I apply I will have to go to a clinic in Ubon (50 ks away) and be tested to see if I can have children.

I was informed that under the new rules I cant touch my thai bank account until the end of April.

huh??? Wha????

I've heard of one "new rule" being implemented for an applicant.... rarely two.... but NEVER three???

I applaude your patience for being able to refrain from providing a semen specimen right there on his desk.

[astral]

Matters like this are never "announced at a conference".

They have to be Gazetted.

I suggest you write to the head man at Immigration Suan Plu.

There should be a board in your local immigration office giving his full

name and address.

Just quote what you have been told and ask when these "new" regulations

came into force.

All low key and polite.

I have found his responses to be helpful in the past.

[sezzo]

Matters like this are never "announced at a conference".

They have to be Gazetted.

I suggest you write to the head man at Immigration Suan Plu.

There should be a board in your local immigration office giving his full

name and address.

Just quote what you have been told and ask when these "new" regulations

came into force.

All low key and polite.

I have found his responses to be helpful in the past.

Exactly what I will do

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Matters like this are never "announced at a conference".

They have to be Gazetted.

I suggest you write to the head man at Immigration Suan Plu.

There should be a board in your local immigration office giving his full

name and address.

Just quote what you have been told and ask when these "new" regulations

came into force.

All low key and polite.

I have found his responses to be helpful in the past.

Nothing has been gazetted. Unusual because the 800,000 required for a retiree can be achieved by an income of 65,000 per month, whereas the 400,000 required for a support extension requires an income needs 40,000 per month ( 480,000 )

[lopburi3]

1. Subject does not state if he has a work permit but that is a requirement for using the 40k method of stay - without local job/work permit he should maintain 400k in a Thai bank account as was suggested.

2. It appears the office is not satisfied that this is a real marriage (rather than a yearly meeting to obtain visa extension) and that the medical test is thus being proposed under the other documents criteria. I have even heard of such a test being required for a visa on basis of marriage if you do not have children.

3. You are expected to maintain the amount in your account until final approval of visa extension is received from Bangkok. Nothing new.

Above is only my best guess and may be wrong but from what you have written it seems to fit. Believe your obtaining extension with outside income (if that is what it is) is not the norm.

Financial documentation:

- Bank statement and copy of bank account showing at least 400,000.- Baht deposit

- Employment evidence, work permit, and tax documentation showing an income of at least 40,000.- Baht.

[sierra01]

Next thing I was informed that next time I apply I will have to go to a clinic in Ubon (50 ks away) and be tested to see if I can have children.

What about the men that have had the snip?

[lopburi3]

Next thing I was informed that next time I apply I will have to go to a clinic in Ubon (50 ks away) and be tested to see if I can have children.

What about the men that have had the snip?

I suspect that would be noted; and a good reason for not having them.

[sezzo]

1. Subject does not state if he has a work permit but that is a requirement for using the 40k method of stay - without local job/work permit he should maintain 400k in a Thai bank account as was suggested.

2. It appears the office is not satisfied that this is a real marriage (rather than a yearly meeting to obtain visa extension) and that the medical test is thus being proposed under the other documents criteria. I have even heard of such a test being required for a visa on basis of marriage if you do not have children.

3. You are expected to maintain the amount in your account until final approval of visa extension is received from Bangkok. Nothing new.

Above is only my best guess and may be wrong but from what you have written it seems to fit. Believe your obtaining extension with outside income (if that is what it is) is not the norm.

Financial documentation:

- Bank statement and copy of bank account showing at least 400,000.- Baht deposit

- Employment evidence, work permit, and tax documentation showing an income of at least 40,000.- Baht.

Lopburi,

Point 1. On the Immigration website I scrolled down to the criteria required for supporting a thai wife and it informs that I need an income of 40,000 baht per month or 400,000 baht in the bank or a combination of both. I certainly meet this criteria. There is nothing at all mentioned about a work permit. This is the second yearly extension that I have sought from this office and there was no problems at all concerning the monthly salary last year.

Point 2. I have visited this office about 8 times in the past year, each time with my wife and her son for various reasons ie. 90 day reporting, application for extension, application for re-entry permit. They definately are aware that we are a married couple.

