What options do a US citizen and her college-enrolled sons have for visas in Thailand if facing high financial requirements?

Keep in mind that Chiang Mai immigrations requires that you have at least 21 days remaining on your current 30 day visa exempt entry or your 60 day tourist visa entry to apply for a Non-Immigrant type visa at the immigration office there.

That's why I said they should ALL get single entry tourist visas before they come here, it'll buy them enough time to get here, get their ducks in order and then go apply without running out of time. ;)

@Mary *******

, where are you getting the information that the kids going to college on ED visas would need income statements?

As far as the mother you're confusing the requirements to get a Non-O-A visa from a thai consulate OUTSIDE the country with the requirements to get a Non-O visa (note there is no A after it) INSIDE the country at the immigration office, she wouldn't need a police back ground check or a medical certificate to apply for a 90 day Non-O visa.

The best advice I could give would be for ALL of them to get single entry tourist visas from a thai consulate before they wing their way here. That's because they'll get stamped in for 60 days and they could extend that by another 30 if they needed to at the immigration office for 1900baht. That 90 days would certainly buy them enough time to get their ducks in a row documentation wise so that the kids can apply for a 90 day ED visa and the mother can apply for a 90 day Non-O visa.

If she’s from the US she can get a financial statement

Suggestion - have her get her facts straight and do not panic.

There has to be some wires crossed somewhere.

Is the family already in thailand?

Where did your friend get the alleged financial requirements?

I would say she needs to do more "discovery" :O

The kids can get their own ED visas based on them being enrolled in college (that requires NO financial proof on the parents part)

AND

if she's over 50 she can get her own "retirement visa" using the 800K baht in a thai bank account OR a letter from her consulate stating she gets 65K baht a month in income (pension etc) OR a combination of banked and income that totals 800K baht in a year.

If the kids are enrolled at CMU they should qualify for education visas of their own