Thai person paid 50,000 baht to apply for a Swiss visa to a Thai visa agent.  45,000 baht was promised in return if the application was not successful.  If it was successful another 270,000 baht was payable to be issued the 2-year visa.

 

Thai visa agent has since cancelled the application and not refunded the money, promising it will be returned 'before May'.  It's not clear if visa agent means 45,000 or 50,000.  They have admitted the application was not completed and that they just cancelled it.

 

Visa agent does have history of actually procuring visas - my friend's Thai friend has successfully used them for an australian student visa.  When pressed, visa agent say they are not working about visas anymore.  So it seems this is not some kind of well-planned scam but maybe some kind of opportunist thing, or maybe the visa agent just needed some money to tide them over for a while.

 

Personally I doubt whether any money will be refunded so would be interested in best course of action going forward.  Police?  And also anybody have any knowledge about visa costs and how Thais usually go about this/how much they pay?  Because I'm clueless.

 

I don't have any funds invested in this, I just want to try and help my friend get their money back.

Good luck with that one............I think your "friend" can kiss goodbye to it.....

Your friend has been fleeced.

Switzerland is one of the most transparent and incorruptible immigration systems. No need for agents other than to scam
unfortunates.

Police you say?

 

Your friend tried to buy a fraudulently obtained visa.

Good luck with that.

Edited April 4, 20188 yr by Will27

My wife studied in Switzerland, certainly doesn't cost 270k for a visa :)

I think your friend is 50k down !!!

Switzerland is Schengen, so i assume it's a normal "Schengen Visa", then a 2 year visa doesn't exist.

The price is a joke, read here for proper info:

 

https://www.siam-legal.com/foreign-visas/schengen-visa-thailand.php

Or is your friend  trying to scam you. Makes up story re Visa Agent get your sympathy you help them with the 50k.

Lol what an idiot. TLS Contact deals with applications on behalf of the Swiss Embassy. Short term visa under 90 days 60 euros or 2300 thb.

2 years visa based on what?

Australian visas are not the same as to Schengen.

8 hours ago, jackdd said:

Switzerland is Schengen, so i assume it's a normal "Schengen Visa", then a 2 year visa doesn't exist.

2 years is what my wife got.

27 minutes ago, arithai12 said:

2 years is what my wife got.

But that has another name then, maybe "National Visa" or she has a "residence permit", but you do get these of course only for being married / working / studying

"Schengen Visa" is the name for the tourist Visa that allows a foreigner to stay up to 90 days in a 180 days period in the Schengen countries

26 minutes ago, jackdd said:

But that has another name then, maybe "National Visa" or she has a "residence permit", but you do get these of course only for being married / working / studying

"Schengen Visa" is the name for the tourist Visa that allows a foreigner to stay up to 90 days in a 180 days period in the Schengen countries

It is a national visa  D see link for application form:

 

https://www.sem.admin.ch/content/dam/data/sem/einreise/visumantragsformulare/visumantrag-visumd-en-de.pdf

Your friend got taken a regular story it seem when people don't do their own homework.

Not sure about Swiss, but if you need a lawyer or a firm that does visa etc.. give me a PM and I will forward their name they are in Bangkok across from the US Embassy. 

The cost to speak to them is minimum and they will have a honest answer and cost when they walk out

I have just done a UK visa, (not a Schengen but we have done these in the past as well) , for 2 years multiple entries for my partner. We did it, as always, by ourselves.

 

The total cost was the price of the visa to the UK government.I think from memory about $500 or 340GBP thereabouts.

 

  Where in God's name do they get 270K THB from?

22 hours ago, Hupaponics said:

2 years visa based on what?

Australian visas are not the same as to Schengen.

What has this got to do with Australian visa's? Have you been on the Fosters mate?

Edited April 5, 20188 yr by jimn

Just now, Will27 said:

Your friend tried to buy a fraudulently obtained visa.

 

Why do you think that?  Can't visa agents deal with legitimate applications?

Just now, jimn said:

What has this got to do with Australian visa's? Have you been on the Fosters mate?

I mentioned an Australian visa in the OP.  But I wasn't suggesting they were the same, just that the visa agent has a known history of getting people visas.

