Some Bangkok Embassies to stop Certification of Income Letters

[buksida]

I'm a little confused on this as well, I don't do this type of visa extension but ...

Is it only UK nationals that need to provide this embassy letter? Do all embassies offer this service for immigration or only select ones, if so why does Thai immigration demand letters from some but not others? How do nationals with embassies that don't provide letters prove income?

[Big Boy]

I don't know if all embassies provide the letter, but I've certainly seen other nationalities at immigration with similar letters.

I honestly don't understand why they are stopping, because at about £50 a shout, they must have been self financing, at least, and probably a source of embassy income.

[T.O.M.]

I'm a little confused on this as well, I don't do this type of visa extension but ...

How do nationals with embassies that don't provide letters prove income?

Via a bank statement saying that money has been transferred from abroad between extensions.
With no savings immigration want to see 800.000/yearly.
With let's say 400.000 savings (in the account 3 months before extension) they want to see 400.000 income.
Income doesn't have to come from abroad...Stock dividends from Thai stocks and interest from savings in a Thai bank account are also considered income and accepted by immigration.

[buksida]

But this is the whole point - the letter proves the income is abroad. We all know the requirements for income within Thailand. Are Brits the only ones that can (could) have income abroad?

[Big Boy]

I'm a little confused on this as well, I don't do this type of visa extension but ...

How do nationals with embassies that don't provide letters prove income?

Via a bank statement saying that money has been transferred from abroad between extensions.
With no savings immigration want to see 800.000/yearly.
With let's say 400.000 savings (in the account 3 months before extension) they want to see 400.000 income.
Income doesn't have to come from abroad...Stock dividends from Thai stocks and interest from savings in a Thai bank account are also considered income and accepted by immigration.

How do you know a bank statement will be accepted? Until now, a bank statement alone would not have been acceptable from a Brit.

Basically, how do people who don't have these letters prove that their income is genuine? My pension is genuine, I more than qualify for a retirement visa, but until now, Immigration insist I provide my proof of income to my embassy, who certify it as genuine.

[lomuamart]

Wrong. It's 800K THB in a Thai bank account or 65K overseas income (12x65 = 780K). I'm splitting hairs, I know, but those are the rules.
Until now, there has been no need to show that 65K THB a month has been transferred into a Thai bank every month. The only requirement has been that the applicant has to demonstrate an overseas income of that amount which was shown by an Embassy letter.
Whether Imm will now accept the proof of income that the UK Embassy always needed (ie bank statements, rental statements, pension statements etc etc - just proof of income) or whether Imm will require Thai bank statements showing transfers of 65K THB a month into a Thai bank account is uncertain.
I always take to Imm the evidence of income that I supplied the British Embassy with but never supply it and have never been asked for it. The letter always sufficed.
It seems like that will change now (at least for Brits) but whether the evidence that Imm will now require will be the same as the UK embassy required or whether Imm will demand transfers of 65K into a Thai bank account every month is uncertain.
And there could be a huge difference for some people. Ie, they have pension income of 70K THB a month but only need to transfer 40K THB a month to live a happy life here. The remainder is saved in the UK for a rainy day. Who knows their circumstances, but if they have to bring in the full 65K, well maybe that will be too much for them.

[T.O.M.]

How do you know a bank statement will be accepted? Until now, a bank statement alone would not have been acceptable from a Brit.

Basically, how do people who don't have these letters prove that their income is genuine? My pension is genuine, I more than qualify for a retirement visa, but until now, Immigration insist I provide my proof of income to my embassy, who certify it as genuine.

I think that is the point of this whole exercise....The Thai authorities want to see your pension coming to Thailand.
In theory you could have a pension of 100.000 baht/month paid in UK and only transfer 20.000/month here, which will buy you an extension for only 240.000/year. Not fair to the people using the savings method of 800.000 in their bank account.
In your case BB, clearly here to stay, why not put 800k into a Thai bank account ? Will make life easier for both yourself and immigration. And you will not have to worry about exchange rate fluctuations...(no-deal Brexit)

[Big Boy]

So, there is no precedent that we can follow it's all guesswork - I'll be honest, I hate guesswork. What will this farce actually achieve, other than a few poor Brits having to return to the UK and become a burden on the state?

