1 year non immigrant B - am I being scammed?

[jaffacakes1]

I have searched the forums for someone with a similar situation to my own to no avail, given the rules change so frequently someone might be in a similar situation or able to advise..

 

I am a British Citizen and Thai work permit holder since mid Jun 2016, my visa is due for renewal this week and the consultancy I use have quoted me the following cots in order to complete the process;

 

- Renewal of a One Year non immigrant B visa 25,000 THB

- Renewal of work permit - 8,100 BHT

 

Also I have been asked for a 'convenience fee' of 10,000 BHT (tea money) which could very well be a consultancy scam, apparently to ensure that if I am not at the offices when / if immigration visit in case I do not happen to be in the office at the time.

 

My question is - are the fees correct for work permit and vis extensions and what would you suggest regarding the 'convenience fee;?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

[Merylhighground]

My immediate reaction to this is don't your employers handle this side of things? 

 

All of our visa/WP matters are handled by our Human Resources (personnel) dept. 

I'm always wary of any 'consultancy services' and if you meet the criteria required, (which you clearly must do as you are a current holder of a WP and Non-Immi  my advice would be to go to your nearest Immigration/Min of Labour office with all your documentation and do it yourself.

[bangkokdavie]

If you can collect all the paperwork yourself (or via employer) and go to immigration it would cost 1,900 Baht for the extension and 3,100 Baht at the Labor Office for your work permit.  

[blackcab]

All an agent does is take the documents prepared by you/your company, get a queue number and hand them in.

 

If the documents are incorrect the agent will ask your company to fix it, then resubmit.

 

If you think that's worth 38,000 baht then go for it.

[farang62]

Non B renewal  8000 baht, includes trip to Malaysia, hotel, meals. Paperwork from your accountant, but for renewal it is minimal.

 

Work permit  2 year extension 6,200 baht and a trip to Suratthani labor office,.

 

Photos, copies extra.

Assumption for above is a a non B multiple entry renewal.

and your paper work is in order, no overstays, no questionable comments in your passport.

 

Easy if you follow the rules and procedures.

 

[Mattd]

1 hour ago, farang62 said:

Non B renewal  8000 baht, includes trip to Malaysia, hotel, meals. Paperwork from your accountant, but for renewal it is minimal.

 

Work permit  2 year extension 6,200 baht and a trip to Suratthani labor office,.

 

Photos, copies extra.

Assumption for above is a a non B multiple entry renewal.

and your paper work is in order, no overstays, no questionable comments in your passport.

 

Easy if you follow the rules and procedures.

 

If you are getting two year extensions on the work permit, then why would you not get a two year extension of stay based on employment as well, rather than the hassle of a ME Non B every year, with the 90 day departures?

It would be a lot cheaper, 1,900 for the extension + 3,800 for the RE permit.

[eisfeld]

jaffacakes1: you already started out in the wrong direction by going to some "agent". If you are working legally and not have some fake employment to get the Non-B and work permit then the best thing to do is get an extension of stay instead of new visa and let your companys HR department sort it for you or do it yourself. This will be much cheaper (order of magnitude) and allow you to stay without having to leave the country. Not sure how one would actually renew a Non-B visa without leaving the country and getting a new one issued.

[scorecard]

 

Simple - This is a scam.

 

Renewal of both items if all is in order is very straightforward, there is nothing which specifically needs any attention by a lawyer or a 'consultant', complex discussion is totally not involved, I encourage you to do it yourself or see if you can convince your HR folks to go to the appropriate office.

 

The Baht numbers you quote are outrageous - pure rip off.

 

I renew my WP at the Bangkok Din Daeng office (I realize not your location). My employer prepares all the documents, the form is available for download (in English), and it's easy to complete, the attachments are copies of the basic business registration documents your company uses regularly, plus copies of your personal documents.

 

I lodge the application (5 minutes), go and have lunch or whatever, go back, pick up my WP book with new dates etc., and pay the money (15 minutes). Done. 

 

No tea money asked for or suggested, none offered.

 

Good luck.

[ujayujay]

It's a rip off. Alone the Question for Tea Money shows it....

[overherebc]

59 minutes ago, Mattd said:

If you are getting two year extensions on the work permit, then why would you not get a two year extension of stay based on employment as well, rather than the hassle of a ME Non B every year, with the 90 day departures?

It would be a lot cheaper, 1,900 for the extension + 3,800 for the RE permit.

 

One reason would be that if your employment finishes after a few months, for whatever reason, then the multi entry visa stays valid and can be used until it expires because it's 'your' visa. 

If you convert to an extension, doing 90 day reports instead of leaving and returning as you must do with the multi entry visa, then your extension of stay is cancelled on the last day of work and you will be given 7 days to leave Thailand.

Hence the reason people need to be clear when asking about 'visas and extensions of stay'.

