Retirement visa declined - why?

[ShannonT]

I have a relative who did a retirement visa renewal (not first time application) yesterday and it was declined because the officer said she didn't have the money long enough in the bank account.

The problem is, she has a pension that amounts to 750,000 Baht a year, certified from the embassy and she has another 200,000 in the bank account to get her to the minimum 800,000 ...well above that actually.

The immigration officer said that the 200,000 (or 50,000 minimum to reach 800,000 combined) need to be in the bank account for at least 3 months prior to application.

She never had to do this in the 4 years prior to this application. Is the officer correct or wrong?

[FiftyTwo]

correct

[glegolo]

lopburi3 - correct - when combination involved NO time involved at all...

glegolo

Edited October 11, 2013 by glegolo

[lopburi3]

Wrong at most places - there is nothing in police order 777/2551 that supports that view. Only the 800k in deposit account or more has the requirement of being in account a fixed period of time.

(5) Annual income plus bank account deposit totaling not less

than Baht 800,000 as of the filing date of application

[khwaibah]

Wrong at most places - there is nothing in police order 777/2551 that supports that view. Only the 800k in deposit account or more has the requirement of being in account a fixed period of time.

(5) Annual income plus bank account deposit totaling not less

than Baht 800,000 as of the filing date of application

Thank You.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/618358-non-imm-cat-o-to-retirement-visa-rules-financial-requirements/

Post #3

[NancyL]

Shannon -- where did this happen? There have been reports of some provinces requiring that funds used for the "combo" method must age 90 days as required with the 800,000 baht savings method. Is this a new requirement in your relative's province? Perhaps it's an attempt to stop those who borrow funds very short-term to use the combo method.

[Hedghog]

End of the day.

Immigration are always in the right.

They hold all the aces.

[ubonjoe]

My question is was the needed 50K baht in the bank for the wrong 90 days they wanted.

Perhaps the officer was just looking at the 200K.

[UncleJ]

Shouldn't there be some room for an Immigration Officer to assist a person like this that clearly has 150,000 in excess of the minimum requirement.

The rule is to stop people gaming the system. This person clearly is not. She should get the stamp and a friendly reminder to do better next year.

They jerked me around even though I had excess of 800,000bt funds in the bank aged over 90 days.

My bank letter stated 950,000 but my bank book showed 940,000 as I had made a withdrawal.

"No, go back to the bank for a new letter that matches the bankbook."

"But Officer, I have well in excess of the required minimum"...

Dirty look and waved off like an annoying fly..

Maybe the guy was fishing for a backhander?

[Suradit69]

Shouldn't there be some room for an Immigration Officer to assist a person like this that clearly has 150,000 in excess of the minimum requirement.

The rule is to stop people gaming the system. This person clearly is not. She should get the stamp and a friendly reminder to do better next year.

They jerked me around even though I had excess of 800,000bt funds in the bank aged over 90 days.

My bank letter stated 950,000 but my bank book showed 940,000 as I had made a withdrawal.

"No, go back to the bank for a new letter that matches the bankbook."

"But Officer, I have well in excess of the required minimum"...

Dirty look and waved off like an annoying fly..

Maybe the guy was fishing for a backhander?

"Maybe the guy was fishing for a backhander?"

Maybe he thought you couldn't understand a simple, long-standing rule.

As has been stated in this forum over and over and over ... the amount shown in your bank book must be EXACTLY the amount stated in the manager's letter.

[wpcoe]

It happened to me in Hua Hin, and it's been reported for Korat and one other place up north (can't find my notes right now...)

Those locations *do* require the 90-day seasoning for funds when using the combination method (savings + income > B800,000).

I'd be interested which location this just occurred, to see if there is now a fourth location.

When it happened to me in Hua Hin (two years ago) they offered to forego the seasoning for a fee. I think it was B4,000. I recall it was considerably more than a B2,000 Non-Immigrant O visa to gve me 90 days for seasoning, so I declined. Had it been just B2,000, I might have bitten, but their greed put me off.

[UncleJ]

Shouldn't there be some room for an Immigration Officer to assist a person like this that clearly has 150,000 in excess of the minimum requirement.

The rule is to stop people gaming the system. This person clearly is not. She should get the stamp and a friendly reminder to do better next year.

They jerked me around even though I had excess of 800,000bt funds in the bank aged over 90 days.

My bank letter stated 950,000 but my bank book showed 940,000 as I had made a withdrawal.

