Visa agents getting priority in Immigration .....Why ?

[edwardandtubs]

Sometimes what looks like an agent is actually someone from the HR department of a company or organisation that has organised a large group of their employees to go and get their work permit and visa done together on the same day. There's usually no queue-jumping in such cases, just a bit of coordination that actually speeds things up for everyone.

Edited November 8, 2018 by edwardandtubs

[Issanjohn]

I didn’t have time at the moment to read the entire post but “Visa agents getting priority in Immigration .....Why ?”  Because that’s what people pay visa agents for is for quick service you get to jump in front of the line and your extension is done very rapidly.  Although I am considering the possibility of doing mine myself this year now that I know the income verification won’t be an issue.  Although I might need to start transferring money into a Thai bank account next year from my monthly pension payments but I’ve verified that my income affidavit will still be valid for the next six months so at least now I have a good plan after they stop providing the income affidavits.  

[scottiejohn]

23 minutes ago, Dap said:

A designated desk for agents, sounds like a capital idea.

They appear to have one in CM for certain major agency companies whilst other smaller companies are just glorified line sitters/queue jumpers.

I use one of the bigger companies and spend a MAX of 15 minutes at Immigration per year.

Money well spent for me.

 

Edited November 8, 2018 by scottiejohn

[Andrew Dwyer]

They appear to have one in CM for certain major agency companies whilst other smaller companies are just glorified line sitters/queue jumpers.
I use one of the bigger companies and spend a MAX of 15 minutes at Immigration per year.
Money well spent for me.
 

From other posts I think I would use one of the bigger companies also if I was in CM ! ( hopefully they wouldn’t queue jump or I would be guilty of hypocrisy ).
It sounds like a ridiculous situation up there which needs BJ’s immediate attention .

[Andrew Dwyer]

Just to repeat:

I’m not knocking Visa Agents, they supply a service that is needed by many.
But I am having a go at the unscrupulous ones who jump the queue and generally use Immigration to their advantage by slipping a few baht under the table ( allegedly ) .

[digger70]

10 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

At the end of the day it probably works out quicker having an agent do 5 extensions rather than 5 people doing their own extensions, the agent will have all the required paperwork in order etc. If the agent wasn't there you would probably have ticket 21 rather than ticket 16. 

That's not the problem,,, the problem is that they Don't follow the Queue they just get put in front of you Because of the use of the THB Donations

[Searat7]

How about the agents who deposit 800,000 b in a client’s account for a few days and then get this accepted and processed by IO agent ? There should be a separate line for agents and one of Big Joke’s trusted aides should be standing next to the desk. This practice will probably become more widespread with elimination of embassy income letters for some countries. 

 

[Lacessit]

5 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Yeah but what's the cost I can"t get an answer from these agencys maybe because I live out the way. 

Assist Thai Visa charges me 5500 baht service fee for the retirement extension, plus a multiple re-entry permit.

[Psimbo]

Bearing in mind they get a kickback is it any surprise? There's a reason IOs like to mess some people around so they resort to the agents. 20-25k for a retirement permit that costs B1900- sod that. They can tell the people that will and won't fall for it.

[Psimbo]

42 minutes ago, Searat7 said:

How about the agents who deposit 800,000 b in a client’s account for a few days and then get this accepted and processed by IO agent ? There should be a separate line for agents and one of Big Joke’s trusted aides should be standing next to the desk. This practice will probably become more widespread with elimination of embassy income letters for some countries. 

 

The people who have used this scam for years and bragged about it  are starting to get bitten on the bum and quite rightly. Bank Statement and letter have been increasingly the way ahead. it will get rid of some of thee riff-raff who have been playing the system for years.  Watch them start moaning on here though.

[Billy Bloggs]

Well I find that strange, when I did use agents(In Chiang Mai it was a necessity for me) they got their ticket numbers like everyone else, usually low numbers as they had someone wait in the queue at whatever ridiculous time in the morning it was, or if it was a simple job and I may have gone in late and been told by the agent they had no numbers till tomorrow.

It is why Im so happy with the IO in Buri Ram where there is never too many waiting and the service is fast.