To me this rings of colonial Britain telling a foreign government how to run their country. Will we send a gunboat up the Chao Praya next? I'm only in my 7th year in Thailand, but I know that the Thai government will not take kindly to an outside party trying to dictate internal policy.

Yes, there are solutions, but why fix it if it isn't broken? I am legal in Thailand, and my circumstances have not changed one little bit. The nigger (am I allowed to say that) in the woodpile is the UK government. Nothing to do with Thailand. Most of us have agreed to and accepted the rules under which we have retired here.

It's not as if the UK doesn't have anything else more important to worry about than bullying a few Expats who have opted for a bit of sunshine in their twilight years.

[buksida]

Nothing to do with Thailand.

It is if immigration accept other nationalities having overseas income without demanding an embassy letter. Hence my original question.

[Big Boy]

And I replied that I've seen similar letters from other nation's embassies.

However, I'm fast coming to the conclusion that none of this discussion is based on fact, it's just people's personal interpretation of a statement by the UK government.

[Dannie Boy]

Well come 1st January 2019, we should all find out what Thai Imm will or won’t accept.

[lomuamart]

Have Imm changed the law or is it just The British Embassy who have again shown their true colours by cutting back their services to their nationals? Until I read further, I reckon it's the latter. It's just a willful disregard by the embassy twats.
However, I do agree with you T.O.M that the outcome could be that applicants will now need to show that they bring in 65/40K THB a month.
And as far as "fair"is concerned, those who choose to qualify by depositing 800K in a Thai bank account don't actually have to spend that each year. Maybe they're happy getting by on 40K a month and just top their accounts up to the 800K in time each year?
Then what's fair? In my eyes it certainly isn't to those who prefer the income route and may be required to bring money over here every month. At least those who go the savings route can be more flexible by only topping up - other than the original investment.
And remember there have been no changes to Imm law - yet. This just seems to be a one-off selfish, lazy move by those who represent the British government and I, for one, really hope that they enjoy their new surroundings in an office block around Silom rather than luxuriating in the grounds at Plonchit. The twats deserve everything that's coming to them. (You can probably tell that after 20 years here, I don't have a very high regard of my Mission).

[Dannie Boy]

Have Imm changed the law or is it just The British Embassy who have again shown their true colours by cutting back their services to their nationals? Until I read further, I reckon it's the latter. It's just a willful disregard by the embassy twats.
However, I do agree with you T.O.M that the outcome could be that applicants will now need to show that they bring in 65/40K THB a month.
And as far as "fair"is concerned, those who choose to qualify by depositing 800K in a Thai bank account don't actually have to spend that each year. Maybe they're happy getting by on 40K a month and just top their accounts up to the 800K in time each year?
Then what's fair? In my eyes it certainly isn't to those who prefer the income route and may be required to bring money over here every month. At least those who go the savings route can be more flexible by only topping up - other than the original investment.
And remember there have been no changes to Imm law - yet. This just seems to be a one-off selfish, lazy move by those who represent the British government and I, for one, really hope that they enjoy their new surroundings in an office block around Silom rather than luxuriating in the grounds at Plonchit. The twats deserve everything that's coming to them. (You can probably tell that after 20 years here, I don't have a very high regard of my Mission).

To be fair to the guys in the “Mission” Lomu, the decision to sell the old Embassy would have been taken by the finance guys back in London, the local guys are just the puppets who move in whatever direction the strings are being pulled.

[migrant]

It's unfortunate, those that relied on the income letter, and have less than 3 months until renewal seem screwed

[Big Boy]

I guess I'm lucky that I don't renew until July. We should have some facts to work on by then. I feel truly sorry for those who will be renewing early in the year, and we should all be grateful for their efforts in clearing the mists for the rest of us.

I don't believe Thailand wants to lose it's expat community - OK, I spend about £20K per year here, but have averaged a lot more than that since moving here (car, house, etc). I'm only a small drop in a big ocean, but multiply that by all who have chosen Thailand, it will be a big loss to local economies if some are forced out.