Visa Agencies in Thailand: Balancing Immigration Assistance with Challenges

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Visa agencies throughout Southeast Asia, including Thailand, have long played a crucial role in easing the complex immigration processes for foreigners. However, changing regulations and technology are presenting new challenges to their operations

How to grease palms ?

[KhunBENQ]

32 minutes ago, Presnock said:

IMHO starts at the bottom and works its way up!

For the work of ordinary (traffic) police you are a 100% right.

[Nickcage49]

Bull💩

 

These "agencies" are ripoffs.

 

When I first came here, I had one help get me my first couple of retirement visas—at the price of 25K. They bribed the bank to put money in my account to show I had the funds and then took it out. By the way, I saw a bank doing this the other day. 

 

I found out how easy it was to do this myself.

 

Trust me, you don't need these people. They're just taking advantage of your ignorance.

[klauskunkel]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

visa agencies may need to specialise further and offer more than just visa advice

stamp + happy ending

[MikeandDow]

19 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

How to grease palms ?

grease palms is inbuit into Thai culture In traditional Thai value system merit is derived from power and in this way forms a basis for patron-client relationship in the political society. There is also a tradition of presenting gifts to
high officials. In this context you see that some things used to be legitimate under the traditional patronage system but are clearly to be considered problematic in modern legal system.

[Grumpy one]

2 hours ago, watchcat said:

 

And the rest is called corruption in many countries.

But this IS Thailand the most honest law-abiding place on the planet Zorg

[Bruce Aussie]

1 hour ago, CapatainbeefheartB4 said:

Well then... More difficulties for Farangs in Thailand, immigration, tax burdens, toxic air, over tourism, sullen and sour locals, drunk tourists, road rage on dangerous roads, delivery scooters riding like bats out of hell. Remind me again why it's a nice place to retire?

lovely wife😃

[Toby1947]

About time, So called retired Cheap Charlies your days are numbered 🤣😂👍

[malibukid]

i recently talked to someone who obtained a new class of retirement visa.  she said all she did was confirm $20k or $30k CAD in her Canadian bank and not a Thai bank?  sounds good.  and btw if they are going to tax us they should provide health insurance.

[black tabby12345]

Today, the golden era for Thai visa agencies appears to be waning. The ease of obtaining 60-day tourist visas on arrival reduces the necessity for border runs, traditionally facilitated by these agencies...

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Demand for Visa agents services will dry up, only if unlimited 60 day no-visa entry(back to back re-entry from the land border) is granted.

 

Now, men in uniform at some border check points  might need these brokers more than the  Visa Run Expats for their unofficial income supplementary  scheme.

 

Saying No to frequent repeat re-entry by land.

But saying Yes, when they came back with the help of the agents; in return for the kick-backs in Brown Envelop from the middlemen...

[connda]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

To survive long-term, Thai visa agencies must evolve alongside technological and regulatory trends, aligning their offerings with the demands of a digital, rapidly shifting landscape

Ahhh, the advent of the "Cypto brown envelopes." 

[bkk6060]

I know many people who use agents that do qualify they just don't want to waste time at immigration. 

And, there are a lot of businesses here that employ legal foreigners who use the agents to process them.  

[black tabby12345]

8 minutes ago, malibukid said:

i recently talked to someone who obtained a new class of retirement visa.  she said all she did was confirm $20k or $30k CAD in her Canadian bank and not a Thai bank?  sounds good.  and btw if they are going to tax us they should provide health insurance.

 

Is that about Non-Immigrant Retirement OA?

That visa is issued by the Thai embassy at applicants' home country.

They only have to prove they have that amount in own account at home(not in Thailand).

But they have to have an overseas health insurance cover valid for a year(to cover their stay period).

And when they apply for its extension next year in Thailand, they have to prove they have THB800K in their Thai bank account(fund transfer from home country needed).

As well as healthcare cover proof must be produced.

 

In contrast, Retirement O(obtained through the status change of visa inside Thailand), no needs for that insurance coverage.

 

But need to show the bank balance of THB 800K in own Thai bank account when applying for the change of visa(from tourist/visa waiver entry).

And the same requirement applies when they apply for its extension.

 

[jerrymahoney]

10 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

I know many people who use agents that do qualify

And then according to Jack:

 

I left out one word... Should have stated "MOST Folk using agents don't have the 800k

[black tabby12345]

Future hurdles could include the rise of electronic travel gates and the potential phase-out of traditional passports in favour of digital identification.

 

Senseless 23rd century fantasy...

[Thumbs]

Had marriage visa for 15 yrs and the push by immigration to use an agency is getting ridiculous creating visa problems in order to push you to an agent who can then fix the problem for a fee... if the problem is serious enough to prevent a visa application/extension then it shouldn't be fixable for an agent. I get some people don't like dealing with immigration (me included) and prefer to get their documents and let someone else deal with the rest. But many of these agencies are openly advertising that they can make fraudulent bank transactions if you don't have the required funds,11and senior police officials are at best negligent and risking the countries security or at worse profiting from it. Learning nothing from the Erawan bombing few years back

[black tabby12345]

3 hours ago, MikeandDow said:

How do people not qualify ??  granting of a visa is at the discretion of the immigration officer

 

When genuine  prescribed documents are produced, they are unlikely to say No.