"No, go back to the bank for a new letter that matches the bankbook."

"But Officer, I have well in excess of the required minimum"...

Dirty look and waved off like an annoying fly..

Maybe the guy was fishing for a backhander?

"Maybe the guy was fishing for a backhander?"

Maybe he thought you couldn't understand a simple, long-standing rule.

As has been stated in this forum over and over and over ... the amount shown in your bank book must be EXACTLY the amount stated in the manager's letter.

Jerking around people that over qualify.

The required 800,000 + an extra 150.000 sitting in the bank for over 3 months wasn't good enough.

Edited October 11, 2013 by UncleJ

[kurnell]

800k is pretty low. Not a hard ask really.

[jacko45k]

Shouldn't there be some room for an Immigration Officer to assist a person like this that clearly has 150,000 in excess of the minimum requirement.

The rule is to stop people gaming the system. This person clearly is not. She should get the stamp and a friendly reminder to do better next year.

They jerked me around even though I had excess of 800,000bt funds in the bank aged over 90 days.

My bank letter stated 950,000 but my bank book showed 940,000 as I had made a withdrawal.

"No, go back to the bank for a new letter that matches the bankbook."

"But Officer, I have well in excess of the required minimum"...

Dirty look and waved off like an annoying fly..

Maybe the guy was fishing for a backhander?

If they stick firmly to the letter of the regulations some people complain and want a bit of leniency.

Trouble is, they are always right.

[daveology]

and wasn't there a thread about using companies to do your immigration business on here a few days ago? here is another good reason to use experts!!!i can't understand why anybody would want to willingly to deal with immigration

Edited October 12, 2013 by daveology

[kingstonkid]

People complain that the government does not go by the rules and then when they do people get upset.

Not saying that the immigration person was right or wrong BUT they go by the rules that they have given to them by their bosses. I live in PT and am retired with a monthly pension. i just take my canuck bank print out to the embassy and they give me the letter. maybe pathum thani is a nicer place i just know that when they change the rules they will assist you if you are reasonable with them.

It is just a simple thing of remembering we re guests in their country and every once in awhile we are going to get things wrong. If you follow the rules to the letter of the law then you run less chance of issues popping up

[KittenKong]

and wasn't there a thread about using companies to do your immigration business on here a few days ago? here is another good reason to use experts!!!i can't understand why anybody would want to willingly to deal with immigration

Why on earth should I pay someone else to do something that I can do myself in just a few minutes?

Every year I wander down to Jomtien immigration with a couple of thousand Baht, some photocopies and a letter from my bank showing 801,000K deposited. The next day I collect my passport with my extension sorted for another year. I have never experienced any difficulty or delay of any type in getting this done.

[UncleJ]

I know the rule states you must have the seasoned 800,000bt but is it truly required the bank book and letter match exactly?
My bank letter stated 950,000.
My bank book stated 940,000.
Turned me away.

Edited October 12, 2013 by UncleJ

[gamini]

Shannon -- where did this happen? There have been reports of some provinces requiring that funds used for the "combo" method must age 90 days as required with the 800,000 baht savings method. Is this a new requirement in your relative's province? Perhaps it's an attempt to stop those who borrow funds very short-term to use the combo method.

According to the rules I can just have an income of BT50,00 a year and then borrow Bt750,000 to put in my account the day before I make the application and then after I get my visa, return it. So think Shannon is right

in that they are trying to stop this abuse.

[curtklay]

It happened to me in Hua Hin, and it's been reported for Korat and one other place up north (can't find my notes right now...)

Those locations *do* require the 90-day seasoning for funds when using the combination method (savings + income > B800,000).

I'd be interested which location this just occurred, to see if there is now a fourth location.

When it happened to me in Hua Hin (two years ago) they offered to forego the seasoning for a fee. I think it was B4,000. I recall it was considerably more than a B2,000 Non-Immigrant O visa to gve me 90 days for seasoning, so I declined. Had it been just B2,000, I might have bitten, but their greed put me off.

I recently did my combination renewal at Nan. I specifically asked if the bank account money had to be seasoned, and was told "Yes". I know this is contrary to the official rule, but there isn't a whole lot you can do when the officer is telling you otherwise. Luckily, the money had been in there for 3 months, or I don't know what the result would have been.

One has to always keep in mind that "this is Thailand", and you will constantly find things aren't the way they are supposed to be. Arguing and quoting rulebooks won't get you very far. Yes, it is screwed up, and very frustrating for Westerners, but that's the way it is.

