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ecline

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  1. I know you are correct. It's just disheartening and I am very much wanting to retire. If they would let me give up my work permit, I wouldn't care that much if it took another 5 years. But it is what it is. Suck it up and one day it will happen. (End of whining session)
  2. I applied in June 2021, so I called the MOI today to check my status. Last year the Bangkok special Branch told us they sent my docs to the MOI in August last year. Today the MOI told me they received my docs in December of last year and that there was zero chance of an interview this year and that there was a good chance I won't get an interview next year either. I don't know what happened there, but my citizenship bid seems to have been been set back by quite a while. The guy on the phone implied that I should not call again and that someone would be in touch when my time comes. 37 years in this country and I have always tried to do the right thing. It sure doesn't seem to count for much.....
  3. What phone number would one call to check on this? I applied in June '21. It would be interesting to see what they say about a possible time frame for the MOI interview.
  4. So I had a similar experience with the consulate in Chiang Mai. They said they couldn't issue a letter saying I intend to renounce my citizenship. I relayed this to the SB in BKK and they sent me a sample letter from a previous American applicant. The gist of the letter was simply that the US has no insight into the intentions of its citizens and therefore cannot attest to them. That text plus passport number and SB case number was enough to satisfy SB and the consulate was happy to notarize it. I can dig the letter up if someone wants it.
  5. Could well be. I think mine went closer to the middle of July
  6. This is really discouraging :-( My docs went to the MOI 8 months ago. I had hoped I would get my interview this year, but I guess that ain't gonna happen. Does anyone know how many times per year they conduct interviews normally?
  7. Thanks for the info. I certainly won't be giving up my WP before the MOI interview. SB sent my docs to the MOI already, so it would be pretty lame to not wait at least until the interview with them was complete. I was thinking maybe it would be ok after having taken the oath. I guess I will see what people say about the process as time goes on and make a decision as I get a bit closer to the end of the process.
  8. Does anyone have a definitive answer as to when an applicant for citizenship can give up their work permit? My documents have only just been sent to MOI since applying 14 months ago. I will be wanting to retire sooner rather than later and I am wondering if I really need to maintain my WP right up to the moment of getting my Thai ID card. Is it OK give it up after the MOI interview? After taking the oath? Any insight would be appreciated. Cheers!
  9. Yeah, covid definitely threw a spanner into the works. I applied one year ago and only had my NIA interview in February, nearly nine months after I applied. Since you applied, applications appear to be taking a bit longer to process. Interesting to hear about your work permit. I am pretty much ready to retire, but I don't dare turn in my work permit just yet. I will probably wait until the MOI interview before I do that.
  10. There isn't a set time to the granting of citizenship applications, but these days it appears to be taking between three and four years. Note that you have to keep your work permit and visa valid for the three tax years leading up to your application and for all the years your application is under consideration. This is super important. Any lapse in work permit or visa validity will disqualify you. I took Thai lessons well over 30 years ago. I don't remember having any special technique to trying to learn the letters and tone rules. I do remember being quite frustrated for a time until one day things just "clicked" and I went from knowing the letters but not being able to read to suddenly being able to read. I studied Mandarin Chines for quite a while before that, and trying to learn to read and write was pretty challenging. For that I just wrote characters over and over and over again until they stuck. I basically just did the same with Thai. It seemed to work. Just keep plugging away at it and you will get there. Sadly I have forgotten most of the Chinese characters I learned, but at least I can still speak a bit. Best of luck!
  11. I applied for Thai citizenship last year. It is most definitely not impossible to get, you do not need a lawyer, and it is not expensive. In fact, it costs way less than PR. With that out of the way, there is a new requirement for a formal Thai language test to be given to all applicants. I don't know what the level will be, but it almost certainly will not be at a very advanced level. Basic reading, writing and conversation will be plenty for you to pass the test and get maximum points for the language criteria. As others have noted, you definitely want to learn to read and write. You should do that concurrently with your conversational language study. Thai is not Chinese. Their written system is an alphabet with rules. While it is way more complex than English, it is not super difficult to get up to speed. A matter of months should be all you need to read road signs and the like. There is a Thai civics test that will be administered in Thai (that might actually be the language test, I am not sure about that) and you should concentrate on that after the first few months or the first year of study. It is not over the top difficult, Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Thai citizenship applications are evaluated on a points-based merit system. Education, income level and Thai language ability are the most important categories in the points system. You can easily find the details searching Google or this forum. If you don't have a degree, get one if you can, but it is not strictly necessary. Also, be sure you get your name in a Yellow Book if haven't already. Being in the book for 5 years gets you "bonus points". Anyway, if you want citizenship here, you can most likely get it. Learn the requirements, make a plan, and execute it. And be really, really, really patient ???? EDIT: You don't have to sing the anthem if you are married to a Thai national. Also, there is a thread on Asean Now (ThaiVisa) called something like "My story of getting Thai citizenship". The thread has run for many years and is still active today. You can find it easily using the forum search tools. Lots of people currently going through the process (including myself) are active on that forum. You can get any citizenship question answered there.
  12. They made their own copy. I didn't even need the sealed santiban letters except for the fact that the one requesting a letter declaring my intent to renounce my citizenship had my case number on it.
  13. So I just did this in June of last year. Like another poster said, SB gave me an embassy letter that another US applicant got from the embassy in Bangkok. I took that to the consulate and Chiang Mai and they basically duplicated it. The letter said something like "The US embassy cannot speak to the intentions of its citizens and therefore cannot issue a letter saying Mr. XXX intends to renounce his citizenship". I am paraphrasing, but that is the gist of it. The SB in Bangkok would not accept me simply saying that the US consulate won't issue such a letter. They insisted on me getting a letter from the consulate/embassy. The consulate didn't charge me for the letter either. I was shocked. Of course they charged me for ther verified passport copy though.
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