@Jacques ****

even if it's done through a law firm, it's still illegal even if it's accepted practice

@Sunny ******

take your rental agreement to immigration. They can look up the tm30 on their own.

@Jacques ****

and you have no say in what bank and what branch. If the bribed immigration officer who provides the false pretense visa gets busted then every visa they approved could be reviewed for correctness. Getting off the agent train can also be difficult since they have connections in both immigration and the bank branch. You can go that route if you choose. Just be sure you understand the risks. And you have to do it again in 90 days for the 1st extension.

@Alan ******

yes

@Sangho ****

correct. But to get the non-o in USA you have to show either $24k in bank account or 6 months or so of deposits of $2000. Then when you get your evisa you come here and open a Thai bank account and deposit ฿800k within the first month. At the end of 3 months, you apply for your 1ST 12 month extension based on the ฿800k. You would then either just leave the 800k or start depositing the ฿65k every month for 12 consecutive months to apply for your 2ND 12 month extension. This means you would start your deposits BEFORE your 1st extension application.

Yes, start transferring now monthly. It's 12 months prior to application of your extension.

You can prove your income from your bank statements for getting your non-o visa from your home country. However, you have to have the 800k in a Thai bank account 2 months prior to your 1yr extension. The only way around this is to pay an agent to bribe an immigration officer. Works until it doesn't.

@Sylvia *******

I guess in all fairness (since the OP is from the UK) that Any healthcare that's not free probably seems expensive.

@Sylvia *******

health care here is not expensive at all. Private hospitals like Bangkok Hospital are 25% the cost in USA and IMHO, the care is better.

@Eric *****

if you apply abroad, you only need the money in Thai bank 2 months before extension application. Dollar has gone up some in the past few days. Note that on 800k, the 2฿ exchange rate difference amounts to $50.