Unless the applicant is blackmarked for something.

 

The most common cases where immigration officers exercise their Discretion:

Frequent repeat visa-waiver entrant at the land borders.

Or repeat tourist visa application at Thai embassy in the neighboring countries.

 

Mostly for the suspicion of illegal employment/business in Thailand.

 

These things actually happened around 2010s.

I know someone who got a warning  stamp from Thai embassy in Vientiane(Lao capital).

 

And it said that the future tourist visa application might be rejected.

 

 

[MikeandDow]

4 minutes ago, Thumbs said:

Had marriage visa for 15 yrs and the push by immigration to use an agency is getting ridiculous creating visa problems in order to push you to an agent who can then fix the problem for a fee... if the problem is serious enough to prevent a visa application/extension then it shouldn't be fixable for an agent. I get some people don't like dealing with immigration (me included) and prefer to get their documents and let someone else deal with the rest. But many of these agencies are openly advertising that they can make fraudulent bank transactions if you don't have the required funds,11and senior police officials are at best negligent and risking the countries security or at worse profiting from it. Learning nothing from the Erawan bombing few years back

What has the Erawan bombing  got to do with the Topic?? i belive the bombing was domestic sabotage

[hotandsticky]

2 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

What has the Erawan bombing  got to do with the Topic?? i belive the bombing was domestic sabotage

 

 

At that time Immigration controls were significantly tightened as it was believed that the perpetrators entered through Poipet.

[MikeandDow]

1 minute ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

At that time Immigration controls were significantly tightened as it was believed that the perpetrators entered through Poipet.

thanks for the info

[riverhigh]

"During the 1990s, the introduction of retirement visas and non-immigrant visas for specialised groups bolstered the necessity of visa agencies. They offered relief from lengthy queues and cumbersome paperwork through services such as address verifications and residency certificates."

 

Silly me I always thought it was for those who didn't have the 800,000 baht and/or medical insurance, depending on the visa. If memory serves me right, I never heard any of my friends say  "I'm glad I  paid the 19,000 baht for the relief of not standing in line".

[hotandsticky]

4 minutes ago, riverhigh said:

"During the 1990s, the introduction of retirement visas and non-immigrant visas for specialised groups bolstered the necessity of visa agencies. They offered relief from lengthy queues and cumbersome paperwork through services such as address verifications and residency certificates."

 

Silly me I always thought it was for those who didn't have the 800,000 baht and/or medical insurance, depending on the visa. If memory serves me right, I never heard any of my friends say  "I'm glad I  paid the 19,000 baht for the relief of not standing in line".

 

 

I am glad I paid 8,000 Baht for the relief of not standing in line.

[thecyclist]

4 hours ago, watchcat said:

 

By not having the "money in the Bank"

They have the money in the bank, it's just not "their money", it's borrowed money, borrowed from the agency. 

[pomchop]

more much ado about nothing....all i see is bunch of talk and fearmongering with little to zero actual change...

 

worry too mutt

[JB300]

20 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

I am glad I paid 8,000 Baht for the relief of not standing in line.

Same here, 8000b (+ 4000b for the multi re-entry permit) & I believe it’s worth it.
 

Others may see it as a waste of money & I’m sure if looked at the way they spend their money I would see things that I think are a waste of money. 
 

Different folks, different strokes. 

 

 

[baansgr]

4 hours ago, watchcat said:

 

Meaning more corruption for the Immigration, with help from said agencies  and corrupt corrupt banks to produce visas  to people who doesn't qualify.

Most people qualify but want to save money

[baansgr]

I've had marriage extensions, work extensions, dependent extensions and retirement extensions...got peed off with we want more photos, must wear different clothes, letters from the bank and all.sorts of other stupid requests...I decided it's far easier to use an agent and in fact is far cheaper also...does that mean I and many others in the same position do no qualify for an extension...of course it does not, it means we have far better things to.do with our lives but of course the oh so high and mighty visa nazis will say different 

[Captain Flack]

A number of off topic posts have been removed.

 

This topic is not about Trump, USA or imagined diseases.

[Presnock]

2 hours ago, jerrymahoney said:

And then according to Jack:

 

I left out one word... Should have stated "MOST Folk using agents don't have the 800k

Has anyone heard anything about the other countries i.e. Russia, China, Iran, N, Korean citizens having to go through all these changes too?  Just wondering

 

[MikeandDow]

16 minutes ago, Presnock said:

Has anyone heard anything about the other countries i.e. Russia, China, Iran, N, Korean citizens having to go through all these changes too?  Just wondering

 

Does not matter what other countries Immigration policys are !! this is about Thailand, in a Thai forum