Arm yourself with knowledge, but always cover your butt.

[robblok]

Shouldn't there be some room for an Immigration Officer to assist a person like this that clearly has 150,000 in excess of the minimum requirement.

The rule is to stop people gaming the system. This person clearly is not. She should get the stamp and a friendly reminder to do better next year.

They jerked me around even though I had excess of 800,000bt funds in the bank aged over 90 days.

My bank letter stated 950,000 but my bank book showed 940,000 as I had made a withdrawal.

"No, go back to the bank for a new letter that matches the bankbook."

"But Officer, I have well in excess of the required minimum"...

Dirty look and waved off like an annoying fly..

Maybe the guy was fishing for a backhander?

"Maybe the guy was fishing for a backhander?"

Maybe he thought you couldn't understand a simple, long-standing rule.

As has been stated in this forum over and over and over ... the amount shown in your bank book must be EXACTLY the amount stated in the manager's letter.

Fun, but i was told to take 100 baht out to make sure I had a mutation on the bank book dated the day of the time i applied. I said but then it wont be the same as the bank letter. They said it would not matter and I should do it i off I went. So they at times just love messing around. Some of them are real pricks while others are nice.

[Bagwan]

Shouldn't there be some room for an Immigration Officer to assist a person like this that clearly has 150,000 in excess of the minimum requirement.

The rule is to stop people gaming the system. This person clearly is not. She should get the stamp and a friendly reminder to do better next year.

They jerked me around even though I had excess of 800,000bt funds in the bank aged over 90 days.

My bank letter stated 950,000 but my bank book showed 940,000 as I had made a withdrawal.

"No, go back to the bank for a new letter that matches the bankbook."

"But Officer, I have well in excess of the required minimum"...

Dirty look and waved off like an annoying fly..

Maybe the guy was fishing for a backhander?

Same thing happened to me this year at Jomtien. When I rushed around and got hold of another bankletter and had my passport stamped, I told the officer supervising the prissy young miss who I had dealt with that there would be no thank you present this year.

[Danbit]

I wonder, do I need a letter from the Bank or is my updated bank book, saving, with more than 800.000 enough ?

[robblok]

I wonder, do I need a letter from the Bank or is my updated bank book, saving, with more than 800.000 enough ?

You need a letter too.. both are required.

[biplanebluey]

My question is was the needed 50K baht in the bank for the wrong 90 days they wanted.

Perhaps the officer was just looking at the 200K.

When I go to get my letter from bank I always do a small withdrawal at the same time cos I thought that was required alsobut then that puts the amount in the bank and the withdrawal a different amount,but it does show the same on the withdrawal slip before the actual withdrawal amount when the transaction is finished and spit out.Am I still in the wrong with this one?

[graemeaylward]

What about proof of income route? I will be applying for " retirement" extension of stay to my Non immigrant O visa soon and I have nothing on deposit, but understand that proof of income from pensions amounting to a minimum of 65,000 baht per month will suffice. As all of this, always goes straight from my Bangkok Bank account to my Thai girlfriend every month, there is never anything to show in the account. However, my bank book shows that I receive more than the minimum every month.

[JulesMad]

800k is pretty low. Not a hard ask really.

For you maybe.... Not everyone has that kind of money lying around...

[Arkady]

Unfortunately the individual Immigration officers are given a lot of discretion which sometimes leads to them making up their own rules on the spot. Effectively you have nil recourse because, while there is an appeals procedure, it is cumbersome and obviously not designed to provide justice to foreign visa applicants. You just have to try to comply as best you can. Things like having the bank book comply with the letter are no brainers and no point in getting upset about such trivia.

Unfortunately this tendency to make up their own rules is pervasive in the Thai civil service and not restricted to departments that deal with foreigners.

[thaidel48]

I had a mate who got refused because on the day he went to apply he discovered that his balance was 75 baht under the required amount and had been for a couple of days he asked the officer if he could put 500 baht in from his other acc. to cover the shortfall only to be told no sorry must have said amount in bank for 3 months . Overly zealous enforcement maybe but following the law to the letter.

Remember people these officers love to say no so make sure you give them no joy.

[Estrada]

I know the rule states you must have the seasoned 800,000bt but is it truly required the bank book and letter match exactly?

My bank letter stated 950,000.

My bank book stated 940,000.

Turned me away.

Yes....! These are the rules, follow them. Logic does not come into the equation, T.I.T.