On 2/16/2019 at 10:31 PM, Joe Mcseismic said:

Try again.

That 20 year visa is 2 million Baht with an annual fee of 20k baht.

There is one category that is 20 years for 1 million baht and no annual fee. But it also doesn't include the limo rides and other so-called free stuff.

On 2/16/2019 at 5:38 PM, bkk6060 said:

You may regret not taking that as people in Bangkok are being quoted double that price and agency prices are quickly increasing everywhere.

Good luck!

Never used them myself, but I agree with you ..the price quoted by the OP seem very average ...if not even a bit on the low side from what I've heard from people who use agents.

This makes no sense about having to pay 25 thousand baht again the next year. By that time, I will be able to exhibit the approved deposit in my bank for 12 full months. I would not need a visa service for that.  I am on the "monthly plan".   

 

Edited February 18, 20197 yr by KhunFred

On 2/16/2019 at 7:10 PM, mercman24 said:

i was never a visa runner but this new rule of keeping 400,000 in a bank doing sfa, so 25 thou into 400 thou thats 16 years extra for me, and i get to spend that 400,000, i be long gone before 16 years are up

Are you sure that ,,,  they will keep THB 400K  legal for 6 months and THB 800 K legal on paper for6 months for  the THB 25K ,,,,  I don't believe that for one second.To cover tat they would have to have THB 50 mill just for 50 + clients.

On 2/16/2019 at 5:38 PM, bkk6060 said:

You may regret not taking that as people in Bangkok are being quoted double that price and agency prices are quickly increasing everywhere.

Good luck!

Which agencies? Your information comes from?

18 hours ago, smedly said:

actually as I have already told a few people in discussions about this - they said they checked with their agent and all is fine for their next extension, the problem is when they go to renew that one in 12 months and it becomes clear that they didn't meet the specified requirements since then i.e. 800k balance 3 months after and maintain a 400k balance throughout the year - what then ?, they can't go back to the agent that took their money and complain when they are forced to leave the country because they broke the rules.

 

Yes the agent took their money and got them an extension why would they not, but are they guaranteeing they will not be caught when they renew the following year - No they are not !!!!!! 

Caught by who? By the people who broke the rules issuing the visa extension and who are making a great deal of money from it?

18 hours ago, smedly said:

actually as I have already told a few people in discussions about this - they said they checked with their agent and all is fine for their next extension, the problem is when they go to renew that one in 12 months and it becomes clear that they didn't meet the specified requirements since then i.e. 800k balance 3 months after and maintain a 400k balance throughout the year - what then ?, they can't go back to the agent that took their money and complain when they are forced to leave the country because they broke the rules.

 

Yes the agent took their money and got them an extension why would they not, but are they guaranteeing they will not be caught when they renew the following year - No they are not !!!!!! 

Are you referring to extensions before or after March1. Extensions before 1 March, I agree they could get caught out on following extension. Agents are saying no change after March 1 so it is going to be interesting to see how agents are going to get around the 2 month before and 3 month after requirement.

Edited February 18, 20197 yr by Shifty
Further comment

13 minutes ago, Shifty said:

Are you referring to extensions before or after March1

I talking about renewal in 12 months when the proposed checks will be carried out - an agent might take your money get you an extension now but come renewal - if you have broken the rules - what then ? will the agent sort it out for you ?

2 hours ago, jesimps said:

Excellent post, I've mentioned this a few times. I know a couple of extremely wealthy guys here who use an agent and if I was in their position financially, so would I. //

So according to you, when you are "wealthy" you don't need to respect rules...? 

I remind you that the TM.7 clearly says "APPLICANT MUST SUBMIT THE APPLICATION IN PERSON"...

On 2/16/2019 at 5:38 PM, bkk6060 said:

You may regret not taking that as people in Bangkok are being quoted double that price and agency prices are quickly increasing everywhere.

Good luck!

just do it properly, or just disappear somewhere else with the rest of the scammers that have caused this change of rule in the first place!

On 2/16/2019 at 7:27 PM, faraday said:

It earns interest, so not sfa.

Agents will be finished in 6 months time.

On 2/17/2019 at 10:57 AM, BritManToo said:

You can't convince the 'I love Thailand' brigade, they will pooh pooh all posts suggesting somewhere else is just as good, until the general forces them to leave.

You even hint that anywhere on the planet is better than here and the "rosey specs" brigade'll be on you like a ton of bricks.

13 hours ago, smedly said:

I talking about renewal in 12 months when the proposed checks will be carried out - an agent might take your money get you an extension now but come renewal - if you have broken the rules - what then ? will the agent sort it out for you ?

