Hello, I am running into some roadblocks regarding having my spouse follow me as a dependent on my Non O visa based on retirement and would like some advice.
Background: I'm a US citizen (56 years old) with long time residency in China. My wife is Chinese (47years old). We came to Phuket in April on Tourist visas and I successfully applied for and received the Non O and Extension based on retirement.
My wife returned to Shanghai to apply for her Non O dependent visa online and completed the application. The consulate then asked for further supporting documents. One of the documents they requested was my 'work' permit documentation. We responded that she was applying based on my retirement and resubmitted copies of all of my passport stamps. They came back and asked again for the work documents. They never responded to these, so my wife went in person to the Shanghai consulate to follow up.
She received her eVisa the following week and traveled to Phuket on August 9th (see photo). The 'Visa Conditions' are in Thai, while everything else is in English.
We went to the Phuket immigration yesterday to update her TM30 and also to double check on her requirements for linking to my extension. When the immigration officer reviewed the evisa, he informed me she received a visa based on 'work', not retirement, and then therefore could not link to my extension.
So, we tried contacting the Shanghai consulate via email and phone, but didn't receive a response and could never get through via email. So, I called the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok to see if they could help us. The woman I talked to said that the new policy as of Jan. 1 is that no dependent visas based on Retirement are now allowed. She suggested that my wife life in Thailand on some other sort of visa, such as a Tourist visa.
So, any advice as to what we can do?
TLDR : Answer Summary
The user is facing challenges with their wife's Non-O dependent visa, which was issued based on 'work' rather than retirement, preventing linkage to the user's retirement extension. Despite efforts to rectify this with the Shanghai consulate and Thai immigration, the situation remains unresolved, especially after learning about a new policy that restricts dependent visas for retirees. Suggestions and insights from the community indicate that the only workaround may be exploring options at different consulates, such as in Penang, Malaysia.
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.