[Mattd]

19 minutes ago, overherebc said:

 

One reason would be that if your employment finishes after a few months, for whatever reason, then the multi entry visa stays valid and can be used until it expires because it's 'your' visa. 

If you convert to an extension, doing 90 day reports instead of leaving and returning as you must do with the multi entry visa, then your extension of stay is cancelled on the last day of work and you will be given 7 days to leave Thailand.

Hence the reason people need to be clear when asking about 'visas and extensions of stay'.

I agree if the job is terminated, then a visa rather than an extension would be better in terms of being able to stay here, it would be interesting to know how many actually do want to stay if their employment ends.

Bearing in mind the poster I replied to was being issued two yearly work permits, the employment would have to be on dicey grounds, to base the decision of getting two non b visas outside of the country rather than a two year extension of stay, as the latter is IMO a lot simpler and definitely a lot cheaper for the company, who in reality would be normally the ones that had the ultimate say in the way it was done, as they would be paying.

I was on two yearly work permits and extensions for years (through the IEAT rules) and found it a God send, less hassle by far.

In my experience, many of those who go the non b route are normally those whose salary does not qualify for an extension.

Edited October 4, 2017 by Mattd

[overherebc]

2 minutes ago, Mattd said:

I agree if the job is terminated, then a visa rather than an extension would be better in terms of being able to stay here, it would be interesting to know how many actually do want to stay if their employment ends.

Bearing in mind the poster I replied to was being issued two yearly work permits, the employment would have to be on dicey grounds, to base the decision of getting two non b visas outside of the country rather than a two year extension of stay, as the latter is IMO a lot simpler and definitely a lot cheaper for the company, who in reality would be normally the ones that had the ultimate say in the way it was done, as they would be paying.

I was on two yearly work permits for years (through the IEAT rules) and found it a God send, less hassle by far.

In my experience, many of those who go the non b route are normally those whose salary does not qualify for an extension.

If you are referring to teaching jobs re' low salary then yes.

For myself working O & G on 2 and 3 year contracts that was never a factor. I or we, I should say enjoyed a couple of days away every 3 months somewhere around Asia. My wife also worked O&G contract so it really was good to get the weekend breaks as we were doing 6 day weeks. I always used ME non O so never encountered the 7 days and don't pass go.

?

[Monkeyrobot]

Yes your being ripped off, tell them your going to another agent and watch them drop the price. I would go to another agent anyway out of principal, it’s like when I get a BKK taxi and they say 200b for a 80b fare, when I reply no and they drop the fare I just reply , even if you take me for free I not go with you. 

[Media1]

18 hours ago, jaffacakes1 said:

I have searched the forums for someone with a similar situation to my own to no avail, given the rules change so frequently someone might be in a similar situation or able to advise..

 

I am a British Citizen and Thai work permit holder since mid Jun 2016, my visa is due for renewal this week and the consultancy I use have quoted me the following cots in order to complete the process;

 

- Renewal of a One Year non immigrant B visa 25,000 THB

- Renewal of work permit - 8,100 BHT

 

Also I have been asked for a 'convenience fee' of 10,000 BHT (tea money) which could very well be a consultancy scam, apparently to ensure that if I am not at the offices when / if immigration visit in case I do not happen to be in the office at the time.

 

My question is - are the fees correct for work permit and vis extensions and what would you suggest regarding the 'convenience fee;?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

Scammed to them to F O

[Media1]

17 hours ago, bangkokdavie said:

If you can collect all the paperwork yourself (or via employer) and go to immigration it would cost 1,900 Baht for the extension and 3,100 Baht at the Labor Office for your work permit.  

Correct

[nasa123]

Where are Ubonjoe ? And answer this man, you don`t want ?

 

[ubonjoe]

3 hours ago, Mattd said:

If you are getting two year extensions on the work permit, then why would you not get a two year extension of stay based on employment as well, rather than the hassle of a ME Non B every year, with the 90 day departures?

It would be a lot cheaper, 1,900 for the extension + 3,800 for the RE permit.

The most common reason is that their salary does not meet the requirements to get the extension. For most western countries that is 50k baht per month.

Another is that the employer cannot meet the requirements for an extension.

Or not having 4 Thai employees.

[eisfeld]

5 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The most common reason is that their salary does not meet the requirements to get the extension. For most western countries that is 50k baht per month.

Another is that the employer cannot meet the requirements for an extension.

Or not having 4 Thai employees.

 

Didn't they have to meet those requirements when the WP was initially applied for? That would then leave only the situation where they were able to meet the requirements but then subsequently not anymore. But how would they get a new WP then? I was under the impression that the requirements to get a WP initially are pretty much the same as getting the extension. I might be wrong though.

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, eisfeld said:

Didn't they have to meet those requirements when the WP was initially applied for?

There is no salary requirement to get a work permit. There are a few work permit offices that will issue one with less than 4 Thai employees.

Immigration's requirements for tax payments and etc are higher than what is needed to a apply for a non-b visa at a embassy or consulate.