Retirement extension: Embassy Proof of Income not accepted

[larsjohnsson]

While I have not had time to get all the gritty details from my friend, he did return to immigration and get his extension. He came back with a pile of printouts of bank statements etc. that the officials barely glanced at before handing over his passport with the stamp for the new year already inside. It seems that for whatever reason, they decided they wanted to make him jump though some extra hoops. /shrug.

I guess the moral of the story is that just because something worked one way once, it may not every time, and back up documentation is a good idea.

I belive the moral of the story is: Bring all your documents. Even those that you probably don't need

[jacksam]

Don't wish to shift from the OP, but an answer to this question help me and others.

I am about to obtain a non imm o from AU. (I live in bkk)

I intended to use income statement as per the OP.

I can also take along rental statements from properties and super pension stream etc.

The ONLY evidence I have of money coming into Thai from AU is the very frequent 20k withdrawals via ATM. I have Thai bank account for couple years with 450k. I don't use. Will I have trouble with the extension?

[Furryman]

Have heard from another Aus friend of mine that the Aus Embassy has ceased issuing income verification letters.

[Jingthing]

Have heard from another Aus friend of mine that the Aus Embassy has ceased issuing income verification letters.

Really? My understanding is without an embassy or consulate letter an income based application for extension is not possible. Why would they do that to their own nationals?

[harrry]

Have heard from another Aus friend of mine that the Aus Embassy has ceased issuing income verification letters.

They have never given income letters. All they do is witness a Statutory Declaration that you make.

[Jingthing]

Have heard from another Aus friend of mine that the Aus Embassy has ceased issuing income verification letters.

They have never given income letters. All they do is witness a Statutory Declaration that you make.

That's the same thing, yes, as far as immigration is concerned.

[Furryman]

Have heard from another Aus friend of mine that the Aus Embassy has ceased issuing income verification letters.

They have never given income letters. All they do is witness a Statutory Declaration that you make.

That's the same thing, yes, as far as immigration is concerned.

Yes, he was speaking of the Stat. Dec.

He says that the Aus Embassy has ceased issuing them.

It's still a "my friend tells me" level report, but I figured it was worth passing on.

[evadgib]

The difference between a 'stat dec' and a pension letter is that it passes the onus of proof/truth to anyone caught telling porkies.

HTH

[Jingthing]

The difference between a 'stat dec' and a pension letter is that it passes the onus of proof/truth to the individual.

HTH

Either way ... they are giving income stating letters and those letters are accepted by Thai immigration as a required part of an income based extension application. Thai immigration has no control over the specific requirements of any country to grant income stating letters. It is up to each country to determine what "proof" if ANY is required to grant such income stating letters. Immigration always has had the right to demand additional proof of statements in any income stating letters from any country.

Perhaps it is true that immigration sometimes gives more attention to nationals with income stating letters when they know those letters didn't require proof ... but the letters themselves still meet the application requirement.

Cheers.

[NancyL]

I used an Embassy letter last January for the first time. The Immigration Officer was unhappy for some reason. She asked me a few times if my monthly income was as high as I had stated in the letter - a lot higher than was needed. Each time she asked I offered her a folder of documents showing income from various investments that matched what I had stated. I also had documents showing 1.5 million baht invested in SET here in Thailand for over 6 months (not, of course, in a bank account). I was not trying to deceive anyone, just being as upfront as I could to keep it simple, so I thought. She would not look at the documents I had, but was very grudging and unfriendly in renewing the visa. The guy before me showed her a seasoned bank account and she was all smiles and he was out of there in no time. Maybe they don't really like variations, just the seasoned money in the bank method? I imagine it is next to impossible for them to make sense of stockbroker statements, tax documents in other countries etc, so they just don't like them.

PS I was very polite and well dressed, so I don't think she was unhappy from my attitude. Just the fact that it wasn't a straightforward bank book.

Hubby produces an Income Letter that is below his actual monthly income, but it reflects the income from his two pension sources -- Social Security and a private pension from a former employer. Both are non-interruptable and will continue for life. The annual amounts are detailed on a simple 1099 form stapled to our IRS 1040 Federal Income tax filing.

What may have been giving the I/O heartburn is the thought that your income wasn't uniform from month-to-month and that it could vaporize in the next economic crash. That's why Hubby deliberately keeps the income from "various investments" out of the Income Letter. It's the old KISS principle. If he's asked to prove his Income letter, it wants to do it with something they understand -- Social Security pension and a pension from working for a company for a few decades. The rest of the income, they don't need to know about.

[pcliff069]

Have heard from another Aus friend of mine that the Aus Embassy has ceased issuing income verification letters.

The Australian Embassy web site still lists this as a service provided by the Australian Consulate in Bangkok.

Edit: This being:

Passport renewal applications - please ensure you bring all original documents and photocopies with you.

* Notarial services

* Statutory declarations for marriage, retirement visas and driving licence renewals

* Witnessing documents