British Embassy statement on income letters: Officials knew about problems in May and say that US na

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gotlost

Kap Chong R Us Member
British Embassy statement on income letters: Officials knew about problems in May and say that US nationals will also be affected







The British Embassy in Bangkok has responded to Thaivisa urging for comments on the issuing of letters regarding income.



They said that they had a meeting with immigration in May and told Thaivisa that they are "not verification experts".



They have also claimed that US nationals will also be caught up in the problems as their embassy is also said to be stopping notarized letters in this regard as well.



The reply to questions from Thaivisa came in a statement via email from the British Embassy.



The full text of the reply is below:



"The decision was made by the British Embassy following a meeting with immigration in May in which they confirmed that they expect the embassy to verify all sources of income of British Nationals requesting an income letter. Consular officers are not verification experts and therefore cannot fulfil (sic) this requirement. We also cannot verify income from every income source in every country of the world. Thai Immigration is able to verify the income in a Thai bank account, therefore British Nationals should show evidence of minimum funds for their visa type by showing a Thai bank statement and/or bank book. This is not a new requirement and has always been an option for foreigners renewing retirement and marriage visas in Thailand".



Regarding the way forward the British Embassy Bangkok told Thaivisa.com



"British Nationals should now demonstrate that they have an amount of at least 800,000 THB in an account in Thailand for no less than three months prior to the visa application, or a monthly income of at least 65,000 THB transferred into an account in Thailand for a retirement visa. For a marriage visa, the amounts are at least 400,000 THB in an account in Thailand for no less than three months prior to the visa application, or a monthly income of at least 40,000 THB transferred into an account in Thailand. A bank statement should be used as the supporting document for obtaining a Thai retirement or marriage visa. If the British National doesn’t already have a bank account, they should open one and follow the steps above".



Asked if they were aware of action by other embassies the British Embassy Bangkok said:



"Yes we are aware that the US embassy will also be stopping their notarised income letter. Please contact them directly for further information".



The issue has been one of the most widely commented upon stories of the year on Thaivisa.



Meanwhile the embassies of New Zealand and the Netherlands have confirmed to Thaivisa that they have no plans to stop the similar services they offer to their nationals in Thailand.



"There is no change to the New Zealand Embassy’s current process. New Zealand nationals are welcome to visit the Embassy to complete a statutory declaration - and declare their income.



"Alternatively, the Embassy can also issue a consular letter to those who present evidence that income earned is from the Ministry of Work and Income (WINZ) or Ministry of Social Development (MSD). The fee for completing a statutory declaration or consular letter is THB 1,330."


A statement from the Embassy of the Netherlands read: "There is no indication that the Dutch Government is going to stop this service for its nationals".



Earlier this week the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok told Thaivisa it had no plans change to its current process.

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topi...-say-that-us-nationals-will-also-be-affected/
 
I see that the British embassy still cannot get the nomenclature or facts correct. No wonder that the Thai Immigration will not accept their letters.
 
Coffee said:
Would appear basically so.

("...been bollocks" sure sounds kinder than 'full of shyte'.)
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I disagree. "Full of shite" indicates that the information contained in said verification letters was incorrect which may or not have been true. "Bollocks" indicates that their verification was un-researched and therefore should not be considered a correct document legally.

That's my take anyway.
 
If they provided verification letters without any valid verification than those letters from the embassy were full of shyte as far as the process of verification goes. (That's my take on it.)

Yes of course Yorky , you may slice it any which way you want.

Care for that type of verification for corroborating evidence at a crime scene too ?
 
Nothing on that US Embassy site's page that suggests they verify US citizens' income either. On the contrary: They provide you with an affidavit to sign in which the citizen him/herself verifies the income - which could be a work of fiction as the Embassy simply confirms that the affidavit was signed before the consular official, and that it does not guarantee the contents of the sworn statement.
 
Merlin said:
Nothing on that US Embassy site's page that suggests they verify US citizens' income either. On the contrary: They provide you with an affidavit to sign in which the citizen him/herself verifies the income - which could be a work of fiction as the Embassy simply confirms that the affidavit was signed before the consular official, and that it does not guarantee the contents of the sworn statement.
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And they are still doing this and have made no announcement to stop.:cool:
 
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We must now wait for the anonceme!
For christ sake, I can't wait for the anonceme!

You should have a spellchecker, GL. Not wait to read your mistakes here.
Form not bloody forum while you're at it.
 
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When I applied for PR, 29 years ago, I required a document from the Embassy stating that I had no criminal record in the UK. I went to the Embassy, was asked "do you have a criminal record?" No I replied. Form duly completed, signed and stamped.

That was bollocks. no verification, but since it was the truth, the document was not "full of shyte":)
 
Any person that swears an affidavit/stat dec., faces a charge of perjuring themself if in fact it's knowingly untruthful.
 
0ddb88985dc164b49c839d3da3dc9e48.jpg
 
Articles and responses on https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topi...ncome-letters-for-british-expats-in-thailand/ will be of interest to several on here.

For reference, while the petitioner claims that 12 people signed the petition during the first hour, and https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/230120/moderation-info states that 5 responses have "already" been received, the significance of 5 responses is that that number is necessary for a petition to become valid. It is not a denial that 12 people responded in the first hour.

Elsewhere within the Thai Visa link, Brits en masse are encouraged by the Embassy's consular section to email them (as nomad has already done) at: consularenquiriesbangkok@fco.gov.uk The more people who do so, the more likely it is to effect a reversal of the decision. The subliminal message there is to email them too if there are other consular changes which may concern you - we've already seen services cut, so the thin end of the wedge is already becoming thicker.
 
Thanks for drawing that article to my attention Merlin. I do not usually log on to Thai Visa. The petition is not yet available for adding ones name to. I will do so once it become available. I agree with some of the sentiment expressed in Thai Visa - get off our collective arses and inundate the Embassy with emails/letters. Do nothing and we will be rolled over. The Embassy is there to support its British citizens, not customers, living in Thailand. They should realise the difficulties this change of policy will bring and fight tooth and nail to protect our continued stay in Thailand.
 
nomad97 said:
The Embassy is there to support its British citizens, not customers, living in Thailand.
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You've basically been disenfranchised by the British government as you no longer have residency and thereby no longer have the privilege to vote.
(Do you really believe that elected officialdom in Britain cares about you ?)

You've basically been marginalized into thinking that you no longer have any say or power to do anything...except on an expat forum.

This is the sad state of affairs for many British expats who decided to reside overseas.
 
Coffee said:
You've basically been disenfranchised by the British government as you no longer have residency and thereby no longer have the privilege to vote.
(Do you really believe that elected officialdom in Britain cares about you ?)

You've basically been marginalized into thinking that you no longer have any say or power to do anything...except on an expat forum.

This is the sad state of affairs for many British expats who decided to reside overseas.
Click to expand...

St9i66.png
:rolleyes:
 
Just listened via Utube an interview with UK Embassy people responsible for this change. They said that in a meeting with Thai Imm BKK, they willacceptThai bank account statements letters showing required amounts of monthly credits coming in the farangs accounts.
We will see how that gets filtered down locally??
 
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