Converting Non Immigrant ED visa to retirement visa OA

[Robinfbrown]

Some advice please...

Phuket is my location...

I'm an Australian citizen currently in Thailand on a Non-Immigrant ED (Education) visa expiring in July.

I think I understand all the requirements for the OA retirement visa, bank balance, police clearance, medical, etc.

But am confused about whether I can go straight from ED visa to OA.

Do I need to get an O visa first, or at same time?

And can it all be done in Phuket?

 

Two second questions...

1. Can my ED visa be "easily" extended in Phuket, it was issued in Australia for study in scuba diving. Somewhat different I know.

2. Am I best to use an immigration agent to do this? If so, names of  good reliable ones in Phuket please...

 

 

[Robinfbrown]

A clarification on the financial side too please...

For an initial retirement OA visa issuance in Thailand, can proof of the money on deposit in an Australian bank be classed as sufficient to meet the requirement? 

Or does it have to be on deposit in Thailand already?

[ubonjoe]

You can only apply for a OA visa at a Thai embassy or official consulate in your home country or country of legal residence.

You can apply an extension of stay based upon retirement at an immigration office. No medical or police clearance is required. You will need to have 800k baht in a Thai bank for 60 days or proof of 65k baht income or a combination of the 2 totaling 800k baht.

What exactly do you have now. Do your a have single or multiple entry non-ed visa? Or have you gotten an extension of stay immigration?

Not sure if Phuket immigration would allow you to apply for the extension based upon retirement with a non-ed visa. They should but there are some offices that will not. By the rules all that is required is a non immigrant visa entry.

[Robinfbrown]

OK, thank you.

So I need to be nquiring at an immigration office about applying for an extension of stay based on retirement. That helps with me understanding the correct wording of the request.

As to my circumstances, I am on a 12 month Non Immigrant ED visa with multiple entries. It expires early July...

I have not applied for any extension of stay at this point.

 

As to the financial side...

I have opened a bank account, but have not yet transferred in the 800K required. As am tying to determine the best method to meet the financial requirement.

I currently draw down yearly an income amount exceeding the requirement mentioned, but as it is not a pension, so I have enriched that I will need to have accountants in Australia generate an income document that would satisfy immigrations requirements. Is there a preferred, or proscribed format for the document that the embassy would need to notarise and immigration would accept?

 

Or am I just better to move the funds here now and wait the two months on deposit time to pass?

[ubonjoe]

38 minutes ago, Robinfbrown said:

OK, thank you.

So I need to be nquiring at an immigration office about applying for an extension of stay based on retirement. That helps with me understanding the correct wording of the request.

As to my circumstances, I am on a 12 month Non Immigrant ED visa with multiple entries. It expires early July...

I have not applied for any extension of stay at this point.

 

As to the financial side...

I have opened a bank account, but have not yet transferred in the 800K required. As am tying to determine the best method to meet the financial requirement.

I currently draw down yearly an income amount exceeding the requirement mentioned, but as it is not a pension, so I have enriched that I will need to have accountants in Australia generate an income document that would satisfy immigrations requirements. Is there a preferred, or proscribed format for the document that the embassy would need to notarise and immigration would accept?

 

Or am I just better to move the funds here now and wait the two months on deposit time to pass?

You should be able to apply for the extension based upon retirement during the last days of any of the 90 day entries from your visa.

To prove the 65k baht income you would need to do a statutory declaration at the Australian embassy. That is the only proof immigration will accept. There is no requirement for it to be pension income. 

If you have problems with applying for the extension with your non-ed visa entry you could use the statutory declaration to get a single entry non-o visa in Penang. Just attach a copy of it to the visa application (have the original to show if asked) and use the original to apply for the extension.