So reading between the lines, it might be reasonable to assume that my friend has paid for a 2 year visa which is more complex to obtain than a tourist visa, and that the visa agent might have to pay somebody off or fix some paperwork to get my friend a work permit.  And this has resulted in a hugely increased cost because it isn't completely kosher.

 

Am I in the right ballpark?

2 hours ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

So reading between the lines, it might be reasonable to assume that my friend has paid for a 2 year visa which is more complex to obtain than a tourist visa, and that the visa agent might have to pay somebody off or fix some paperwork to get my friend a work permit.  And this has resulted in a hugely increased cost because it isn't completely kosher.

 

Am I in the right ballpark?

You think it would be possible to "buy" a work permit in Switzerland? Especially for such a low sum? Never

Your friend just got ripped off

I have no idea.  How much does a work permit usually cost?  That seemed high to me.

4 hours ago, jimn said:

What has this got to do with Australian visa's? Have you been on the Fosters mate?

 

No mate, I was referring to OP's "...my friend's Thai friend has successfully used them for an australian student visa".

 

I don't drink that. American and Australian beer is like making love in a canoe, fuxxing close to water

 

Cheers:)

3 minutes ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

I have no idea.  How much does a work permit usually cost?  That seemed high to me.

I don't think it's possible to "buy" one at all. Such a work permit request is not processed in the embassy in Thailand, but by authorities in the country to which you are applying.

If you have a job offer and match the criterias you can get one on the regular way, then it's probably a few thousand THB for fees

So, going forward, a threat to the visa agent asking for a return of the money now or police will be involved?  If she is doing something illegal she might be more inclined to give the money back than risk police involvement.

Thai person paid 50,000 baht to apply for a Swiss visa to a Thai visa agent.  45,000 baht was promised in return if the application was not successful.  If it was successful another 270,000 baht was payable to be issued the 2-year visa.

 

  I have never heard of a 2-year visa for a Thai citizen and I don't think that it exists. 

 

   Switzerland isn't one of the most corrupt countries and I assume they signed the Schengen agreement. 

 

"Applicants residing in Laos and Cambodia can still submit their applications at their responsible honorary consulates, respectively at the Swiss Embassy in Yangon for applicants residing in Myanmar. The Embassy reserves its right to perform personal interviews at the Embassy in Bangkok. The visa application can be lodged earliest 3 months before the planned departure. The maximum stay in the Schengen area will not be allowed to exceed 90 days over any 180-day period."

 

Please see: 

 

 

 

Schengen-business-visa-main-destination-Switzerland_EN (1).pdf

Edited April 5, 20188 yr by jenny2017

7 minutes ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

So, going forward, a threat to the visa agent asking for a return of the money now or police will be involved?  If she is doing something illegal she might be more inclined to give the money back than risk police involvement.

But be fast, they can easily change their full names and move somewhere else. 

1 hour ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

So, going forward, a threat to the visa agent asking for a return of the money now or police will be involved?  If she is doing something illegal she might be more inclined to give the money back than risk police involvement.

Some of these agents are genuinely acting for someone that is a big time scammer. They are being taken in themselves and are left holding a very big baby.

 

There was a case in Nong Khai a couple of years back where an agent was trying to recruit guys for non-existent work in the middle east. I was asked whether I thought the thing was above board and I said NO. But still people were willing to part with their 'fee' Including a couple from our village.

 

3 hours ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

Why do you think that?  Can't visa agents deal with legitimate applications?

270 000 for a 2 year visa says it all.

 

If you think your friend thinks it's legitimate, you'll believe anything I'm afraid.

3 hours ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

So reading between the lines, it might be reasonable to assume that my friend has paid for a 2 year visa which is more complex to obtain than a tourist visa, and that the visa agent might have to pay somebody off or fix some paperwork to get my friend a work permit.  And this has resulted in a hugely increased cost because it isn't completely kosher.

 

Am I in the right ballpark?

Yes.

Just now, Will27 said:

If you think your friend thinks it's legitimate, you'll believe anything I'm afraid.

She's just as clueless as I am.