Yes.

No

Maybe.

All depends on the IO

@Curtis ******

true. I did my application outside the country. 2 trips to the embassy (and 40,000 pieces of fairly easy to obtain paper) and it was done.

Flying in and doing the O after arrival exposes one to a world of silly hassles. Sure, lots of people get thru it but many use an agent, why have that cost at all?

Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on the IO in front of you.

Get a proper visa

@Justin ***********

bank letter certifying funds on hand

@Cris *****

the only consistent thing is inconsistency

@Cris *****

wasn’t when I first applied nor at my first extension

@Peter ******

sure would. God what a PITA

@Bill ********

you’re lucky until the government changes the rules. Also you’re out of pocket for stuff you could have done. For me it was two trips to the embassy in Singapore and done.

Go thru the threads to find agencies that have decent reps. However, it seems using an agency comes with risks.

1). Appears you end up tied to one immigration office. If you move that can be a problem

2). You’re handing over the whole bank guarantee process to the agent. On the face of it this doesn’t seem wise and creates opportunities for all manner of risk if and when the government does one of their periodic immigration crack downs.

You can do all of this yourself either by getting an O A in your home country or getting an O after arrival. There’s a bit of running around, printing, stamping and signing but IMO it’s worth it

@Sasi ***********

I agree with you. People who are stretched and play around trying to meet the 800k or 65k a month by playing games really should not have residence visas.

They can’t afford it and they risk become a burden on local society