News Forum - “Covid-19” visa extension deadline tomorrow, no word from immigration

[Stonker]

51 minutes ago, KoilStorp said:

Of course it's what it's intended for, don't be naive, everybody could have gone home a long time a go and they know it. The point is to keep the money flowing + they are happy to get those fat bribes from visa agencies (like now with agencies proposing"emergency covid extensions, get em before they're all gone") so no the immigration office managers are not tired of it.

Secondly, a person who doesn't want the hassle of more complex options to be permitted to stay does bring good money for the economy, even with only 40k per months, it is good income here.  More stable forms of visas are good but some people just don't want to stay that long or don't want to bother with the complicated procedures and requirements so they use the more flexible loopholes. It's a win-win situation.

A "win-win" except for all the other farangs here who are tarred with the same brush.

[Changnam43]

6 minutes ago, Stonker said:

Actually it's got plenty to do with the 'rest of us'.

These 'farang kee-nok' are the reason why the 'rest of us' have to produce so much documentation, why embassy letters stopped, and why the changes were introduced, why tourists have to pay insurance, etc.

The majority suffer because of a few who played and continued to play the system - and the only people "happy with the arrangement" are the visa agents.

So you do, at least, acknowledge that doing it "the proper way" as you advocate involves suffering?

 

[Changnam43]

Stonker is like an advocate for corporal punishment because being beaten by a sadistic pervert never did him any harm!

[.isterMikey]

What am I missing here.?? Jan 20th, same author wrote of the approval....

[Stonker]

1 hour ago, Faz said:

The Brits in particular went from proof of 'gross' to 'nett' earnings and a devaluation of the pound from 52 BHT to 38 BHT. Many married to Thais used to obtain annual extensions of stay quite comfortably with a gross pension of 50K THB per month, which they then experienced being slashed to 38K THB a month and had to find another option.

Whilst many used the savings on purchasing assets in Thailand, Immigration don't accept them.
It's fine to state in hindsight they should have kept something in reserve, but at the time they met the financial requirements and never anticipated the events that took place.

Oh please ... many got the Embassy or Honorary Consuls / local Consuls to verify an income from the Bank of Photoshop, frequently provided by visa agents, as I'm sure you know.

When that option stopped for everyone, including those who weren't abusing it, they no longer met the requirement they'd always been supposed to.

If they hadn't thought about the baht reverting to what it had averaged for decades, with a few fluctuations, and they can't even keep 400k in the bank for a wife to inherit on their demise, whose fault is that? 

 

[Stonker]

7 minutes ago, Changnam43 said:

Stonker is like an advocate for corporal punishment because being beaten by a sadistic pervert never did him any harm!

I'll bow to your personal experience (metaphorically speaking).

9 minutes ago, Changnam43 said:

So you do, at least, acknowledge that doing it "the proper way" as you advocate involves suffering?

For the rest of us!

If these people hadn't been playing the system and abusing it, things would still be simpler.

It's a foreign country, not a charity home for welfare cases.

[NateUK]

8 minutes ago, Stonker said:

Actually it's got plenty to do with the 'rest of us'.

These 'farang kee-nok' are the reason why the 'rest of us' have to produce so much documentation, why embassy letters stopped, and why the changes were introduced, why tourists have to pay insurance, etc.

The majority suffer because of a few who played and continued to play the system - and the only people "happy with the arrangement" are the visa agents.

Foreigner calling other foreigners "Bird Shit!, that's novel!! Sounds to me that you have become the reverse definition of the original saying, which makes you a white man who thinks he is Thai! LOL 

 It was no different in documentation before covid, that is normal procedure in Thailand. I live here and have done for 9 years. Yes the paper work can be a bit of a pain in the ass, but it's got nothing to do with anyone else. The Thai government make the rules and us foreigners have no say in that matter and to start pointing fingers at tourists or dossers/freeloaders is nonsense. If you want to look for someone to blame you are wasting your time. As I said, just get on with your own life and enjoy it. Anyway, I don't have time to waste on this forum explaining irrelevant nonsense. I only came here to look for information regarding the Extension and have a life to live. Enjoy yours! 

[Stonker]

1 minute ago, NateUK said:

Foreigner calling other foreigners "Bird Shit!, that's novel!! Sounds to me that you have become the reverse definition of the original saying, which makes you a white man who thinks he is Thai! LOL 

No, I'm quite sure I'm not Thai - it's just a pretty routine expression for a particular type of farang.