Point 3. Last year the extension took 3 months to be granted which on questioning other expats in the area is the correct timing for a first time application for extension. Does this mean that I shouldnt have touched my money for 3 months. How is a person on a Non - Imm O (marriage) visa supposed to support the family for which basis he was granted the visa in the first place.

Shall keep on plugging away

[lopburi3]

1. The quote I provided is directly from the immigration web site and it most surly does say you need a work permit. Obviously there are exceptions and you seem to be one of them - but my point was that perhaps they are making it tighter on these exceptions now.

Website click visa extension/to support a wife

2. This may not be aimed at you but at your class as not having the 400k or local employment and was just a guess. It has been a criteria used before was my point.

3. The extension is normally approved within 45 days and that is the time frame if you do the process in Bangkok. Up country it does often take longer but not always. I do not believe you would have been given that instruction if you had the 400k in your account as they normally allow normal usage and if there are exceptional cases will note them and allow large withdrawals but they can and do check your account during the approval process.

But as you have found different people get different answers. Keep plugging away is the way to do it.

[Maestro]

On the Immigration website I scrolled down to the criteria required for supporting a thai wife and it informs that I need an income of 40,000 baht per month or 400,000 baht in the bank or a combination of both.

Consider yourself lucky that Immigration did not ask you for both 400K in the bank and 40K per month, plus a work permit on top of it. There is no “or” and no “combination” in that text of the criteria, at least not in the English translation provided on the Immigration web site, and I believe also not in the Thai original.

Best to let sleeping dogs lie.

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Maestro

[joklaweil]

On the Immigration website I scrolled down to the criteria required for supporting a thai wife and it informs that I need an income of 40,000 baht per month or 400,000 baht in the bank or a combination of both.

Consider yourself lucky that Immigration did not ask you for both 400K in the bank and 40K per month, plus a work permit on top of it. There is no “or” and no “combination” in that text of the criteria, at least not in the English translation provided on the Immigration web site, and I believe also not in the Thai original.

Best to let sleeping dogs lie.

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Maestro

It appears to me after 14 annual extensions that in the Suan Phlu Office they try to avoid problems like that: simply go there: once for submitting and a second for picking up your visa. Everybody travels to Bangkok one or twice a year. Just combine it.

[joklaweil]

On the Immigration website I scrolled down to the criteria required for supporting a thai wife and it informs that I need an income of 40,000 baht per month or 400,000 baht in the bank or a combination of both.

Consider yourself lucky that Immigration did not ask you for both 400K in the bank and 40K per month, plus a work permit on top of it. There is no “or” and no “combination” in that text of the criteria, at least not in the English translation provided on the Immigration web site, and I believe also not in the Thai original.

Best to let sleeping dogs lie.

--------------

Maestro

If you let your wife do the "talking" at government offices, there are less misunderstandings, because she seems to know the local "language". They can do a lot more pestering if you insist being the master. Let them be the helpful people and reward them at least with nice words. Complaing just gives them more reason for next time.

[sezzo]

What a difference a month makes. I went to the Phi Bun immigration office yesterday to see about lthe progress on my extension application. I was sat down at the desk by an officer who spoke excellant english and within 10 mins was on my way with extension in hand.

He asked me after all the stamping of passports and applications forms was done how much money I had coming into my thai bank account each month. I told him it was around the 40k baht per month and there was nothing mentioned about the minimum being lifted to 45k baht, nothing about the fertility tests etc.

Seems like the guy on the previous visit might have been having a bad day.

Hopefully I will be as successful next year.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

What a difference a month makes. I went to the Phi Bun immigration office yesterday to see about lthe progress on my extension application. I was sat down at the desk by an officer who spoke excellant english and within 10 mins was on my way with extension in hand.

He asked me after all the stamping of passports and applications forms was done how much money I had coming into my thai bank account each month. I told him it was around the 40k baht per month and there was nothing mentioned about the minimum being lifted to 45k baht, nothing about the fertility tests etc.

Seems like the guy on the previous visit might have been having a bad day.

Hopefully I will be as successful next year.

At this time there are no plans to change the rules in the forseeable future.