[Kwasaki]

12 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Assist Thai Visa charges me 5500 baht service fee for the retirement extension, plus a multiple re-entry permit.

I was referring to an agent that gets you a marriage or retirement extension for a fee without showing bank funds.

We will stick to doing marriage ourselves.   

[Lacessit]

Just now, Kwasaki said:

I was referring to an agent that gets you a marriage or retirement extension for a fee without showing bank funds.

We will stick to doing marriage ourselves.   

I understand the fee for getting extensions WITHOUT bank funds is 25K - 30K baht. It's also illegal.

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I understand the fee for getting extensions WITHOUT bank funds is 25K - 30K baht. It's also illegal.

An IO with sufficient rank can waive the money-seasoning, and a bank-letter from funds "flashed" in and out of the bank is legal and valid at the time it is generated. 

 

I am no fan of agents, but the only illegal activity involved, is any unofficial-fee money that changes hands to get the seasoning waived.  This may be difficult to prove - especially since those with oversight-roles are likely in the money-pipeline. 

 

13 hours ago, Psimbo said:

The people who have used this scam for years and bragged about it  are starting to get bitten on the bum and quite rightly.

You and I agree this activity is unseemly (to use the most polite word) - but immigration's treatment of agents shows that they prefer applications from agents (often based on faked-money) to honest, in-person applicants. 

 

Historically, every "tightening" / "crackdown" has led to increasing agent/payoff activity - not reduced it - so would appear to be the underlying reason for policy-shifts (see the "embassy letters" threads) - not some "noble goal" fantasy.

Edited November 9, 2018 by JackThompson

[Pattaya46]

14 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Assist Thai Visa charges me 5500 baht service fee for the retirement extension, plus a multiple re-entry permit.

How can an agent charge you less than the official price ?? 

1'900 + 4'000 = 5'900 B

 

Edit: Or do you mean you paid 5'900 + 5'500 ?! 

Edited November 9, 2018 by Pattaya46

[Kwasaki]

45 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Historically, every "tightening" / "crackdown" has led to increasing agent/payoff activity - not reduced it

Immigration are a police section the army is in charge and seeking out corruption it maybe only matter of time before agencies will no longer be able to service expats with no money for 1 year extension, as I see it.

The agencies will still carry on with there services to Thai businesses who want cheap employees from the poor surrounding countries which gone on for years.

[JackThompson]

52 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Immigration are a police section the army is in charge and seeking out corruption it maybe only matter of time before agencies will no longer be able to service expats with no money for 1 year extension, as I see it.

Anything is possible - but would be an uphill-battle, given how many ranking people likely depend on that income-stream.  They have advertised this in public - for years - so it must go pretty high. 

 

Speaking to some expats who use agents last year, my understanding is that after the last change of govt, the agent-fees went up to cover the army's cut.  Since then, the fees have declined in some areas, so maybe they put the cost too high, and the overall "take" declined. 

 

It is similar to what happened with EDU in the same time-frame, where they have now lowered the required class-hours, but upped the "no hassle extension" fees and returned to the "no need to show up for class at all" model - rather than even pretend that they were trying to accept "only legit students," as per the talking-points.

 

It would appear they often get greedy, and make a big PR-show to push for more money, then they set the price too high and watch as sales-volume declines rapidly, along with their net-proceeds.  Then, they quietly correct to restore volume.  Like any other market-activity, corruption is subject to supply-and-demand - even when a monopoly (immigration) is involved.

 

In this case, it appears more like a simple turf-battle to me - where the embassies were getting in the way of the agent money-flow.  Those being targeted with the letter-change don't fit the Elite model (don't have 800K to keep for even 3 mo), so that doesn't fit.  The agent-system would seem where they hope to "re-direct" these applicants.

 

52 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

The agencies will still carry on with there services to Thai businesses who want cheap employees from the poor surrounding countries which gone on for years.

Yes - one Cambodian I spoke to indicated it cost about 10% of annual gross-income for the agent-fees for an "L" visa (to take a Thai's job at a ~40% lower wage).

Edited November 9, 2018 by JackThompson