If you've not come across it before, maybe you're not quite the old hand you think you are.

5 minutes ago, NateUK said:

It was no different in documentation before covid, that is normal procedure in Thailand. I live here and have done for 9 years. Yes the paper work can be a bit of a pain in the ass, but it's got nothing to do with anyone else. The Thai government make the rules and us foreigners have no say in that matter and to start pointing fingers at tourists or dossers/freeloaders is nonsense. If you want to look for someone to blame you are wasting your time. 

I've been here for thirty years, so I think I've got a reasonable idea of what the system used to be and when it changed and why !

I'm not "looking for someone to blame" for the changes, which pre-date Covid - I know who to blame!

[Faz]

44 minutes ago, Stonker said:

But that's not what it was ever intended to be for, and you know that as well as I do.

No, but they've allowed it to be used for 'staying' in Thailand for as long as I can remember.
They even permit 60 day extensions on top of the 90 granted on entry.
They visit the spouse for a short period, exit, return to visit the wife again.
Nothing illegal in their activities.

A 1 year extension of stay even when having sufficient funds is not everyone's cup of tea.

[Marble-eye]

3 minutes ago, Stonker said:

No, I'm quite sure I'm not Thai - it's just a pretty routine expression for a particular type of farang.

If you've not come across it before, maybe you're not quite the old hand you think you are.

I've been here for thirty years, so I think I've got a reasonable idea of what the system used to be and when it changed and why !

I'm not "looking for someone to blame" for the changes, which pre-date Covid - I know who to blame!

"I'm not "looking for someone to blame" for the changes, which pre-date Covid - I know who to blame!"

I think paranoia is to blame, just saying.

I think we all get it, the people that extend their visa here different to you is what is making you so miserable, but stonker I am afraid you are going to have to live with it because the Thais are not going to change the way they operate just to suit you.

[Stonker]

6 minutes ago, Faz said:

No, but they've allowed it to be used for 'staying' in Thailand for as long as I can remember.
They even permit 60 day extensions on top of the 90 granted on entry.
They visit the spouse for a short period, exit, return to visit the wife again.
Nothing illegal in their activities.

I'm not suggesting there's anything "illegal" about it - they were simply abusing the system.

 

8 minutes ago, Faz said:

A 1 year extension of stay even when having sufficient funds is not everyone's cup of tea.

Particularly if they can't afford a cup of tea.

[Lyp14 [ctxa]]

 

11 minutes ago, Stonker said:

I'm not suggesting there's anything "illegal" about it - they were simply abusing the system.

Particularly if they can't afford a cup of tea.

Ever thought that not all of us here in Thailand are married to a Thai / are over 50 years of age?

[Stonker]

4 minutes ago, Marble-eye said:

"I'm not "looking for someone to blame" for the changes, which pre-date Covid - I know who to blame!"

I think paranoia is to blame, just saying.

I think we all get it, the people that extend their visa here different to you is what is making you so miserable, but stonker I am afraid you are going to have to live with it because the Thais are not going to change the way they operate just to suit you.

I'm not "miserable" in the slightest - and I wouldn't want Thai immigration to change the way they operate to suit me as I don't have a problem there.

I simply don't have any sympathy for the small minority who've been abusing the system who've reflected badly on all expats here and made life more difficult for many.

 

[Vince]

4 hours ago, Faz said:

Many are married to Thais, Thailand is their home and they stay via the Non Imm O ME Visa.
They've been using the 60 day Covid extensions since they were introduced to stay with their families.

What would you have them do?

Great point. 

[Vince]

4 hours ago, Stonker said:

Get a Non Imm O married extension, which is the visa and extension they should have if living here long term, with a low financial requirement, rather than taking advantage of a loophole with a visa which wasn't intended for long term retirees but was meant for those working overseas who came to Thailand regularly to visit a Thai wife on a 'shift' basis, such as oil rig workers or expat shift workers.

They've been playing the system using a visa that wasn't intended to be used long term, and now they've been caught.  If they don't have the money required for a marriage extension, then they really shouldn't have been living here in the first place.

Great points Stonker

[Changnam43]

47 minutes ago, Stonker said:

I'm not suggesting there's anything "illegal" about it - they were simply abusing the system.

Particularly if they can't afford a cup of tea.

Bastards!  How dare they remain here without going through the endless submissive BS I do.