Some agents don't deposit money in the banks, they pay immigration officers to bypass the need for bank deposits.  The I/O officers simply take the money, process the documents and everyone is happy.  Simple as that.  As long as your agent will be around and I/O doesn't change management .. it will remain business as usual

 

Edited February 18, 20197 yr by TheThai

7 hours ago, jesimps said:

You even hint that anywhere on the planet is better than here and the "rosey specs" brigade'll be on you like a ton of bricks.

i had a chance at Mexico, Colombia and Panama and dropped the ball, because I just had to be in exotic Asia, A fool never learns, Many places are, not only glad to have us, they have single-payer health care and modest social programs.

15 hours ago, Caine said:

Agents will be finished in 6 months time.

No they won't. 

30 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

No they won't. 

If anything, the dodgy ones will be charging even more.

On 2/18/2019 at 9:57 AM, Shifty said:

Are you referring to extensions before or after March1. Extensions before 1 March, I agree they could get caught out on following extension. Agents are saying no change after March 1 so it is going to be interesting to see how agents are going to get around the 2 month before and 3 month after requirement.

I assume, the same way they get around the 3-mo before, now.  Brown-envelope = No Seasoning Checks.

 

On 2/18/2019 at 11:00 AM, nickmondo said:

just do it properly, or just disappear somewhere else with the rest of the scammers that have caused this change of rule in the first place!

Where are the IOs, the IO's agent-partners, and their clients all disappearing to? 

Immigration will boot every last honest-applicant before removing the agent-customers who butter their bread.

Agents will be around as long as there are foreigners living in this country. 

 

Whatever Big Joke is trying to achieve, there is a limit for what he can do.

  

 

I should have said "extension of visa". I told him "extension" the answer was 25 k.  Thailand really wants us anywhere but here.

On 2/16/2019 at 9:59 PM, dbrenn said:

Adding to the utopia that Cambodia is supposed to be: Phnom Penh is a filthy dump - a gigantic and ugly building site, the local food is crap, unsafe walking down the street at night, power cuts all the  time,  slow Internet, etc, etc. .. 

 

The misery some people will endure for cheap draught beer and happy pizza is astonishing. 

You must have forgotten their are some filthy dumps in Thailand as well!

On 2/17/2019 at 6:47 PM, KhunFred said:

All agents I have talked to, tell me "no visa....no money paid"..

What does it mean, "no visa...no money paid"? Nobody expects the agents to work for free. 

1 hour ago, balo said:

Whatever Big Joke is trying to achieve, there is a limit for what he can do.

Big Joke wants to become police chief and he could do nothing. 

9 hours ago, balo said:

Whatever Big Joke is trying to achieve, there is a limit for what he can do.

Exactly. This is the country where you can stage a military coup and still won't be able to achieve something trivial like stopping lottery ticket vendors from overcharging lottery ticket buyers, after all - despite making a lot of noise about it.

10 hours ago, balo said:

Agents will be around as long as there are foreigners living in this country. 

I would say they will be around as long as immigration-personnel rely on the revenue they generate.  It would take a massive salary-hike to make up the difference.

 

10 hours ago, balo said:

Whatever Big Joke is trying to achieve, there is a limit for what he can do.

Given the extra-hell being given to those married to a Thai at Chang Wattana, and that the changes to retirement-extensions only affect the honest / do not impact how agent-facilitated extensions work, it would appear his goal is to maximize agent-revenue. 

 

If he wanted to end corruption, the agent-personnel would be in jail, along with their direct IO-contacts - and all would be making plea-deals for testifying against all those above them.

 

8 hours ago, onera1961 said:

What does it mean, "no visa...no money paid"? Nobody expects the agents to work for free. 

If their IO-partner cannot finagle your extension, you don't have to pay.  If they do get your extension - you pay.

 

55 minutes ago, Caldera said:

Exactly. This is the country where you can stage a military coup and still won't be able to achieve something trivial like stopping lottery ticket vendors from overcharging lottery ticket buyers, after all - despite making a lot of noise about it.

That is much harder to do - tens of thousands or more of them, who cannot be surveilled 24/7. 

 

Stopping corruption within your own ranks is much simpler - they are concentrated in "offices" you can monitor, and their partner-agents advertise their schemes and office-locations publicly.  Of course, ending corruption would actually have to be the goal. 

 

Recent changes - embassy-letters, the unpublished marriage-seasoning extension and/or "landlord docs", and the published retirement-seasoning extension - appear to be the result of asking the question, "What can we do to maximize agent revenue, while pretending we are trying to stop it?"

On 2/16/2019 at 5:24 PM, CharlieH said:

Flame style posts removed.

Thanks to moderators doing their job. I've been bullied until I am bloody with the "bugger on back home" crowd and the "visa services are illegal" bunch. I am supposed to believe that an entity made possible by Immigration desire for more money is going to be made illegal and farangs will be held responsible. Thais can't be that stupid.

On 2/16/2019 at 4:45 PM, Orton Rd said:

My Chinese friend only paid 1k direct for them to ignore the cash not being in the bank long enough, quite a bargain I thought.

The result of the present day 90 days in the bank other you get the visa.