BritTim

That is a controversial question. It can be argued that a senior official can decide what constitutes reasonable proof, and could find reasonable grounds (such as the time needed to get legalisation through the courts) as justification for waiving commonly required proof. In that situation, it might be necessary to have a well connected person to argue your case. On the other hand, there will obviously be suspicions that financial incentives are being used to influence the official's decision. That, in itself, would not be sufficient to invalidate the extension, but it would render it morally questionable.

The application for the initial Non O visa at Immigration is taken under consideration. Extensions on the basis of retirement are approved straight away at the local immigration office.

A distressing experience, for sure. One would think that by the third time, Immigration would realise that your wife was truly dead.

If you are planning to apply for a Non O visa based on Thai children in Savannakhet, be aware (i) you can only get a single entry visa (unlike when based on Thai spouse); and (ii) while it is correct that only 200k baht has been needed in the past, the current requirements are not clear. You can get a single entry Non O visa there based on your wife with no financial proof, so going for the child visa there seems to make no sense. Applying for the visa at an immigration office in Thailand, you would need the same 400k baht needed for Thai wife (though, officially, seasoning is not supposed to be needed).

If you are still getting the "not secure" message, beware! It is possible you are the victim of a man-in-the-middle attack. I do not see this when I visit the page.

It is possible in theory. The Immigration official is going to have the same question I do: why do you want to do that? Your wife would need to go with you to the immigration office, together with at least one of your children.

Am I correct that you did not need a 12 month statement from your bank, and the bank book by itself was accepted? Were there any consolidated entries in your bank book since your last extension?

It seems you are lucky. Thai immigration at that border crossing can sometimes do much worse things to those arriving. In future, avoid going there.

Immigration can be lenient, depending on the office, but you can usually expect a fine if past the seven day grace period (regardless of public holidays).

If you have a critical reason for needing to travel, it can be arranged. You need to discuss it with the local immigration office, explaining the trip dates and why it is essential. You will get a re-entry permit and must return by the report back date when the under consideration period is expected to be over.

Savannakhet does issue Non O visas based on retirement with funds in an overseas bank account, but I do not think an IRA account would qualify. You could ask them. At best, this would mean border bounces every 90 days, but that would likely not be a major issue if you live in Mukdahan.

No need.

It is extremely rare. In cases where there is a problem, you will usually be contacted by phone, and given the opportunity to fix the defect in your application. However, the senior official at Division headquarters has discretion. There can be cases where this official is incensed by something in your Immigration history (a vendetta against a particular agent, or a previous volunteer visa issued to a non volunteer, for instance) and decides to retaliate for reasons unrelated to the normal conditions for receiving the extension.

The termination letter shows that you have been in compliance with the conditions of your permission to stay up until the time you leave. Immigration require the letter to catch people who get the extension, but then fail to study as required. There are other situations where Immigration also wants to retrospectively check that people have satisfied the terms of their extensions.

The immigration office might give you the 60-day extension to visit your son, based on the birth certificate and both the child and the mother being with you. That is the absolute maximum you can expect.

When the child is only one-year old, the only ways to legalise are by (i) marrying the mother (which I assume you do not want to do); or (ii) by petitioning the court. The latter is not as daunting as it sounds, but does take some time. If you can afford it, use a family lawyer to simplify matters.

The wording of the school's letter, stating that you planned to stop and giving a future date, is exactly what you want. It means the permission to stay is terminated with effect later, giving you time to leave (or, for some people, have time to arrange a new extension).

You will need to wait until nearer December 15 for the appointment slots for that period to be opened up.

The simplest solution, rather than a visa exempt entry, would be to have a Non O visa (applied for through the e-visa system) prior to your arrival. That gives you an initial 90-day permission to stay which can easily be extended for a further 60 days at the Immigration office with minimal bureaucracy. With the visa exemption, you could theoretically apply for a 30-day extension, followed by a 60-day extension to visit your Thai wife, but that only gives you 120 days (119 nights). A border bounce by land or air would still be required. Applying for a visa at Immigration to change from a visa exempt entry to a Non Immigrant entry should be possible, most easily for retirement rather than Thai spouse. However, it is taken under consideration with a report back date later to confirm the fresh 90-day permission to stay it provides. You would still need the 60-day extension later to get over the desired 126 days. One further caution, if you stay some distance from the Chiang Rai immigration office: that office has been known to refuse to accept applications for visas to convert from a visa exempt entry when you live a long way from the immigration office.

I assume you are on a one-year extension of your permission to stay based on retirement (given at the immigration office) after previously receiving a Non O visa. In that case, ensure you get a re-entry permit before leaving, or your permission to stay will be dead. Coming back with a re-entry permit, the expiry date of your permission to stay will be the same as now. If instead you entered Thailand on a Non-OA (long stay) visa, and the visa will not have expired at the time of your return, then you will receive a new one-year permission to stay on entry.

There should be no problem getting a 30-day extension of his permission to stay at the Korat immigration office. Correct

It varies a bit by immigration office, and whether you apply significantly before the end of your current permission to stay. The minimum is usually about 30 days.

An extension at an Immigration office has nothing to do with Poipet. The problem I allude to is trying to cross the border to/from Aranyaprathey and Poipet. Unless you are looking for trouble, do not risk it.

Considering specifically Cambodia, stay away from Poipet/Aranyaprathet. That aside, a border bounce is feasible. A bribe to Cambodian immigration for a same day return can be expected. That is necessary because of a Cambodian law that mandates an overnight stay for most visitors. Using a visa run company (while often uncomfortable) can make the process simpler for the inexperienced. Expect the need to dodge scams if doing it independently. From Pak Chong, the crossing at Chong Chom (Surin) is probably easiest, and should be OK. The above said, in your friend's position, I would consider going to Chong Mek (Ubon Ratchathani) and doing the bounce to Laos, especially if doing it independently without the aid of a visa run service. Make sure you have clean, undamaged US dollars to pay for the visa on arrival for Laos.

Whether you made a mistake depends on your ongoing travel plans. If you travel outside Thailand on a frequent basis, it may be more convenient to come and go on the multiple entry visa, rather than ensure you do not need to travel during the under consideration period for an extension. If you will be mostly in Thailand, with only the occasional overseas trip, then it will likely be better to have the one-year permission to stay with re-entry permit(s).