Did you ever consider the possibility that, maybe, some people have the money but are less willing to supplicate to the Authorities than you?

 

[Marble-eye]

6 minutes ago, Stonker said:

I'm not "miserable" in the slightest - and I wouldn't want Thai immigration to change the way they operate to suit me as I don't have a problem there.

I simply don't have any sympathy for the small minority who've been abusing the system who've reflected badly on all expats here and made life more difficult for many.

You have made it abundantly clear that you don't have any sympathy how other expats extend their visas, but why it should bother you so much is a mystery to some of us. Can't you just get on with your life and let everybody else get on with theirs. Have you any proof that the way other people do their extensions has an affect on how you do yours. 

[Stonker]

34 minutes ago, ctxa said:

Ever thought that not all of us here in Thailand are married to a Thai / are over 50 years of age?

Well, since I came here in my mid-30's, single, umm ... yes .

If you're not married to a Thai, though, you're not eligible for an 'O - ME' visa ...

... and if the rules hadn't been tightened up to make life harder for the freeloaders and begpackers life would be much easier for you ...

... unless you're a freeloader or begpacker, of course .

[Stonker]

9 minutes ago, Changnam43 said:

Bastards!  How dare they remain here without going through the endless submissive BS I do.

Did you ever consider the possibility that, maybe, some people have the money but are less willing to supplicate to the Authorities than you?

You mean less willing to obey the immigration rules that are similar to most other countries', including their own?

Yes, but that simply makes them even less deserving of any sympathy.

[Changnam43]

1 minute ago, Stonker said:

You mean less willing to obey the immigration rules that are similar to most other countries', including their own?

Yes, but that simply makes them even less deserving of any sympathy.

I always comply with the immigration laws here.  I have done for more than twenty years.

 

[Changnam43]

And they have extended the 60 day extension scheme again!

Pour out some more hate.  Vent your spleen.

You know you want to.

[Lyp14 [ctxa]]

12 minutes ago, Stonker said:

Well, since I came here in my mid-30's, single, umm ... yes .

If you're not married to a Thai, though, you're not eligible for an 'O - ME' visa ...

... and if the rules hadn't been tightened up to make life harder for the freeloaders and begpackers life would be much easier for you ...

... unless you're a freeloader or begpacker, of course .

No?

I just came here to accompany my non Thai wife who got transferred here (work). Money is not a problem to me, but in this case is of no use, as the 400K or 800K can't give me a visa since I am not over 50 and my wife is not Thai. 

 

Life is pretty hard in this case. 

1. If it was long term enough that I knew we were gonna be here for 5 years, Thailand Elite would be perfect. But it'll be 3 years at most. 

2. Dodgy agent Non-O volunteer visa (not issued anymore). 

3. Border runs, (I hate traveling - and I hate even more applying for Thailand Pass, lmao).

 

So all I can do for now - are COVID extensions.

Edited January 24, 2022 by ctxa

[MrNovax]

5 hours ago, Stonker said:

They've been playing the system using a visa that wasn't intended to be used long term, and now they've been caught.  If they don't have the money required for a marriage extension, then they really shouldn't have been living here in the first place.

i think we all have our gripes about rules both at home and here in Thailand.  If people are "working the system" to stay here but are not causing any harm then i say more power to them.  because someone doesn't have the "financial resources" required by the state you seem to bee on board with kicking them out.  very compassionate of you

 

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by Faz
off topic comments removed.

[Stonker]

5 minutes ago, Marble-eye said:

You have made it abundantly clear that you don't have any sympathy how other expats extend their visas, but why it should bother you so much is a mystery to some of us. Can't you just get on with your life and let everybody else get on with theirs. Have you any proof that the way other people do their extensions has an affect on how you do yours. 

I am getting on with my life and letting others get on with theirs.

I'm simply saying why I have so little sympathy for those few expats who reflect badly on the vast majority of other expats in Thailand, which one or two seem to be taking personally.

Do I have any "proof" that Thai immigration and the Embassies tightened things up because the system was getting abused?

Only what the then Consul in Bangkok and the then head of immigration in Pattaya told me.

[Stonker]

2 minutes ago, Changnam43 said:

And they have extended the 60 day extension scheme again!

Pour out some more hate.  Vent your spleen.

You know you want to.

You seem to know very little.  A lack of sympathy isn't "hate" - it's simply a lack of sympathy.