Hello,
This is an update to my post last week regarding my trailing spouse wife being issued the wrong Non O visa (retirement vs. work) in Shanghai.
Background & advice: [[members only])
First, thanks to all for the inputs. Here is the follow-up, which is great news!
We sent another strongly worded email last week to the Thai consulate in Shanghai to every email address we had for them (3 different ones – same time).
However, we also had our secret weapon, my 73 year old Shanghainese mother-in-law (MIL). We sent her to the Shanghai consulate early Monday morning. My wife tried to explain the entire situation to her mother about being issued the wrong type of Non O visa as a dependent/trailing spouse who is age 47 for retirement, not work related. We are pretty positive her mother didn’t really understand it, but we sent her anyway.
So, she goes to the consulate with her boyfriend. As they are early, they wait and boyfriend offers security guard a cigarette (helpful for next part). MIL marches up to the window as it opens and tries to explain the situation. Window person says we can’t help. MIL is also now continuously facetiming/wechatting with my wife at this point. They consult. My MIL returns and is a bit more strident. Rejected and turned away. More consulting. Third time return and even louder and energetic. She now has a small audience of other people waiting for help. Rejected more forcefully, but security guard doesn’t want to get involved (especially as older person)
More consulting and returned for the 4th time. This time my MIL is successful to get a Thai person in charge to hear her story. The Thai official takes our information and promises to call my wife about it within 3-5 days and my MIL leaves satisfied.
So, next day, around 2:15 pm Thai time, my wife receives this updated visa via email (see picture). It has been revised. We go to Phuket Immigration on Wed to double check that there will be no problems when she tries to extend and we are told that this is fine.
So, happy spouse, happy house. Just wait for extension application Sep. 25, and if that goes through, we made it this far!
TLDR : Answer Summary
The post details a successful attempt to resolve a visa issue for a trailing spouse who was incorrectly issued a Non O visa for work instead of retirement. The author describes how their 73-year-old mother-in-law visited the Thai consulate in Shanghai multiple times, ultimately persuading a Thai official to review the case. After sending a detailed email to the consulate and having the mother-in-law advocate in person, the issue was resolved, and the wife received the correct visa via email the next day. This story highlights the importance of persistence and support in the visa application process.
NON-O RETIREMENT VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
- Go to the Retirement Visa Section for information on requirements, including age restrictions, financial requirements, and necessary documentation.
- For immediate assistance, contact Thai Visa Centre directly via LINE at @ThaiVisaCentre or Email them.
- Explore recent discussions by using the Non-O Retirement Visa tag in the search box at the top of the page.
- Join the Thai Visa Advice Facebook Group to ask your questions, and get advice from others.
