@Allan ********

wise has a monthly limit, doesn't it ? Can you send $24k USD all at once ?

@Brandon ***********

i did mine in jomtien

@Brandon ***********

scenario 2 you describe, first 1-year extension, can be done with 12 monthly transfers. I just did it. I had the 12 monthly transfers. They approved it. Non-O, first 1-year extension after the initial 90 day visa.

I also had the 800k, but I told them I wanted the monthly transfer method. They didn't tell me to come back in with my bank book in 3 months to show I still had the money.

Admittedly, having the 800k might have been the reason why I was approved. Do you have any documentation to support your assertion that it isn't allowed ?

You got a good deal

I paid for a fraction of that

Use the TM18 form in jomtien/Pattaya

@Brandon ***********

there's really no prohibition on using monthly income for the first annual extension on the 90 day non-O visa, you just gotta have a 12 month history of transfers. For people who are doing this for the first time, they aren't going to have this. In my case, my previous visa expired while I was on a two month trip back to my home country. I transferred money during those two months, as well as each month prior for several years.

@Brandon ***********

I have a Non-O. I used 800k for the initial 90 day visa, but I just used monthly income to obtain my first yearly extension. Extension was approved

@Rogerio *****

"The VO's decision making process is a black box" ... to people on the outside yes. But I've had numerous lengthy discussions with dozens of consular officers over the course of 13 years and it isn't too hard to understand. Every B1/B2 applicant is a potential immigrant. Each applicant has to convince the adjudicating consular officer that there is a compelling reason for the applicant to return to their home country. Day of the week, time of day, whether the consular officer is hungry or not ... this is nothing but speculation based on anecdotal evidence, and any FSO you ask will agree with me.

My wife got her foot in the door because I was a retired FSO. But if I had a domicile in the USA, if I resided in the USA and only visited Thailand rather than the other way around, she would have had a compelling reason to overstay and they would have denied the visa, despite my former career.

"documents are hardly used for adjudication because they can be faked" this is a broad generalization and it's validity depends on the country. Each consular officer is briefed on the fraud situation at their assigned post. Philippines is a special case and you can't apply assumptions about Manila to other countries. Manila ranks among the top 5 posts worldwide for visa volume and has a lot of fraud. Bangkok is nowhere near Manila in the visa volume and fraud threat.

@Rogerio *****

all valid points, and thanks for that interesting youtube vid. I don't think the former visa officer refutes anything I'm saying. He's absolutely right that the consular officers have to work fast and complete scores of interviews per day.

The process can be subjective and arbitrary, I agree, but I'm inclined to disbelieve that you HAVE to be married to a retired FSO to get them to look at your documents. They just have to like what you said during those first two critical questions. Whats your job ? What's your boyfriend's job ?

You must realize that your Facebook groups and advocacy on social media attracts mostly people who have been refused visas, right ? That, and your own personal experience, might be skewing your perception. As you showed me, the refusal rate today is only about 25% in Thailand. That means a lot of people have succeeded in getting their documents examined and visas approved. Not all of them are married to retired FSOs.

@Rogerio *****

you should also be aware that the adjudicating consular officer has on his computer screen a wealth of information about the applicant. Not just the details provided in the application, but name-check database results that include input from the local police, the Thai government, interpol, FBI, DHS, and also criminal history data from other allied governments that share info with the USA. So they know if she's applied for visas elsewhere or had any trouble with the police in almost any country.